New Book Alert: Hour of Shadows (Book 2 of New Dawn's Light) by Jordan Frost; Characters' Reunion Brims With Engaging Plot But Dims With Repetitive Love Square

 

New Book Alert: Hour of Shadow (Book 2 of New Dawn's Light) by Jordan Frost; Characters' Reunion Brims With Engaging Plot But Dims With Repetitive Love Square

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: I am really excited to write this review because things have come full circle for the blog. The first New Book Alert in which the authors themselves requested a review was Whisper in the Dark, the first book in Jordan Frost's New Dawn's Light series. Now here I am, three years later, reviewing the second book, Hour of Shadow.

The first volume featured various characters opposing the tyrannical Lord Kane who, among his worst qualities, every year demands a sacrifice from the world of Midori's best mages. In other words, he wants to eat them and absorb their magic. The only thing that can stop him is a prophecy in which the illegitimate son of the deceased royal family takes the throne. When that happens, Kane's tyranny will be at an end.

 Various characters such as a roguish thief, a kindly barbarian, a pair of mage twins, a former guard, and a pirate captain use different means to fight against Kane's Reign of Terror. In true first volume manner, the book ends with the main villain having yet to be defeated, some characters are killed, and some characters hook up. Namely Solana, a haughty mage and Jensen, an ex-guard get together as well as Miriana, Solana's twin sister who is also a mage, and Garrett, the pirate captain. We also discover a potential identity to the missing heir.

The story continues with Hour of Shadow. At times it is a worthy successor to Whisper in the Dark. There is some pretty sharp characterization and some humor sprinkled with the action, particularly involving how the characters interact with each other and some really suspenseful moments as characters move from one death defying encounter to another. However, this second book goes the way many second books in fantasies go. We have already been introduced to the character and world in the first one. We know the climactic battle and pay off will be in part three at the earliest. So in the second volume, we are left with a lot of filler in which characters just go from one place to another and form a love triangle, in this case a love square.

We find that our heroes Miriana, Garrett, Solana, and Jensen have finally encountered each other. Solana and Jensen hire Garrett to take them and Miriana, if she wants to go, to a safe haven for mages called Watcher's Nest. Of course in true Epic Fantasy fashion, the path is paved with new characters both good and bad, various challenges and conflicts, a trial in which they are told to follow various tasks and face their greatest fears, and the quartet's romantic feelings towards each other.

Plot and characterization are pretty sharp in this book. There isn't so much emphasis on setting and world building because it is assumed that the Reader is familiar already with Midori and the way that world works. Most of the setting is confined within ships, inns, on open roads, or in caverns. In fact, the majority focuses on the character's personal thoughts and interactions making things more intimate than the larger scope associated with the previous volume. 

This intimacy makes the more adventurous moments more intriguing. Some of the best chapters focus on the team coming upon a mysterious death cult. The horror in these passages are greatly felt and even more so when they are forced to participate in a grueling series of tests. One test features them being haunted by deceased friends, lovers, and family members.

The closed intimacy among the characters also plays in their interactions with each other, particularly how the romantic pairings are tested. At the end of Whispers in the Dark, Miriana and Garrett have fallen in love and while Solana and Jensen begin a romance, revelations in the book complicate things.

Now that the brace of couples have joined together, there are romantic complications. Solana can't stop flirting with the handsome captain much to Miriana and Jensen's annoyance. However, their sardonic dialogue seems to imply that Garrett doesn't mind so much. Garrett feels inadequate compared to Miriana's dream hero of her romance novels in which Garrett was the inspiration. Jensen's family ties make him question not only whether he is worthy as a suitor but also whether he can fulfill his destiny. Personally, this Reader saw enough sweet moments between Miriana and Jensen that they should be a couple and thought Solana and Garrett had a cute argumentative saucy relationship that could evolve as a real romance.

There are some missteps in the book mostly because of the filler nature of being a second volume waiting for the big stuff to happen next. (In fact the Fellowship breaks at the end to perform separate parts of the same tasks.) Once the love square between the protagonists is introduced, it gets repeated over and over ad nauseum, always reminding Readers why love conflicts are often the least favorite parts in speculative fiction. One great character is introduced only to be violently killed within a few chapters (similar to the previous volume when another great character was also graphically killed. Upsetting because he was one of my favorites.) Thankfully, a couple of others are introduced, one who has a mysterious backstory and could be more than he lets on.

There are also plenty of sections where characters just go from one place to another and not do very much. It's a lot more travel and less adventure. Sometimes, the intimacy is good but in certain types of fiction, it can drag the story. Also, in the end Miriana simply pulls out a motive which had never before been referred to. It might be a good lead in book three. But the way it is introduced is pretty clunky and seems more like an afterthought.

