New Book Alert: Shadow of the Mole by Bob Van Laerhoven; Dark Psychological Mystery About Amnesia, Obsession, and The Cost of Searching for Ones True Identity and Self

 

New Book Alert: Shadow of the Mole by Bob Van Laerhoven; Dark Psychological Mystery About Amnesia, Obsession, and The Cost of Searching for Ones True Identity and Self

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Ignoring all of the soap opera and rom com cliches about the condition, but amnesia can be a terrifying experience. There can be huge gaps in a person's memory, even their whole past, and no real way of filling it, especially if they are alone and without identification. That person remains a blank slate for anyone to fill and they may be filled with whatever the other person wants. The amnesiac may have no control over what new identity is fashioned around them. The people observing the amnesiac may be so obsessed with putting together that puzzle that their identity is caught up with the one who has amnesia. They may put the amnesiac into an identity that they create and has nothing to do with the reality of who that person really was. The amnesiac may never get their real identity and memory back and are left with what they are told, leaving them a complete stranger to themselves.

That concept is explored in Bob Van Laerhoven's Shadow of the Mole, an absorbing dark psychological mystery about a World War I era patient with amnesia and the obsessive nature of his doctor to find out who he really is.

In 1916, Dr. Michel Denis is fascinated by a patient known only as "The Mole" (so called because of his rodential facial features.) At first The Mole remains silent and non responsive so no one knows anything about him. Is he a soldier, if so which side? Is he a deserter? Some of the attendants are frightened of him. Is there something supernatural about him? When he is active, he asks provocative questions and gives no verbal clues to his identity. He also scribbles furiously a book that he claims must be chronicled. Denis treats The Mole and sees him through his nightmares. He also thinks about his strange request to chronicle the story. Denis compares him to someone  like Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Ancient Mariner, cursed to tell his story before he dies.

As Denis reads The Mole's writing, he is consumed by the story itself. The Mole writes of a man, Alain Mangin who lived a life surrounded by dark magic, the supernatural and a curse laid upon him seemingly by a Romany drummer who appears periodically, with his dancer sister, throughout Alain's life. As Denis reads the story, he is obsessed with finding answers about the Mole's identity and his connection to the words on the pages. Is he Alain? Is he the Drummer? Is this story true and autobiographical or is it a complete fabrication meant to make himself more enchanting and mysterious than he really is? Why is The Mole so obsessed with putting it down? Why does he remember every detail of this story but doesn't know his identity enough to say it or is he revealing his identity through the pages? Is he a victim of a curse or atoning for causing the curse? Also what does Denis need from this man? Is he projecting his own doubts and insecurities about the world through The Mole's past? Is he finding answers towards his own? Is he seeking answers for The Mole or for himself?

Like in many books that feature a story within a story, it is the past story, in this case Alain's, that is is the most interesting, grippig, and unforgettable. What is rather interesting about The Mole's writings  is the intentional literariness of it. He is allegedly telling his story which should be an autobiography, but it takes some huge lapses in narrative literary techniques into a fictional account (or more fictional than the actual novel that Shadow of the Mole starts out being).

Some of these literary techniques like the constant reappearance of the Romany dancer and drummer, border on dark fantasy or supernatural horror. I mean we know that characters don't constantly reappear in someone's life, unless they are related, friends, or workmates. They don't just drop in and out at random odd times in different locations, over the years, seemingly for no reason at all. They don't at least in the real world, but they do in  fiction. They follow the whims of the author who uses their characters however they choose. The constant reappearance of the Romany siblings in Alain's life could be a clue that the Mole's writings could be just a work of fiction. A novel that he constructed from his mind to overcome the bland ordinariness of the real world.

Alain begins the narrative as a bright imaginative boy who because of his reading of Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon wants to one day visit the celestial object in the sky.  He wants to become famous, perhaps as a soldier or a statesman but he wants to be famous. Later he becomes a spy and gets involved in plots that in the 19th century lead to ramifications that later echo into the beginning of the First World War. The story seems to be that of a man who wants to believe that he shaped history in his own way.  It seems that The Mole's writings are giving Alain the fame that he craved so badly.

The other possibility is that the Romany siblings are metaphors for a mind that is about to snap.

Perhaps since the Mole has amnesia, the  Romanys exist because he hallucinated them or they reflected the gaps in his memory. They may be more than a plot device. They may just be the parts that the Mole doesn't remember or doesn't want to remember. They may represent the darker forgotten parts of the Mole's mind that he chooses to suppress. Every time he forgets something, he throws in the Drummer and the Dancer to cover up or hide from what really happened.

Reading this story actually works its way into Denis' mind as well. He is living in a world torn apart by War. Discovering The Mole's identity and getting to the truth of Alain's story becomes more important to him than anything or anyone else. He develops a relationship with a woman that fizzles because of his obsession. He makes questionable decisions that puts his career in jeopardy. He wants to find sense in a world that is losing its grip on reality and sends young men around the world to fight other young men. 

