Happy Paperback Release to The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove by Susan Gregg Gilmore!

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Jenn

Last year, I had the honor of reviewing Susan Gregg Gilmore’s book, The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove. When I was contacted by her publicist to help celebrate the paperback release of the book, I couldn’t say no.

Here’s the summary from my review for those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to read the book yet:

In 1960′s Nashville, Bezellia Grove is the oldest daughter in a prominent family.  Her father is a doctor who would rather spend time with his patients than his own family, and her mother is a closet alcoholic. Bezellia and her sister are raised by their nanny, Maizelle, and the handyman, Nathanial. Bezellia treats them as members of her family while her mother treats them as pieces of property.

As a member of a prominent family, Bezellia is expected to accept her role by taking French lessons and attending cotillions.  Bezellia wants more out of life than that. 

 Bezellia’s name has been passed down from generation to generation. Her namesake was known for her courage and passion, and Bezellia vows to live up to that name. While others in the family line shortened the name, Bezellia totes it proudly.

When she meets Nathanial’s son, Samuel, she is instantly enamored. In a world where the color lines can’t be breached, this relationship is damned from the beginning.  Bezellia is forced to decide which name she will be known for; her first name or her last.

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of this tremendously outstanding book to give away.  To enter. please fill out the form below. The winner will be contacted via email on Friday, August 12th.  Open to US & Canadian residents only. Good luck to all who enter!

Posted in Bookish Chatter | 1 Comment

Guest Post: Vicky Alvear Shecter, Author of Cleopatra’s Moon

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Jenn

Today I’m excited to welcome Vicky Alvear Shecter, author of Cleopatra’s Moon, for a guest post today. I reviewed the book yesterday and consider it quite the interesting read! In her post, Vicky discusses how we, as individuals, survive despite tragedies in our life. Without further ado..

The story of Cleopatra’s daughter—the only one of the queen’s four children to survive to adulthood—is fascinating in and of itself. After all, who wouldn’t want to know what it must have been like to have Cleopatra as a mother? To roam freely in the splendor of Egypt’s royal palace? To undergo the rites for the Mysteries of Isis?

But historical fiction isn’t just about the “story” of what happened long ago. It’s an opportunity to hold up a mirror to our own experiences as well.

For example, when I was deep into revisions for Cleopatra’s Moon, Haiti experienced a catastrophic earthquake. I found myself going from televised scenes of tragedy “into” the head of a young girl who had lost her parents, her home, her future and (eventually) everyone in her family.  Granted, my main character never suffered dire poverty or hunger, but she still faced the same essential questions we all face in times of tragedy—how do you go on when you’ve lost everything and everyone you’ve ever loved? Where do you find hope and dignity when you are at the mercy of circumstances outside your control?

That most of my main character’s life-changing experiences took place when she was a teen made it a perfect story for a young adult audience. But it ended up being more than that. It became a glimpse into the intimate lives of Cleopatra and Mark Antony during the period before their deaths. And it offered a look into the political machinations that eventually transformed Rome from a republic into a tyrannical world power.

The story of Cleopatra’s daughter continues to fascinate me and—I hope—will fascinate fans of historical fiction too!

Vicky Alvear Shecter is the author of two biographies for children, Alexander the Great Rocks the World and Cleopatra Rules! The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen.  Cleopatra’s Moon is her first young adult historical fiction novel. She is a docent at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta.

 

Posted in Author Guest Post | 4 Comments

Review: Cleopatra’s Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Jenn

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover:368 pages
  • Publisher:Arthur A. Levine Books (August 1, 2011)
  • ISBN-10: 0545221307
  • Source: Publisher

Cleopatra VIII Selene, Princess of Egypt, is the only daughter of Cleopatra VII and Marcus Antonius. She’s grown up in luxury in the regal city of Alexandria.  However, when Egypt goes to war with Rome, her entire world and everything it has ever stood for is pulled out from underneath her. Her family is shattered, all at the hands of the emperor of Rome, Octavianus.

Cleopatra Selene and her two brothers are forced to move to Rome, an existence much different than the life they had in Alexandria. Forced to live in the home of their enemy, they are constantly bombarded with threats of death and torture each time they walk outside the walls of the compound.

