Book Review #27: The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift

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I discovered The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift while wandering around our local Barnes and Noble shortly after Christmas. The novel was the only book facing out when I rounded the corner from the horribly organized Young Adult section into the General Fiction Adult area. The cover immediately caught my eye--a young lady in a hood cloak with an amazing red dress. After reading the back of the novel, I knew I had to use the last of my remaining Christmas gift cards to purchase this book.

The Gilded Lily is a mystery novel that includes characters from Swift's first novel. However, you don't have to read the first novel to understand what's happening in The Gilded Lily. There are hints of events that happened in The Lady's Slipper, but it isn't key to the story told in "Lily."

My favorite part of this novel were the two main characters, Ella and Sadie. Their personalities are richly drawn and you can feel them struggle to make it in the slums of London with little money. I was particularly drawn to Sadie. She was a hard worker and empathetic to everyone around her. She wanted to do what was right, but her sister, Ella, was a bit of a scamp who lead Sadie astray many times. Honestly, I wish the story had been focused more on Sadie. However, Ella's plight and actions really were the driving force behind the plot and gave purpose to Sadie's actions and reactions. I also had a soft spot in my heart for Dennis, the young boy that Sadie and Ella rented an apartment from. He was a true gentleman to Sadie and a reader who shared his love of stories with Sadie.

The rich characters were a huge plus for a mystery plot that was quite predictable. The girls' adventures in the city as they tried to avoid trouble and stay under the radar kept me reading until the end. This is a mystery novel where everything does get tied up neatly in the end which did get a bit saccharine for me after living on the streets with Ella and Sadie for 400+ pages.

Overall, I would give The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift a thumbs up. The streets of London and the characters create an atmosphere that draws you in and won't let you go until the final page is turned.

Guest Post: Research and Creative License When Writing Historical Fiction by L.K Hill

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L.K. HILL has a degree from Weber State University, and has won numerous writing awards, including garnering first place in the 2011 League of Utah Writer Writing Contest. When she’s not writing, Hill relaxes with her family in Ogden, Utah, while maintaining constant communication with her many followers.

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Courtesy of Jolly Fish Press

L.K. Hill is the author of the recently released Citadels of Fire. I am happy to host Ms. Hill today and so excited that she is sharing her thoughts about the creative license authors take when writing historical novels. If you haven't read my review of Ms. Hill's book, I invite you to jump over there after reading this post. Oh, and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

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Research and Creative License When Writing Historical Fiction by L.K Hill

Writing historical fiction can be trickier than other genres. When writing about an event recent enough that living people remember it, there will be objections from those who remember it differently from the way the author portrays it.

When writing about an era too far past for anyone alive to remember it—say sixteenth century Russia, perhaps?—you run into a different kind of problem. The only way to learn the details of such an era is through research. And there are plenty of sources of information to be found. The problem is, even among the well-respected, academic sources, many of them contradict one another. Obviously primary sources are the best, but since most of us aren’t privileged enough to examine ancient documents housed in museums in the Kremlin, we have to rely on secondary sources, and they don’t always agree. My policy is that the more research you can do, the better. Not only will that give you a wide range of what is believed, but if most sources say one thing, and only one says another, chances are the larger consensus is the truth.

There is another aspect of research to consider. In service of the plot or characters, many writers stray from strict historical facts. It’s always difficult to decide how far to stray and what to change. Most readers of historical fiction know their stuff. They’ll see right away what the author has played with, and what they’ve stayed true to. Deciding what creative license to take with history is a personal thing, and every author handles it differently. For me, events and motivations are the most important things. The point of weaving history through our stories is to show why and how things happened, and how it affected the people involved. To mess with major events or the motivations that led to those events is to give your readers a skewed view of history. All of us who inhabit planet earth inherit our own history, and it’s important that we understand it, in all its tragedy and violence.