Following the clues to the mystery almost soothes the doctor's mind. After all, a mystery needs to be solved. Finding the solution to a mystery gives the investigator some power and control to the narrative. In a world spiraling out of control. Denis needs to find that solution. Unfortunately, his investigation becomes an obsession when he tries to shape the Mole into the idea that he fashions for him. 

As the Mole controls Denis with providing his narrative, Denis controls The Mole by his trying to discover the answer. Their relationship veers into dual obsession in which neither can escape.

Lit List Short Reviews: Deus Ex by Miles Watson; Echoes in the Dark by P.L. McMillan; Healthy Fashion: The Deeper Truth by Alyssa Couture

 Lit List Short Reviews: Deus Ex by Miles Watson; Echoes in the Dark by P.L. McMillan; Healthy Fashion: The Deeper Truth by Alyssa Couture

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Deus Ex by Miles Watson

Miles Watson, the current master of short fiction, is at it again. This time, he crafted a short story that reads like  a Greek Tragedy. It is about Magnus Antonius Magnus, a dictator that has conquered the world. Now he faces the inevitable rebellion and regime change as forces conspire against him.

Normally, I am a huge fan of expanding a work. In this case, letting us know how Magnus became a leader, what happened with the previous regime that he wanted toppled, and how Magnus became paranoiac against his competitors and former allies. There is enough of a potential backstory to make a three part novel series. 

It would be great but that's not what the story is about. It's not about Magnus' rise or what he did to become a dictator. It's about his fall. It's about the leader who realizes too late that they won but lost their soul. In fact, one doesn't have to read the entire story of Magnus' life to know what happened. We just have to read the biographies of real life dictators. They all had the exact same trajectories.

Speaking of dictators, it is nice that Magnus is based on the old Roman Imperial Leaders and not anyone specifically current or more like he is a composite of all of them. It's too easy to point at a leader from another country or political party or any following and say "This is him." It's much harder to say "In similar circumstances and mindset, that could be me." Anyone with even the best of intentions could later use them for selfish and malicious purposes and counter the ideals that they once held, becoming the thing that they despise. 

Then once that happens, they can see it all come crashing down around them.

Echoes in the Dark by P.L. McMillan

P.L. McMillan's Echoes in the Dark is a short 16 page horror anthology. It's like a nightmare. It gives you short scary fragments that you remember and those are usually the most memorable parts of the dream. You remember the scariest parts.

There are only four stories. They are:

 "Family Roots"-This is about that reclusive family that everyone in a small town spreads rumors about. Weird things happen like enemies ending up missing or dead, family members who might be a little too close to each other, and a history of suspicion and magic surrounding them.

In this case the family in question are the O'Mearas. In the 60's the mayor challenged them abd was later found dead of a heart attack. In the 80's five mem corners matriarch Molly O'Meara, a few days later all five fell in a two foot deep river and drowned.

 Mallory Shaw, the narrator, goes on a date with Mitch O'Meara. When her father protests their relationship by going on a shooting rampage, Mallory has to make an important decision over whose side she is on.

This a powerful story with a twist ending that shows that sometimes those who spread rumors can be just as monstrous as those they accuse. Sometimes family isn't always who you were born into,,it can be who you feel closest to.

"Unseen Cost" This is a very brief story about Kyle, a formerly visually impaired young man going through a surgery to give him sight. Throughout his life, his best friend ,Alex has been there to encourage him and now she is there during his surgery.

This story reveals the cost that comes with regaining ones senses. Sometimes they have to face the world the way everyone else does.  They may not like the world in which they are exposed to and are forced to accept as normal.

"Affirmations" -This story shows that affirmations and positive words have power of their own as sometimes they strengthen anembolden the person on the receiving end. But sometimes those ends are not always comforting.

Mary is unhappily married to Bob, an alcoholic. The chalkboard has messages like "You can do it," "Your life matters " and "Hello witch." Bob certainly did not do it as his abuse shows. He could care less about her feelings. Mary didn't do it. The words just…appear. But they are filled with strength and courage that help her stand up to Bob's cruelty.

Things become terrifying when she takes the words to a darker conclusion. It shows when someone is backed in the corner, they will do anything to get out.

"Warm"- The last story is a flash fiction, only a paragraph long about a man investigating a woman's grave

It's uncertain what is actually going on. But the setting description gives a creepy atmosphere. You just know something terrible happened or is about to happen.

Healthy Fashion The Deeper Truth by Alyssa Couture

Alyssa Couture 's Healthy Fashion: The Deeper Truth proves that if you are what you eat, then you are also what you wear. A person's clothing style can and should reflect their commitment to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. It is an interesting concept and shows that the paths to holistic wellness don't always begin and end with diet and exercise.