Despite its flaws, Hour of Shadow is a worthy second book. It continues an excellent adventure and guides the Reader to another one.

Weekly Reader: Spirit Sight (Last of the Gifted Book One) by Marie Powell; New Epic Fantasy Series Set in Wales Has Interesting Leads With Extraordinary Abilities

 Weekly Reader: Spirit Sight (Last of the Gifted Book One) by Marie Powell; New Epic Fantasy Series Set in Wales Has Interesting Leads With Extraordinary Abilities

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers:

First I want to apologize for being late with this review. I had Covid vaccine #1 and it drained me for a couple of days as well as left my arm bruised. Well I did my bit and will do so again on June 9. 

Now on with the review.

As I said this has been quite the time for Epic Fantasies. I am currently reading or reviewing a total of seven Epic Fantasies. We started off with Gol Legend of Ansu by J.W. Webb, a dark bleak fantasy set in a fictional universe with two lovers who go on separate personal journeys and live in a world that regardless of whether they defeated the Big Bad or not they still have to move on to another world. 

Well Epic Fantasy Series #2 is The Last of the Gifted by Marie Powell and is a less imaginative setting. It is set in 13th century Wales and borrows some of its plot from history. It is set during the war between the English King Edward de Longshanks and the Welsh Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd during the deaths of both the prince in battle and his wife, Elinor de Montfort in childbirth right when Wales was left in chaos, war, and panic over who would rule in Llywelyn's stead. His only child was his newborn daughter. The heir ended up being Dafydd, Llywelyn's younger brother who was executed by being drawn and quartered. Ultimately, Wales was conquered by Edward de Longshanks and his son Edward II became the first English Prince of Wales.

 This was a tense stressful time in Welsh history in which the wrong move could have spelled chaos for generations to come. Powell's version of these events do not cover only history but fantasy that comes in the form of two young siblings who have very unusual gifts that they use to aid their country in its time of need.

Hwy is the son of one of Llywelyn's strongest supporters. Hwy  possesses a unique ability. He can see through the eyes of animals, particularly birds. He astral travels and shares consciousness with the animals and is able to retain their senses. He is sometimes used to fly overhead and spy on enemy territory. Hwy inherited this strange ability from his maternal uncle, Gawain, and seems to hearken back to the old Pagan ways. Because of this pre-Christian connection, Hwy is cautioned to keep his abilities a secret. Only a select few, like his immediate family and a few friends and allies know.

That isn't the only ability that Hwy possesses. He discovers this just after Llywelyn is killed. The Welsh prince's spirit leaves his body but doesn't get very far. In fact, it enters Hwy's mind. Hwy communicates telepathically with a prince who is determined to lead his army and defeat his enemy while trapped in the body of a teenage boy.

Meanwhile, Hwy's sister Cat discovers that she has some abilities as well. She can scry, see images of the future through water. Both Hwy and Cat find that their abilities put them at the forefront of this war and right into certain danger.

Spirit Sight is good on both a fantastic and realistic level. Cat and Hwy's abilities are explored with all of their benefits and discomforts. There are some lovely passages that describe how Hwy views the world through an animal's eyes. They describe him flying overhead and looking down on the human world with a sense of detachment.

However, there are concerns with this ability. For example if someone attacks the animal body would that affect him? Can Hwy shapeshift into the animal and if he could what if he loses sight of being human? 

His contact with the spirit world is a new development and it is barely known before Llywelyn's spirit hitches a ride inside Hwy's mind. Naturally, both of them are confused and terrified. ("Will you sell me to the Tywlyth Teg next?" Llywelyn sarcastically asks, referring to the Welsh fairies.) The prince also has to contemplate whether his spirit remains for vengeance or to help his kingdom move forward in his absence. There are many chapters where the prince is forced to direct traffic from inside this young man by telling him where to go and give insider information about whether allies can be trusted or not. It appears that Hwy's abilities increase during this stressful time perhaps as a reaction to defend the Welsh kingdom from invaders. 

Hwy isn't the only one who is exploring their abilities to the fullest during this time of great need. Cat is given terrifying visions of the future that she barely understands but proves useful for predictions in battle. Sometimes she can't see the full picture leaving her visions to speculation at times. For example, she sees someone falling in a field but is uncertain whether they actually died or survived and were just injured leaving open the possibility that fate can be postponed or even cheated. 

