A Bookworm's Book Reviews

The Lady’s Mine – Francine Rivers

Title: The Lady’s Mine

Author: Francine Rivers

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Kathryn Walsh has just moved out to Calvada, California during the gold rush. Her mother and step father disinherited her after her latest debacle, joining the feminists. But her late uncle, on her father’s side, left her mother some property in Calvada. Kathryn’s mother gave it to her to get Kathryn out of the picture. All of the men in Calvada gawk at her. They tell her she doesn’t fit in, or want to marry her. Kathryn is bound and determined to make a life for herself by herself in Calvada. But everything is not what it seems. Her uncle’s death was not as straightforward as she thought. Calvada’s more lawless than she thought. Matthias Beck and Morgan Sanders both vie for her affections. But only one truly admires her spunk as she starts up the newspaper her uncle ran. Then she adds a milliner’s shop to her business. The men are surprised by her success and that she voices the truth in her newspaper. Can Kathryn keep up her ideals? Or will she be forced to compromise? Will Kathryn stay single like she’s always planned? Or will someone win her heart?

Rating: 4.3 – a sappy historical fiction

Opinion: This was a great book. I’ve always loved Francine River’s books. This was another great one. I enjoyed the attention to details in the book. This book gives great insight into what happened to women when they got married without being a lecture. I enjoyed the main characters. They’re well written and I could relate to them. Kathryn was a strong, independent woman in a time when women weren’t supposed to be. She stayed true to her ideals and refused to compromise. Matthias was a good man with a good heart. He respected Kathryn and her wishes. The one little thing that bugged me with the book was who killed some of the characters. The plot keeps moving away and coming back to the character’s deaths and who killed them. It’s a mystery for most of the book. I was starting to be okay with not knowing who killed them because the plot had moved away from that part of the story long enough. It was one of those, ‘wait what? they did it?’ moments I felt came out of nowhere. It was kind of glossed over because the plot quickly returned to other things. But this was still an amazing book. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it for anyone who loves a sappy historical fiction book.

Lamp Black, Wolf Gray – Paula Brackston

Title: Lamp Black, Wolf Gray

Author: Paula Brackston

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Plot: Laura and Dan have just bought a house in the Welsh countryside. Laura hopes it will give them a new start where they can start their family after years of trying. But the stress is still there with Dan still working in London and Laura packing and unpacking by herself. Then Laura meets Rhys and at first, sparks fly. Then one of Laura’s friends arrive and reminds Laura of what’s at stake if she keeps up her relationship with Rhys. All the while, a ghost from the past keeps appearing and wanting something from her. Then one of her friends gets hurt while visiting her while visiting. Can Laura save her marriage? Or will she go with Rhys? Who is this ghost and what connection does it have with Laura and her house? Will Laura’s friends be safe?

Rating: 3.5 – an interesting part of Merlin’s story

Opinion: This was an interesting story. I really enjoyed learning about the history of Merlin. I liked this take on his magic and how connected he was with real parts of history. I connected with Laura and wanted her to make the right choices. I’m glad when she did and wanted to make things right in the end. I’m glad she saw through Rhys and finally stood up to him. I also felt for Merlin and Megan. Both wanted to do what was right and saw what was wrong in their world. My heart broke at the end of their story. But I’m glad about what happened at the end of the story when both stories came together. I’m glad the characters were able to work through some of the their differences and save their marriages. I’ve always loved how this author combines history and fantasy. She does a good job going back and forth between past and present. There’s good spacing between changes in the point of view. I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend it for anyone who loves fantasy and historical fiction.

Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet – Charlie N. Holmberg

Title: Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet

Author: Charlie N. Holmberg

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Marie has been living with adoptive parents Arrice and Franc in the town of Carmine. She can bake magic into her pastries, things like strength, luck, and love. There’s one problem, Marie has no memories from before four years prior. When thieves raid her town, Marie is captured and sold as a slave. Her master is an odd man named Allemas. Everything about him seems unnatural. He demands she make his customers her magical pastries. All the while, a transparent figure called Fyel is trying to get Marie to remember who she was. Can Marie ever remember who she was? Can she escape Allemas? Who was Fyel in Marie’s past life?

Rating: 3.6 – a different take on fairy tales

Opinion: This was an interesting story. I really liked this take on a few classic fairy tales. The story was very subtle about the fairy tales. There were one or two things that I picked up on throughout the story. They weren’t necessarily hinted on but could be picked up on if you pay attention to them. I don’t know why but I didn’t love what Marie truly was. Throughout the book I felt like there was a part of the book I was missing. Like there was another book that I should’ve read before this one. Maybe it was just me, but that kind of bugged me. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the twist on fairy tales and how magic is used throughout the book. This is a great book for anyone who loves fantasy and fairy tales.