The first part of the book discusses how fashion should be beneficial to the body, mind, emotion, and spirit. Mostly she encourages wearing plant based fabrics and naturals materials such as cotton, hemp, linen and so on. Encouraging plant based manufacturing welcomes textile manufacturers from around the world and creates a greener industry that protects rather than pollutes the environment.

This type of fashion gives back to the Earth what is taken from it by encouraging biomimicking or adapting to nature. 

Mentally, universal fashion encourages diversity and understanding and erases racism, prejudice, class, and hierarchy in fashion. Couture suggests adapting and changing fashion trends to encourage more diversity and thought into clothing rather than just appealing to wealthy buyers who encourage conformity. More archetypes reflecting personality, and less stereotypes reflecting societal expectations, she writes. (For instance someone with an innocent outlook may want to wear bright cheerful colors or a Sage personality wearing thoughtful colors.)

"Fabrics are like crystals," Couture writes. Like crystals, fashion is a reflection of a person's emotions. (Of course is it emotions that reflect the clothes or the other way around is the question. When a person is depressed, do they want to wear bright yellow or red?) Since fashion can be a form of visual art with its attention to color,ntextile, and style, it stands to reason that fashion could be a form of art therapy. Some of this therapy includes wearing clothing that invokes good memories, personal connections, and comfort. 

Spiritual fashion is not religion, Couture says. Instead it is wearing clothing that exudes a positive energy. Synthetics for example could exude more negative energy because of their mass production, and their form of holding too tightly to the skin and not allowing air to come inside. The clothes that are more spiritual wear allow for breathability, and are less restrictive in movement and size. In some ways, they reflect the individual wearer and not force the wearer to conform to a specific size and body type to fit the clothes. One of the ways to be more spiritually centered is to wear galactic inspired fashion and accessories, such as celestial and prismatic prints or galactic codes that reflect sacred geometry. It helps the wearer connect to a more universal level that goes beyond Earth and into the universe or metaverse.

Understanding what fashions help the body, mind, emotion and spirit shows that clothes really do make the person. They might make them whole.

Weekly Reader: Avoiding Aiden by Chris Cole; M/M Romance Leads To Journey of Self-Discovery

 

Weekly Reader: Avoiding Aiden by Chris Cole; M/M Romance Leads To Journey of Self-Discovery

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Just in time for Pride Month. 

Chris Cole's Avoiding Aiden is a sweet, moving, funny, traumatic, and heart tugging novel of a man who discovers love after his boyfriend breaks up with him and goes on a personal journey of self-discovery.

Aiden is a college student doubling in English and Human Resources and as he mentions in his first sentence "being dumped f#$_&@g sucks." His boyfriend, TV news reporter Carter broke up with him. Aiden dreads the inevitable conversation that would result. ("Oh hey Aiden how's it going?" "Oh great, literally anybody in my nightmare! Just picking up a few last minute things for dinner." "Same here. Hey how's Carter doing?")

His friends, Elyse and Charlie convince the depressed Aiden to go clubbing with them allegedly to see Charlie's drag performance but also Aiden could be hooked up with someone else.

Aiden is introduced to Jude, an English teacher. They have a cute and funny conversation about what vegetable and superhero they would be and what brings Jude to town to teach classes. ("You're here on purpose?," Aiden said, surprised that anyone would choose to live in his home state of Idaho.) They sleep together for a night and get along afterwards enough to exchange text messages while Jude gets into a serious relationship and Aiden goes to visit his four siblings who set him up with various unsuitable dates. After his eventful summer ends, Aiden returns to school and is shocked to discover that Jude is his English professor! As if that wasn't enough, Jude just ended his relationship and is still interested in Aiden. It gets better. Jude's ex is also Aiden's ex: Carter!

 Avoiding Aiden alternates between touching and humorous, sometimes both at the same time. Aiden concedes that his family is unique with the eldest Brett as the only straight sibling who feels the pressure of being the only family member that is able to biologically continue the bloodline. Aiden also has a trans brother,Riley, who is hypersensitive about any signs of prejudice and two sisters, Sarah and Shenoah, who are a lesbian and bisexual respectively.  

They also had the two most understanding, accepting, and supportive parents that are unfortunately deceased. Aiden goes through tremendous guilt and loss over his parent's deaths and has a hard time coming to terms with the grief, even well into adulthood. This grief is part of the reason that Aiden is so self critical and uncertain in relationships.

