Julie Sara Porter, Bookworm Reviews: October 2021

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Weekly Reader: The Circle of Ceridwen (The Circle of Ceridwen Saga Book 1) by Octavia Randolph; A Strong Feminist Start Cannot Save Over Long Historical Epic Romance

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: There is nothing worse than a book that begins so promising that falters towards the middle and disappoints so much by the end. It's worse than a book that is bad all the way through, because there was such high hopes in the beginning that are deflated by an underwhelming end. The Reader can feel hurt and betrayed.

Such is the case with The Circle of Ceridwen, Octavia Randolph's historical epic novel. It begins very well with two strong female leads and carries a powerful theme on how similar enemies at war really are and only property lines and country names keep us from realizing it. Then it changes into a generic romance and threatens to become a standard good army vs. bad army conflict. It could have been so much more.

Ceridwen is the daughter of of a deceased warlord of Mercia. She has been raised in an abbey to read, write, and fight if need be. At the age of 15, she is supposed to take the veil and become a nun. However, she doesn't feel the calling and has no prospects for marriage. With the abbot's blessing, she goes out in the world to seek her own path.

Significantly, this is usually the start of a man's journey to seek their fortune. That a woman is doing this shows how slightly subversive the writing can be within certain tropes.

While stopping, Ceridwen encounters a procession that is carrying Lady Aelfwyn of Wessex who is heading for Lindisse, an area controlled by the Danes. Aelfwyn is arranged to marry Yrling, a Danish lord in an act of conquest and to bring about peace. Ceridwen and Aelfwyn bond so much that Aelfwyn instantly makes the younger woman her companion and the two become best friends.

The book develops Ceridwen and Aelfwyn very well. Ceridwen is more self assured and bolder than her friend while Aelfwyn is nervous and uncertain about her new role as Lady of the Danes. She is upset with being used as a prize and that she had to leave the man that she really loved, Gyric son of Godwulf of Kilton in the Kingdom of Wessex. Ceridwen reminds her that she can do much

good for the people and become a shining beacon for those in war. She subtly reminds Aelfwyn that since she will be in a position of power, that there are more people involved than just her and she needs to put her hurt emotions aside because she has a job to do.

One of the strongest moments of what this book could be is when Ceridwen and Aelfwyn visit the people of Lindisse and see many widows, orphans, and disfigured veterans. Aelfwyn is touched particularly, by the status of the women who live without choice and are under the thumb of societal standards and dominating husbands. She finally understands what her role is and she and Ceridwen talk about changing things in Lindisse.

There is a lot of change in the beginning, especially towards Ceridwen and Aelfwyn. Before they, especially Aelfwyn, saw the Danes as an ignorant enemy that they didn't want to know. Yrling is gruff and set in his ways, but Aelfwyn comes to care for him to the point of worrying when he goes into battle. Ceridwen becomes the center of attention between two of Yrling's nephews. One, Toki, repulses Ceridwen with his aggressive sardonic behavior but Sidroc and Ceridwen develop a mutual understanding and friendship as they share stories as children of war.

One of the moments that show real understanding is how Ceridwen alters her spiritual path. At first, she was raised in a Christian abbey. While she didn't necessarily fit in with the life of a nun, she had preconceived notions of pagans because of her influence. She and Aelfwyn saw them as barbaric and backwards.

However, Ceridwen begins to see the freedom that the pagan path offers for women. It's a nice departure from Christianity which insists that all women are vessels of sin because of Eve. It gets to the point that Ceridwen has a religious experience where she speaks to a figure that might be Ceridwen, the Goddess and her namesake.

It's such a good book in the beginning that it is extremely upsetting that it changes during the halfway point. Ceridwen volunteers to free Aelfwyn's imprisoned former lover, Gyric. The two go on the run to Gyric's kingdom of Wessex. Along the way,they become lovers.

On paper, it's not a bad idea. Ceridwen shows a lot of strength and determination and takes the lead in their adventure. Gyric had been blinded and wounded from his imprisonment and needs Ceridwen to guide him home.

However, the plot really devolves. Among the reasons that the second half isn't as good as the first is the departure of Aelfwyn and the decline of the friendship between her and Ceridwen.

The book seemed to be more about a friendship between the two female friends. They could have been lovers, but more importantly they were best friends who brought out the best of each other. It was a feminist stance that two women can lead and bring about such change.

Unfortunately, since Aelfwyn disappears the second half of the friendship is gone, relying on the standard male-female romance to propel the narrative. I apologize, but it is nowhere near as compelling as the friendship that preceded it. One of the reasons is that while Ceridwen and Aelfwyn are dynamic characters that change because of their friendship, Gyric is the same static character throughout. Of course, he has been wounded and tortured and is suffering through PTSD, but that could have easily been a separate book. In fact, his and Ceridwen's subplot could have easily been a separate book and not tacked on to this one.

Ceridwen's story has been told and she has gone through great dramatic change, so that her and Gyric's story is unnecessary that it seems like filler. The plot just drags on and on when it would have had a better ending.

The Circle of Ceridwen is like a circle that starts with a strong beginning and just goes on and on instead of having a real ending. This is one circle that needs to be a lot smaller.

Sunday, October 24, 2021

New Book Alert: The Bookbinder's Daughter by Jessica Thorne; Enchanting Special Collections Library Is Backdrop For Year's Best Fantasy

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Through this blog, we have seen book lovers and collections that have magic, not the traditional kind where a love of reading and a great imagination can send a Reader anywhere they want with the turn of a page. I mean real magic. From books that literally talk to Readers, books that appear to provide answers when someone is at an emotional crossroads, books that pull Readers inside their magical world, literary characters taking breaks from their storylines to hang out and chill with Readers, and libraries that hold every book that has or will be written and where characters congregate between reads and sometimes wait to become characters in a new work or taking over for other characters.

These Book Worlds could be a dream for me and my fellow Bookworms.

