Review - Circe by Madeline Miller

Title: Circe

Author: Madeline Miller

Synopsis:

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity, and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft.

When love drives Circe to cast a dark spell, wrathful Zeus banishes her to the remote island of Aiaia. There she learns to harness her occult craft, drawing strength from nature. But she will not always be alone; many are destined to pass through Circe's place of exile, entwining their fates with hers. The messenger god, Hermes. The craftsman, Daedalus. A ship bearing a golden fleece. And wily Odysseus, on his epic voyage home.

There is danger for a solitary woman in this world, and Circe's independence draws the wrath of men and gods alike. To protect what she holds dear, Circe must decide whether she belongs with the deities she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

My Thoughts: 

I was looking forward to this novel immensely, given that The Song of Achilles is one of my favourite historical fictions dealing with Greek ancient history, and for the same reason I was a bit afraid before picking Crice up, because with TSOA Madeline Miller put the bar very high up, even for herself. 

Now, having read Crice I can say it was differently good than TSOA, but good none the less – as far as I'm concerned, it is indisputable that Madeline Miller is one of the most talented writers of our time.

I can call myself lucky, because I read most of the book on our honeymoon in Malta, and that country provided a perfect real life background setting for the story (second best to what Greece would have offered). After all Gozo is said to have been Calypso's island (not Circe's but close enough...)

Now about the book itself: it is about us. It is about being human, it convinces the reader that life is beautiful, because it has a beginning and an end and because there are so many vivid experiences in between. It is short, but all the more precious for being so. Mortality is an interesting subject for a tale that has a goddess as it's protagonist, but once you start reading you realize that's Circe's relationship with mortals form her to what she becomes by the end of the book. It is quite a journey.

Circe is a strong feminist read as well, reintroducing some well-known, often controversial, female characters from Greek mythology and giving a certain twist to each of them. Pasiphaë, Medeia, Penelope, Scylla, we can learn something new about all of them, getting to know them in a different light.

I enjoyed learning what happened to Odysseus after he killed the suitors and reunited with Penelope and Telemachus too, since I've never read anywhere else about that. Let me just say, this novel doesn't champion Odyssesus at all, which fact gives it a unique aspect.

I definitely recommend Circe to all Greek mythology/history lovers, so sail out, but beware of the sea monsters!

Goodreads | Amazon

Review - The Balance of Heaven and Earth by Laurence Westwood

Title: The Balance of Heaven and Earth

Author: Laurence Westwood

Synopsis:

I have been unable to write a judgement that does not seem to offend my conscience, or indeed Heaven, in some manner. Because I do not wish to influence your thinking unduly, I have destroyed all my personal papers and notes in regard to this dispute, preferring you to start afresh. Forgive me for this. All I ask is that you consider and examine Jade Moon most carefully before coming to a decision. I find her fascinating and unsettling in equal measure, and fear the consequences of a wrongful judgement. I will say no more.

My sincerest best wishes to you and your family,

Magistrate Qian
Fifth District, Chengdu Prefecture
1st day of the 2nd Moon, 1085

So ends the letter of welcome (and of warning) to Magistrate Zhu, newly arrived in the remote border town of Tranquil Mountain. He has travelled far from his extensive family estates on the outskirts of Kaifeng – the glorious Song Dynasty capital – hoping to find atonement for past mistakes.

Yet he quickly discovers that Tranquil Mountain is anything but tranquil. The town is beset with simmering tensions since the death of his predecessor. Before Magistrate Zhu even has time to accustom himself to his inexperienced and wayward constabulary and the lowliness of his new surroundings, there is a mysterious murder, rumours of ghosts and blood-thirsty bandits out on the streets, and a disturbing kidnapping to solve – as well as the tragic and tangled legal circumstances of the local heroine Jade Moon to unravel.

For the balance of Heaven and Earth to be maintained, and to prevent catastrophe coming to Tranquil Mountain, Magistrate Zhu is well aware that not a single injustice can be allowed to stand. As he struggles to reach the correct judgements, he realises he has no choice but to offer up his career and perhaps even his own life for the greater good. And, in so doing, he discovers that as Jade Moon’s fate rests in his hands, so his fate ultimately rests in hers.