Cat's abilities aren't explored as fully in this volume as they are in the next book, Water Sight. However, there is an interesting conversation that she has with her betrothed, Rhys in which he questions whether she is destined to stay unmarried and untouched so she can continue her abilities or get married and potentially lose them.

Besides the fantasy, there are some real world conflicts that show the constant stress of living in a land torn apart by war. Hwy, Cat, and their friends and family are constantly on the run, taking sanctuary with potential allies and friendly kingdoms. Cat spends a lot of the book helping her mother look after the infant princess. There is great tension when she or one of her household flees with a babe in arms. 

Hwy was raised and trained in an English household and worries about the possibility of facing his closest friend, James, in battle. (Further complicating things, James also knows about his abilities.) 

Sometimes the only way that Hwy knows whether someone is friend or foe is by his animal sight or through Llywelyn's words. Not everyone is that lucky and they pay for trusting the wrong people. There are many lords that will turn their coats and some that play both sides, like one that will take Welsh prisoners but then treats them kindly. Then there is Dafydd, who Llywelyn wonders if his competitiveness with his brother and inexperience could lead to Wales' undoing.

 This is a stressful situation and is felt by all the characters and their actions. This is not some mythological evil that they are up against. The English soldiers are a real army that history shows ultimately defeats them. There is a strong sense of fatalism that no matter what they do, they are only postponing what is inevitable. When an army loses the war, sometimes there is very little that can be done except pick up what remains and move on, no matter what supernatural abilities that you possess.

Spirit Sight is a great blend of Fantasy and History that tells a great story. Like the stories of King Arthur, the fantasy inserted into the history gives us a perspective of what the people were like, what they believed, and what they looked to for protection and guidance in a changing world.

Weekly Reader: Song of All Songs: Earthcycles Book 1 by Donna Dechen Birdwell; Science Fiction Novel Has Beautiful Setting, Great Characterization, But Slow Moving Plot

 Weekly Reader: Song of All Songs: Earthcycles Book 1 by Donna Dechen Birdwell; Science Fiction Novel Has Beautiful Setting, Great Characterization, But Slow Moving Plot

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Song of All Songs by Donna Dechen Birdwell is a Science Fiction novel that has much to offer. It's set in a post Apocalyptic world but isn't focused on the gloom and doom. Instead it has a beautiful setting with a reverence to nature. It has brilliant characterization with protagonists who go through great struggles on their journeys. However, the plot meanders and there are long stretches where not a lot happens leaving the results of a book that visually is impressive to picture but verbally needs work.

The setting of Song of All Songs is not a unique one in Science Fiction. Post Apocalyptic Earths reduced to agrarian societies are nothing new. Since Mary Shelley's The Last Man, and even before that mythology and religious texts like The Epic of Gilgamesh, Ragnarok, The Mahabharata, The Ramayana and The Book of Revelation, have described in graphic details about a world devastated by war and environmental destruction with only a handful of courageous survivors  (if the world is lucky enough to have survivors.).

 One of my first experiences with the genre was reading Stephen Vincent Benet's 1937 short story,"By The Waters  of Babylon" in high school. Coming from a religious background and fully aware of the only recently ended Cold War, I was traumatized to the point of having nightmares reading in the story about the journey of John, son of the High Priest, to the Palace of the Gods by the Oudi-san River. When John gets there, he learns that the Palace of the Gods is the remnants of a decimated New York City after it had been destroyed by war. (Interesting fact about the story, since it was published in 1937, it predates public knowledge of atomic weaponry. However, Benet accurately described a world destroyed by such an event. He specifically mentioned a weapon causing much of the devastation. Some believe that Benet was referring to mustard gas, which affected much of the soldiers and civilians during WWI.)

The problem with books and stories in this genre is that if the events are set too far in the future or the world is left to complete ruins, the Reader not only is aware of it but is constantly on the lookout for signs. Reading the book almost becomes a code as they look for context and clues to interpret what the author is really referring to. For example when a character says that something is a magical portal and the Reader realizes that the character is looking at a computer or they are reading what they call a religious text and the author is describing a shopping list.  After a while, the Reader gets confused about discovering the clues of what the characters are referring to rather than what they are actually doing in the book. They lose sight of the setting and characters to search for the details for their intended meanings.

Birdwell doesn't make her version of the world after the end any easier to interpret. She provides no context clues to imply what she is really referring to or what the characters are really seeing or experiencing. The protagonist, Meridia Einkorn, is on a mission to find various stones that sing. She can also see pictures and colors in the stones. What does that mean? Are they actually smart phones and she can access videos? (If they are, what are the odds that they would still work after centuries of not being used?) Are they instruments, or other devices, like music boxes, that make music? Is it possible that in the absence of technology and other barriers between humanity and nature, have humans evolved to the point that Nature has given them intuitive abilities? Can Meridia really hear stones sing?