That network of magical libraries and book keepers can add another member: The Ayredale Special Collection from Jessica Thorne's enchanting modern fantasy novel, The Bookbinder's Daughter.

On the surface, it looks like a typical special library with a learned scholarly staff that know their collection and the knowledge it contains, researchers who come in to study the contents, comfortable chairs, a fireplace, and a very cozy, quiet, and welcoming atmosphere. It seems normal, but it's not.

Sophie Lawrence knows this. She and her father left the Special Collection after her mother disappeared when she was a teenager. Now, Sophie is an adult whose father has died and she is in a loveless relationship with a verbally abusive boyfriend. She has constant dreams of walking around a tree that reaches the sky and a voice that calls to her. Her only comfort is her job as a bookbinder. She repairs and builds books with the care of a doctor to her patients.

Sophie is visited by her uncle, Dr. Edward Talbot who sends her an official job offer to become a conservator and specialist binder at the Ayredale Special Collection. Because of the trauma of her mother's disappearance and the blocked memories of her time in Ayredale, Sophie is extremely reluctant but as soon as she reenters the library and meets its odd staff, she feels a sense of being drawn in and welcomed. She also feels a surge of energy surrounding the library, something ancient, powerful, hypnotic, and potentially dangerous.

The characters and setting are what makes The Bookbinder's Daughter truly magical. There are so many great touches that enchant and draw the Reader into this spellbinding world of deep magic, knowledge, and wisdom.

Once Sophie enters the Special Collection, it becomes apparent that the collection and staff are one of a kind. The Ayredale staff are an eccentric unique bunch. Many of them practice some form of magic or what they call, The Art.

There's Uncle Edward who comes and goes on a whim always insisting that the "family must always return to the library." Will Rhys, Sophie's childhood best friend has grown into a handsome young man that sees himself as a protector of the library and Sophie. Professor Hypatia Alexander, the Keeper, never misses a thing but is looking for a replacement. Arthur Dee, Will's half brother has an obsession with the darker aspects of the collection. Villus, the library cat has his own sense of self importance. Delphine, one of three young library assistants (the other two are named Hannah and Meera), sets her amorous sights on the available and important men in the library.

Then there's my favorite character, Tia, a flamboyant and flashy archivist who has a tragic past and powerful abilities behind her flowing red hair, glamorous appearance, and fashionable wardrobe. (Sort of like if Maggie Smith's earlier character Miss Jean Brodie had the knowledge of her later character Professor Minerva McGonagall.) The staff fills Sophie with a sense of welcome with their mostly kind nature but unease as the collection's real value becomes apparent.

And what a value that collection is. There are some very old magic books with a lot of power. One of them has leaves, no not leaves like pages, actual golden leaves written with words. This book is written in a strange language that none of the staff can decipher, except Sophie. Sophie, who has dyslexia and often has a hard time understanding written language, completely understands this book and many others. It appears that Sophie has her own untapped Art that needs to be put into practice. She has been called to this job by outside forces and she does her job well.

The collection has a history that goes back to John Dee, Queen Elizabeth I's astrologer, advisor, and sorcerer who allegedly knew and wrote about various magical ancient languages.

If the books aren't enough, there's the very large tree that stands in the center of the rotunda. A tree that contains much knowledge that can be transferred just by looking at it. It's a tree that is familiar to followers of various myths and religions. (Of course since books come from trees, it makes sense that the books and their original source would be together.) The books and tree are now in the care of the Ayredales who protect them from being misused even as they are pulsing with power and draw the unsuspecting, unwary, curious, avaricious, and greedy.

Of course, greed and opportunism set in and the collection is misused and opened wide. Dangerous things happen and many characters are revealed to be something else, something more frightening and deadly. Sophie finds out some truths about her family and the people that she works with and slowly has begun to regard as a second family.

The Bookbinder's Daughter is one of those type of books that draw a Reader in so much that they are immersed in the world and lost in the setting and characters. That magic makes The Bookbinder's Daughter one of the best books and certainly the best fantasy of 2021.

Weekly Reader: Betrayal at Ravenswick: A Fiona Figg Mystery by Kelly Oliver; Engaging Historical Mystery Combines Murder Mystery and Espionage Thriller

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: This year, we have become acquainted with Mona Moon, 1930's cartographer turned entrepreneur and amateur detective and Ginger Gold, 1920's fashionista flapper turned amateur detective. Our latest historical mystery featuring an alliterative independent woman is The Fiona Figg Mysteries, starring a WWI era woman who gets involved murder mysteries and espionage among fighting nations.

Fiona needs something to block her hurt emotions after she caught her husband, Andrew in bed with his mistress whom he not only impregnated but wants to marry. Fiona throws herself into her job as head filing clerk at the War Office's top secret Room 40. At this job, she helps decode and send telegrams. She has career success when she decodes the Zimmermann telegram which pushes the United States into the war.

Fiona's reputation spreads through Room 40 enough that her colleagues have faith in her when she volunteers to trail a potential German spy known as the Great White Hunter. Fiona impersonates a male doctor to enter Ravenswick Abbey, the home of Lady Mary Elliot and where the Hunter has contacts. Things take a disastrous turn when Countess Edith Elliot is murdered. Fiona finds herself in a house full of suspects, one of whom may also be an enemy spy.

Betrayal at Ravenswick cleverly combines the drawing room cozy mystery with an espionage political thriller. Fiona finds herself in the fancy home with many suspects who have reasons to do away with the deceased. There's the much younger fortune hunter whom the adult children don't like, the orphaned relative from an illegitimate background taken in by the charity of their elders, the jealous and angry staff who may have a literal axe to grind, and of course the houseguests who have a secret or two or three that they don't want people to know about. It's all obvious, almost too obvious.

What Oliver does is cleverly play and mock the drawing room mystery genre while keeping the international intrigue at the forefront. One of the smartest moves is when a pompous character does the "call everyone into the room to announce the murderer" bit. The clever subversion in this moment is that it happens off stage with another character retelling it to Fiona, both of whom realize that the so-called master detective is wrong and is simply a bombastic twit. Fiona is less impressed by this massive display of not so brilliant deduction and wants the eyewitness to get to the point over what happened.