My Thoughts:

 "You should understand this, Senior scribe Xu, that any injustice, great or small, moves Heaven and Earth out of balance."

This book became an innocent victim of my reading slump I'm afraid; it took me ages to read it, but let me tell you, it wasn't the book's fault at all *points at herself*. The Balance of Heaven and Earth is a historical small town mystery/crime novel well worthy of praise, so let me do just that.

This novel is unlike anything I've read before, mainly because I'm not very familiar with Chinese history, but I'm always happy to learn something new, and for this reason 'visiting' a 11th century small Chinese town was a real treat for me. The characters are so well introduced and developed that you can't help but welcome them as friends after a while. 

Jade Moon is considered a hero in Tranquil Mountain, and still, her fate is quite uncertain when Magistrate Zhu arrives to town to fill in his new position and administer the law. They both have a troubled past and their future oddly lies in the hand of one another.

Not surprisingly women had quite a vulnerable position in Chinese society too a thousand years ago and it could easily happen that a female child was sold to a rich family to entertain the sons of the household. Jade Moon if facing the bonds of concubinage unless Magistrate Zhu is willing and capable of finding a hole in the law that would allow her to gain her freedom back.

Jade Moon is a fighter, the daughter of a 'barbarian' and a Chinese mother, a curiosity for the Chinese people for her fierce and passionate nature. It was quite eye opening to read about what was considered Chinese-ness at the time. To be Chinese was to follow the traditions, that you were born on the same piece of land didn't instantly mean you were Chinese. The cultural distinction was quite emphasized between these two set of people, the Chinese and the barbarians.

"If a law opresses the people, how can it be called a law?"

Another interesting topic in the book was the law and Magistrate Zhu's approach to certain questions related to it. Is the law always right? What if it makes people suffer unnecessarily? Who should make the law? Can it be overlooked if it is morally unacceptable for the individual? Such interesting musings to read about!

The secondary characters were very entertaining too: the constables; Horse, the bright young man who matures a lot during the story, the good-for-nothing Deng brothers, Little Ox with his strength and bravery, Leaf, the little kid who they always want to send off to bed, but is always ready to fight... Senior Scribe Xu, the kind old man who was always on Jade Moon's side was also one of my favourites.

The writing style is very steady, it's flowing well and is easy to read. The story is a bit slow burn, but I like this kind, if you do too, I'm sure it will satisfy you.

If you're on the lookout for something different at the moment, give The Balance of Heaven and Earth a try.

Goodreads | Amazon

Review - The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum by Kirsten Weiss

Title: The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum

Author: Kirsten Weiss

Synopsis:

When Maddie Kosloski’s career flatlines, she retreats to her wine country hometown for solace and cheap rent. Railroaded into managing the local paranormal museum, she’s certain the rumors of its haunting are greatly exaggerated. But then a fresh corpse in the museum embroils Maddie in murders past and present, making her wonder if a ghost could really be on the loose. 

With her high school bully as one of the detectives in charge of the investigation, Maddie doubts justice will be served. When one of her best friends is arrested, she knows it won’t be. Maddie also grapples with ghost hunters, obsessed taxidermists, and the sexy motorcyclist next door as outside forces threaten. And as she juggles spectral shenanigans with the hunt for a killer, she discovers there truly is no place like home.

My Thoughts:

Unbelievable I know, but this was the first cozy mystery I've ever read. I've been eyeing quite a few cozy mytery book series for a while now because I love the cover styles and after the positive experience I had with The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum I'm sure I'll get acquainted with more of them.

The PPPM charmed me with its extemely lovable set of characters and its fascinating paranormal side-plot.

It rarely happens that throughout a book new characters get introduced every five pages and the writer can still manage them well. You might think that creating a wide set of characters is only a good idea in a long book – and this is what I've thought too until know – but The PPPM is proof that with a good sense of balance an author can play around with numerous characters in a short book, what's more, they can keep the readers' attention with the strategy of constantly adding new faces to the mix.

Maddie Kosloski, our protagonist wants to help out her friend, Adele, by taking up the task of running the local paranormal museum. During her very first visit she and Adele find the corpse on the floor and when the local police arrests Adele for the crime, Maddie is prepared to investigate.

