Are you looking for something a bit different than your typical 'beach read'? Then these two coming-of-age novels may be just the thing for you. One is a fantasy novel and the other is women's fiction. Both books hit shelves on Tuesday.
Amazon affiliate links are used in this post. Advance Review Copies were provided for an honest review.
The Waking Land by Callie Bates
June 2017; Del Ray; 978-0425284025 ebook, audio, print (400 pages); fantasy |
This is a fantasy novel that feels very grounded in reality, in part because of the vivid descriptions. We see the land almost as its own character, changing with each part of the kingdom that Elanna has to flee to.
The magic in this world can be anywhere from subtle to outrageously obvious: making a wooden scaffold sprout into a tree, raising a river out of its banks, making trees walk. The world building is fantastic, with the sense of history weighing down the characters and the locations, and characters who we learn more about over time.
Elanna is such a sheltered young woman in the beginning of the novel, but she saves others as much as she needs saving, and the troubles of others help shape her into the warden of the land. She is rather merciful at the end, far more than I would be in that situation; no matter what cruelties she had seen and heard of, there is still a part of her able to care and love and remain kind.
This is a well-crafted novel, and one that I'm already recommending to friends.
Buy The Waking Land at Amazon
The Sisters Chase by Sarah Healy
June 2017; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 9780544960077; ebook, audio, print (304 pages) women's fiction |
This is a very nuanced look at Mary and Hannah. There are flashes of the past interwoven throughout the story, which start to flesh out what had happened to the girls and why Mary is so desperate to keep her secrets.
Mary is manipulative and has the need to constantly reinvent herself, while Hannah is grounded and wants the stability of a home and school. This puts them at odds, especially as Hannah gets older.
Mary isn't always very likable, but she is vividly described. While the choices she made weren't good ones, by the end of the book it made sense why she would have done it.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding the characters, which is a bit disappointing but adds to the real feeling for the characters. We never know why some people behave the way they do, or if suspicions we have are true or not. Mary always leaps to conclusions, because above all else she is a survivor. She cares about Hannah and she cares about herself, and that sense of devotion clearly comes across and left me haunted after finishing the book.
Buy The Sisters Chase at Amazon
Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and golden retriever.
Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up today!. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.
Thanks for post:
ReplyDeletechuyển phát cấp tốc sang Costa Rica
ship cấp tốc tÆ¡́i Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ
chuyển phát tốc độ Ä‘i Panama
http://hieubietkhimangthai.blogspot.com/
ship hoa toc toi panama