Fiona is aware that there are bigger stakes involved than the murder of one person in a rich estate and that this isn't a personal grudge from someone in a jealous love triangle or who can't wait to get their hands on Mama's money. The conflicts involve a world at war making these classy murder mysteries tempests in sweltering teapots ready to explode.

Along with that personal troubles being cast aside for the bigger picture of international conflict, there is the slight focus on Fiona's love life. While she is naturally incensed by Andrew's cheating and inwardly hopes that he ends up with syphilis, she is able to pull herself together to get the job done. While some female detectives use their private pain to pull them into the mystery solving game, Fiona does what many male detectives do. She uses the job to disguise her pain and works to get beyond it.

It's no coincidence that her first assignment involves her assuming a male identity. There are many who feel that Fiona doesn't fit in the woman's world of the late 19teens. She is an outspoken and independent career woman whose marriage ended. Instead Fiona has to fit in the man's world of war and espionage. Whereas Mona Moon and Ginger Gold emphasized their femininity on their cases, Fiona almost relinquishes it to become one of the boys.

Fiona is as good a detective as her historical mystery sisters like Ginger and Mona, but what sets her apart is her professionalism. Investigation and espionage is her business. Ginger and Mona are amateurs who stumble upon mysteries. While they are observant and dedicated, their flirtatious natures, spunky personalities, and connections to law enforcement are the only things that allow them to cross lines that they shouldn't. Fiona is already in the business and she doesn't need to cross barriers because they don't exist for her. Sometimes her gender proves to be a detriment, but her ability to disguise herself, even as a man, takes care of that. She has the training of learning codes, going undercover, and subduing enemy agents that women like Mona and Ginger have to learn while on the case. Theirs is a constantly learning experience. Fiona has already learned it. She just needs to put it into practice and she does.

Betrayal at Ravenswick is a brilliant first book that stars an excellent independent protagonist. It is a fine marriage of cozy mystery and espionage that creates a winning combination.

Friday, October 22, 2021

Weekly Reader: All Eyes on Me: A Miranda and Parker Mystery Book 1 by Linsey Lanier; An Eye For A Good Gruesome Murder Mystery About The Trappings of Fame

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: For all those who love graphic gruesome murder mysteries especially when the victim is a divalicious star laid out in a grotesque way say "Eye!" Then read All Eyes on Me A Miranda and Parker Mystery Book 1 by Linsey Lanier.

Miranda Steele has had a traumatic past. She survived an abusive first marriage, the abduction and return of her daughter, and a near death experience. While most would be justified in wanting to cower into their home and hide, Miranda instead teams up with private investigator Wade Parker. Their relationship has gone from associates, to lovers, to a married couple. When one is called, the other is there as an equal partner.

Their current case is a pretty violent one that puts them right in the forefront of public consciousness. Ambrosia Dawn, a famous pop singer/diva has been found the desert outside of her Las Vegas home, dead, bruised and possibly poisoned. As if that wasn't bad enough, her eye has been gouged out by a melon baller. Kind of ironic since one of her biggest hits is the love song, "All Eyes on Me." The killer certainly has a sick twisted sense of humor and possibly a desire for revenge against the beautiful famous singer.

All Eyes on Me combines a great protagonist with a gripping mystery. The best detectives for these type of mysteries are the ones that have personal demons of their own or where the case involves them specifically. In this case, we have Miranda whose emotional baggage is ever present. After what happened before with her ex and daughter, Miranda's nerves are on edge and her senses are sharply acute all symptoms of PTSD. However, she is also able to use that private pain to help others. She can put herself in their situation, because she had been in their situation before. Miranda empathizes with the victims and sometimes with those who commit crimes because she can see where they are coming from.

Besides her observational and empathetic skills, Miranda is a good detective good enough that Parker puts her in charge of the investigation. Besides leading the inquiries, she answers media questions and challenges the mysoginistic Sgt. O'Toole who isn't happy about working with a woman.

Parker isn't as developed as Miranda, but he proves to be as competent and dedicated to the pursuit of justice as his wife. He is caught between believing in Miranda's abilities to solve the mystery and concern for her because of all that she had been through. One nice touch that the duo have is they use their original last names and don't let people know that they are married. It's hard enough for a woman like Miranda to be taken seriously in detective work, acknowledging their marriage would only further complicate things. When police officers or suspects look at Miranda, they are able to see an investigator that happens to be a woman rather than the lead private investigator's wife. Their hidden marital status make them equals.

Besides the detectives themselves, the mystery is pretty fascinating. The deceased, Ambrosia Dawn, is the typical murder victim that spent a lot of time cultivating a public image of beauty, charm, and kindness but those closest to her could see the bad tempered violent bitch underneath. There are plenty of suspects that could have killed her because they have all felt her wrath. Her husband, Cameron, a former Elvis impersonator is very emotional but seems to be keeping extra company during the grieving period. Ambrosia's sister, Blythe, stood behind the scenes and now has her chance in the spotlight. The cook, Suzie, who has been at the bad end of Ambrosia's rants and knows Ambrosia's favorite treats and how to make them just right. Scottie, the bodyguard, has had a few flings with staff members and is just the kind of muscle to drag a woman's body through the desert and hold her down if necessary. It is a house and staff full of potential leads that lead to other clues. Since multiple suspects look possible to be the killer, the resolution is a genuine surprise and is very well handled.

All Eyes on Me is a great mystery in the hard boiled detective genre. It is definitely worth a read. After all, the eyes have it.

