The Hunter's Moon
by O.R. Melling Book Review by Miranda Fraser (Moses) ISBN: 9780810992146 This was an interesting choice for a Halloween Book. I had hoped this story was... darker? Perhaps more like Tithe? Despite the difference, it was still grim enough for the world of faerie I've come to know. However, I did decide to keep this in the Halloween Book Review Series because of the immersive Irish elements, which I will get into later on. This is book one of a series, though it does appear that these stories are connected by universe rather than continuation, so I'm not in a super rush to get to those. This story takes place in Ireland and the wold of Faerie. Our story revolves around two best friends/cousins Gwen and Findabhair. They've planned this trip for years, a summer where they traveled Ireland together looking for 'faeries' and other 'kind folk'. Though what they do not know is that this summer is that of the Hunters Moon and so the fey folk are also aware of them. After making a daring move early in their summer, they are visited by the king of faerie. Findabhair willingly joins him, but ever cautious Gwen refuses. The faerie will not take someone against their will and so they abandon Gwen. When she realizes this was real and not a dream she sets out on a journey to find her cousin and rescue her. This is the initial plot point of the book. And more than half the story is just Gwen traveling back and forth to find her cousin. It was long and detailed, and honestly seemed pointless. When all this is said and done the book suddenly picks up speed and it's revealed that the friendships she gained along the way, and the discoveries she made about herself, are imperative to the story. And while I know that, and I respect that, I will say that it made for a long, almost boring, story. Until you reach Inch Isle where it all comes to a head and you discover the faeries are not he greatest threat to characters or their world. While my review so far has probably seemed like me dumping on the author's style, I do not mean to say it was all bad. There is some romance, adventure, some self discovery, and of course the mythological creatures. It was still a good story but I am warning that it is long and uses a lot of Celtic words. Though there IS, a glossary in the back to help with pronunciation and history. I do believe I will look for the next book in the series, especially since I am better prepared for the author's style. I truly hope you give this story a shot for yourself. Read on my fellow book worms, may we one day have Belle's library. As always links to the author's pages can be found below.
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Black Beauty
by Anna Sewell Book Review by Miranda Fraser (Moses) ISBN: 1-56987-121-3 Unlike White Fang this one immediately came up under the genre of Classic, which is pretty exciting. This book is even older than White Fang being originally published in 1877 but the POV situation is much the same. Anna Sewell, just seems like my kind of woman. She was raised around horses, as can be seen in her work, she disliked the way they were being treated. And that love was shown through her writing, hence the story being told from Black Beauty's point of view. She had health problems that left her essentially invalid and from her sickbed she began writing Black Beauty in 1871. She picked it back up in 1876, afraid she would never see her work published, but her mother helped her achieve that goal and in 1877 Anna saw her dream come true. And it breaks my heart that 5 months later she passed away, and so she has no idea the millions of live this book has touched, the influence it has had, or the fact that Black Beauty is one of the most celebrated animal stories ever. And even though she may never know what she has done, I will continue to share this classic work of literature and encourage everyone to do the same. Black Beauty is about the life of a stallion. Starting from when he is a young colt to late in his life. It covers all the trials a horse may know. I mean Black Beauty goes all over the place. He has been owned by so many different people over the years. He has had kind owners and cruel ones, learned harsh lessons about life and death. He goes through the motions of life and witnesses all kinds of treatment, from those in poverty and in wealth. He meets many horses over the years and shares their stories as well. Anna sewell did an excellent job in this novel by presenting people with the harsh reality of how animals were treated. Often times the horses appearances were the only thing that mattered, not the animal's comfort or health. The entire Classic is riveting and emotional. An excellent read for any animal lover. There is not much else that I can really say. Her work speaks for itself. It has been turned into cartoon movies, real life movies, various novels have been worked off of her original story. There are coloring books and illustrated versions, even graphic novels. Black Beauty is easily one of the most cherished horse stories to ever grace the pages. And