Aiden loves his siblings but sometimes resents their micromanaging of his love life.When they hear that he's single, they set him up with dates when he visits.  They turn out to be disasters from Porter who likes using his tongue too much, to the well endowed Noah who gets possessive after only one date, to Patrick who "can't do complicated" and Han, who Aiden just doesn't feel the same way about them. Through this wild summer of reconnecting with siblings and having the worst rebounds possible, Aiden continues to text Jude so it's clear who he is really interested in. 

Even when Aiden is reunited with Jude, things become even more complicated. With Jude being Aiden's professor, they realize that they could cross several boundaries that could cost Jude his job. There are hints that the issue is less of a student-teacher relationship but that it's a male professor-student relationship. That there is a double standard and if one were a female, the issue would be swept under the rug and most would look the other way. Aiden and Jude realize that every moment that they are together must be kept under the strictest confidence . It's up to them to decide if their relationship is worth fighting for and holding onto despite the potential outcome.

There is another complication: Carter.  He's still in the picture and despite Aiden trying to get over the breakup, it's clear Carter hasn't either. However while Aiden tries to move on in a healthy manner, Carter becomes obsessive. In one chapter, he does something to Aiden that changes the focus of the book entirely. It is a traumatic event and it clearly shows that Carter has jumped way over the moral event horizon. It also shows Jude's loving and protective nature that he cares for and supports Aiden during this whole ordeal. 

Aiden also emerges from this ordeal as a more mature and thoughtful person who is ready to open up his heart and get into a real relationship. 

Aiden also learns to be more honest with himself. In avoiding relationships,he was avoiding himself. He avoided the parts of himself that made him emotional, self conscious, insecure, and feel like he is incapable of love and being loved. When he accepts himself, that's when Aiden knows that he can accept love. Accepting Aiden.

Weekly Reader: Conceptus by Brian Herskowitz; Suspenseful Plot and Traumatized Dedicated Lead Make Psychological Thriller Memorable

 

Weekly Reader: Conceptus by Brian Herskowitz; Suspenseful Plot and Traumatized Dedicated Lead Make Psychological Thriller Memorable

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Brian Herskowitz's psychological thriller, Conceptus, is the kind of thriller that I love. A suspenseful plot with genuine surprises and twists. A terrifying villain who uses their brilliance to lure unsuspecting victims to their prey and play with the authorities as they try to catch them. A tortured protagonist with problems of their own that are connected to the case forcing them to confront their own past.

Laura Drummond has a nightmare of a memory. While in high school, she was raped, attacked at knifepoint, and left for dead. She eventually recovered but the emotional scars still remain as well as some physical scars to remind her of that dreadful time.

In adulthood, Laura is a detective in the police force moving up from violence and sex crimes to investigating homicides. Right now, she investigates the assault and murder of Cindy Musgrave. Laura realizes that there is something painfully familiar about this case. In fact the method that Cindy's attacker used and the wounds on her body are very similar to what was done to Laura. Laura's attacker was never caught or identified. Could he still be around and active, waiting decades to find his next victim?

There are so many great things about this book. First, is Laura herself. She is someone who has turned her personal pain into a calling to help others so they don't suffer the way that she did.

Despite this painful memory of the rape and near death hanging over her head, Laura rebuilt her life as an adult. Besides solving crimes, she has an active but detached personal life. A lesbian, she has  had many affairs but she is considering finding someone with whom to settle down, particularly the attractive and understanding Sharon. Many times, Sharon becomes close to Laura and the detective tells her various things about her past that she hasn't told anyone like about her rape, estrangement from her parents, and the grisly aftermath of the assault. It left a lot of damage to her psyche and one can imagine how difficult it is for her to open up to someone. It's a genuinely loving moment when she does as the weight of many years is lifted from her.

Part of the way Laura covers her past is to become desensitized to the violence around her. She dryly considers her work, "Another day. Another senseless murder." This jaded desensitization is a mask that comes crashing down when Laura investigates Cindy's rape and murder. This familiar crime echoes into her past. She realizes that she can't ignore or detach what's in front of her. She has to confront what happened to her during the rape and everything afterwards.

The plot is filled with very suspenseful chilling moments particularly when the point of view enters the rapist/murderer's mind. He trails his intended target like a hunter catching his prey. He is methodical and ice cold in his pursuits seeing them not as women but small animals to be hunted and destroyed. He studies their every move, where they live, work, study, and the best times when they are alone. It's enough to make a Reader paranoid, especially if they are a single woman. 

There is some Freudian explanation in the murderer that thankfully doesn't absolve him. It just explains where he came from and why he did what he did. 

Conceptus also has some juicy twists and reveals that I dare not share. They are genuine surprises and perfectly cap off this genuine thriller of a book.

