By The Sword (Guardians of The Crown) by Alison Stuart; English Civil War Backdrops Engaging Romance and Fun Predictable Adventure

 

By The Sword (Guardians of The Crown) by Alison Stuart; English Civil War Backdrops Engaging Romance and Fun Predictable Adventure 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: The focus of Alison Stuart’s Historical Fiction novel By The Sword part of her Guardians of The Crown is not the English Civil War. That's just the historical backdrop. It's not really even a Woman's Fiction about a woman living with and challenging her role similar to The Wedding Shroud by Elizabeth Storrs. Those are parts of it but the main focus is the romance between the main characters.

 The novel is formulaic, runs on far too long, and some of the dialogue and plot points seem to survive on a charcuterie platter consisting solely of Velveeta cheese products. But the characters are winning, their trajectories hold the reader’s interest, and despite being predictable and formulaic, there are charming moments that make you root for these likeable characters.

In 1650 England recently widowed Kate Ashley and her son Tom were facing genteel poverty when they received word from their dying grandfather-in-law. In absence of any male heirs, he designates Tom to inherit the Thornton Family estate. Since he is only a boy, his mother Kate cares for it until he comes of age. She must restore the estate to its former glory and fend off greedy neighbors.

Jonathan Thornton, grandnephew, cousin of Kate's late husband, and exiled because of his loyalty to King Charles, now wants to garner support for the king. He meets the young widow and helps her with the inheritance and defending her new homestead. However, the two become attracted to one another despite avenging armies, a menacing rival of Jonathan's, and Kate's complicated feelings and loyalty to her late husband's family, particularly his handsome cousin.

The novel centers around an appealing couple that carry the book together or separately. Kate is an older character than the usual one that leads Historical Fiction. She is a widow approaching middle age and is already used to being an experienced leader in her household. This is less about a young woman discovering her agency than it is about an older woman maintaining her agency during great change and turmoil.

Kate is uncertain about being around her late husband's estranged family as anyone would be coming to a house of strangers. But she quickly accepts this change and settles into the family. She befriends many of the locals like Jonathan's sister and becomes an indispensable member of the household. It's likely that when Tom comes of age, the Thornton Family estate will be in good hands. 

Jonathan also carries a world weariness that comes with age and experience. He is on the side of the Royalists, even fights alongside King Charles whom he considers a friend. His war time experiences enable him to think fast on his feet which comes in handy when getting himself and Kate out of trouble. He is used to violence and tough situations.

However, we also see someone who probably realizes that he is past his prime as a soldier. The passages where he acts as a father figure to Tom and as a love interest to Kate reveals him as someone who wouldn't mind settling down and has found the right family to do so.

Kate and Jonathan’s romance works pretty well even through the predictable formula. There are plenty of moments where Kate, Jonathan, or both are in a tight spot and need to use fighting prowess, intelligence, or medical know-how to get them out of it.

There are one dimensional antagonists that are no match to the heroes. One has an understandable grudge against Jonathan but is written so broad and reprehensible that their somewhat justifiable reason disappears underneath the veneer of melodramatic boos and hisses.

It's like those old adventure movies and novels where you shake your head amused, know the good guys will survive, but enjoy the cliff hanging excitement and the romance. It's fun but predictable. But remember, predictable can sometimes be fun. 

The Colonel and The Bee by Patrick Canning; Fun Charming Victorian Adventure That Ascends to Great Heights

The Colonel and The Bee by Patrick Canning; Fun Charming Victorian Adventure That Ascends to Great Heights 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Patrick Canning’s The Colonel and The Bee is a throwback to an earlier time of a 19th century Adventure Novel. Pastiches of Victorian Adventures are not unfamiliar with this blog. I reviewed Jon Stephen Jones’ Victorian Adventure Stories and B,G, Hilton’s Champagne Charlie and The Amazing Gladys. Where Jones used familiarity with the Victorian tropes to write stories that echoed them perfectly and Hilton used those tropes to write a novel that brimmed with quirky originality and bizarre goofiness, Canning walks a middle ground. He wrote a novel that presents a fantastic Victorian Adventure with a postmodern darker edge. 