furthermore Anna's whole goal of showing people how animals are being treated, has been taken to heart by little girl after little girl, little boy after little boy. And the more I've read it, the more I've come to realize, that just like White Fang it was writing my moral compass and my love of animals and their feelings. I also want to leave you with a powerful quote from Black Beauty, "...there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham...." As always a link to the author's Goodreads page will be found below. Read on my fellow bookworms may we one day have Belle's library. And the same as with White Fang, the novel photographed, is a shortened version intended to get children's interest. But since it was the first version I ever read I felt it only fitting to show this particular cover. White Fang by Jack London Book Review by Miranda Fraser (Moses) ISBN:1-56987-413-1 This book is a whole lifetime older than I am. To REALLY put this in perspective Jack London passed away 77 years ago and White Fang was published in 1906. It's a really old book. Certainly old enough and well written enough that I think it should be considered a classic. In fact the edition I have in my hands calls it a classic. But when I was looking for exact dates on publishing I found that most people just consider this book a fiction novel. Whatever the genre you would place it in, White Fang is undeniably one of the best books ever written. I will also preface this by saying that never in all my years of school, k through university, was this ever a required reading assignment. So I thought this was a fitting novel to share for this book review series as I've read it dozens of times, and because I wonder how many of you out there have actually read it. The story is about a dog who is half wolf (though in the genetic logistics of it all he's more wolf) and his story of survival. Honestly, it is a story filled with a lot of sadness. The truth of the wild that White Fang lives in is harsh and even harsher are the humans who become a part of his life. The story starts in the tundra with a dog sled team and each night more and more dogs go missing from the team. The men discover that a she-wolf (half dog and half wolf) are luring the dogs away to be eaten by her pack. Food is scarce and they are simply trying to survive. This she wolf ends up mating with another wolf in her pack and White Fang becomes the only surviving pup from their litter. Eventually humans become a part of their life and mother and pup are separated and thus starts the journey of White Fang. He doesn't fit in with dogs, he doesn't fit in with wolves, humans beat him and use him as a fighting dog, and the world is cruel. But then there's also beauty and compassion and I promise you, a really happy ending. The story is told from White Fang's POV (primarily) and this is wonderful because it allows the reader to really get into his mind and see what he is feeling. How he is processing things and where his instincts come into play, and so on. It really makes the story delightful and since I read this book (the one in the picture below) at such a young age (the first time) I think it really had an impact on who I am and how I treat animals. (The edition I photographed is a "summarized version" intended for an easier read. Though I do have the traditional novel and have read that many a time. I just want to clear that up before anyone gets upset.) When I include the link to Jack London's Goodreads page I highly recommend reading the excerpt from his bio. It tells a lot about the man and the mindset behind this novel. I feel like I appreciate it even more knowing about the adventurous man who first sparked my thoughts on writing. Read on my fellow bookworms, may we one day have Belle's library. As always links to the author's page can be found down below. The book in the photo above, is far from in the best condition. This particular version was printed in 1995 and sometime afterwards my Great Grandma purchased it, somewhere, for 99 cents. (There's still a partial sticker on the cover.) She kept a bookshelf in the living room of books in various reading levels, and her grand kids and great grand-kids would have books to read when they were over at her house. One day I was reading this book and she was so impressed by how immersed I was in the story and how well I was able to read it that she told me to keep it. She even put the date inside the cover (5-19-2000). The book wasn't in perfect condition when I received it, at age 7, but no doubt several moves and dozens of re-reads over the years have worn this book down! I now keep it packed away on a shelf and read the 'adult' version when I want to reread it. But it didn't feel right to post a photo of a different version. THIS book is why I fell in love with the story and THIS book will forever make me think of my Great Grandma. She passed away in 2010 (would have been 100 in march) and my entire family misses her. She was just an amazing woman with the most giving heart and I owe a lot of my love of literature and writing to her.