New Book Alert: Accidentally Engaged to The Billionaire Book 5 by Bridget Taylor; Some Reality But Soap Opera Schemes Overshadow Charming Wish Fulfillment

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Bridget Taylor's Accidentally Engaged to the Billionaire Book 1 was a charming display of wish fulfillment as billionaire Charles Bentley is ordered to get married by his 35th birthday or risk losing his fortune. On a whim, he proposes at first sight to Jane, a pizza deliverer who is in financial straits. The two attend balls, fancy dinners, and country clubs acting like a happily engaged couple under the suspicions of Charles' avaricious uncle, Jack and attorney, Wyatt. Meanwhile, Charles and Jane are supported by Charles' cousin, James and challenged by Jane's sister, Helena who has her own private grudge against the Bentley family. Five books later, Accidentally Engaged to the Billionaire Book 5, moves things considerably. Charles and Jane have married and while Charles loves Jane, Jane is uncertain about her own feelings and the two intend to still end their marriage after a year. That is until Jane, who had long believed that she couldn't have children, learns that she is pregnant. Meanwhile, James and Helena have taken their relationship to a higher level with an impending engagement. Jack however has plans to destroy both couples and keep the Bentley inheritance for himself. Book 5 of the Accidentally Engaged series offers some slight semblance of reality into this modern fairy tale particularly with the ever present class conflicts and pregnancy complications. Jane's pregnancy is handled with much care and sympathy. We see a couple who adjusted to the fact that children would not be in the cards, making their unusual situation easier, are now blindsided by this emotional complication. The complication becomes physical when they learn that Jane has fibroids and giving birth could potentially injure or even kill her. This plot brings the romanticism of the previous book to a halt and allows Taylor to inject some realism into an otherwise paint by numbers romance. Many romances end with marriage or babies ever after. Once the couple says I do and they can hear the pitter patter of little feet, then it's over. Hugs and happy endings for all. But that's not always the case as Book 5 demonstrates. Pregnancy itself is a very complicated painful thing that is very difficult for couples to go through and it can be very hard physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. Some are just not prepared for the reality of having a family, especially a couple who began so arbitrarily and unrealistically as Charles and Jane did. There are also times when the plot takes on soap opera extremes. Uncle Jack who was the primary antagonist in Book 1 was mostly in small doses then as the uptight snob. Now he forces his way to the forefront as a scenery devouring villain. He appears to have taken lessons from J.R. Ewing from Dallas as he connives to take James and Charles' inheritances. He especially threatens James by demanding he take a DNA test to see if he is biologically a Bentley. Another nice touch in Book 5 is something that I had long predicted: longtime adversaries James and Helena would end their animosity and hook up. I was right and in a nice twist from Jane and Charles' speedy engagement and marriage, they take the time to get to know each other. They have a typical courtship and slow burning romance that culminates in a marriage, suggesting that the conflicts that Jane and Charles have because of their speed will be or have been worked out during the pre-wedding phase. Like with Jane's pregnancy complications, this brings this otherwise airy romance down to earth.

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Weekly Reader: 355: The Women of Washington's Spy Ring by Kit Sergeant; Female Spies Reveal Their Loyalties and Strengths During The American Revolutionary War

by Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Two years ago, I reviewed Kit Sergeant's L'Agent Double: Spies and Martyrs of the Great War, a memorable, suspenseful, character driven historical fiction novel about three female spies: Mata Hari, Alouette Richer, and Marthe Cnockeart, during WWI. Sergeant wrote other books about spies in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and WWII. I have been wanting to read the other books in The Women Spies Series. Well, with the publication of Sergeant's Sparks and Flames of Resistance: Women Spies of World War II, I thought that there is no time like the present. Here I am and I am certainly glad that I continued the series. The first book in the series is 355: The Women of Washington's Spy Ring, a winning masterpiece of suspense and independent characterization of three women who lived during the "times that try men (and women's) souls" to quote Thomas Paine.

The title and inspiration for the book comes from Agent 355, an unidentified spy who was part of the Culper Ring, who delivered missives directly to Washington himself. What is known about 355 is that she was female ("355"in the Culver code meant "lady), an American patriot, lived in New York City at the time, had a degree of social prominence or lived in a socially prominent home (not ruling out the daughter or a slave or servant of the household), and knew of and maybe interacted with Major John Andre and Benedict Arnold.

Using these tantalizing clues, Sergeant weaved her own variation on 355's possible identity and revealed the troubles that many women had while fighting for American Independence.

Like L'Agent Double, Sergeant focuses on three women who tell different sides in the story of the American Revolution: Meg Moncrieff Coughlin, the daughter of a Loyalist family whose devotion to the King is tested when she endures an abusive marriage and meets the charming Aaron Burr, Elizabeth Burgin, a pregnant mother of two whose husband Jonathan is garrisoning the East River beach, and Sarah "Sally" Townsend, a teenager whose father reluctantly swears loyalty to the British despite objections from his Patriot children.

With her three leads, Sergeant shows three women of different ages, political affiliations, and statuses, and how their lives are affected by the war. The book also reveals how the three women are able to use their roles in society as advantages in their spy careers.

Meg comes from a well to do Loyalist family. She is considered attractive and a catch. This draws her towards men like Aaron Burr. Even though she was loyal to the Crown, her friendship with Burr causes her to see things from the Patriot's point of view. Her views become even more personal when her parents force her into marriage to avoid a scandal.

Incensed that she was treated as property by her father and husband, Meg understands exactly why the Americans want to break away from Britain. Before when she was a Loyalist, she passed along information to generals. As a secret Patriot, Meg continues to listen in on what her husband and his allies are planning and feeds that information to the American soldiers. Of course her Loyalist front proves an advantage as they don't know that they are confiding in the enemy. The British soldiers think that they are talking to someone sympathetic to their cause.

As an older woman, Elizabeth is in a different place than Meg. After the death of her husband and subsequent birth of her child, Elizabeth is left without many opportunities or assistance. She vows to do something to help others and to aid the Patriot cause in which her husband gave his life. With her friend, Mary, Elizabeth delivers food and other essentials to the men in the Jersey prison ship.

While delivering goods, Elizabeth hides messages and delivers them to the right people, using the cover of the do-gooder widow. She also becomes a center of Revolutionary life as many prominent figures in the Revolution such as Hercules Mulligan, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington cross her path.