The book is narrated by The Amazing Beatrix, a former acrobat, who instead of running away to join the circus is instead running away from the circus to join something, anything else. She resents the abusive treatment from the circus ringmaster, Ziro so during a private performance for a nobleman, Beatrix makes a dramatic escape to the protection of Colonel James Bacchus, an eccentric treasure hunter with a reputation of daring adventures and romantic escapades. The Colonel takes her into Ox, The Oxford Starladder his floating house (no seriously it’s a four story wicker house attached to a red hot air balloon). She befriends his colleagues, the Newlyweds, obtains a nickname, “Bee” and joins them on their latest hunt for The Blue Star Sphinx. Unfortunately, some dangerous characters are also looking for the Sphinx and the Colonel including an intrepid law enforcement officer and two feuding criminal families. 

The Colonel and The Bee walks a fine and interesting line between the fantastic situations of the past and the rich character development of the present. Canning captures both expertly by giving us realistic characters in a fantastic setting.

What stands out at first is the fantasy, the adventure, the outlandish fantastic tropes of the past. We know realistically that a hot air balloon can’t carry a four story house, but that doesn’t matter. In this book, it does. We know that buried treasure isn’t really found by searching for intricate clues and x doesn’t always mark the spot, but who cares? That’s part of the fun. The Colonel and The Bee opens up those childlike parts of ourselves that read comic books or old adventure novels and imagine ourselves as the characters. Characters like Indiana Jones, The Doctor, Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg, Sherlock Holmes, Professor Challenger, James Bond, Nancy Drew, every superhero ever. Characters that we imagine wake up every morning wondering what adventure they will get into today. 

Canning captures that childlike wonder that these stories convey. The adventure is solid with many twists and turns. There are written clues that provide context to the Sphinx and its backstory. We are treated to various locations such as Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Gibraltar, Britain, and The Sahara where The Colonel, Bee, and their allies encounter dangers that require cunning, intelligence, stealth, strength, and daring to survive. It's an adventure that moves at a brisk pace but contains enough plot threads to go into different directions and hold the Reader's interest.This is a light hearted fun adventure for the most part.

While the majority of the book is fun and light, the way that most of these quaint Historical adventures are, there is some depth and attention to character psychology that give this book a postmodern edge. The Colonel and Bee reveal themselves as more than the flashy outlandish exterior that we see at first. 

Bee left behind a lifetime of abuse and degradation at the circus. The maltreatment takes its toll on Bee as despite trusting The Colonel enough to rescue her, she is incredibly cynical and suspicious towards his actions. She had been exploited and used so this is what she expects from people. She for a time is unable to trust The Colonel and suspects the worst from him, particularly because of his history with women. She is looking for an escape out of her situation, maybe some money, but nothing else. 

As she travels with The Colonel and his friends, Bee begins to relate to and bond with them. She sees their vulnerabilities, kindness, and acceptance towards her. Her agility is useful for getting them out of tough situations and her earthy nature provides a nice contrast to The Colonel’s flightiness. As she uses her skills to become a member of the group, she opens up to her new found friends. She also begins to let go of her earlier trauma from her time at the circus even to the point where she even bonds with some of her former colleagues when she recognizes their suffering as well.

Since Bee is the first person narrator, we see her various layers but it takes some time to see The Colonel’s. He lives a seemingly enviable life from land to land, adventure to adventure, and lover to lover. He has a charming flirtatious enthusiastic demeanor. He seems less drawn to search for the Sphinx because of wealth than he is for the thrill and excitement. As the book continues, The Colonel is revealed to have a past and troubles of his own that he hides under his gregarious devil may care personality.

The Colonel reveals that he comes from a very dysfunctional family and this adventure is not just a treasure hunt but a search for some family members. Now, his adventures are seen as means to fill the empty voids in his life. They give him some purpose and significance. He was made to feel like he didn't belong anywhere so he became a citizen of the world. His only real family and friends are those that travel with him on The Ox or aid him on his journeys from the ground. 

The Colonel and Bee move from flashy adventurers looking for treasure, to two lost individuals looking for familial connections. Through their journey, they find both.