So, when I take creative license, I often mess with dates or the periods of time between events, but keep the events themselves and the chain of events that led to them as true as I possibly can. With Citadels of Fire, I collapsed the timeline quite a bit. I wanted to get through much of Ivan’s life, which would have happened across twenty years, but I didn’t want my characters to age quite that much. So, I covered the events in a shorter period of time, but otherwise stayed true to the events as they are recorded in the annals of history. Research and creative license are part of writing historical fiction, but they aren’t the most important part. Feeling the emotion of the story is what will help people connect with it and respect the truth of history. That said, the best way to help your reader feel the emotion is by doing your research and using restraint with the creative license you do take. Readers want to know that the story they just read and loved is true. And that they are a little more knowledgeable about their own world. Remember, knowledge of our past is or inheritance. What we do with that knowledge will shape our destinies…

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Book Review #25 + Blog Tour: Citadels of Fire (Kremins #1) by L.K. Hill

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"Life is a mystical and tragic thing. It is a journey often full of fear, when it ought to be full of hope. It's fascinating to look back on your life and feel as though most of it was a precursor to the rest of it; to what was always supposed to be." Inga, Citadels of Fire.

Citadels of Fire by L.K. Hill is a novel set in Russia during the 1500s. For a bit of context, Ivan the Terrible was in the process of becoming a shining political star, or tsar rather, during this period. The novel focuses on two young people, Inga and Taras, trying to make their way in the world during this turbulent time. Their optimistic views of the brutal world ties them together despite the differences in their social standings.

I am almost complete stranger to Russian history. I know very little and what I do know is mainly about the demise of Tsar Nicholas II and his family. I'm always a bit anxious about jumping into a new time and culture in history. Will I have to do a lot of research on my own to understand what's happening? Will the author provide pages of boring, dry history to bring me up to speed? There is no need to fear with Citadels of Fire. All those worries were put to rest after the short introduction and a bit of reassurance by Dr. LaRue Larkin, Associate Professor of Russian History at Weber State, I felt like I was in good hands.

Ms. Hill is a patient teacher throughout the novel. She does an excellent job explaining the class structure and enough of the political intrigues of the Russian court of the time. The explanations are woven seamlessly into the plot so the reader is learning along with the characters. This allowed for just enough information to move the plot forward without dragging the story or the reader down.

I enjoyed how Ms. Hill introduced the characters and allowed the reader to watch them grow and change with the obstacles they faced. The only downside to this is that for the first several chapters you jump several years. Sometimes I would forget that we had jumped forward in time to a new point in the characters' lives and be a little bit lost. I often wished there was a header at the top of the page listing the year or more of a statement of how old the character was at that point in time.

My favorite part of the story was the subtlety and beauty of the romance. The lack of love between Inga and her father is brutally felt in the first chapter. The true love between Taras's mother and father leaps off the page along with the mystery of their arguments and quick decision to leave Russia. There is an old love that remains a secret, and serves as a lesson. Ms. Hill leads the reader to the reveal of who used to be in love without it being overdone and trite. And the new love between Inga and Taras develops in a such a natural way that at times I could feel myself wanting to scream, "JUST KISS HER ALREADY!" In other words, no insta-love here.

Citadels of Fire grabbed me from the opening lines. It's a historical fiction, romance, military, mystery novel. Most of the loose ends are tied up at the end of book one, but there is just enough of a cliffhanger and setup for the next book to leave you wanting more. I look forward reading more novels in this series and give Citadels of Fire by L.K. Hill a thumbs up.

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About the Author
L.K. HILL has a degree from Weber State University, and has won numerous writing awards, including garnering first place in the 2011 League of Utah Writer Writing Contest. When she’s not writing, Hill relaxes with her family in Ogden, Utah, while maintaining constant communication with her many followers.
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I received an Advanced Reader Copy directly from the author in exchange for a honest review.

Book Review #18: A Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon

I'm a huge fan of Diana Gabaldon, but I have got to learn patience and stop messing around with her Lord John Grey novels and short stories. Except for The Scottish Prisoner, which did feature my favorite fictional crush, I'm always left disappointed and a bit baffled as to why I even pick these books up to begin with. However, I was kind of excited to read this short story. Gabaldon's books are usually rooted in reality, I wanted to see how she would explain zombies.

This short story was very disjointed. The mystery and it's resolution were lack luster and underwhelming like the whole plot was forced together under the premise of zombies to fit some unidentified, unknown unifying topic^*. I felt the characters where forced into situations that they would normally run away from. And while I think I understand how the zombies were created, the odd situations the characters were placed in, the lack of resolution to the murder and the un-zombification of people left me disappointed.