We also learn that her love interest Damon photographs photons but is lately interested in what he dubs biophotons in which he can see light around living things. He is often looking for what he calls snails to help with the photos. Are snails film or batteries? When Damon says that he takes photographs is he using a camera or is he painting them and using the word photo because he doesn't know the other word and snails are paint? Like Meridia has he received intuitive abilities because of his connections to nature?

There is one moment that is obvious. Meridia, Damon, and their allies go to a place with many "mirrors" and see pictures of the history of their world including its end. While the mirrors are not specifically identified, more than likely, they are televisions or computers. It's the one moment of clarity in a book that is somewhat dense and unwieldy in its descriptions.

In this situation, the Reader is left with two options: 1) Continue looking for clues or 2) Take everything at face value. Either way is valid and it depends on what you are looking for when reading a Science Fiction novel. If you are looking for a more concrete interpretation for meaning, this book should be avoided. But if you want a Science Fiction novel that is more poetic and metaphorical and you want to get lost in the more spiritual connections that the characters have to nature then this book is definitely on your list.

The setting is striking and it explores the characters' interaction with their environment beautifully. Merdidia's connections to the stones are explored rather well and the idea of hearing sounds and seeing colors in them is evocative. In fact, this world's life cycle is arranged in stones like passages of time like "Amber'' or "Mica." Whatever the stones are meant to represent, they are clearly important to these people and the stones are representative of the community and if Meridia finds them, she restores the soul of the communities.

While the setting is left to interpretation, Birdwell clearly cares about her characters. Nowhere is this more evident than in how she writes Meridia. In one graphic chapter, Meridia is raped by a member of her community who is also related to her by blood. This encounter leaves her pregnant and emotionally scarred.

 Recently, I reviewed another book (to avoid spoilers I won't give the name), in which a woman unwillingly has a baby by questionable means.  For lack of a better word, she had been violated. However, the book does not go into how this experience should at least have left her emotionally wounded. There is no anger or sadness over what happened without her consent. She gets all googly eyes at the prospect of a baby and becomes instantly maternal. Her assailants are forgiven and we are led to believe that the end justifies the means. It is a wish fulfillment and a dangerous one at that, as though saying as long as it ends with a baby, then the parent's well being doesn't matter.

Birdwell handles this subplot much better. Meridia is left reasonably traumatized by the rape. Even though her assailant was close to her before, she doesn't feel the same way for him. She is troubled by the memory and it leaves her scarred through the rest of the book. In fact,her kinsman is exiled from the rest of the community because of his actions. While Meridia is given the suggestion to abort the pregnancy, she decides to carry it to term leaving the choice solely up to her. This book handles sexual assault in a strong way showing how it can leave the survivor pained, frightened, and broken. 

However, this book shows another side to abuse survivors. Meridia is a very active character and potential leader to her community. She leads friends and family through various locations and shows tremendous strength in retrieving the stones. She also becomes empathetic towards other's pain. She is at first wary but accepts Damon into her life when he proves to be a better person than her exiled kinsman. She also befriends a woman whose father had been exiled previously and understands the conflicts concerning her parents. She is able to persevere despite the trauma that had been inflicted upon her.

Plot is not a strong point with Song of All Songs. There are various plots such as the search for stones, an impending war between two villages, and the conflicting words of two prophets. The majority of the book features characters moving from one location to another. This is less a plot driven book than it is a means to introduce the Reader to this post Apocalyptic setting and the characters that inhabit it. 

Weekly Reader: One If: A Virago Fantasyby Carol B. Allan; Thrilling YA Science Fiction Adventure Set In A Beautiful World of Bird and Fish Like Creatures

 

Weekly Reader: One If: A Virago Fantasyby Carol B. Allan; Thrilling YA Science Fiction Adventure Set In A Beautiful World of Bird and Fish Like Creatures

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Besides Reincarnation and Time Travel, the other trend this year seems to be Science Fiction and Fantasy novels set in worlds of bird like creatures. After Kill Three Birds by Nicole Givens Kurtz, One If: A Virago Fantasy by Carol B. Allan is the second book that I have read this year with this very odd and very specific premise. Unlike Kill Three Birds which combines Fantasy with Murder Mystery, One If combines elements of Fantasy and Science Fiction with three lead protagonists who seem to come straight from the YA files. However, it's a thrilling tale with an interesting premise and great characters mammalian, avian, and piscine. 