 

Sailing By Gemini's Star (The Constellation Trilogy Book 3) by Katie Crabb; Pirate Trilogy Docks With Thrilling and Particularly Emotional Finale

 

Sailing By Gemini's Star (The Constellation Trilogy Book 3) by Katie Crabb; Pirate Trilogy Docks With Thrilling and Particularly Emotional Finale

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Since this is the final book in the series, please read my previous reviews for Sailing By Orion’s Star and Sailing By Carina's Star. I must reiterate that this review contains MAJOR HEAVY DUTY SPOILERS!!!!!

The final volume in a series needs to end on a high note. This is the last time that we encounter these characters and we need to see them become better, stronger, more mature people who are changed by the various conflicts. The plots should move to a definite conclusion and all loose ends should be tied. We should close the book with a sign of relief and maybe a lump in our throat and a tear in our eye that the adventure is over. Katie Crabb’s final Constellation Trilogy Book, Sailing By Gemini's Star does all of that and more. It is a perfect ending for one of my favorite series that I read for this blog.

In the previous volume, Pirate Captain, Rene Delacroix, Sailing Master/Navigator Frantz Seymour, and Quartermaster, Auden Carlyle have been arrested for piracy. They are being taken to their former stomping grounds of Kingston, Jamaica to await trial. It also means that Rene has to reunite with his abusive grandfather Governor Sir Andrew Travers, his weak willed father Naval Admiral Michel Delacroix, his loving mother, Astra Travers Delacroix, and Michel’s first mate and surrogate son and Rene’s one time surrogate brother, Nicholas Jerome. Needless to say, it's a very uncomfortable family reunion.

Rene, Frantz, and Auden’s mentor, Captain Ajani Danso and his crew are planning for a rescue mission putting their own freedoms on the line. To free his son, Michel suggests that Rene plead insanity, that he followed Danso out of hysteria and an obsession with pirates, so he can be released and move to London to get away from it all. The Royal Navy can take care of Danso and his crew. As for Frantz and Auden, they will have to take their chances. Well, Michel asked the wrong guy because Rene says nothing doing. He would rather fight and die with the surrogate family that loves and accepts him than the blood family that he ran away from. Meanwhile, Michel, Astra, and Jerome have to make tough decisions that affect their own futures. 

Sailing By Gemini's Star develops the characters in ways that are very surprising and ultimately rewarding. It reminds us that for all of the elaborate sea battles, pillaging, sword fighting, and daring escapes, there are rich vibrant people that are involved in them. In fact Crabb makes most of her characters so relatable and identifiable that when they engage in one on one battles it's hard to know who to root for.

Even though he is in his twenties, Rene has matured from the naive kid that he was, to an adventurous adult with a strong moral compass, to a wily veteran sea dog who has left behind a legendary status as “Lucifer The Morning Star.” Even though he had previously sailed on Danso’s crew, he has retained a reputation in his own right. 

He found a surrogate family with Danso’s crew and won't abandon them. Danso mentored and encouraged him in a way that his father never did. He taught him but gave him enough room to create his own legacy. It's this devotion that motivates Rene to stand against his birth family and alongside his adopted one.

Returning to Kingston reconnects Rene to many of the issues that he left behind. To find comfort from the mother who supported him. To call his grandfather out for the abuse that he and Frantz were forced to endure. To find closure with his father. Also, to resolve his complicated relationship with Jerome, someone who he once admired, then grew to despise, and now feels empathy for. 

Danso is ready to move on to the next chapter in his life leaving a vacancy wide open for Rene to fill. Rene also wants to strengthen his relationship with his lover, Frantz but he can't move forward if he can't fully face his past.

Besides Rene, other characters go through wonderful meaningful changes. Astra finally asserts her independence away from her father and unhappy marriage and becomes part of Team Pirate. She reunites with a former lover and lives a life beyond her previous conventions. She becomes a better stronger character than the one who felt empathy for others but lacked the courage to openly help them.

Michel also develops as a character. He becomes a man who realizes almost too late that he lost everything and everyone that is important. It is only when he hits rock bottom and finds himself alone without his wife, son, or closest friends and truly sees the monster in Jerome that he helped create. Only then does he make some serious changes in his life and frees himself from his former identity as lackey of the Royal Navy.