Indian Captive The Story of Mary Jemison
by Lois Lenski Book Review by Miranda Fraser (Moses) ISBN: 0-06-446162-9 This is one of those books that they made you read in school. At least they did for us. My fourth grade class name and number is still in the cover of this book. And I actually loved this story. I have reread several times throughout my life and I recommend it to a lot of people who are looking for books their preteens might enjoy. When I searched this book on Goodreads to start getting author information together I was surprised to see it listed under fiction, as I had always been told this was a true story. After getting heavily distracted with internet searches I can say with confidence that Mary Jemison was a real person, and this is a real story. But Lois Lenski's novel would be considered Historical Fiction due to the fact that some of this is more than likely embellished. Lenski passed away in 1974, but she wrote several books and I'm pleased to say this one is a Newberry Honor Book. The story of Mary Jemison is all about a frontier girl who's family is taken hostage in a raid by Native Americans. She is separated from her family and travels with the Indians to Southern Ohio and then later to what is now Western New York. This is probably part of why we read this story in school, I am an Ohio Native, and fourth grade history is mostly about Ohio. And we did a pretty big section on Native American history. Annnnnyways, got off course there. Mary is taken captive and brought to live with the Seneca Indians. She of course is unaccustomed to their ways and even attempted to escape a few times. However, they were very kind to her and taught her about the earth, plants, their ways, animals, etc. They treated her like she was family and she became an active member of their tribe. A sister to the Seneca. Historically accurate, Mary is eventually given the opportunity to leave their tribe and return to the 'normal society' she was accustomed to. This is, again, all based off the true story of the "White Woman of the Genesse". Lois Lenski did a wonderful job with this story, as I said it was Newberry recognized, and clearly historically accurate enough that schools use it in their curriculum. This is a wonderful read, especially if you're into historical stories and or Native American information. I think for me that sold this story. I have very little Black Foot Indian in me (though my Husband is 5th gen Cherokee) but I am still proud of that heritage and fascinated with learning about these tribes. Especially because, even today, with how much knowledge we have, there are still people who act like Native Americans are simply legends or are extinct. It's mind boggling and I feel like to truly respect another culture you have to start somewhere with learning about them. And for some of the kids I grew up with, this was the first step. As always links to the author's page will be found below. Read on my fellow bookworms, may we one day have Belle's library. Silent In The Grave
by Deanna Raybourn Book review by Miranda Fraser (Moses) ISBN:978-0-7783-2524-6 Deanna Raybourn became a regular name in my household because of this novel. I found this book for six bucks at Kmart YEARS ago. The title of the book and the old English photo on the cover immediately made me think of Vampires. It is not about vampires, sorry to disappoint anyone who may have had the same idea as me. Instead it is a delicious murder mystery! And this is the first book in a series of mysteries that I just adore. I remember being a freshmen in high school and reading this book during study hall (and every class I could get away with). When I reached the end of it I BEGGED my grandma to take me to get the sequel. Since then I have read it multiple times and suggested it to several people. I figured it was a wonderful book the end this series of reviews. This story immediately jumps into the death. A death which, to most, seems normal. The man had health problems his whole life. In fact people referred to it as "the curse of the Greys". Even Julia Grey sees nothing suspect in her husband's death. Just the untimely calling of a poor heart. Now, the very first paragraph hooked me, "To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted was still twitching upon the floor". It isn't long after her husband's burial when Nicholas tells her he believes her husband was murdered. Sir Edward Grey had called upon him after receiving a series of threatening letters. Julia believes none of this but the nagging thought does not leave her. When she discovers the evidence herself she realizes she has been a fool. Having loved Edward from childhood to adulthood she is determined to discover who wished her husband dead. Her and Brisbane begin their investigations but the secrets it will uncover are shocking. And each one brings Julia closer to a killer than she knows. The mystery is excellent and shocking as I said. And watching Julia come out of her shell is a beautiful thing as well. She is raised in a rather eccentric family that does not completely conform to the society for the time period this is written in. And so she was raised to be as stubborn, able, and resourceful as any of her brothers. I especially adore the relationship her and her father have. Someone offered a marriage proposal to Julia when her husband passed and this was the conversation her and her father had, "He is a famous imbecile. They all are. Mary one of them and I will cut off your allowance." and she responds with, "I wouldn't marry one them if you doubled it." That kind of wit and humor is constant throughout the series. AND you haven't even really met Brisbane. He's one of those characters that you are made to dislike, he's gruff and secretive, and accomplishes a little bit of everything. But then somehow you love him. He's a genius mystery solver, has an interesting background, and some very hidden abilities. I've seen people complain that Brisbane was given too much and that it was far too unrealistic. But