The plot opens with Parker Kitteridge,a natural sciences genius, witnessing the oddity of a hummingbird outside her New York apartment in the dead of winter. (Hummingbirds in the United States migrate south for the winter. Not to mention hummingbirds fly low and are rarely seen outside the highest levels of apartment buildings in New York City.) As she tries to lure it inside, she stumbles out the window.

When Parker comes to, she is bemused to find that she's not dead or  in the hospital. She isn't even on Earth. She is in the so-called Upper World of the continent of Katamoor on the planet,.Spyridon. She is surrounded by bird-like beings with feathers, beaks, with human voices and features. The leader of the Upperworld is an eagle named Stefanos, the Sky King. The hummingbird, Beliza, brought Parker to Spyridon because Stefanos needs some help.

Parker isn't alone either. Stefanos also ordered two other humans plucked from Earth: Henley Wang, a sardonic engineering student from California and Edison Baker, a gregarious and talented public speaker and singer from Michigan. Stefanos explains that Spyridon is in the grips of an environmental disaster and those on the Upperworld are in a long war over depleting resources  against the fish-like beings of the Underworld. The three Earthlings are summoned by Stefanos to help save their planet from certain disaster. If they agree, Stefanos says that they will return within moments of their departure so it will be like they never left. What can the trio do but agree?

One If is a wonderful YA Science Fiction with a stong sense of character, plot, and setting. The Earth Trio's first visit to Katamoor does not disappoint. The description of the lone continent with its lush green grass, life giving sentient trees like the Virago which sustains the Upperworlders is beautiful. The denizens of this odd planet have evolved into combinations of animal and human to adjust to the environment. The bird creatures live in cities in the clouds and the fish and reptilian ones live under waters and in caves. There are also combinations of animals unique to their works like wolfbirds who are just what the name suggests: wolves that have grown wings. (Or birds that have a unique talent for yipping and howling.) 

There is a definite struggle between the opposing forces of Upper and Underworld that is explored as the two sides fight for dominance in a world that appears beautiful but is in the grips of decay.

The characters are brilliantly handled. Parker, Henley, and Edison are a very realistic trio of protagonists, confused and suspicious of this situation, overwhelmed by this strange planet and the task that they are given, and sometimes at odds with each other but still willing to help. Henley and Parker are particularly memorable when they often vie, as if trying to prove which one is the smartest in the room. Edison tries to play peacemaker,  reminding the two women to put their personality conflicts aside and focus on the task at hand.

The three humans also use their talents to their fullest. Parker uses her experience in natural sciences to study the characteristics of the Upper and Underworlders to identify any health issues or environmental conflicts. Henley uses her skills in engineering to create and build sustainable equipment that replenishes the Upperworld's water supply and improve their life spans. Edison, the moderator, uses his talents in public speaking to draw the skeptical residents in and be a go between amongst himself, his friends, and the planet's residents.

By far the two most interesting characters are Stefanos, the Sky King of the Upperworld and Diadora, Empress of the Underworld. The two rulers had an uneasy truce for over 20 years but both are aware that the truce could end anytime and it does in a moment of sabotage. As the plot unfolds both leaders reveal many of their best and worst qualities that are used to protect and care for their people.

Stefanos is analytical and far reaching but he can also be detached and unyielding in his opinions. He is obviously willing to trust outsiders but refuses their advice if it means sharing or communicating with Underworld.

Diadora is more emotional and zealous in her protectiveness but she is also reckless and capricious. She is particularly concerned for her niece and nephew whom she is raising after the death of their father, her brother. She is suspicious of the newcomers, even at one time trying Parker for the death of her brother.

This is not a clear case where one side is wholly good and the other evil. Both alternate between right and wrong.

 Both Stefanos and Diadora suffer much by losing family members and close friends and both leaders clearly care for their people and want to protect them from any looming disaster. Their actions and behaviors are at times questionable but their love for their people and their drive to save their world at any cost is never in question. 

The plot has some very exciting moments such as when Parker is held prisoner and she is rescued by

Edison, Henley, and Cole, another Earthling who came to Spyridon as a child and has sprouted wings so he can't return home. Violence and acts of sabotage lead

the characters to suspect one another. There is also a betrayal and questions about where certain allegiances actually lie. Another character goes through a physical change that is unsettling and will no doubt change things in the next volume of the series.

One If is an evocative Science Fiction novel that has  strong themes about cooperation in times of conflict, recognizing the beauty and uniqueness of nature, and preserving the environment around us before it's too late. 