Like her mother before here, Cleopatra Selene must gather all the strength and power she has to regain claim over Egypt once again.  She’s forced to chose between two men, and two very different destinies.

While technically a young adult novel, Cleopatra’s Moon is most definitely a novel that would appeal to readers of all ages.  We have all read about the powerful Celopatra and Marcus Antonius, but not much has been written about their daughter.

This novel is full of rich and detailed characters. Cleopatra Selene herself starts out as a young and naive princess, but is forced to evolve into quite the strong woman. She is not passive in her feelings about their “imprisonment,” she risks her life on several occasions to protect her siblings and their family name. Additionally, one can’t help but love Cleopatra Selene’s youngest brother, “Ptolly.” Barely out of the toddler stages when he loses his parents, he’s too young and naive to really understand what has happened.

Potentially the most compelling part of this novel is the rich description of the settings of both Egypt and Rome.  It was interesting to see how differently woman were treated in each of these settings.  In Egypt, with Cleopatra as the queen, women were powerful and regal figures. In Rome, on the otherhand, they were mostly confined to the castle, not free to roam and explore. In Egypt, the women of royalty had individual and unique names while in Rome the women generally shared the same name. A part of history I admit to not being very familiar with, I believe in reading this book I gained a much stronger understanding of this important time in history.

The character list in the beginning of the book was essential; with so many characters with similar names it was hard to keep the characters straight at first. Additionally, the “Facts Within the Fiction” section at the end broke down which aspects of the book were based on fact and which were fictionalized in the writing of the novel.

My only complaint would be the ending.  Throughout the novel, Selene’s character was built up as a strong and powerful one. She chose power rather than love, but in the end, this seemed to be forgotten.  That said, this is just a minor issue I have, not really taking away from my overall opinion of the book.

Fans of historical fiction can’t afford to miss out on this book! Highly recommended.

Posted in Historical Fiction, Review, Scholastic, YA | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week?

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Jenn

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It is hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of  Books so stop by and join in!

Books Completed Last Week

The Book of Lies by Mary Horlock (review)
We All Fall Down by Michael Harvey (review)
Cleopatra’s Moon by Vicky Shecter (review)
Creep by Jennifer Hillier

Currently Reading

The Wild Life of Our Bodies: Predators, Parasites, and Partners That Shape Who We Are Today by Rob R. Dunn
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (audio)

Books to Complete This Week

Very Bad Men by Harry Dolan
The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill

What are you reading this week?

Posted in It's Monday What Are you Reading This Week | 10 Comments

Frightful Friday: We All Fall Down by Michael Harvey

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Jenn

Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week. Feel free to grab the button & join in!

This week’s Frightful Friday featured book is: We All Fall Down by Michael Harvey

 

 

  • Hardcover:320 pages
  • Publisher:Knopf (July 12, 2011)
  • ISBN-10: 0307272516
  • Source: Publisher

Former Chicago cop, now private investigator, Michael Kelly returns with another case, this one deadlier than before.

A deadly virus is spread among the citizens of Chicago after a light bulb breaks in a subway tunnel.  The city’s big wigs don’t seem to be worried at all, insisting the virus contained within the light bulbs is inactive.

Bodies begin filling up hospitals, turning them into morgues.  The L train is used as a rolling hearse, transporting contaminated bodies off site for cremation. Chicago is transformed into a quarantine zone, referred to as Camp Chicago.  Fences went up, preventing anyone from entering the quarantine zone. Fires start in the quarantine areas, seemingly to destroy the infected bodies, but is it unknowingly spreading the virus and/or destroying evidence?

CDA labs, a team of highly skilled scientists contracted by the Department of Defense to provide tools to protect and prevent chemical and biological warfare, is brought in to determine the “identity” of the strain of virus spreading through the city. At the insistence of the mayor, Kelly is permitted to have access to CDA’s investigation.  He learns of “black biology” labs, s groups who use DNA technology to create new pathogens enhance existing ones.