Overall, "A Plague of Zombies" gets a thumbs down from me. The one plus, on my Nook, the story is only 64 pages long, the remaining pages are the title page, author's notes and an 11 page sneak peek at Written in My Own Heart's Blood, the long awaited 8th book in the Outlander series. The first part of the excerpt picks up right after Jamie returns to Philiadelphia. And includes a delightfully awkward confrontation between Lord John and Jamie regarding Lord John's relationship with Claire. Can't wait for June!

"A Plague of Zombies"

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The Scottish Prisoner

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Written in My Own Heart's Blood

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*This novella has been a part of a couple anthologies according to Gabaldon's web site. Perhaps surrounded with other like tales, it would make more sense.

Book Review #10: The Breath of God by Jeffery Small

I came across this book by a chance conversation with one of the booksellers at Barnes and Noble. All she had to say was, "It's like Dan Brown, but better." See the issue I had with The Da Vinci Code was the ending. The reveal of who done it was such a let down to me as a reader. "I spent all those hours on the edge of my seat for that?!" was my thought when I got to end. I hate mysteries that leave me feeling like that. So I bit on The Breath of God which I checked out of my local library.

The Breath of God was a better read for me than The Da Vinci Code. Unlike The Da Vinci Code which is based on conspiracy theories, which depending on your bent, may or may not be true, The Breath of God is based on religious doctrine and posed questions I've often asked myself. Why do all the major religions of the world share some of the same basic tenants? How did that happen? Why did that happen? How did history shape religion? Now if you want a humorous answer to these questions, you must really check out Lamb by Christopher Moore. If satire and humor, when applied to religion really aren't your thing, then The Breath of God is right up your alley.

Small doesn't create the gripping cliffhangers at the end of each chapter that Brown does and I was able to read the book in short bursts and walk away without it constantly nagging at me like The Da Vinci Code did. Small, on the whole, does craft a stronger story that provides you with the major building blocks to see how the religions in the world may be connected. You can see how the pieces of the plot and the Issa story fit together. I like being given breadcrumbs that lead me to the end of the story.

A few of Small's characters are a bit on the extreme side and at times, maybe a little over the top. After Grant, the main character in the story, achieves his life long goal, the story isn't quite wrapped up. I'm not a reader who necessarily needs all the plot lines wrapped up into a neat little bow. As a result, the last 30 or so pages after Grant returns to the States seemed a little extraneous. I wasn't necessarily concerned with how his discovery was going be received by the Christian Fundamentalists. However, I'm sure I'm in the minority and Small does a over the top, all the "bad" guys have to pay ending which was disappointing. I was left wondering why the book couldn't just have ended after Chapter 55.

Overall, I liked The Breath of God by Jeffery Small. There was an academic approach to religion that I appreciated. And while some of the characters were over the top, the book had a satisfying conclusion that didn't leave me mystified (or pissed) at the end.

Book Review #07: The Ruby Brooch by Katherine Lowry Logan

The Ruby Brooch by Katherine Lowry Logan was a nice surprise. It was one of the books featured in The Fussy Librarian daily newsletter on October 22, 2013 and again on December 21, 2013. I'm sucker for time travel novels and honestly, I was a little skeptical when I read the description in the newsletter.

"A paramedic goes back in time to Independence, Missouri, in the year 1852, to solve a family mystery. Her quest is jeopardized when she meets a lawyer who resembles the ghost who has haunted her since childhood."

I mean, who would choose to time travel to Independence, MO?! Despite the skepticism, I clicked through to Amazon.com to see if there was more information. The description on a Amazon.com really drew me in and I purchased the book. Just two days after starting it, I finished. As a fan of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, I was drawn in immediately by Kit and her family history. Much of the book actually takes place on The Oregon Trail. And as a child of the late 80's/early 90's who played Oregon Trail on an Apple IIe, I was hooked.