By far the strongest development occurs in the most unlikeliest of characters: Nicholas Jerome. Just as I was prepared to write him off as a remorseless bigoted villain, Crabb pulled a switch on me. As I began this book and saw Jerome's vulnerabilities, I said, “No no don't do this to me, Crabb! Don't make me start caring about him when I disliked then hated him for two books!” But sure enough she did and I did.

 In a way, Jerome has become one of the most important characters of the whole series, if not the actual central character. He is the first character that we meet in Book 1 working as a cabin boy right before Danso and his future first mate, Abeni make their escape. We have seen him bond with Michel and Rene treating them like the family that he never had. We see him worry that his half-Romany heritage will turn him into a target and reject his estranged mother for not only her background but for abandoning him. We see the years of military regimentation transform him into a ruthless and efficient pirate hunter. We see him vow to hunt down Danso, who slipped past him, and Rene, sacrificing their previous friendship. 

In this volume, Jerome goes through intense emotional and mental turmoil as he is abandoned by those that he loves the most in the world, particularly Michel. Left on his own and then ultimately at the ironic mercy of the pirates, Jerome takes a long hard serious look at his life and the remorseless duty bound unfeeling monster that he has become. He is turned into someone whom Michel and Rene can't quite reject because of their familial bond but who also feels unworthy of their forgiveness, love, or understanding. 

Jerome's redemption is a slow moving process as one by one the kinks inside his armor are stripped away leaving him with no ship, no title, no crew, no friends, and no family. He is completely broken and devastated when faced with the reality of his previous actions. It is a truly well earned and rewarding moment when Jerome finally accepts the overtures of friendship in Danso's crew, particularly from Rene and fights on their side.

Sailing By Gemini's Star is a fine ending to a wonderful series where final battles are drawn, future plans are made, people move forward, and the crew disembarks at their final destination. However, there is a slight glimmer of hope beyond the horizon that suggests that the story is not quite over for Ajani Danso, Rene Delacroix, and Nicholas Jerome. That as long as there is an open sea and a ship to set sail, there will always be plenty of new adventures.

New Book Alert: The Wynters Series: Harriet Disguised by Catherine Dove; Predictable But Fun Escapist Regency Romantic Adventure

New Book Alert: The Wynters Series: Harriet Disguised by Catherine Dove; Predictable But Fun Escapist Regency Romantic Adventure 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: "Meanwhile, back in stately Pemberley Manor…."

That's probably how most Regency Romances started, by the works of Jane Austen and her comedies of manners in which couples who swear that they are not suited for each other end up together. There usually is nothing more tense than a lover's quarrel and a frosty encounter during tea time with one's elderly, disapproving, or meddlesome relatives. All of this is resolved by the end.

Catherine Dove is no exception. Her Regency Romance, The Wynters Series: Harriet Disguised is full of typical Regency Romance tropes: brooding titled noble hero, spunky heroine who bucks traditions, conservative older relatives, usually aunts, that lecture the young ones about how things should be done, an upcoming Season, trips to inns, and misunderstandings and complications that result in the lovers quarreling. Of course, it ends with a romantic proposal and the promise of a happy marriage ever after.

However, Harriet Disguised also takes its cue from another popular genre: the adventure novel. Amidst the lighthearted romance between witty bickering lovers, Dove weaves a tale of missing inheritance, conniving ne'er do wells, treasure, disguises, and narrow escapes. Both the adventurous and romantic aspects give this book a pure escapist feel into that time period that inspired so many authors to explore it.

Sebastian and Harriet Wynters were raised by their archaeologist explorer parents. They had a unique upbringing in which they traveled the world, experienced different cultures and met many people, and were permitted to question everything and challenge standards. Unfortunately, their free spirited childhood and youth came to an end after their parents died and they ended up living in London with their staid aunt, while trying to fit into proper society.

 Sebastian learns that a stranger has a trunk of their late parents' things. Despite Harriet's objections and insistence that she go along, Sebastian goes alone. When he doesn't return, Harriet gets worried. She dons boy's clothes, takes on a male persona, and goes off to the country to look for him.

Meanwhile, a morose Lord Ashurst is out for a night on the town with his friends. He spends that night drinking, carousing, and bemoaning his arranged upcoming marriage to Miss Daphne Maitland. Wanting to get him to lighten up (and maybe sober up), Ashton's friends prank him by putting him in a stagecoach heading for the country. What an unbelievable coincidence, that coach is also carrying a boy with very feminine features and a soft voice who is looking for his missing brother! Yes siree, the other passenger is Harriet Wynters and our two potential lovers are off on a grand adventure.