Weekly Reader: Suzy Spitfire and the Snake Eyes of Venus by Joe Canzano; Pulp Science Fiction Tribute is A Lot of Fun, Action, and Surprising Heart

 

Weekly Reader: Suzy Spitfire and the Snake Eyes of Venus by Joe Canzano; Pulp Science Fiction Tribute is A Lot of Fun, Action, and Surprising Heart

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Joe Canzano's novel Suzy Spitfire and The Snake Eyes of Venus is a loving tribute to those Science Fiction pulp novels of the 1930's-50's where the lone hero is hired to transport something to a distant planet and becomes embroiled in the local conflict. There are of course a few key differences. One is that violence is a lot more present and graphic in this book as compared to the predecessors so it's more of a mix of pulp SF Meets Mad Max (So in other words, Mad Max). I mean the first volume in the series is called Suzy Spitfire Kills Everybody. Gee, I wonder if it's going to be violent. What do you think?

The other is the gender of the lead character. Unlike the usual male leads of the old SF novels, Suzy Spitfire is very much a woman but every much as tough, clever at getting out of situations, badass, and quick with a weapon as her male counterparts.

Suzy Spitfire and the Snake Eyes of Venus is also similar to those old novels in that it is one long suspenseful adventure after another. There isn't much depth or characterization beyond the usual types seen in these types of intergalactic adventures. But darn it all it is just so much fun and hard to put down. Inside there is some warmth found within two characters who maintain a strange friendship.

In this volume, Suzy "Spitfire" Castillo is recruited by Danielle Banks, the wealthy wife of a law enforcement officer, to find and turn in Shogun Hunter, a serial rapist and murderer who fled to Venus. (Earth law enforcement has no jurisdiction on other planets and Venusian law enforcement won't do anything.) On her way to the Second Planet from the Sun, she gets boarded then held up by Jack and Kiara, two teens looking for a ride to Venus. She manages to subdue Jack (not a real tough task since he's not exactly good at being a villain) but sees Kiara as an innocent victim. She reluctantly takes Kiara under her wing as the duo head to Venus with a cargo hold of illegal firearms courtesy of her former boyfriend, Ricardo, a member of Los Pocos, an organized crime outfit.

Well the rest of the book gets kind of convoluted. Suzy and Kiara are followed or traced by just about everybody on two worlds including Ricardo and the rest of Los Pocos, two Earthian law enforcement officers who want to capture Suzy for themselves, Snake Eyes, a religious order based in Venus, and a resistance group fighting the puppet regime established on Venus.

Some of the storyline is incredibly hard to follow. It's kind of difficult to keep track of the various characters and their allegiances, especially when some turn out to be moles and traitors to their original groups and are actually part of another group. If you don't try too hard to follow the various twists, the book can be a lot of fun. There is plenty of nonstop action as characters get shot, stabbed, assaulted, and all manner of undelightful things. Readers looking for a bloody action packed time will not be disappointed.

There is also plenty of suspense. Many cliffhanger chapters end with either Suzy or Kiara being held up or chased around Baadal Shahar, a city in the clouds on Venus (Remember, Venus is a mostly gaseous planet). There are some pretty intense moments, particularly when the duo catch up to Hunter and Kiara is left alone with one of his acquaintances. This is a particularly effective situation since Kiara is the more vulnerable of the two and she accidentally wanders right into Hunter's path simply by trusting the wrong people. Suzy is elsewhere and it's a struggle for her to come to Kiara's rescue.

Among the action and suspense, there is a surprising amount of heart that is found in the relationship between Suzy and Kiara. It's easy to see why. True to her nickname, Suzy is a real spitfire. Bad tempered, independent, strong willed, and firy. She is sharp tongued and good with a weapon. Even though she is in a romantic relationship with Ricardo, she keeps him at arm's length partly because of his involvement with Los Pocos and also because she is uncertain if she wants to pursue a life with him. 

Suzy also has a dark past. Her father has been recently killed by gangsters and her sister was brutally assaulted. The flashbacks of her father and sister's attacks still weigh heavily on her. However, she continues her dangerous lifestyle and drinking heavily to soothe the ache. In Kiara, she sees a little sister, someone who, like her actual sister, needs protection. Suzy is there to provide that protection.

Like Suzy, Kiara has also had a rough life even though she is only 14 (so she says. Suzy observes that she looks a lot younger.) She is a former prostitute and cook who is looking for someone to protect her. She went from one damaging relationship to another with Jack. She has clearly been abused. She keeps justifying Jack's sociopathic behavior to Suzy, who does not buy her excuses and wants her to see the reality of how much of a jerk and loser Jack really is. 

Kiara is less self assured and more dependent than Suzy. Despite having this dark past, she is incredibly vulnerable and fragile. She follows Suzy around like a damaged puppy even though Suzy warns her that she will get hurt. 