Sally is the youngest of the three protagonists and most volatile. Her family are Quakers and Whigs, therefore known for their ardent principles and speaking their minds which Sally does gladly. Sally is the most intelligent and well read of the Townsend sisters and is close to her brothers, William and Robert who are fighting the Patriot cause. Even though Sally is young, she isn't above infatuations such as with Major John Andre, the charismatic and handsome British spy.

Sally is furious that her father compromises his values and vows allegiance to the British. At first she stands up to the British soldiers who quarter themselves into the Townsend home. However, she uses this bad situation to the benefit of the Patriots by overhearing the soldier's plans and passing them along to people like her brother, Robert.

Unlike the women in L'Agent Double who act independently from each other and only hear of one another by reputation, the three women of 355 interact quite often developing into a friendship. They first encounter each other at a ball and their stories overlap in many unusual ways. Meg is heartbroken to learn that information that she gave as a Loyalist resulted in Elizabeth's husband's death. While working as spies, Elizabeth develops a romance with Robert Townsend, Sally's brother. Meg also carries a fondness for Andre who also captures Sally's heart.

All three women become instrumental in the Culper Ring by passing information and missives to Washington's people. Their information becomes important when all three become involved in the Battle of West Point and the actions of one Benedict Arnold.

355: The Women of Washington's Spy Ring is a great first book in looking at the inside lives of women during war time and how they proved important and necessary responsibilities to the causes.

Monday, October 18, 2021

New Book Alert: What Immortal Hand by Johnny Worthen; Hypnotic and At Times Disturbing Supernatural Horror Featuring Kali, Hindu Goddess of Death

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Johnny Worthen's novel, What Immortal Hand is one of those types of books that make you think it's going to be about one thing. The Reader goes into the book expecting and mostly getting a dark, disturbing, and at times hypnotic thriller. Then it takes a 180° turn and becomes more subtle, cerebral, and somehow more meaningful.

Michael Oswald is an investigator for an insurance company who mostly resolves fraudulent insurance claims. He is recruited to look for Isaac Lowe, a semi truck driver who is missing, truck and all. The Reader learns in the prologue that Isaac attended a strange religious meeting in the desert, picked up a hitchhiker, and ran into some very violent characters before he met his untimely end. It is a very graphic beginning that grabs the Reader's attention from the word go.

Michael investigates Isaac's case but he has some mysteries of his own. He can't remember most of his childhood except for one foster family and that both parents died. His current life isn't any better. He is divorced and his ex and kids are settled into a new life with a new husband and father. However, Michael's ex wife keeps him somewhat updated on their troubled daughter. As an investigator, Michael lives nowhere in particular and just bounces around from place to place, assignment to assignment. He seems to be running towards or more than likely running away from something.

This investigation ends up becoming very personal to Michael. He is followed by people who seem to know more about him than he does, causing him to really question the parts of his past that are blocked out.

One of the more horrifying aspects in Michael's journey are the visions or hallucinations that plague him. Sometimes, he sees tigers out of the corner of his eyes. Other times, he sees a sinister looking topless dark skinned woman with multiple arms.

What Immortal Hand is an almost hypnotic mesmerizing journey where not only Michael but the Reader is constantly put in a state of unease and discomfort. The desert landscape really helps intensify the mounting tension. Michael gets a taste of it when he hears disembodied footsteps and sees crocodiles and melting faces.

Then there is that strange dark woman who keeps appearing and disappearing, frightening Michael to the point of paralysis.

There is a lot of barren landscape where your eyes can play tricks on you and you can see the creepiest things. At night, it's a lot worse. It wouldn't be hard to imagine that many semi truck drivers see some bizarre unexplained things during their late night runs down the flat dry barren roads. Of course the fact that there is a lot of abandoned hot land that could be very useful for criminal activity can't be ignored. Michael and his new partner, Craig realize this as they stumble upon a mass grave. One might be Isaac, but there also seems to be an awful lot of unidentified people murdered in that same place.

Around the halfway point, What Immortal Hand, takes a distinct turn right around the time when Michael runs into people from his past or mysterious people who seem to know him though he doesn't know them. For spoilers sake, I will try not to reveal too much, but the plot twists largely involve Kali.

Kali, for those that don't know, is the Hindu goddess of death and time. According to the Linga Purana, Kali is an alternative form of Parvati, a light benign goddess who has to become the dark active Kali to fight against the demon Daruka. She is usually depicted as a woman with black skin, multiple usually four arms, and a large tongue sticking out of her mouth

Hindu mythology portrays Kali as a fierce, bloodthirsty, sometimes out- of-control fighter who is able to act on the other god's darker impulses but needs them, especially her consort Shiva to calm her down. She was seen as both strong and wild, protective and violent, creator and destroyer. Her function was to be the fierce warrior that carries the anger, rage, deceit, fury and darker nature that the other Hindu gods no longer carry because of their benign, peaceful, detached personalities.

While her actual portrayal in legends is nuanced and gives more facets to her character, popular culture concentrates more on her demonic form. The Thuggee cult of mid 19th century India cited Kali as their matron goddess. In film and literature, her legacy is seen as shock value as her worshippers are seen as murderers who cold bloodedly kill without remorse.

Worthen's portrayal of the Hindu death goddess captures the nuances of her mythological roots rather than the pop culture transmogrification. There are some dark aspects involving her character (the mass grave and hallucinations are still incredibly disturbing), but her worshippers are three dimensional. They have a code on who to attack and who not to. They are protectors who defend each other and those whom they are close to, becoming almost vigilantes.

They aren't always good though. They are still pretty bloodthirsty and live a chaotic existence. Michael is drawn into their world because of repressed memories and his own fears and insecurities about his placement in the world. He is detached from everyone around him and feels a strange connection to this modern day Kali cult. He fears Kali but he is also drawn to her too.

What Immortal Hand is a dark hypnotic book that is meant to scare and then seduce the Reader into a Kali driven world.