Actually the high adventures are some of the best parts in the book. There are great moments of suspense such as when Sebastian executes a dangerous escape from his captors. 

Ashton and Harriet assuming disguises and identities while facing potential threats to the Wynters family seems to come out of something like the Scarlet Pimpernel. The plot of these works usually involves a disguised well connected clever hero who takes down some nasty usually titled do badders with sinister designs on some yet to be discovered wealth, maybe an inheritance or treasure. The only major difference is that the disguised hero in this book is a woman!

There are also some interesting moments of plot contrivances where characters converge into the same location such as an out of the way inn which somehow becomes a magnet for all parties involved. The protagonist and antagonist pile up is humorous but has its moments of tension as some characters just barely avoid being found by others and miss the people that they are supposed to catch up with.

The adventure is a bright spot but the Romance, while predictable, has its good points too. Yes we know Ashurst will see right through Harriet's disguise. We know that they will fight constantly and then share a kiss. We know that Ashurst will be drawn to Harriet's spiritedness because she's unlike any woman that he's ever met. We know that Harriet will find the hidden heart inside the brooding nobleman. We've seen it all before and somehow that's comforting.

This isn't the type of book that veers on surprises and it's not supposed to. There are some disappointments towards the end such as when the heroes and villains confront each other and it's hard to keep track of the various schemes and betrayals. Also a final unnecessary complication drags out a final chapter between Ashurst's proposal and Harriet's answer. But for the most part, those flaws can be forgiven in favor of the adventure and romance.

 Harriet Disguised is what it is, a sweet suspenseful romantic adventure in its purest escapist form, a reminder of days gone by of fancy dress, etiquette, swordfight, balls, witty banter, a kiss or two, and the feeling that everything will be alright in the end.

 

New Book Alert: The Voyage of Gethsarade: Book Two of the Everwood Chronicles by M.G. Claybrook; A Cynical Hard-Edged Take for Adults Disguised As Cute Children's Book

New Book Alert: The Voyage of Gethsarade: Book Two of the Everwood Chronicles by M.G.Claybrook; A Cynical Hard-Edged Tale of Heroism For Adults Disguised As Cute Children's Book

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews



Spoilers: On the surface, M.G. Claybrook's book, The Voyage of Gethsarade looks like a children's book. The cover features bright adorable creatures in vibrant colors. The plot involves cute little squirrels, pirate rats, buried treasure, and adventure on the high seas.


However, if the Reader looks closer, they will find a book that is written for adults similar to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, Animal Farm, Watership Down, or Maus. Adult Readers will find a hard edged cynical satire of heroism, fame, and the lengths some will go to for money and to make their names heard disguised as a cute adventure story about talking squirrels.


The story begins with Sangareth, a flying squirrel/sea captain who has a reputation as a daring adventuror and hero. He is travelling with his crew, his wife, Alya, and his and Alya's infant son. He is journaling a mysterious message when the ship is overrun by pirats, rats that are pirates (get it?), led by the sinister Barrogan Black. Alya manages to get the little one safely away on a lifeboat before the ship is overrun and she and Sangareth are drowned trying to escape. Meanwhile, their squirrel pup is pulled ashore by Lady Ridroga, a kindly elderly ground squirrel who raises the pup as her own and names him Gethsarade.


Years later, Gethsarade is a struggling musician who writes and performs songs about a legendary figure of his own creation called Vincent Poppaldi. As he flees from creditors, town roughs, and a non-paying boss, Gethsarade stows away on a ship that happens to have pirats and of course the pirats are led by Barrogan Black. (The narrative questions this contrived coincidence so the Reader doesn't have to.)

Gethsarade fights his captivity with the help of Gyr and Tiburtine, a pair of stage magicians/con artists. He spins the fiction that he is Vincent Poppaldi, leader of the Free Army now in exile. So his new friends believe him to be Vincent, a hero, and help him escape from the pirat's prison.