Weekly Reader: The Incomplete Artist (A Detective Ashley Westgard Murder Mystery) by Phillip Wyeth; More Show Less Tell is Needed In This Science Fiction Murder Mystery

 

Weekly Reader: The Incomplete Artist (A Detective Ashley Westgard Murder Mystery) by Phillip Wyeth; More Show Less Tell is Needed In This Science Fiction Murder Mystery

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: The more I review books, the more I think that it's true that every action has an equally negative or positive reaction. That sometimes in reviewing one book, its polar opposite will follow close behind.

I previously reviewed Fearghus Academy October Jewels by I.O. Scheffer, a book that combined the fantasy of a magic school, the science fiction of intergalactic travel, the horror of a supernatural mystery, the diverse powers of a superhero story, and the hardships of a Dickensian historical fiction and created a unique imaginative work. The elements shouldn't work but they do and merge beautifully.

Now we have a book where different genres are combined and don't work so well at all. Phillip Wyeth's The Incomplete Artist strives to combine the fears of technology of science fiction and the drawing locked room murder mystery of Agatha Christie. On paper, it should be interesting. I have read Science Fiction and Mysteries that have worked very well together. But in this case, it doesn't. 

Allegedly, the book is set in the near future of 2045 where Artificial Intelligence has taken over every aspect of life including the arts. Detective Ashley "Ash" Westgard attends a gallery of human artists who stand against automation and the rights to be human and express themselves in a human manner. Ash becomes involved with the wealthy and sophisticated Thomas Templeton. Later that night one of the artists, Stanley Bennett is found dead and his canvas destroyed.

The Incomplete Artist is guilty of one of the most basic rules of fiction writing: "Show, don't tell," The book is allegedly set in 2045 but we aren't shown very much of this futuristic world. 

I know, I know there probably wouldn't be much difference between 2022 and 2045. In the grand scheme of things that's 23 years, not a whole lot of time for many huge differences. I mean we laugh at movies like 2001, Blade Runner, the Terminator franchise, and Back to the Future II that showed the years as more well futuristic than we ended up getting. But if you are going to go through the trouble of telling us that we are in a futuristic world, you should go through the trouble of showing us the futuristic world.

While we are told that the world of the Incomplete Artist is bursting with artificial intelligence and technology, we aren't shown this. There are no robots working in the gallery or on the police force (the two main locations of the book). We aren't shown Ash walking around this futuristic setting being spied on by constant surveillance or looking at her information spread out on the Internet. Technology should be omnipresent for people to complain about it, but it really isn't any more present than it is now. The artists should be written as freethinkers fighting against an automated system. Instead, they come across as pretentious technophobes. 

It doesn't help that the science fiction setting is merged with the drawing room murder mystery style of Agatha Christie. A combination of genres can work really well but in this case, it doesn't. 

The trouble is science fiction relies so much on the outer world and the troubles that function in that society. This type os murder mystery is more about the internal. It's a confined space that could be set anywhere so the Science Fiction setting is unnecessary.

In fact it mimics the Agatha Christie style so well that the pace is almost glacial. The murder happens ten chapters in. Instead of getting to know the potential suspects and possible motives, the book is distracted by Ash and Thomas attempting to be a couple. Most of Bennett's connections to the suspects are later revealed in interviews. Another bit of telling rather than showing. It's not that the murderer is easy to guess, it's that the mystery is so plodding that it's hard to care.

The Incomplete Artist lives up to its name. It is incomplete as a science fiction, a mystery, or a decent novel.

Weekly Reader: Fearghus Academy: October Jewels by I.O. Scheffer; Strange Blend of Witch School Fantasy, Intergalactic Science Fiction, Supernatural Mystery, and Victorian Historical Fiction Makes For A Surprisingly Unique and Imaginative Novel

 

Weekly Reader: Fearghus Academy: October Jewels by I.O. Scheffer; Strange Blend of Witch School Fantasy, Intergalactic Science Fiction, Supernatural Mystery, and Victorian Historical Fiction Makes For A Surprisingly Unique and Imaginative Novel

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: You don't always have to be the first or even the most famous to come up with an idea to make it good. Sometimes you just have to give it your own perspective.

Take I.O. Scheffer's Fearghus Academy series and its first volume, October Jewels, for example. In the tradition of witches and wizards of legend using various sources and ingredients to make a potion, Scheffer did the same with this series. Fearghus Academy has a pound of Harry Potter, a pinch of A Wrinkle in Time, two cups of Avatar The Last Airbender, a spoonful of Oliver Twist, and a whiff of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell for that distinct aroma. The result is a strange concoction that blends these sources and makes a unique, imaginative, and spellbinding series.

In 19th century London, Anna Addison is forced to work in a grubby factory for pennies. She hates her job but she can't do anything about it. One day, a strange wealthy woman named Nichole gives her two options: quit or get fired. No one else but Anna can see Nichole and even though she isn't sure if she's going crazy, Anna decides to get herself fired. Now that's taken care of, Nichole makes herself visible and goes through the necessary paperwork to adopt the young girl. She raises some eyebrows since people question a black woman like Nichole choosing to adopt a white girl like Anna but she is kind if a bit eccentric and no one else is interested in Anna.