Torn between looking for a new job and keeping the museum, Maddie also has to face the danger her inquiry into the murder case brings along. While she is searching for a modern killer, she gets involved in a murder long left unsolved as well, when an unquiet ghost starts sending her messages within the walls of the museum. The story of the ghost – who was a woman from generations ago, accused of the murder of her husband – especially captured my attention.

Lots of interesting local people turn up at the museum and there are plenty who might have something to do with the present-day murder. Maddie has to put up with an eager ghost hunter group of old ladies too (luckily her motorcycle-crazy neighbour has got her back when it comes to killing time until the ladies leave the place).

The small town life that is described on the pages of this book is very alluring and gives the reader a cozy feeling indeed.

I can only recommend this book for those who like mysteries, small towns, cakes, wine and cats. The PPPM was a real treat for me.

Goodreads | Amazon 

The next book in the series:

Pressed to Death

by Kirsten Weiss 

Review - The Oddling Prince by Nancy Springer

Title: The Oddling Prince

Author: Nancy Springer

Synopsis:

In the ancient moors of Scotland, the king of Calidon lies on his deathbed, cursed by a ring that cannot be removed from his finger. When a mysterious fey stranger appears to save the king, he also carries a secret that could tear the royal family apart.

The kingdom’s only hope will lie with two young men raised worlds apart. Aric is the beloved heir to the throne of Calidon; Albaric is clearly of noble origin yet strangely out of place.

I received a free ebook copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts: 

I've seen tons of three-star reviews about this book on Goodreads. Tons. However, after reading it I feel I have to take it in my hands to do justice to The Oddling Prince because to me it didn't come across as mediocre as review writers generally make it out to be.

There are two princes in this story who share a strong bond. One of them, Albaric, is from a faraway land. He comes to Calidon to save the king's life, yet his motive for the heroic act upsets king Bardaric a good deal after his recovery. Aric, the prince of Calidon, tries to shield Albaric from his father's wrath but the king's behaviour pains the foreign saviour none the less. Still, when the kingdom is threatened by inside and outside forces alike, everyone must stand on the same side to prevent its demise.

Going into the book knowing that it is a fairy tale and a celtic one at that, I expected nothing less from the writing style than to reflect the genre and the historical quality. Ms Springer's sentences are beautifully composed and her descriptions are nothing short of poetic. It's true that some might find the style a little dense, hard to get used to, but it all depends on the person's reading history and even if it's new to someone it doesn't mean it can't amaze after getting through the initial bumps while getting accustomed to it in the beginning. 

I actually saw some reviews that say The Oddling Prince is written in 'old English'.

Old English is what Beowulf was written in, even native speakers cannot really read and/or understand it now. Talk about exaggeration...

The truth is, this is a character-driven novel and those who pick it up to read action packed fantasy fiction can be disappointed. It is not usual for a fantasy story to lean that heavily on its characters vs the plot and therefore it was a risky choice from the author, but believe me when I say that it works in this case. There is little travelling in the novel, basically there is one setting (the castle) but it feels enough (the only part when the princes left the castle seemed superfluous to me to be honest). 

There's some sword fighting though and dangerous situations at times, the book doesn't completely lack action, only it's not as important in it as the relationship of the characters.

Speaking of characters... We have a male protagonist, which is very rare in YA. Aric is endlessly kind, goodhearted and caring. He doesn't have one bad quality. Many reviewers deemed him flat, but again, we are talking about a fairy tale – the genre is not exactly famous for complex characters, since very often these tales are based on a fight between good and bad and there is no in between. Aric's one-sidedness was therefore absolutely acceptable to me. His love for Albaric warmed my heart.

The ladies of The Oddling Prince were so lovely! Aric's mother and his bride, Marissa, were both smart and wise and they understood their male companions so well. They had so much strength and insight, they were my favourites. 

As you can see I liked The Oddling Prince a lot and this was me trying to defend its merits. I just thought it deserved a champion and it might as well be me... 