After the pirats are removed from the ship, Gethsarade and the boys find a journal which speaks of a place called Hesperia where squirrels can fly and there is an ultimate treasure as well as a prophecised hero who will save Hesperia from danger. Well, there are three broke squirrels with nothing to do, a new ship, and little cash so on they go to Hesperia.


There is a sense of humor to this book that adults will get but kids won't. Gethsarade's beloved guitar's name, Lucinda, will go over kid's heads but music savvy adults will acknowledge the tribute to B.B. King's special lady, Lucille. One character exclaims "Great Grendel's Cabbages!" and Tiburt boasts that he kissed a squirrel and "(he) liked it." (I apologize for the Katy Perry earworm. You have no idea how much I am paying for it.)

This is also a book that isn't afraid to throw out salty language or hint without subtlety what pirates like to do to their female captives. It cannot be stressed enough how adult this book is despite the juvenile exterior.


The biggest commentary is on heroism and the reputation that comes with it. An ongoing line from one of Gethsarade's Vincent songs is repeated: "All righteous revolutions always begin the same way-by not being paid." Suggesting that despite the ideals and vilifying and heroification of the people involved, these struggles are based on the basic needs for money. In war and revolution, no one is innocent because everyone wants the same things.


That is the prevailing attitude found in The Voyage of Gethsarade. The line between heroism and villainy is seriously blurred. No one is particularly guilty, because no one is particularly innocent. The only difference is how bloodthirsty and murderous characters will get to achieve their means.

When Gethsarade, Gyr, and Tiburt encounter other prisoners, they argue whether to set them free or sell them to slavery. Later Barrogan Black uses this conversation to manipulate the former prisoners to join him. He lets mistrust grow which had already been planted by the actions of Gethsarade and his friends.


Things become more complicated when Gethsarade and the others reach Hesperia. This may seem like "the typical outsider is mistaken for hero of legend and becomes hero for real" plot seen in such works as The Three Amigos and Galaxy Quest. However, the behavior of the Hesperians calls that plot into question. For one thing, there are questions if there even was a legend or a hero to speak of. Gethsarade is mistaken for Sangareth by the Hesperians and is hailed as a hero by many. However, the comments made by some including the Great Father Tadwick, the leader of Hesperia and his daughter, Amalie suggest that Sangareth was not as heroic as he seemed.

Further complicating things is that if Gethsarade is not who he pretends to be, and neither was Sangareth, then neither is anyone else. This confession is revealed later when Gethsarade comes clean about his real identity throwing over his previous presumed monikers of Vincent Poppaldi and Sangareth. After he confesses, it is revealed that Tiburt, the Great Father, and Amalie are hiding secrets as well. The book turns into a den of cons who strive to outdo each other and need to admit the truth before they are worthy to recognize treasure when they see it.


While honesty becomes an important plot point, there is also value in the legend as well as recognizing one's worth and identity. This is realized in a bizarre philosophical conversation that Gethsarade has with a lonely shark. The shark does not realize what he is until Gethsarade tells him. He even asks how can he know he's a shark unless someone calls him one? Likewise, how can anyone know that they are a hero, unless someone calls them one?

There are many times that the narration calls this theme forward. The first person narrator, who is revealed at the end of the book, chronicles Gethsarade's adventure well aware that he must separate reality from legend. In the opening reveals how when he met Gethsarade, he believed his stories about being the leader of the Free Army and then spends the rest of the book dissecting the legend that the narrator believed. However, the final chapter presents two alternate endings: one where treasure is found, heroes are honored, lovers are united, and more adventures lay just beyond the horizon. The other ending is less cozy, darker, more violent, and not as tidy. The narrator asks the Reader which ending they want to believe?

There is value in honesty and knowing heroes weren't perfect. That often they made decisions that weren't planned and made by luck, coincidence, or by fast talking. Sometimes they were looking out for their own basic needs or selfishness that they were like us.

However, the legends are necessary too. They are a part of our cultures, but they also represent the people that we want to be. These stories are spread not necessarily because they are the world, but they reflect the world as we want it to be. We want to believe that the hero will defeat the villain in a one on one battle, even when we know that he won't or that the hero is equally as conniving as the villain. Gethsarade realizes this when he reconciles his real self with the legend that he and others created and the Narrator realizes this when he chronicles both truth and legend, leaving the resolution up to the Reader.