look, this is a FICTION genre book. There's plenty that is historically accurate, well thought out, and researched. I personally adore the little quirks of unrealistic writing that Deanna brought to this story. It's part of why it's so unforgettable. And I'll be perfectly honest, it's part of why I kept coming back for more. If you love historical fiction then Deanna Raybourn is probably the author of your dreams. Her Lady Julia Grey series is a blend of mystery and Historical Fiction. Then she has another series that also takes place in Victorian England- the Veronica Speedwell series. She has one book out, in what is planned to be a series, that takes place in Paris 1923. And one that takes place in Rumania. And in the UK they are working on turning Lady Julia Grey into a tv show, so I wait with baited breath for that moment! As always links to the author's pages can be found down below. Read on my fellow book worms, may we one day have Belle's library! The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman (With Illustrations by Dave McKean) Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-0-06-053094-5 With tears in my eyes, I sit down to write this review. So, spoiler alert, Neil Gaiman really tugs at your heart strings with this one. The Graveyard Book was an interesting and emotional novel. I expected great things from a book with a Newbery Medal stamped on the cover and a large Bookstore chain pushing it on all their tables and shelves. *cough* Barnes and Noble *cough*, I wouldn’t say I was let down, just surprised by the way it played out. But hey, how typical can a story about a boy being raised in a graveyard really be, right? The story begins with a triple homicide, just your average everyday fairy tale. (I make myself laugh.) And immediately your attention is focused, you’re both on the edge of your seat and probably laughing. A man, who, let’s just say is an assassin (for lack of a better description) has killed the parents and sister of an 18 month old baby. That’s a pretty intense seen to open a book with, right? And it’s even crazier to think that this man who just skillfully took out more than half of a family unit, is having trouble taking out a toddler. Who, hilariously enough, had ‘toddled’ away. Pay attention to that baby because you are about to fall in love with him. After escaping near death, he finds himself surrounded and embraced by death in the graveyard up the hill from his home. “It takes a graveyard to raise a child”(an actual quote but I can’t for the life of me find the page). The baby is saved by the ghosts of the graveyard who promise to raise and protect him as their own. He is given the name, Nobody. Which was one of the reasons I thought this book seemed so enchanting when I saw it sitting in a bookstore. A character named Nobody? That’s very unique! Nobody Owens is a very special character, he is honest, tough, boardline unapologetic, and yet absolutely lovable and relatable. The graveyard itself is his home, but as the story progresses, you really start to see it as a metaphor for his childhood and somehow that makes him all the more relatable. Moving on, let’s get down to all the things you can expect from this novel. Ghost parents and their community of the dead. Plus Silas, a vampire-like guardian who watches over Nobody bringing him food and finding him the things he needs, including teachers. There are also werewolves, ancient beings, ghoul cities, witches, and so much more. The Lady on the Grey, special abilities, and secret organizations. All this and a killer who waits somewhere out in the world beyond the gates of the graveyard. The story starts with Bod, short for Nobody, at 18 months old and progresses all the way through until he is about 15. The story is a bit slow. It’s really the most unimpressive part, personally. I WILL SAY that around page 200 it kicks up the pace and really starts forming a story. The beginning is slower with more chapters that could pass for small stories. Though, looking back each one had its importance to the ending as well as getting to know our little Nobody. Subsequently, to survive in the graveyard Bod most learn the ways of the dead. This means he must learn how to use their abilities, seeing in the dark, fading so that he cannot be seen, and many more. There are plenty of adventures to behold in the graveyard, but also very important lessons and dangers. And besides all that, being that the ghosts are all from the Victorian era or earlier they have a far different code of etiquette. This causes the graveyard appears to be in a more Victorian London setting, however, in the world around the graveyard there are cell phones, computers, and all the modern day things we’re used to. It was such a fascinating take on how different the world can be from one home to another. But since Bod is actually alive, he must also learn what it means to be a boy in this time period. It’s difficult for the ghosts and his guardian to find a balance between keeping him where he is safe and letting him spread his wings. More things that you can easily relate to. After all, isn’t that what parents deal with everyday? By the end of the book Bod has learned many hard lessons, but still he has a zest for life. He has been someone’s ‘imaginary friend’, learned a little about love, what it means to defend where he’s from, and even not being quick to judge. With all Bod has mastered by the time he’s 15, which, despite all the modern technology, is still apparently considered an adult in this time frame, what will his future hold? There’s thrilling adventure and tough life lessons on every page. What I will say is that the more I think back on all that I’ve read the more I appreciate the book. True, I am not a fan of slow novels, yet I appreciate all that Neil Giaman created in this novel, in compacting 14 years of life and mysteries into a little over 300 pages. The ending left me in tears and yet completely full of hope. Not what I expected, but I’m glad I read it beginning to end. Links to Giaman's various sites are below as well as a link to Dave McKean's website! Wait Till Helen Comes