Kiara is looking for validation and somewhere to belong. She finally sees it in Baadal Shahar where she runs into women like her who have been abused, victimized, and trafficked. That's when she breaks from her dependence to be as decisive and active as Suzy.

Suzy Spitfire and The Snake Eyes of Venus is a lot of fun, with a lot of action and suspense. Underneath the excitement is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

New Book Alert: Nightmares in Aston: Wicker Village by Michael J. Moore; Kids Mystery Adventure Takes A Dark and Disturbing Turn

 

New Book Alert: Nightmares in Aston: Wicker Village by Michael J. Moore; Kids Mystery Adventure Takes A Dark and Disturbing Turn

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Michael J. Moore's novel Nightmare at Aston: Wicker Village starts off as a kid's mystery adventure not unlike a Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mystery or the '80's films, The Goonies or The Monster Squad where kids come face to face with something weird or spooky and they encounter creepy adults who are behind the weirdness or are monsters themselves. However what sets Wicker Village apart from its predecessors is that at about the halfway point things take a dark and disturbing twist that opens up some very dark, very adult, and very existential conflicts, concepts not experienced by similar books and movies within this subgenre.

The Narrator, Jaunito, is a young boy who lives in the Wicker Village Trailer Park with his parents and baby sister. They had moved to Aston from their home in Seattle with Juanito still struggling to adjust to the move. He also feels like an outsider since they appear to be the only Mexican family in the small farming community. One night he comes across a frightening sight in which he dubs the Boogeyman (though for all he knows it might be a Boogeywoman). It is a swarm of bees that form the shape of a large man. (Insert obvious Nicolas Cage Wicker Man reference here.)

 Shortly afterwards, he is attacked by an elderly possibly drunk and certainly temperamental man. 

Of course when Juanito tells his parents, right on cue, they don't believe him.

Things take a turn for the seriously creepy when after everything is settled down and Juanito is convinced the strange apparition wasn't real, he hears the same buzzing in his own bedroom, meaning the Boogeyman got inside and could be standing over his bed. He also has dreams about a girl named Sarah who is running away and is terrified.

Well these experiences are enough to give a person nightmares but the next part is even weirder. Juanito worries that he might be schizophrenic and hallucinating people made out of bees and girls in trouble. So he does what any modern kid does to research information: In a very creepy moment in a book that is filled with them, he watches a video of a doctor with surrounded by visuals including a snake which forms from his mouth. The doctor addresses Juanito by name and welcomes him to Wicker Village. A YouTube video is made with complete knowledge of Juanito and where he lives and is rigged just in time to appear based on his search terms. 

Even stranger, later when Juanito searches for the video, it's gone even from his previous searches and history.

Juanito makes new friends, Pinky, Lauren, and Bobby. They hang out at their fort and share spooky stories when they are interrupted by a strange man who is looking for a young girl. What is particularly compelling is that he resembles the man from the schizophrenia video that Juanito just watched and is now gone.

The book does some interesting things with its storyline. At first it seems relatively harmless, like a Scooby Doo episode in which the sharp savvy kids investigate strange hauntings and the ghost is revealed to be Old Man Marley dressed in a rubber suit trying to scare people away from his criminal dealings. It's almost paint by numbers, with stereotypes that can be found in any of these type of adventures: the leader, the best friend who sometimes acts as comic relief, the lone girl who is sometimes as tough and tomboyish as the boys, and the big brother figure. Of course they are the frequent targets of local bullies. It's almost predictable but there is something in the air that makes one think that the predictablility is almost too intentional.

I can't reveal too much about the developments for spoiler's sake so the only thing that I can do is give generalities. Let's just say that something occurs that makes the story darker and more complex than initially believed starting with the supernatural occurences.

There are real questions, even from Juanito himself most notably with him watching the YouTube video whether the odd happenings are real or not. The video that he searched for no longer exists and disappears from his search engines like it never was. The Bee Creature only appears at certain times and only in front of certain people. Sarah only appears in his dreams. So how can we be sure that what is going on isn't in someone's head maybe even Juanito's?

Here's an even creepier thought, if the monsters aren't real how do we know what if anything in Wicker Village is real? Could Juanito and his friends be acting like typical adventurer kids because they are made to act that way in  someone else's fantasy? 

There is another possibility that these things are psychic impressions that someone is sending telepathic signals in the hopes that someone anyone will hear them and rescue them. So if they dreamed of the monsters, did they dream up their rescuers too and let them act and behave in a way that they recognized from popular culture? Are these kids acting in someone else's mind but are unaware of it?