A Refuge Assured – Joselyn Green

Title: A Refuge Assured

Author: Joselyn Green

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Vivienne is a lacemaker in France in the late 1700’s, during the French Revolution. She’s in fear for her life as she’s made lace for Marie Antoinette and therefore royalty. When her aunt dies, she finds a letter from her late mother about passage to the newly created United States. But the letter is from Armond, who could possibly her estranged father. Vivienne is determined not to like him on their journey. He still offers her all the help she needs, any of which she declines. Vivienne finds her own way in the United States. But the French Revolution follows Vivienne to her new home. One of her neighbors has a son, Henri, that could possibly be the lost dauphin, the crown prince Louis-Charles. Jacobins, the people responsible for the revolution,are looking for him. Who can Vivienne trust? Can she keep Henri safe?

Rating: 4.0 – a slow start historical fiction

Opinion: I wasn’t sure about this book when I first started. I though it was going to be super dramatic. But it turned out to be a super interesting book. I didn’t know much about the French Revolution and I loved learning more about it. I didn’t know how much the United States wanted to help France and how much they did to help. It was also interesting to learn a little more about Alexander Hamilton and why he didn’t continue with his Secretary of Treasury position. I was pleasantly surprised that there were elements of faith throughout the book. It wasn’t the main theme of the book, but I’m glad it was there. This was a surprisingly good book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves sappy romantic book and historical fiction books.

The Magnolia Palace – Fiona Davis

Title: The Magnolia Palace

Author: Fiona Davis

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Lillian Carter has just lost her mother to the Spanish flu. She’s had plenty of success as a model and relied on it so far. But things get complicated when she’s accused as an accomplice to her landlord’s murder. The police won’t listen to her side of the story, so she flees. She finds a job with the Frick family as a private secretary for their daughter, Helen. She’s able to hide there, hopefully until the murder case blows over. But not everything is as it seems.

Almost 50 years later, Veronica Weber is a model trying to make her way in the world. She’s found a gig at the Frick house. But she told the director off, and got asked to leave the set. But she gets locked inside with one of the workers during a snowstorm. They find clues to a missing family gem. Together they try to find it. Can they find it? Or is it gone forever?

Rating: 3.4 – a good historical fiction mystery

Opinion: This was a good historical fiction book. It was different than I thought it would be. There was still plenty of historical fiction. I hadn’t known about the Frick family before the book. The story was a bit dramatic for me. It also felt a little too similar to some of other super rich family stories I’ve read. Something always goes wrong or someone dies. In this case, it’s both. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it was a little predictable. While I did enjoy this, it wasn’t a memorable book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction with a little mystery.

City of Time and Magic – Paula Brackston

This is part of the Found Things series.

Title: City of Time and Magic

Author: Paula Brackston

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Plot: Xanthe is finding a way to get Liam back. He vanished during their time travel back to the present. Xanthe knows Mistress Flyte took him, but now she needs to find an object to time travel with. Luckily, someone nearby has some items that can help. But which one can help? Once she finds one, can she find Liam? Mistress Flyte has other plans for both of them. The Visionary Society means to make it rich by time traveling for their own money making schemes. Their scheme would come at great expense to others. Mistress Flyte needs Xanthe’s help to stop them. But will Xanthe be able and willing to help? Can they stop the Visionary Society? Or will they change the course of time?

Rating: 4.4 – a great (most likely) final book in the series

Opinion: This was a great addition to the series. I’m pretty sure this is the last book in the series as everything got wrapped up nicely. But the way the book ended also left the possibility for more books later on. The last quarter of the book left me worried cause I thought there was too much left to wrap up. But the book wrapped up quicker than I expected. The ending was still great and I loved how it ended. I enjoyed the fact that the author combined two of her book universes together. It took me a little by surprise, but the clues are cleverly placed throughout the book that it’s part of the same universe as the other book. Most of the the time I kept thinking that a character sounded familiar, but it wasn’t until closer to the end of the book that I made the connections. I loved the combination of history and fantasy in this book. The author does a great job in all her books, and this one is no exception. This book is the great last book, I think, in the series. I highly recommend this book for those who love fantasy and historical fiction.

The Hidden Palace – Helene Wecker

This is a sequel to The Golem and the Jinni.

Title: The Hidden Palace

Author: Helene Wecker

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Plot: Chava, the golem, and Ahmad, the jinni, are still hiding in plain sight in New York City. Though some people are starting to notice them. They must find a way to survive or be outed. So they go deeper into hiding. But an old friend is looking for them. More of their kind are also looking for them, while trying to hide as well. Will everyone find what they’re looking for? Or will they be found out for what they truly are?