By Mary Downing Hahn Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-0-545-10365-7 So, there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this review it is because you are following my Month of Halloween book review segment. Every week I am posting a review on a book that fits the Halloween season. Last one I did, was also by Hahn, Closed For the Season was a murder mystery that similar to this one I have published under Fiction, but would like to remind my readers that you may actually find this novel under the children's section or young adult. And unlike the last Hahn novel, this one is not about murder, but an actual ghost story! Exactly what I was hoping for! Once again bringing up images of Betty Ren Wright’s ghost novels from Apple Paperback. [Those were some of the best summers I ever spent reading, thank you Betty, may you rest in peace.] Wait Till Helen Comes is an eerily fun novel that will probably make the hair on the back of your neck stand up once or twice. And honestly, not even so much from the ghost herself. You see, our story focuses around a small blended family, our main female character, Molly, her little brother, Micheal, and their mother Jean. They have a stepfather named Dave and a little-stepsister named Heather. Heather is the reason your hair will surely stand up on the back of your neck. If you have a little sibling who, at any point in time, made you contemplate running away from everything out of sheer frustration, you may find yourself picturing them as the creepy anger-inducing little sister in this novel. [Shout out to my own little sister, I imaged your angry face more than once while reading this story. I LOVE YOU]. This blended family decides to move out of the city and into the country where the parents can focus on their art and the kids will surely be safe from all the big city dangers. Well, they probably got that part right, but what about the dangers lurking in their own backyard? No, not wolves, snakes, or children of the corn, but the fear-inducing cemetery just behind their new home. I mean, you have three young children and you bought a house with an over one hundred year old graveyard in the backyard, what could possibly go wrong?! Coincidentally the already trouble causing, impossible to love, little sister, begins to get worse and worse. With every fight that she causes her twisted smile burns like a nightmare into the back of your mind. She constantly sets her new siblings up to take the blame and pleads innocent to her father, who is too blind to see the truth. As if that’s not bad enough young Heather has befriended a ghost and she is far from shy about it. She warns Molly and Micheal almost every day, “Just wait till Helen comes. You’ll be sorry then…” (109) Of course, only Molly seems to believe her and can’t shake the feeling that something is very very wrong. As usual with a haunting things tend to get worse the stronger the being grows. And with all the affection from Heather, and tension to feed off from her family, Helen soon becomes visible. Not only can Molly sense her, but she has seen her with her own eyes and knows the horrors that await. For everyone else in the novel the discussion seems to be around the fear of death, or rather the fear of what happens to you when you die. I actually really enjoyed that Hahn took the time to put more thought into this novel than just someone being afraid of a ghost. Death is not an easy topic or something to think about when it comes to children, but honestly adults don’t always handle it that much better. And since Heather is no stranger to death already, having lost her mother at a young age, a ghost for a friend probably seems perfectly normal. But as Molly begins to investigate in order to keep Heather safe, things start getting drastically out of hand. Ultimately time is running out for their blended coexistence as tension runs high and Helen puts her plans into action. Is there any hope for this family? And what will you make of Heather, so angry and hateful for a seven year old girl? Can Molly conquer her own fears and stop Heather from doing something that cannot be undone? There are plenty of twists and turns on this emotional roller coaster! I suggest you keep both hands and feet in the ride at all times and buckle up because this thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat! Definitely a fun read and worth every minute! As usual the links to Hahn's sites are below! AND SUPER FUN FACT! I couldn't shake how familiar this story was to me so I went downstairs to my childhood bookshelf and look at what I found! The one of the left is the one I posted about on Instagram and the one on the right is one I've had since I was nine! Closed for the Season
By Mary Downing Hahn Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-0-547-39853-2 When I bought this book the description left me with images of ghost stories and horrendous murders. This wasn’t quite the case, but that’s about where my disappointment ends. In fact, I can tell that Hahn’s writing is a style I would have read religiously back in middle school. I’d like to take this moment to point out that this review is under ‘fiction’ but your local library may have this book under children or young adult, so please keep that in mind when searching for a copy. Closed For the Season, despite the lack of ghosts, reminds me very much of the Apple Paperback novels I used to have dozens of! So, if you know what I’m talking about then hopefully you have an idea of what kind of novel you’re getting into. To begin with, the novel starts out with a young boy moving into a new town and into a rundown house. It’s already a difficult situation, leave behind your old friends and home in the middle of summer. But then you discover that the previous owner was murdered in the very house you just moved into. That’s right, an unsolved, small town murder. This has the