Goodreads | Amazon

Review - A Murder of Crows by Annie Kirke

Title: The Murder of Crows (The Ravenscourt Tragedies #1)

Author: Annie Kirke

Release Date: 1 November, 2018

Synopsis:

A dead father.

A missing Spirit.

An ancient manor with way too many locked doors.

But Abigail Crowe won't let locked doors, corsets, or the straight-laced rules of Victorian society get in the way of finding the truth behind her father's death. Of course, where illegal magic is involved, things are rarely as simple as they appear. Screams in the night, an insane gardener, and a murder blamed on her late father are only the beginning. Could her father actually be a murderer? What is Uncle Edward hiding in the attic? And perhaps most importantly—which family secrets are worth keeping locked up?

I received a free ebook copy of this book from Dying Arts Press in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts:

I was a lucky girl; 2018 went out with a bang for me reading-wise. A Murder of Crows by Annie Kirke was the last book I read in 2018 and to tell the truth I'm grateful I could finish the year with such a delightful novel.

Abigail Crowe's father died and his spirit disappeared. Not long after, Abigail's mother brought her and her brother to this strange mansion where screams pierce through the walls at night. The uncle they haven't seen since she and William were little, most probably tampers with forbidden magic. The grounds around the house are off limits after sunset. There are closed doors wherever they go and Abigail keeps thinking about how her father couldn't deliver a probably important last message to his family. She suspects foul play. The living members of her family might be in danger too...

I was pleasantly surprised by this lovely gothic detective story. 

Abigail, the young protagonist is hell-bent on finding out who murdered her father. It seems like he passed because of natural causes but she thinks she knows better. His spirit never showed during his resting (where the departing usually say their final goodbyes) and it was enough to raise her suspicion.

I enjoyed the pacing and how the tale was put together – there is real detective work; Abigail and her brother William are fiercely looking for answers and with the help of memorable side-characters (Emily, who Abigail keeps calling "Keeper of the Dead" and Beatrice the gardener who acts crazy most of the time) they soon start getting glimpses at the bigger picture.

The environment in which they investigate is dark and menacing, the mansion holds secrects just like the people who inhabit it. The fantasy/paranormal bits that colour the story (like the magic and the presence of spirits, fey creatures and even zombies) are all nice touches, they definitely make the world of the book engaging. There were quite a few scenes that were playing out in cemeteries and.. well yeah... you can imagine, the mood was set. Loved them!

I kind of knew where the author was leading me (which was not a problem at all, I bore in mind that the book is marketed for a younger audience), but still, the ride was so worth it! A Murder of Crows is a clever execution of a series of clever ideas, and it's only the beginning of a series. I have to say the bar is high, however I'm sure the author can work her magic in the second instalment too. I'm more than willing to join Abigail on another adventure.

 Goodreads | Amazon

Review - I, Guinevere by -C.K. Brooke

Title: I, Guinevere

Author: C.K. Brooke

Publication Date: October 14, 2018

Synopsis:

Your legends have it wrong. Arthur never pulled that sword out of the stone. I did. I, Guinevere.

On the winter solstice, a mysterious sword in a stone appears in the churchyard. Not even the mightiest of the village men can remove it, until fifteen-year-old Guinevere gives a try. The sword heeds the unsuspecting maiden, proclaiming the unthinkable: she is the blood of Pendrakon, heir to the vacant throne of Camylot.

Guinevere never dreamed she was born royalty. Now, between apprenticing the eccentric wizard, Merlyn; swordplay lessons with an abrasive—albeit, attractive—boy named Lance; and clandestine, magical meetings with the formidable High Priestess of Avalon, Guinevere is swept up in a whirlwind of training and preparation for her monumental new role as future queen. But invasions by the barbarous Saxyns and visitations from mysterious dark forces constantly warn that she may be in over her head. Can Guinevere defend the kingdom from the darkness and deception that threaten to seize it? Despite her doubts and the sinister forces working against her, can she harness the power to wield Exkalibur and rule the realm? Or is Camylot already destined to fall? 

My Thoughts:

I, Guinevere is a short retelling of the Arthurian legend, that turns the original story upside down, since – yes! – Arthur is barely in it (don't worry, you won't miss him at all).