Friday, October 15, 2021

New Book Alert: Shaare Emeth The Gates of Truth (The Love of the Tayamni Book 3) by T.A. McLaughlin; Gender Identity, Sexuality, and St. Louis Setting Play A Large Part In Latest Tayamni Outing

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Now we come the to latest volume of T.A. McLaughlin's The Love of The Tayamni series, a complex science fiction saga which covers ancient aliens, time travel, intergalactic warfare, racism, sexuality, gender roles, and everything else in between.

The first book, Love of the Tayamni, introduces the concept that the pagan polytheistic gods were an ancient alien race. They mixed their DNA with that of the humans on Earth and created hybrids that were half Earthling and half Tayamni. They possessed several abilities such as traveling through time which proved useful in their intergalactic war against the cruel and manipulative Potacas and Tlaloc species.

The first book centered mostly on Batresh, the daughter of the Matriarch, head of the Tayamni. Batresh is sent forward in time to 1960's Mississippi to protect Denny Shields, a young boy who is the reincarnation of the Matriarch and is destined to accept that role in the future. Many complex themes are introduced, but the main storyline is pretty simple. It concerns Batresh's struggles protecting Denny from the prejudices and racism of the era of which the Potacas and Tlalocs feed off.

The second book, The Judgement of Seth, expands and opens up the concepts explored by the previous book. This book concerns Namazu, Batresh's sister, who travels to other planets to protect the Tayamni and recruit other alien species to take part in the conflicts against the Potacas and Tlalocs.

Book #3, Shaare Emeth The Gates of Truth, is similar to The Love of The Tayamni. The plot is mostly set on Earth and ignores the intergalactic largeness for another story of prejudice and hatred, this time towards the LGBT+ community. Also similar to the first book, most of the action centers on a few characters in one setting. This time the main character that receives the most attention is Denny Shields, who is now a young adult living in 1977 St. Louis.

From the moment during the end of The Judgement of Seth, that Batresh asks the haunting question "What's a gay bashing?" it becomes apparent that the themes of sexuality and gender identity that were in the background in the first two volumes have come forward in this one.

Denny has fled his abusive Tupelo home and his hateful racist father to start a new life in St. Louis, Missouri. As a child, he had been abused by his father, who dismissed his interest in dolls and girl's clothing as "evil." It took until the second book when he is still a child to believe that he is not evil, his father is.

The third book is set during Denny's adulthood where he has removed himself from his toxic upbringing but is still uncertain about himself and who he really is. Coming to terms with his sexuality, he breaks up with a female friend after realizing that he can no longer live a lie. Denny gets accepted into the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and makes some new friends, a few whom he finds very attractive. Meanwhile, Batresh, now in a new form, has caught up to the young man and hopes to guide him to his destiny. Denny also catches the ire of a young homophobe who has intergalactic influences helping him unleash his more violent tendencies.

This is my favorite book in the series for many reasons. One reason is deeply personal. My family moved to the St. Louis area in 1992 and of all places, this area feels like home to me. So I am filled with childish glee whenever I read something with a St. Louis setting. It's fun and personal when you recognize the place names in which the author describes.

I know about Powell Symphony Hall with its red hallways, walls, and seats. I have been to Forest Park with its free Art Museum, History Museum, Science Center, and Zoo (in keeping with the time period the Art Museum, in the book, hosts the famous King Tut exhibit.) I visited the Jefferson Expansion Memorial AKA The Arch though fear of heights and crowds with closed in spaces have kept me from taking the elevator. (Unfortunately, I haven't yet been to the new improved downtown area and would love to see what they have done with it.)

I recognize streets like Grand, areas like Soulard, and places like the St. Louis Central Public Library and Washington University.

The shoutouts to the area are brilliant and allow Readers who aren't familiar to picture it in their heads and experience it vicariously. Readers who have lived there will have fun reliving a place in which they are familiar that is now inhabited by intergalactic aliens.

The other reason that this book is the best in the series so far is McLaughlin's treatment towards the characters by overlapping their personal journies with the larger science fiction aspects that go into play.

Most of this book's plot is something that can be found in any genre: the search for identity, discovering who a person is and where they fit in their world. We, the Readers, know where Denny's future is headed as do the Tayamni, but he doesn't. He has dreams, flash backs, and maybe flash forwards of being the Matriarch, but he doesn't understand them. Even if he did, right now, he is more concerned about the current issues of being an adult: finding his own path, getting a job and earning money, and forging new friendships and romantic relationships. This is where Denny is right now and McLaughlin is in no hurry to push him forward. In fact, it becomes clear that what Denny perceives as typical experiences could turn out to be important lessons that he will learn and put into practice one day as the Matriarch. After all, his experiences in Mississippi and Missouri teach him a lot about equality, understanding, acceptance, and unity, traits which will be very useful one day.

Denny is on a journey of self discovery and part of that is learning about his sexuality and gender identity. He explains to a friend, Bob, that he was kicked out of his home at 16 years old after his father tricked him into reading a book by a gay author. On his own, Denny read works by authors like Oscar Wilde to realize that his feelings are perfectly normal and innate. It is the heteronormative society that is flawed in their lack of acceptance of different facets of sexual experiences and gender identities.

While in St. Louis, Denny befriends various men like Bob and David, who introduce him to the night life like Llewellyn's and Herbie's, the latter of which boasts that it's one of the few gay clubs with clear and open windows. (Since homosexuality was considered illegal until the late '60's to early 70's, many gay themed bars and nightclubs had covered or blackened windows so no passerby could peek inside and see who was hanging out there.)

One of the most powerful symbols in the book is Shaare Emeth, The Gates of Truth. Denny sees this sign when his friend, Naomi takes him to a synagogue shabbat and he sees the gates for the first time. He sees it right before the congregation erupts into a hateful rhetoric against Southern Baptists and anyone else who isn't like them (not unlike the church services of Denny's youth which he gladly left). Observing the Gates of Truth, Denny finds his own gateway. He realizes that he must live his own truth and live honestly as an out and proud gay person.