Nichole has ulterior motives for adopting Anna. She sees another person like her who possesses magical abilities. One of the signs of a magical person are the colorful streaks in their hair and glint in their eyes. Anna has brown hair and orange streaks (She assumed one of her late parents had red hair). Nichole has green streaks in her black hair. Nichole explains that these are signs that they possess certain magical powers: Fire Magic for Anna and Earth Magic for Nichole.

There is a place called Fearghus Academy that has been scouting potential magic users and where Nichole is going to take Anna. It's a school that's out of this world. No really. Fearghus is literally on another planet outside of time and space. The school trains young people around the universe to use, harness, and control their magical abilities. 

So yes it is the fourth "Young Woman Travels to a Magical World" book that I read this year along with The Thorn Princess by Bekah Harris, Ela Green and The Kingdom of Abud by Sylvia Greif, and Lakshmi and The River of Truth by Paul Chasman, not counting the ones I read last year. (Not that I'm complaining. I love the subgenre.)

Once Anna arrives at Domhan, the planet that Fearghus Academy resides, she is amazed by the green grass, blue skies, and crisp clean air. For a girl growing up in filthy smog filled polluted London, it's quite a delightful shock. The castle building that Fearghus is located in leaves her speechless.

She also gets some rudimentary training from Nichole on how to make fire emerge from her fingertips and a new name. She says goodbye to her old life as Anna, the girl from London on Earth and reemerges as Artesia, the Fire Magic User and Fearghus student.

The book's structure is similar to that of Miss Mabel's School for Girls by Katie Cross and A Spell in the Country by Heide Goody and Iain Grant. Many of the chapters involve various tests and assignments in which Artesia and her new classmates learn to use their powers, work as a team, and bring out their best and sometimes worst qualities in each other.

Along the way while they are searching for valuable objects, exploring the world around them, and studying the progression of their powers as well as other regular subjects like history, science, and literature, they become aware that there are darker forces abound. As some of the students are attacked and one viciously murdered, it becomes apparent that Fearghus is the target of greater darker spirits and people who use magic for less altruistic means. It takes all of their strength, natural and magical, to fight these deadly enemies and get to the heart of a conspiracy which could cost many lives.

There are a few things that make Fearghus Academy stand out from other school stories. So far, we don't have a School Bully/Mean Girl. Nor does the main girl, Artesia, get thrown into a romance with a potential love interest.

The characters have personality clashes and disagreements but there are no one dimensional prepubescent villains. In fact, they start on the same page as allies who work closely together and become friends.

The students are a pretty likeable bunch. Besides Artesia we have: Antonia, a flamboyant Fire Mage from Spain; Evelyn, an overachieving Light User from Canada; Lulu, a dizzy religious American girl with the power of Air; Eilam, a sweet Ice Mage who is from Domhan and has a disturbing family secret; Telemachus, also from Domhan and is a Fire Mage and Eilam's close friend; Betel, an Irish girl who has the uncomfortable power of spreading pain and illness and is protected by her sister, Gretel; Jun, another Fire User from Ceithre a small town in Domhan who gains a crush on a certain transplanted Londoner, and Marnie, a sarcastic Scottish Water Mage who is discovering her own sexuality. Since Domhan is on another planet, it would be interesting to see if future Fearghus students look more alien in appearance, perhaps looking instead like Earth witches and wizards and more like Jedi.

The characters are a fascinating group where everyone has their moments to shine and become part of an ensemble.  Even Nichole develops a strong maternal bond with Artesia which she begins to reciprocate.

There isn't a single character in the group who isn't likeable and fully developed. Authors don't always have to fit school age kids into known tropes and cliques and have them vie with each other. They can still make them meaningful and understandable as individuals and part of a larger network of students and friends.

It is also nice that Scheffer does not force a romance between Artesia and the male character that she is usually paired with, Eilam. Artesia and Eilam form a close friendship in which the secretive Eilam reveals some painful things about his past. The two also combine their powers to save each other and are one another's emotional support when they lose a close friend. But platonic friendship is as close as it gets and with good reason.

Eilam is gay and is romantically involved with Telemachus. In other books, the two young men would just be buddies and their flirtatious moments might by played for laughs. In this book, it's clear that they are a couple and a sweet one at that. Because of Eilam's personal issues, he finds it difficult to reach out to others. With Telemachus, he feels more open to express a more outgoing playful side. Telemachus becomes a rock for Eilam to cling to when he needs it.