If you like YA retellings that take a female side-character from the original tale and build up the well-known story around her, this novel is definitely for you.

Merlin, Lancelot, Morgan, Mordred – all the familiar characters are here, but Arthur is no king. C.K. Brooke wanted to give Guinevere a chance to shine making her Queen of Camelot (here Camylot). However, as all rulers she has to learn how to lead her people and through this book we are shown how she grows into a woman who believes in herself as well as in her country.

I enjoyed reading about the magic, obviously it added a little fairy-tale vibe to the whole affair. It was great Guinevere had the ambition to learn magic, because by it and with it she became a figure of connection between Camylot and Avalon.

The settings were enchanting, they had this old-world feeling; Avalon, the lake, castles, misty-foggy landscapes – they were magnificent.

Altogether, the book wasn't extremely action-packed, except for the end that I was very satisfied with (plot twist hey ho...).

Beware, this is YA so except some teenage drama (I, again, realized I'm too old for that uhh), but this can be overlooked if you are not into it, because the book really goes back to and draws much from the original Arthurian legend.

Once again, if YA is something you read a lot of and you also like retellings, you might want to give this novel a try.

Goodreads | Amazon

About the Author:

C.K. Brooke is an award-winning indie author of over a dozen romance and fantasy novels. Her debut novel, THE DUCHESS QUEST (48fourteen, 2014), was selected by Shelf Unbound Magazine as a Top 100 Notable Indie Book of 2015, and her YA novel, SECRETS OF ARTEMIS, received the Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion Award in 2017. She is also the author of THE WRONG PRINCE, a Readers Favorite five star recipient and Global EBook Award Honorable Mention title, as well as the historical romance, CAPTURING THE CAPTAIN (Limitless, 2016), which was a RONE Award Nominee and a Finalist in the MMRWA Best Banter Contest. She lives in Michigan with her husband and son. Visit her at www.CKBrooke.com

Author Links:

Website: https://www.ckbrooke.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/ckbrooke
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ck.brooke
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/+ckbrooke
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Review + Showtime #3 - The Haunting of Hill House

Title: The Haunting of Hill House

Author: Shirley Jackson

Synopsis: 

Four seekers have arrived at the rambling old pile known as Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of psychic phenomena; Theodora, his lovely and lighthearted assistant; Luke, the adventurous future inheritor of the estate; and Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman with a dark past. As they begin to cope with chilling, even horrifying occurrences beyond their control or understanding, they cannot possibly know what lies ahead. For Hill House is gathering its powers - and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

My Thoughts: 

I half wish I could have read this book not having read or watched anything featuring a house full of ghosts before. The Haunting of Hill House is the ultimate haunting house story, it chills to the bone with simple classic elements of horror that you think you're already tired of – until you read this novel.

"Certainly there are spots which inevitably attach to themselves an atmosphere of holiness and goodness; it might not then be too fanciful to say that some houses are born bad."

Dr Montague has a mission: he wants not only to experience the supernatural, but to record it; prove its existence scientifically. He seeks for the perfect spot to conduct his experiments and one day he hears of Hill House... Eleanor and Theodora receive a letter from him; a letter from a stranger, inviting them to a house without a soul. Of course they are all unaware how the little vacation will transform them. Luke, the future owner of the house joins them too, and together they soon stand to face the morbid secrets of Hill House.

To be honest it's not the ghostly activities that are scary here, more like the atmosphere itself. Yes, there are doors closing without anyone holding the handle, there are bangings on the doors/walls, a phantom hand holding the hand of a character in the dark etc... but these all become really scary because Shirley Jackson had such a talent to set a tone for a horror book. This novel put me in a mood, it turned me uneasy, after reading a big chunk of it I turned positively grumpy for the day. This book had power over me and that is what made it really frightening.

I would have enjoyed to read more about the backstory of the house. Dr. Montague summarized it, but there wasn't much elaboration and I think it would have been worth it to linger there more. I guess Ms Jackson wanted to keep the house in a mysterious light by focusing more on the haunted rather than on the ones who did the haunting. 