Like any children's book for adults, The Voyage of Gethsarade, asks difficult questions of the Reader underneath the cheerful facade of a book with talking animals. It challenges the traditional children's takes of heroes and villains, but asks why we need them in the first place.

New Book Alert: Van Ops: The Lost Power by Avanti Centrae: Thrilling, Suspenseful, And Engaging Treasure Hunt Begins New Series

New Book Alert: Van Ops: The Lost Power by Avanti Centrae; Thrilling, Suspenseful, and Engaging Treasure Hunt Begins New Series

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews



Spoilers: Thanks to the Da Vinci Code, for a time in the early to mid 2000’s, you couldn't throw a rock without hitting a book about a treasure hunt. Several books were written where the protagonists looked for some treasure or knowledge that had been hidden for centuries that could shake up the known usually western world. The protagonists are on the run from dastardly villains, usually working for the church or government that are determined to keep the secret.

One of the better of those treasure hunt novels was 2005’s Labyrinth by Kate Mosse which involved books that contained references to the Holy Grail, the history of the Cathars in France, a commentary on gender roles, and two strong female protagonists in modern day and 13th century France.


We return to that trend that now reaches 20 years old (yikes) with Avanti Centrae’s The Lost Power, a book in her Van Ops series. When done right, these treasure hunt novels are interesting lessons in history and speculative fiction, filled with intense suspenseful action-based passages, and feature interesting characters that guide the action. Lucky for us, Centrae gets it right.

Twins, Will and Maddy Argones are invited to visit their father who tells them that he has important news. Before he can reveal it, however both he and Will’s wife, Maria, are killed by an assassin's bullet. The twins barely have time to grieve before their father’s attorney sends them a letter which tells them to return to the family's ancestral home Aragon Castle in Spain and locate the Aragon Chassé, a small box that contains an object of immense power. This quest takes them and their old school friend and current military man, Teddy “Bear” Thorenson on a journey through Spain, Israel, and Egypt with dangerous assassins in hot pursuit.

The book is an escapist fantasy of exotic locations and roller coaster actions designed to end several chapters with cliffhangers. There are various tense situations where the Argones Twins and Bear hide from assassins in various locations including the Dome of the Rock and a hot air balloon. There is an interesting subplot when the trio take part in various tests to determine their strength, knowledge, and worthiness to find the Aragon Chassé.

The characterization is brilliantly executed. Will and Maddy both shine with individual moments. Maddy is a seventh level Dan and martial arts instructor and uses those skills to defend her loved ones. She is also psychic and has premonitions of people being hurt or kidnapped. She shows a strong maternal bond with A.J., a young student who unfortunately gets caught in the middle of these struggles.

Will is also well written. He is a skeptic where Maddy is intuitive. While it stretches credibility over how skeptical he can possibly be, with not only a psychic sister but going on a journey that includes some unexplained phenomena, but this can also be attributed to Will’s stubborn nature. Also, the plot offers scientific possibilities which gives Will, an engineer opportunities to use his expertise. On an emotional front, Will shows genuine grief over Maria's death which is refreshing to see when in many novels of this sort ignore the personal tragedy when someone dies in favor of action. This book shows the grief that would be involved when someone dies particularly when they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Bear isn't as developed as the twins but he offers some interesting possibilities when it is revealed that he is part of Van Ops, a secret military organization that studies unexplained phenomena. He also harbors a secret crush on Maddy and shares some sweet heroic moments with her.

The antagonists are fairly decent as well. The stand out among them is Ivan, a gun toting hit man who hides a heart as big as the number of his confirmed kills. Ivan can be a ruthless killer, but that's not all to his story. Centrae reveals that he is worried about his kidnapped son whom his employers hold hostage in an attempt to get Ivan to obey them. Ivan also shows protectiveness over the kidnapped, A.J. revealing the fatherly side he hides behind his gruff violent exterior.

The search for the Aragon Chassé is pretty tight as clues are given and tests are required to find the object. When the Chassé is revealed, it proves to be every bit as powerful as advertised and during the climax that power is unleashed in a violent and ultimately satisfactory moment.

The Lost Power is a treasure hunt worth going on with a thrilling plot, great characters, and a truly intriguing adventure.