As for Artesia, she isn't exactly suffering in the romance department. Jun develops a crush on her and she becomes interested in him. She also inspires romantic stirrings within Marnie which she may feel the same. To hers, and Scheffer's, credit Artesia treats Jun and Marnie the same way. There is no indication whether she is straight, bisexual, or a lesbian. Perhaps like Artesia's experience with magic and living in Domhan, this is a new chapter in her life that is waiting to be discovered.

In fact that's what this book is all about: discovering one's potential, life path, hidden talents, relationships, and placement in a larger world. In doing so the first Fearghus Academy book, October Jewels, is already a crown jewel in the series.

New Book Alert: Lost to The Lake by Anna Willett; Psychological Thriller Peers At The Paranoia of a Fractured Marriage

 New Book Alert: Lost to The Lake by Anna Willett; Psychological Thriller Peers At The Paranoia of a Fractured Marriage

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Anna Willet's The Family Man focused on a police officer investigating a snuff film created by a man living the guise of a decent family man and moral center of the community. It offers an outsider peering into that facade and exposing the dark truth underneath.

Her novel, Lost to the Lake, shows the insider perspective of what it is like to live in a family like that. It shows what happens during a chilling vacation when a married couple discovers that their spouses aren't all that they appeared to be. They are married to complete terrifying strangers who wear familiar faces.

Marty and Beth seem to have a perfect life together. He owns a thriving business in financial planning. They have a nice home and though childless, they have a loyal dog, Angel whom Beth loves and does upon. Everything seems okay until the night when two men break into their home and hold the couple hostage. Marty apparently "took something from (them)" and now they are here for payback.

The opening is very tense as the two struggle in the dark against their assailants. This also begins to open some subtle cracks in their marriage as Beth begins to see Marry, a man that usually takes charge and can be dependable, as a coward who may abandon her if given the chance and has certainly been keeping secrets from her.

The results are a seriously injured dog who needs veterinary attention and at least one of the intruders dead on the floor. Beth wants to call the police, but Marty refuses since Angel more than likely attacked the man in defense of his humans. Marty says that he is an innocent pawn and didn't know these men were criminals when he did business with him. He could be considered an accomplice

This could be enough evidence to have Marry arrested and Angel put down. The best thing then, Marty suggests, would be to bury the body and get out of town for awhile. Why he even booked a room at the White Mist Lake Retreat while Beth took Angel to the vet ("It will be like couple's therapy," Marty insists, after they drag the dead body into the trunk.) As for the other guy, well he ran off and as long as he doesn't know where they are going, he'll be out of sight and out of mind.

I have read many thrillers and mysteries set in Australia but none have taken advantage of the setting more than Willett has in Lost to the Lake. The White Mist Lake Retreat is one of those places in the middle of nowhere where you could just sense something sinister lurking behind every tree or in every cabin. It's perfect for a thriller or horror.

If your imagination and paranoia doesn't get you, nature will. Remember, this is set in the Australian Outback where there is a lot of land to bury somebody and you can be miles away from anyone who would take a glance. 

The Retreat being in this rural out of the way place and near a dark forbidding lake gives the novel a strong sense of abandonment. You could be left there and no one would find you for weeks, if they found you at all. 

This sense of abandonment carries over from the setting into Beth and Marty's marriage. As the book continues, Beth begins to see another side to Marty, one that up until now she tolerated. He is snappish, irritable, distant, and suspicious of her friendship with Craig, White Mist Lake's maintenance man. Marty tells lies on top of lies about the night of the break in and his actions afterwards to the point where Beth doesn't know if she can trust him.

It doesn't take long for Beth to review the early times of their marriage and realize that what she once thought of as protective is now controlling. 

When Marty was once daring and passionate, she now sees him as temperamental and abusive. What she saw as an intellectual analytical mind is now cold-blooded and arrogant. It takes the break in and their "vacation" for Beth to realize that she had been in an abusive relationship all along and never acknowledged it until now. Beth is not just in a state of physical abandonment from the setting around her but emotional abandonment from the one person that she thought that she could trust.

Lost to the Lake ironically gets lost towards the end after revelations are made and characters double and triple cross each other. The endings go on and on and perhaps a few chapters could be trimmed. This isn't a book that is strong on reveal and resolution, so much as it's strong on atmosphere and dissecting the marriage between the two main characters. 

New Book Alert: Hag of the Hills (Bronze Sword Cycles Book 1) by J.T.T. Ryder; Epic Fantasy With Misleading Title Shows The Graphic Making of a Warrior

 New Book Alert: Hag of the Hills (Bronze Sword Cycles Book 1) by J.T.T. Ryder; Epic Fantasy With Misleading Title Shows The Graphic Making of a Warrior

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

A thousand apologies for my lateness, the end of May and beginning of June have brought troubles. My heel hurt and I couldn't concentrate on anything but pain. Then I had a migraine from an approaching cold front and our WiFi messed up.