The real protagonist of the piece is Eleanor, who has just lost her mother after taking care of her throughout a long illness. The dynamics of Eleanor's relationship with Theo is one that is worth paying attention to. Eleanor had basically been shut in with her mother, looking after her every need, she'd been a slave to her task and never had the chance to be free, to enjoy life, to get away. She's looking forward to experience freedom in Hill House for the first time. Theo soon transforms into a mother figure to her that she starts to despise and since the house latches onto all kinds of weakness she slowly becomes a target...

The Haunting of Hill House is a must read for horror fans, don't shy away, you know you want to read it!

Goodreads | Amazon

The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix

I confess I picked up the book for the sake of the tv show, since I was very curious about it when it came out in October. As almost always, the book was better. Why?

I immensely enjoyed the tv show up until the very last episode, when unfortunately everything that had been carefully built up by the writers crumbled into tiny sad pieces.

In the show creative liberty was taken on a large scale, since the creators only grabbed the haunted house from the original story and planted a family in it. Five kids and their parents spend a summer in Hill House and they come to regret it for the rest of their lives.

I liked that they operated with two timelines; we see scenes of the kids in the house and scenes where they are grown up, where they try to juggle their lives with all the residue of Hill House in it.

Unlike in the book, here we can see actual ghosts (I think that happened in the novel maybe once), screaming, ugly, angry, sad ghosts, of which if one appeared in my bedroom at night, I'd probably die of fright. There are quite a few jump scares on the way, which is a bit boring, but they don't overdo it at least.

It was great to watch the show right after reading the book, because they used the original text often and creatively. I understood all the references and could take away more than someone who watches the show without knowing the book I think.

Out of all the episodes I'd highlight episode 6, Two Storms. It was beautifully done, there were only 5 scenes in the 57 minute episode, the longest went on for 16 minutes without a single cut! Once they changed set without cutting. It was truly amazing.

And now that you see that altogehter I liked the show, let me tell you why I was ultimately disappointed. I'm afraid this will be mildly spoilery. I won't tell you any detials of what happened, only that the tone changed, but if you plan on watching the show you might not want to read on.

Guys, the most important message of the book was that the house was EVIL. What we've been fed for 9 episodes in the show was that the house was EVIL. How it should be. Because it is Hill House. However, in the last episode in the show they chose to shed light on an advantage in the house. They suggest it can be used for good purposes. They suggest there is GOOD in it!

*facepalm*

I completely lost it there, I really did. Then came all the cheesy bullshit that love solves everything and if we care for each other nothing bad can touch us. It's a shame they let this carefully constructed piece go out with such a flat and overused message in the end. I was truly said that the ending wasn't better.

Having said this, I still think this show is worth a watch (except for anyone who feels suicidal. I'm serious, please don't watch it if you're suicidal). If you're after a good horror show and you're willing to put up with a mild ending, go for it.

Review - The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel

Title: The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel

Author: Alyssa Palombo

Release Date: 2 October, 2018

Synopsis:

When Ichabod Crane arrives in the spooky little village of Sleepy Hollow as the new schoolmaster, Katrina Van Tassel is instantly drawn to him. Through their shared love of books and music, they form a friendship that quickly develops into romance. Ichabod knows that as an itinerant schoolteacher of little social standing, he has nothing to offer the wealthy Katrina – unlike her childhood friend-turned-enemy, Brom Van Brunt, who is the suitor Katrina’s father favors.

But when romance gives way to passion, Ichabod and Katrina embark on a secret love affair, sneaking away into the woods after dark to be together – all while praying they do not catch sight of Sleepy Hollow’s legendary Headless Horseman. That is, until All Hallows’s Eve, when Ichabod suddenly disappears, leaving Katrina alone and in a perilous position.

Enlisting the help of her friend – and rumored witch – Charlotte Jansen, Katrina seeks the truth of Ichabod Crane’s disappearance, investigating the forest around Sleepy Hollow using unconventional – often magical – means. What they find forces Katrina to question everything she once knew, and to wonder if the Headless Horseman is perhaps more than just a story after all. In Alyssa Palombo's The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel nothing is as it seems, and love is a thing even death won't erase.

I received a free ebook copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts:

When I started to read The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel, I thought I was in for a spooky adventure, but unfortunately the novel was a real letdown from many aspects. 