Beyond the engaging characters who are full of personality and the tough life on the Trail, there is true love and the mystery behind the ruby brooch to keep you moving forward. The story ends on a hopeful note. You know just enough about the characters to be satisfied with the ending and wondering how their lives will continue now that there are no more pages left. Thankfully, Logan wrote a sequel, The Last MacKlenna. The Ruby Brooch by Katherine Lowry Logan gets a thumbs up.

Book Review #06: The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James A. Owen

A few years ago I discovered the novel Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen. This is the first book in the 7 books series known as the "The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica" which follows the lives of Jack, John and Charles as they battle the forces of evil in an effort to save the World. Quite a tall order for three unknown gentlemen from Oxford.

This is a wonderful series of books that draws on many of the known myths and histories laid out in our most treasured stories. The books mix elements of time travel and fantasy to produce a rich and dense forest of interconnected story lines--both real and fictional--that keep you moving forward to discover the Grand Reveal at the end of book seven, The First Dragon. The artwork at the start of each chapter is also stunning! That's right, each chapter in every single novel of this series is illuminated. Each image is hand drawn by the author himself.

By the third book in the series, The Indigo King, the plot gets a bit complicated and becomes one of those time travel books/series that will keep your mind spinning and trying to work it all out. The shear number of the characters with their similar names and the overlapping, intertwining timelines also cause the mind to spin a bit. However, I stuck it out after a confusing third book and thoroughly enjoyed book 4, The Shadow Dragons, and book 5, The Dragon's Apprentice, which set the series up for the what I hoped would be a fantastic finish. Book 6, The Dragons of Winter was once again just a s complicated as book 3 and once again confusion set in. However, all was made clear with book 7, The First Dragon. The conclusion was satisfying even if it felt a little rushed with some of the true historical background about the three main Caretakers not being fully fleshed out and shared with the readers.

Overall, I liked "The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica" by James A. Owen. The world he creates is partially known and brand new. The illustrations provided in each book at the start of every chapter are amazingly detailed. "The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica" by James A. Owen gets a thumbs up.

I would highly encourage you, if you are interested in reading this series, to purchase the novels directly from the author via his web site. Mr. Owen is currently offering the first 5 books in a special Reader's Set for $44.00.

#1 Here, There Be Dragons
#2 The Search for the Red Dragon
#3 The Indigo King
#4 The Shadow Dragons
#5 The Dragon's Apprentice
#6 The Dragons of Winter
#7 The First Dragon

Book Review #05: The Pilgrim Glass by Julie K. Rose

The Pilgrim Glass by Julie K. Rose was featured in The Fussy Librarian recently. I was drawn to the book because of its cover and its connection to church history, France and stained glass. A mysterious stained glass window is discovered in a church in Vezelay, France and three individuals are brought together by its discovery.

I really struggled with this novel. It held so much potential and in the end, I was disappointed. Throughout the novel, I felt not enough information was given about the stained glass, its creator and the three main characters. I thought, by the time the novel wrapped up, the creator of the stained glass would be revealed and she would have some connection to two of the three characters, Dubay and Meredith, as their family roots were in the area. This connection would explain their link to the Church and the reason Meredith was "possessed" by the glass's creator. Each of the main characters, Jonas, Meredith and Dubay, had pasts that were haunting them and those pasts had led them to the Church and the piece of glass. Once again, not enough information was given about their psychological hang ups. When their pasts were revealed it was too late in the story to really drive the plot forward and really make me care about how it all turned out.

The other part of the novel that lead to my disappointment was the constant need for the characters to speak in French with no explanation, either a straight up translation, or contextual framing to lead me to understand, at least in part, what was being said. I don't believe I missed any key plot points, but this was an endless frustration for me especially when Jonas went on a bender (Chapter 19) and sits down to have a bottle of wine with a local gentleman who speaks no English. I can't help but wonder if the gentleman shared some key piece of wisdom with Jonas that was completely missed, both by me and Jonas, because neither of us comprehend much French. The same things happens with Latin and the technical terms used when talking about the actual stained glass.

Overall, there were just too many plot issues, too much was not revealed/connected in the end, and a language barrier drove me to distraction. I had hoped that everything would be tied together, but was left disappointed. This paired with eBook formatting issues, The Pilgrim Glass by Julie K. Rose gets a thumbs down.