While Denny is going on this personal journey towards truth and self discovery, the science fiction aspects are also apparent in the book. Batresh, assuming the form of Miriam, a fellow Chorus member, has an extended conversation with her late mother's spirit. She reminds her of her task to watch Denny, the vessel which houses her essence. Batresh also discovers things aren't always as they seem as a nunnery near Fontainebleau College is revealed to be a secret organization of female Tayamni who use the convent as a front for their real mission and deity worship.

Of course, the Tlalocs rear their ugly hateful heads when one is bound to Charles, whose homophobic tendencies lead to violence.. This book implies many of mankind's hatreds and prejudices are inspired, egged on, and fed off by the Potacas and Tlalocs. The sad truth is, in reality, humanity doesn't need such outside influences from outer space. We are more than capable of being cruel, divisive, hateful, and violent on our own.

Shaare Emeth is the next step in an involved and fascinating series. It is clear that another volume is on its way and judging by a conversation with McLaughlin, there will be others. If the attention to character, theme, and detail in setting is as brilliant as the first three books, it should be a great, exciting, and well written experience.

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

New Book Alert: Saratoga (The Illustrated Colonials Book 3) by Tom Durwood; YA Series About Enlightened Young Royals Has A Satisfying Ending

New Book Alert: Saratoga (The Illustrated Colonials Book 3) by Tom Durwood; YA Series About Enlightened Young Royals Ends On A High Note

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: So this is it.

We come to the last final volume in Tom Durwood's The Illustrated Colonials series. We reach the final adventures of Jaiyi Mei Ying, Prince Mahmoud, Sheyndil, Leo, Will O., And Gilbert du Motier and it ends on a high note. While the first book, The Pact is my personal favorite, Saratoga brings the characters forward allowing them to adapt and accept their roles in a new world. The teens are now ready to leave their youth, ascend into adulthood, and become the leaders that they were trained to become.

The plot mostly focuses on Prince Mahmoud who apparently ties with Mei Ying as Durwood's favorite characters in the ensemble (since they receive the lion's share of attention in both this and Home Fronts).

Mahmoud travels to the future United States to deliver documents of alliance and finance to Gilbert who is busy filling the role history and popular culture (such as a famous Tony Award winning Broadway hip hop musical) have bestowed upon him as "America's favorite fighting Frenchman," the Marquis De Lafayette.

After enduring a very uncomfortable sea voyage Mahmoud encounters loyalist spy, Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne, a meeting that ends with him being kidnapped. Mahmoud manages to make his escape and is caught in the middle of the Battles of Beckman's Mill and Saratoga.

Meanwhile, Leo's military strategy and Will's business contacts end up becoming quite fruitful for them as people come directly to Will to work for him. Unfortunately, on his way to travel to Boston Harbor to join his buddies, Leo is threatened with a duel and subsequently betrayed. Sheyndil and Mei Ying take their lessons to the home front to battle local opposing forces with the same drive and dedication that their male counterparts possess.

It would be nice to see the Enlightenment Six reunite perhaps on American soil. One of the gifts that the first volume had was the ensemble cast. These were kids from different countries with diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, economic status, goals, and roles in society. Each one grew and adapted, becoming a close group of friends and better individuals. It would have been a nice payoff to see them reunite physically, perhaps in the United States during the American Revolution or back in Alsace-Lorraine after the war ended. Instead, they spend the book apart and only a few see each other again.

However, it also makes sense that Durwood would do this approach. It gives a chance for the characters to make individual contributions, using their various talents and contributions in their own way. Many of those contributions are made within their own countries but lead to the ultimate goal of uniting each other. They also are able to evolve into leaders on their own merits.

The one who benefited the most from this approach was certainly Mahmoud. I was not kidding when I speculated that he is probably Durwood's favorite character. He certainly has shown the most development in the three volumes.

In the first book, The Pact, he was a spoiled arrogant Prince certain of his own place as a royal and put everyone around him into little boxes of nobles, slaves, etc. Through his education, he learned different philosophies and looked at a larger world around him.

The second book , Home Fronts, featured Mahmoud verbally sparring with his family in Ottoman Turkey when he realizes that he has changed but they have not. His philosophies are spoken and theoretical. They are not yet practiced.

Saratoga is the completion of Mahmoud's journey. He is finally able to physically put what he learned into practice and become an accomplished freedom fighter. Throughout this book, he is able to use his strength and intelligence to outfight and outwit his enemies. He proves to be clever at escaping from captivity and active as he fights in battle. He has clearly changed a lot and it is wonderful watching him grow so much into a hero.

The other reason that it makes sense for the characters to have their stories come to an end on their own is to emphasize the international concerns of The Illustrated Colonials series as a whole. While part of the series is set in North America and the covers show an emphasis on the American Revolution, the series expands on that by taking on international concerns in France, China, Russia, The Netherlands, Germany, and Turkey later expanding into The United States and Africa. This is very important as it shows oppression and tyranny wears many faces and that there are many people who suffered under it. There were also people who fought against it and shared the same values of equality and loyalty. This isn't just an American struggle, it's a global struggle.

Of course, as with many final volumes, there is great loss. Some characters don't make it, leaving many tears from friends, family, and a few from the Reader. Some ascend and become well known in their own right. Years later, one character acknowledges the other's roles in the world that they helped to create. It is a very satisfactying ending as the character is addressing a college of young people, thereby recognizing the leadership that their friends took and passing the mantle to the next generation.

Saratoga is a terrific ending to a wonderful YA series. Hopefully, young people will discover and read it, love the characters and setting, and maybe just learn a thing or two about friendship and equality along the way.

Thursday, October 7, 2021

New Low Low Prices

I have decided to lower my prices, because of economic concerns. My prices for projects are as follows*

Beta Reader-$10.00-35.00

Book Reviewer**-$10-35.00

Book Researcher-$35.00-50.00

Copy and Content Editor-$50.00-200.00

Proofreader-$50.00-200.00

Author-$100.00-300.00

*Prices vary depending on size of the book. All prices are subject to change.