When you engross yourself in a Sleepy Hollow story, you naturally expect a lot of action involving the Headless Horseman – well, in this book he only appears in dreams and as hearsay. Up until the very last pages we don't know if he is a mere legend or more than that. Even the dreams in which he is present are repetitive and therefore they completely failed to excite me.

I understand what the author was aiming for in this book. First of all, she tried to write a feminist retelling of a well-know story – in that she succeded. Second of all, she wanted to show that while old superstition made people afraid of bloodthirsty apparitions, in reality people themselves could be monsters enough, even bigger ones than supernatural villains. But hey, I was here for the Headless Horseman, not a drama-ridden love story... I didn't get what I signed up for and the substitute just wasn't good enough.

The focus is clearly on the romance and it is the cheesy kind, unfortunately. I was eager to get through the first part where Ichabod was courting Katrina, because it was plainly boring, but even after they got separated in the middle of the novel, it just didn't get better. I was thinking about giving it up, but I had put too much energy into reading it already so I pushed on till the end.

Guys, if you are after a Sleepy Hollow retelling with lots of Headless Horseman, this is NOT it. On the one hand I'm so sorry I couldn't like this novel, on the other I feel seriously betrayed.

 Goodreads | Amazon

Review - The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Title: The Crucible


Author: Arthur Miller


Synopsis:

The place is Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, an enclave of rigid piety huddled on the edge of a wilderness. Its inhabitants believe unquestioningly in their own sanctity. But in Arthur Miller's edgy masterpiece, that very belief will have poisonous consequences when a vengeful teenager accuses a rival of witchcraft—and then when those accusations multiply to consume the entire village.

 

My Thoughts:

In Arthur Miller's play a group of teenage girls accuse women of witchcraft in 17th's century Salem, and the famous witch trials take place as the consequences of their words.

The work itself is not written in the traditional drama format, since there are pieces of texts inserted in between the dialogues, that attempt to explain what must have been the reasons behind the mass hysteria that evolved in Salem in those fateful years. Arthur Miller lays out facts for us, and like an investigative journalist tries to dig to the bottom of the case and come up with motives. I found this new form of drama-writing refreshing, this play really worked better with a little realism.

Of course originally the pointing wasn't done by teenage girls, but there is something frightning in that Mr Miller gave such power to children in this piece. In the beginning the girls just want to shift the attention from themselves and their night activities in the forest but eventually their game gorws into something bigger, they lose control over it and their self-defence will cost lives.

I liked that I couldn't exactly figure out how to feel about certain characters. I mean essentially I had a positive intuition about John Proctor and I nurtured negative feelings towards Abigail (Abigail is the leader of the girls and John Proctor is the owner of the house where she worked; their personal relationship is one of the main motivators in the play), but in the end I brought myself to think about both their situations and what happened between them before, and I realized John Proctor wasn't absolutely innocent either (it doesn't mean Abigail should have done what she did but still, I was playing around with perspectives a bit...)

The whole play is very tense, families get torn apart and there are fierce battles of words that eventually land some residents of Salem in prison. The last act is especially tough. Those who won't confess end up on the gallows. The moral questions that the idea of confession to witchcraft brought up were extremely interesting and I was struggling to decide what I would have done in the place of the accused.

I think everyone should read this play once in their life, and there isn't a better time than October to do so.

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Review - Time Crawlers by Varun Sayal

Title: Time Crawlers

Author: Varun Sayal

Synopsis:

Alien Invasion, Dark Artificial Intelligence, Time-Travel, High-Tech Mythology, Djinn Folklore, Telekinetics, and life-consuming Cosmic Entities are some major themes in this book which has six tightly-knit, fast-paced Sci-Fi stories.

 

1. Nark-astra, The Hell Weapon
The weapons he possesses make him the destroyer of worlds, and he burns for revenge. A high-tech take on ancient Indian mythology.

 
2. Death by Crowd
The dark desires of the masses; darknet websites fueled by a crypto-currency. What lurks in the background – an advanced artificial intelligence?

3. Genie
He rubbed a lamp alright, but what he got was the shock of his life. An entirely sci-fi take on the djinn myth.

4. Time Crawlers
There are individuals who existing in multiple time periods at once, and there are those who know about them….