fixings for a creepy, haunting, right? Well, you won't find that, but how about an unsolved mystery and two young boys with a few weeks to kill before school starts? That’s basically what we’re working with. Logan, the young man living in the ‘murder house’ and his next door neighbor Arthur, set out to discover who killed Mrs. Donaldson. After all, from the rich side of town to the poor side of town, this is still a small town, how hard can it be to find a killer? Equally important to this information is that Mrs. Donaldson worked at an amusement park that is about to be bulldozed and turned into a small town expansion. The park, The Magic Forest, was shut down because of missing money, and everyone assumed as the Bookkeeper she must have done the crime. That’s probably why she was murdered, right? Now the boys need to find out if she did it or if they can clear the poor old woman’s good name. Now, Logan and Arthur are both very intelligent boys with large vocabularies. Not exactly the definition of popular children and Logan’s mother is all too aware of it. She wants her son to run in better crowds (more popular ones) and begins driving a wedge between the two boys. When rumors get back to her of their ‘trespassing’ escapades at the abandoned park and supposed troublemaking around town, she is more determined than ever. Unfortunately for her, at this point the boys are in way too deep, not only had they have already grown a loyal attachment to the other, but they already had too many pieces of this crime put together. On top of that new players are constantly being added to the board, such as the town delinquents who live in a trailer park, the DiSilvo’s who run most of the town in their uptown mansion, and even Nina the news reporter who is also investigating the crime. This really starts to become a real page turner! Can they clear Mrs Donaldson’s name much less keep everyone involved with the mystery solving safe? And is there a chance to save the ‘Magic Forest’ like most of the town want? And what did happen to all the money the park lost? Who would have killed a sweet old lady? Ultimately, I have a deep love and respect for mysteries. I cannot give away the answers, nor will I give you any of the major clues. What I can tell you is that this is a gripping mystery that makes for a wonderful afternoon read. It’s not too long, but the impact and the lasting affect the story will have on you, is worth all 182 pages. Hahn really delivered a true work of fiction. I’m off to read another one of her novels right now! Below are the links to her Goodreads and her website. [FUN FACT: When searching for her websites I saw the ORIGINAL covers of some of her books. I probably read some of these as a child without realizing it! MIND BLOWN!] Hitler's Niece
By Ron Hansen Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-0060932206 In ninth grade history they teach about the world wars and the mysterious tyrant Hitler. When you hear about him, even in school, the focus is on the thousands of lives he took. But our teacher showed us home videos of Hitler running around with children and laughing gaily. It was a shocking and a slightly perplexing sight to see, especially of a man you only hear horrible things about. Naturally, seeing a novel based off his niece was a fascinating notion and I just had to read it. Before I go on, I'd also like to state that any positive statements about this book do not show favor to Hitler, but to the author Ron Hansen for writing such a riveting story. To begin with, I'll just get the bad news out of the way. If you're not into slow starts, well, the beginning of the story is going to drag a bit. Naturally, where all life starts, Hitler's Niece starts all the way back at her being a baby. It is a slow start with a lot of historical background information pertaining to Adolf's family. Oh, and there are a lot of German words, between people's names, terms and phrases being used, as well as places. And it can be overwhelming at times. Moving on, there are a lot of positives to the novel. Without a doubt Hansen will leave you feeling deeply for Angelika (or Geli as she is called most often) Raubal. She is a sweet, witty, passionate girl, who turns heads everywhere she goes. She is Hitler's pride and joy, he will do practically anything for her. And this causes a tumultuous relationship over the years, one that ranges from fatherly and kind to an awkward dramatic romantic situation. It is fair to say that Hansen creates quite a roller coaster of emotions and fears. A picture of a dictator, already emotionally unstable, dealing with emotions of love. But as the reader grows more attached to Geli, you'll find yourself fearing for her when times are tough and cheering for her relationships. Even when you find yourself questioning why. Moreover, as you dive deeper and deeper into this historical fiction, it's hard to tell what's reality and what's fiction. Hansen does a wonderful job of working with actual dates and names from the Nazi party. I actually became so curious about some of the events that I ended up going on a historical research quest. The author does provide a short author's note in the back of the book to try and discuss the delicacy of writing historical fiction. Most of all, as a spoiler alert, this book takes place before Hitler started the concentration camps, which plays out very interesting. Finally, I have to say that this book has a gloomy ending. But it is about Hitler, what other type of ending could there possibly be, right? Hitler's world was one of mysterious turmoil, death, deceit, and even heartbreak. Be aware that that is all part of the journey of this novel. Major credit to Ron Hansen, I'm not a history buff, but I found myself looking forward to picking this book up every night as part of my routine. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading more of his novels. |
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October 2022
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