It's all good now but I am playing catch up.

Spoilers: I can't fault J.T.T. Ryder's Epic Fantasy, Hag of the Hills for much. The book is set during the La Tene period between 400-200 BCE in the Isle of Skye and captures the setting and especially the Celtic mythology rather well. The Reader sees various legendary figures like fairies, goddesses, and selkies, and many human characters who invoke the gods for success, healing, revenge, and other things. It has a strong lead character and the suspenseful plot shows the graphic violence that can change one from a naive nervous kid into a strong warrior and leader. 

I can't fault it for much except for one thing. The title.

The title the Hag of the Hills refers to a mysterious woman, possibly a goddess named Chailleach Bhear, who is portrayed as a hag who delivers winter. She appears before the protagonist and gives him his call to adventure. The protagonist leaves and occasionally he sees visions of her, but only a few times.

 For a title character, Chailleach Bhear is barely in it. While she serves an important part and her presence is strongly felt throughout the book, she really doesn't appear very much. The book could have easily been called Warriors of the Hills or even The Bronze Sword (the latter is the name of the series) and it would make more sense. The supernatural divine aspects are present throughout the book. The main focus is how a young man is strengthened by his loss to become a violent man thirsting for revenge and embracing the warrior code in which he had previously paid little attention.

Brenn is the youngest in a family that boasts of warrior blood. His parents are dead and he is currently in the care of his older brothers, Bodvic and Fennigus. He knows his place in this clan and is soon to marry Clodagh, the neighbor's daughter in an arranged marriage. He also fancies Myrna, the chief druid's daughter though she is above his station. His sexuality may be more complex than we are led to believe.

The entire novel is a giant epistolary to someone named Luceo. We have yet to physically meet Luceo in person, but Brenn keeps referring to him in endearments like "my dear" and "beloved." The book is almost a confessional to this person who is clearly important to Brenn's future. He tells all about his past so there are no secrets between them.  

Even though Luceo has yet to appear, it's clear that Brenn is close to him on a physical and emotional level, possibly a soulmate. It will be interesting to read when Luceo is introduced, why he deserves to know so much about Brenn's past.

Anyway, returning to the main plot, Brenn hears voices to go up the Slighan Hills. When Brenn goes, he meets Cailleach Bhear taking the form of an eccentric old woman named Cally. In one of the strangest but also beautiful chapters in the book, Cally invites Brenn to come and have tea with her  and her companions.  Her companions are sidhe, or the faire folk. They seem to come from thin air or out of the ground. They blend into their natural surroundings. It's a moving tribute to the Celtic pagan pantheon and the close connection that spirits have with nature. It also shows the concept of fate and destiny. After his encounter with Cailleach Bhear, Brenn has the power of seeing sidhe. This comes in handy when he and his companions are attacked by such creatures, including a selkie.

Cailleach Bhear leaves such a memorable impression that I wish she was in the book more, especially, since she is the title character. She only appears here and there in other scenes, but her presence and motives are unclear. After he leaves Slighan Hill, Brenn's village is attacked by enemies from the hill. At this point, Cailleach Bhear seems to switch alliances and dances with glee at the violence. Is she on the side of the Hills, but why  does she give such an awesome power to Brenn to give him a distinct advantage? If she is on Brenn's side why is she dancing with delight at their defeat? Or is she more than likely the living embodiment of death and darkness, the winter of life? She knows that humans will do what they do, fight and kill just as she foresees? She is on her own side, the side that knows death and loss is on its way.

Brenn's village is attacked and his friends, family, and neighbors are either killed, wounded, or kidnapped. Brenn finds himself kidnapped by a group of raiders. He eventually fights his way into joining and then ultimately leading them. He was once very young, naive, and accepting of the warrior life, though not really a part of it. Through the book, he gains physical strength and begins to develop the lust for blood and fighting that other warriors have. He is stripped of his earlier naivete, coddled life, and boyish ideals. He is even stripped of his name and is called Vidav by the warriors.

There are many times with Vidav's new more weathered angrier outlook at the world, his morals become more questionable and less cut and dry. He sees the shades of gray that his youth never allowed. In one heart wrenching passage, an elderly druid begs Vidav to kill him. Later his wish is granted in the most violent way possible.

Vidav also considers selling a female companion to a monarch for a stronger army and safe passage. With Vidav ascending into adulthood and becoming a hardened warrior, he has to be awakened to tough decisions and actions that he would have never done before or once considered repellant if he had.. Right or wrong, it is a part of adulthood to make choices that could be immoral for a chance to survive. It's certain that Vidav's character will get darker the more the plot continues.

The Hag, Chailleach Bhear, may leave an unforgettable presence and had the  title but the truth is, this is the kid, Brenn's story as he becomes the warrior, Vidav.