5. Eclipse
No attacks, no blood-shed, yet there was an invasion and a conquest. Who are these shapeshifter aliens being hounded by an eclipse?

6. The Cave
The fate of an advanced imperial race hangs in balance as a dark celestial entity meets a legendary protector.

I received an ecopy of this book from its author in exchange of an honest review.

My Thoughts: 

I love sci-fi, you all know that, but I'm not a big fan of short stories. I'm more of a novel person usually. However, reading the Time Crawlers I wondered at the colourfulness that was its collection's own because of the fact it was a short story collection. The format gave the author a chance to introduce many of his fascinating ideas in a separated, yet somewhat interlinked fashion.

If you take a look at the synopsis, you'll see a short summary of each story. They are thought-provoking on their own, but once you read them you cannot help but look for the common points. So there are aliens on Earth, so they look like us. Did they come recently, or were they here before us? Can we be aliens without knowing it? Are they part of the government? Are they part of our mythologies? Are they here with malicious intent or to help? Do they own time?

You don't have to believe in aliens or believe what is stated on these pages to find this book fun to read. These are purely theoretical sci-fi tales that play around with 'what if' questions. How would humanity react in certain situations when their survival is at stake? What would a human wish if they had a chance to meet a djinn?

I loved the theories about time and how this species – time crawlers – can exist at more places and times simultaneously – the title story was one of my favourites. The high-tech gadgets were also interesting despite the fact that most of them were weapons of mass destruction. I wouldn't want them to be invented in real life but it was fascinating to read about them.

Death by Crowd is not a story for the faint-hearted and the saddest thing is, that was the most realistic one out of all the tales. I hope humanity won't come to that; paying to watch other people die live, but it's enough to look back to the Roman gladiator games to realize we've been there before...

I certainly recommend this little collection of absorbing ideas, I enjoyed reading it a lot.

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Review - Blackmail, Sex and Lies by Kathryn McMaster

Title: Blackmail, Sex and Lies

Author: Kathryn McMaster

Synopsis:

For 160 years, people have believed Madeleine Smith to have been guilty of murder. But was she? Could she have been innocent after all?

This Victorian murder mystery, based on a true story, takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, 1857. It explores the disastrous romance between the vivacious socialite, Madeleine Hamilton Smith, and her working class lover, Pierre Emile L’Angelier. 

After a two-year torrid, and forbidden relationship with L’Angelier, that takes place against her parents' wishes, the situation changes dramatically when William Minnoch enters the scene. This new man in Madeleine’s life is handsome, rich, and of her social class. He is also a man of whom her family approve.

Sadly, insane jealous rages and threats of blackmail are suddenly silenced by an untimely death. 

My Thoughts:

Blackmail, Sex and Lies is a Victorian true crime story. In the 1850s Madeleine Smith, upper-middle class resident of Glasgow was accused of poisoning her lover Emile L'Angelier to get rid of him so she can marry someone more suitable – richer – of her class. Emile was a working class man and the fact that a young lady of a higher class conducted a secret love affair with someone below her status made for a great scandal.

To be honest, the root of the story fascinated me the most, namely the poisoning. I only ever read about arsenic poisoning before, in We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson and I remember a line from that book stating that arsenic poisoning is a very painful way to die. Well, here in Blackmail, Sex and Lies it is described in a detailed manner why it is so.

Victorians were crazy people. They took arsenic to feel more lively, more energetic. They took it to have a more pleasing complexion as well. They knew it was poision, still they used it and reommended it to each other. Both Emile and Madeleine had arsenic in their possession for one reason or other, that's why it was possible either Madeline to poision Emile, or Emile to commit suicide/overdose.

I will state here that I absolutely hated the two main characters. Emile was a world class j*** and Madeline so naive it hurt to read. Their love letters of which the book includes quite a few are syrupy and repetitive.

BUT each time I got to the parts where speculations were made or the two sides' actions were described, I found myself interested again. The writing style fit the era, the wording and the spinning of the tale kept me involved. 

My opinion is kinda mixed about this book as you can see, but still I'm glad I learned more about this case.

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