Wicker Village starts out as a fun romp. However, the more one reads, the more they become involved in Existential nightmare fuel.

New Book Alert: The Sun Casts No Shadow by Mark Richardson; Dystopian Fantasy Takes Some Unique and Bizarre Turns

 

New Book Alert: The Sun Casts No Shadow by Mark Richardson; Dystopian Fantasy Takes Some Unique and Bizarre Turns

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Mark Richardson's The Sun Casts No Shadow is sort of like what would happen if 1984's Oceania was populated not only by humans enslaved by Big Brother but if Faeries also existed and were treated as outsiders and second class citizens. It's a strange but clever mix of Dark Fantasy and Dystopian Science Fiction that has twists that fit both genres and strangely mix well together.

In this efficiently organized world, Wellington Thorneycroft, the protagonist, lives in a city that is completely surrounded by a large wall that keeps the citizens from the outside world. The City is colorless, smog ridden, structured, and dull. No one can even see the world beyond the Wall. 

The citizens take pills to be sedated, docile, and never questioning. Not because the government allows it but Felix does. Felix is a feared creature who seems to have control over the entire city. He has a reputation like a supernatural creature who will swoop down and catch anyone who breaks the City's laws. (The type of character that children are warned "Be good and obedient or Felix will come and get you!") He is a despotic tyrant with a whole city to act as his playthings.

 On his way to his job at the Factory, Thorneycroft encounters Lilith, a beautiful woman who gives him passionate heat whenever he sees her and hears a voice, maybe hers, saying "we will escape together." Well Lilith is the type of woman that most straight men would risk escape for as well as certain torture and possible death for and he is no different. He also is convinced that she may know a way outside the city. For someone whose only escape is to read forbidden books, Thorneycroft hopes for a life outside the Wall and is willing to risk his life to see if she knows of a way out.

 Thorneycrofts's friend, Dempsey suggests that she might be a nymph, one of various creatures who lived in the City and performed magic before the "Transformation" and the wall was built. (It's never said what specifically the Transformation was that kept the City from the rest of the world, possibly an environmental disaster or a nuclear war.) 

Nymphs and other magical creatures exist in this universe but were kept on the other side of the Wall, except Lilith. So Lilith is stuck in this dull colorless prison away from her people. No wonder she is looking for someone like Thorneycroft to help her.

There are some confusing parts to the book that are clearly meant to throw Thorneycroft and the Reader off kilter. Thorneycroft becomes involved with Riba, an exotic dancer who may or may not be Lilith taking another form. For a long time, it's never fully stated but considering what we know about Fairy Lore it's not out of the realm of possibility that Lilith is taking a separate glamour form to lure, entice, and maybe betray Thorneycroft.

Felix and his entourage are nothing like what you would expect either. Felix himself is only large in reputation and control. In reality, he is a Little Person. But despite his size, Thorneycroft sees someone who assumes total control. Now is he a Little Person like we know, a very short human being or since we know that Nymphs are real, could Felix himself be a magical creature himself, a dwarf or a gnome? He exhibits a lot of power and knowledge about the people underneath him almost supernaturally so it is possible that he isn't completely human.

His assistant, Woden, seems to have gotten lost on his way to Nicole Givens Kurtz's Kill Three Birds. Thorneycroft insists that no Woden isn't bird like, he's an actual bird "wings, talons, feathers...a crane to be precise." Of course since it's established that since fairies and nymphs exist in this universe are talking sentient animals really that far fetched? With an exotic dancer who may be a nymph, a Little Person/dictator who may be a magical creature, and a talking bird assistant The City seems to come from the dark creepy depths of the imagination that only David Lynch could dream about.

Thorneycroft is a sardonic narrator but is the type of rebel who isn't born. He is made. An orphan, he is raised and educated by the City's laws. Until he met Lilith, his only form of resistance was to read books provided by Dempsey. Until he meets Lilith and goes on this journey, his rebellion is all internal. Lilith inspires him to take action.

Throughout the book, Thorneycroft is taken down the resistance path found in such novels.

There are the usual night time meetings citizens who may or may not be members of a Resistance organization. Of course there is a mole in the works. We also see the moments where Thorneycroft's new found resistance breaks down.

 However, through his interactions with characters like Lilith, Thorneycroft is free to imagine and dream of a world beyond the Wall. That world allows him to resist even when he is forced to outwardly conform. Thorneycroft's dreams become more vivid and real.

The Sun Casts No Shadow is a brilliant mix of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It throws into a world devoid of color and imagination and gives us glimpses to imagine the better world that could be waiting beyond that Wall.