**Except for previous arrangement with clients such as BookTasters, Henry Roi PR, and LitPicks. Reviews can also be sent to Amazon and Goodreads by request.

All payments can be sent to my PayPal account at juliesaraporter@gmail.com.

If you have any questions, or have a book that needs help, please contact me at juliesaraporter@gmail.com.

Thank you and as always Happy Reading!

New Book Alert: Champagne Widows by Rebecca Rosenberg; Sparkling Historical Fiction Novel About A Businesswoman's Rise to the Vintner World in Napoleonic France

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Champagne Widows by Rebecca Rosenberg lives up to its name. It is a book that bubbles and sparkles with memorable characterization and French History.

In 1797, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin resisted all attempts to get married, especially to a much older man chosen by her parents. She is longing for Francois, her childhood sweetheart, now currently serving in Napoleon's army. When Francois returns, he is suffering from PTSD and the early symptoms of mental illness that is genetic within his family. Barbe-Nicole is worried about him and that concern transforms into love as she wishes to marry him despite her parent's wishes.

Besides marriage, Barbe-Nicole has other things on her mind. She inherited a strong sense of smell from her great-grandfather. The enhanced sense is referred to as La Nez, The Nose, and often results in severe migraines and suspicion from people around them. However, Barbe-Nicole is also able to use La Nez to her advantage when she can smell how good fermented grapes are in the winemaking process. Her strong sense of smell and developing business skills become instrumental in Barbe-Nichole's drive to become an established vintner and ascend into the wine making business world.

Oh and while all of this realism is going on with female entrepreneurs, a country still reeling from the aftermath of a violent revolution and subsequent Reign of Terror and empire, and soldiers returning home from war, there are some supernatural elements. La Nez carries a curse with it, a curse that Barbe-Nichole fears almost as much as she welcomes the opportunities that such an innate gift brings. Also a strange Red Man follows Napoleon around and serves as his coach driver. No one knows who he is and he doesn't have a name but Barbe-Nichole is suspicious and terrified of him. It may be that smell of sulphur that surrounds him.

Champagne Widows is a brilliant book mostly. There are plots that fall flat like a bottle of champagne that has been opened too long. The supernatural subplots are a distraction and are almost unnecessary in a plot that could do just as well without them. The "curse" in Barbe-Nicole's family seems to be the result of heightened senses and the sometimes negative side effects that are often associated with them. Of course someone with a strong sense of smell would be susceptible to migraines if they smelled heavy perfume, sweat, grapes, and less pleasant smells all day.

Many of Francois' troubles come from his time in war and his neurological problems. Yes there were some people who might have attributed such things to paranormal means, but this is also set during the Enlightenment when people investigated science and medical means to determine such causes. The curse is unnecessary in this setting and plot.

The Red Man's influence over Napoleon promises to be an interesting plot point for another book. It would make a better focal point in a dark supernatural horror book devoted to the Emperor and his sinister spiritual advisor. In this book however, it is a mere subplot and distraction. There are some pretty creepy moments when Barbe-Nicole senses the Red Man's presence and the ending is juicy with irony and historical foreshadowing. But these are better served in a novella or longer work that is actually about them rather than jammed into a realistic novel that didn't need them.

What shines the most in this book is the story of Barbe-Nicole and her fight to be recognized as an independent businesswoman and her struggles within her family that has been left traumatized by war, mental illness, and death.

Francois' inner struggles deal a lot with his experiences in war and within his family. We are shown a few chapters of battles but mostly they deal with Napoleon and The Red Man's fights. Instead of any romantic view of Napoleon, we see an unbalanced conceited man child who is more concerned with making his name heard and doesn't care how many people have to die for it. Francois is able to see this realistic view and that increases his cynicism.

Francois is often written like someone whose thoughts are elsewhere and it makes sense. Even when he is physically with Barbe-Nicole, his mind is still on the battlefield because he never left it. Words like liberty, equality, and fraternity are as foreign as words in other languages to him. He had seen people on all sides acting contrary to those values and wondered if they ever existed at all.

The mental illness is another hurdle in Francois's life and is a stronger detriment to his post-war life. He sees his mother regress further and further into a dependent and childlike state and fears his own future. Every nightmare, every dark mood, and every anxiety attack could be an early sign of the disorder that is destroying her life. Even his moments of happiness, like rekindling his romance with Barbe-Nicole are tempered with fear such as if they wed and have a child, that child will also inherit his family's illness.

With Francois struggling with his own mental state, Barbe-Nicole has to show resourcefulness and self-reliance and she does. Those personality traits are shown early on when she is being courted by potential suitors. She thinks of some pretty ingenious ways to get rid of them like convincing one that La Nez is contagious.

Barbe-Nicole also shows sharp business skills. When she, instead of her uninterested wayward brother, views her family's finances, she sees that her father is in debt.

She is clear minded enough to put herself to work. She is also someone who wants to learn everything about the wine making process and isn't afraid to go out into the field to pick grapes and get her hands dirty.

Barbe-Nicole runs into a lot of animosity and derision as a female entrepreneur, but her femininity also proves to be a strong asset. She makes public appearances in the presence of Napoleon and his wife, Josephine. They are charmed by her personality, appearance, and skills. Josephine even confides about the problems in her marriage. While Barbe-Nicole runs the business in France, Francois takes business trips as far as Russia to sell and promote their wine. When an employee is revealed to be a thief, she isn't afraid to get tough with him.

She diversifies her brand by adding champagne to their products. Barbe-Nicole ascends her business because of these connections and her ability to change her product to fit her customers. This makes her an adept businesswoman who survives and thrives during the tumultuous time of war and despotism.

Champagne Widows is flawed but for the most part it is a brilliant book that captures how women can live and become successful in the man's world of business. This book should give Rosenberg the sweet smell of success.