Rating: 3.6 – a good mix of fantasy and historical fiction

Opinion: This was a great sequel. There wasn’t as much of a big plot as I was expecting, but it was still an interesting read. There a lot more characters in this book to keep track of this time. The book also had different points of view. The views changed multiple times in a chapter, but it was really well done. A couple times at the beginning it took me a minute to realize which character I was following. There a couple times that caught me slightly off guard, too. Those parts weren’t as clear. I enjoyed details in the history of this book. There were lots of interesting details about ordinary life and life in other parts of the world that made this book so interesting. This book a fun read and I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction.

Stellaluna – Janell Cannon

Title: Stellaluna

Author and Illustrator: Janell Cannon

Genre: Children’s Book, Picture Book

Plot: Stellaluna is a baby bat who fell out of her nest one night after an owl attack. She lands in a bird’s nest. The birds accept her only if she forgets how to be a bat and learns to be a bird. One day Stellaluna and her baby birds went too far away, got tired, and stop for the night. Stellaluna learns she can see in the dark. But can she get her and her friends home? Will she ever find her own family again?

Rating: 4.0 – a good story about friends and family

Opinion: This was a great kid’s book. I’ve always loved this author growing up. Her books are always loved her messages in her books. There’s a message of friendship and belonging. This book also talks about that it’s okay to be different. Differences are good, too. I love the pictures in this book. They’re so well done. I recommend this book for older children, as there a page of words next to the page of picture. It’s a great story for kids and belongs in all classes.

Spinning Silver – Naomi Novik

Title: Spinning Silver

Author: Naomi Novik

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Maryim’s father and grandfather are moneylenders. But her father’s inability to collect money in return has left them destitute and mother close to death. Maryim takes matters into her own hands and starts collecting money herself. She’s so successful that people claim she can turn silver to gold. That draws the attention of the Staryk king. The Staryk people control ice and snow and all things winter. He steals Maryim away and demands she turn anything he asks into gold. If she doesn’t, he’ll kill her. But when the winter in Maryim’s town won’t end, she must find a way to save her people. Can she do it? Or will the winter never end?

Rating: 3.5 – a intricate retelling of Rumpelstiltskin

Opinion: This was an interesting take on Rumpelsiltskin. It started out well and was interesting. Then it got confusing for me for a fair amount of the book. The ending cleaned it up a fair bit and tied everything with a neat bow. I kept losing the story with all of the changing character points of view. The jumps between the characters made it harder for me to follow the story, too. The book also drops a certain character’s point of view for a long time, then go back to them. It also seems like there’s slightly different time jumps in the story. Sometimes when it changes between characters, it goes back in time slightly then catches up to another character’s timeline. All of this made it hard for me to relate to the characters. It was hard for me to be invested in this story, too. I did really enjoy the idea of this story, but all the characters and changing points of view made it hard to follow. This is a great story for people who don’t mind a bunch of characters and lots of points of view changes.

The Personal Librarian – Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray

Title: The Personal Librarian

Authors: Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Belle Marion Greener has moved to New York City with her mother and siblings in the early 1900’s. She’s trying to look for a job for her to help support her family. Belle is colored but has lighter skin. She can pass as white. Her mother’s idea is to say they have a grandmother who lives in and is from Portugal to explain the color of their skin. Belle changes her name to Belle da Costa Greene. It’s a great risk but it gets her a personal librarian job for J.P. Morgan. Mr. Morgan is collecting rare and ancient manuscripts and art. Belle’s been hired to organize and manage it all. After she learns Mr. Morgan’s been paying too much for his art and manuscripts, Belle offers to negotiate better prices at auctions and private sales on his behalf. Mr. Morgan agrees. Over the years, Belle turns the library is one of the greatest ever. But she’s always on guard for someone to discover her secret. Can she keep up with this double life? Or will someone find out that she’s colored and use it against her?

Rating: 4.0 – a good historical fiction

Opinion: This was a great book. I enjoyed learning about life during the early twentieth century for black people. I always knew at the back of my mind that life’s always been more difficult, but not that extent. It was interesting to learn that some black people passed as white in order to ‘cheat the system,’ in a way. I understand that why they did it and why it could’ve felt like a betrayal to their friends and families. While this was a great book and I learned a lot, I feel like there wasn’t a ton of plot. It was just Belle’s life story telling of the more interesting parts of her life with J.P. Morgan and his library. I enjoyed learning more about the different societies in the early 1900’s. This is a great book for anyone who loves historical fiction.