 Is it coincidence that Kelly discovers boxes containing 10,000 body bags in the basement of a man known to support local drug dealers? At the same time, suspicious no bid contracts for medical supplies is unveiled.  Can it all be connected? Kelly’s efforts are thwarted when those agencies who should be aiding him are instead trying to hunt him down to arrest him.   Can Kelly uncover the identity of the individual responsible for releasing the deadly virus before he is detained, or worse, killed?

Can I just say We All Fall Down absolutely terrified me?  Perhaps Harvey’s most chilling thriller so far, mainly due to the reality that such an attack could take place.  We’ve all heard on the news of ways terrorists could kill large numbers of people using biological warfare; We All Fall Down gives readers a glimpse of the reality of the situation.

As in Harvey’s previous books in this series, Chicago political corruption runs rampant in this book. Harvey doesn’t shy away from showcasing both the high points and low points of his city. Michael Kelly continues to be one of my favorite crime fiction/thriller characters: his tough, gritty, and rough around the edges. He’ll stop at nothing, risking it all, to protect the city he loves.

Additionally, We All Fall Down is isn’t one of those mindless thrillers that solves itself before your eyes. The reader is forced to think, really examine the facts as they reveal themselves.

As We All Fall Down is part of a series, I do recommend you start at the beginning to truly capture the essense of the characters.  Once you start, I guarantee you won’t be able to stop! Highly recommended.

 

 

 

Posted in Frightful Friday, Knopf, Mystery/Suspense, Review | 2 Comments

Top Ten Reasons I May Block You on Twitter

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Jenn

 In the midst of writing a social media policy, I started compiling a list of reasons I block users on twitter. I do not auto-follow; I take a look at the tweet stream/account of each and every individual who follows me before determining if I will follow in return.

As the list grew longer, I thought others might be interested in this list and viola, blog post created.  It originally started as a top ten list but quickly became more. Originally, I was just going to post this on my Tumbr page, since there seemed to be an interest I made a blog post out of it. So, without delay…following are the top ten fifteen reasons I might block you on Twitter. While they were in order at some point, they are not any longer:

  1. If you are an author and your tweet stream consists of nothing but tweets about your book. Want to sell books? Engage your followers, allow them to see you are a real person, not some tweeting robot.
  2. If all your tweets consist of ads or links. I have a DVR at home because I detest commercials. Why would I want to see them on Twitter?
  3. If you tweet nothing but random links, with no context. Similar to above. I don’t know how or why people would click on said links but they do, and then bad things happen.
  4. If your avatar is an image of the body meant to be kept covered. Ew..just….ew!
  5. If you haven’t tweeted at all, yet are following 2, 00o people I look at a user’s tweet stream before following. If i don’t see any tweets at all, why would I want to follow you?
  6. If you tweet stream consists of nothing but retweets Really. Be original. Say something!
  7. If all you tweet are quotes.  I mean enough…really. It’s amazing how “quote tweeters” are out there! If I want an inspiring quote, I’ll look it up myself.
  8. If you are a blogger and the sole purpose of your twitter account is to gain contest entries by tweeting
  9. If your tweets consist of nothing but foul language, crude comments, etc.
  10. A given: if you verbally attack me or otherwise annoy me
  11. If you pitch me your book to review.  I do not accept or respond to pitches on any social media site.  Frankly, I think it’s unprofessional and tacky. If you would like me to review your book, please see: Review Policy.
  12. If you tweet endless rants about religious, social, political issues. I use social media as an escape from the drama called the nightly news.  I don’t want to get a sermon, via tweets, thankyouverymuch
  13. Your twitter account is locked. If you won’t let me see what you tweet about, why should I allow you to do the same?
  14. If you are an animal. Yes, there are apparently animals out there that tweet…or people tweeting on behalf of animals. Creepy, I tell you.
  15. Another given: Spambots. There are all sorts, for every little thing you mention. Mention one word and suddenly you are bombarded with endless tweets mentioning that word. Words not to mention on Twitter: iPad, iPod, job, employment, Kindle, dating, or anything of a sexual nature (those result in really alarming spambots!)

Bottom line: Twitter is a social media outlet.  Use it as it was intended. Engage with others, connect with those who have similar interests. Don’t abuse it!

Stay tuned…I am compiling a list of reasons I do follow people on Twitter!

Posted in Bookish Chatter | 26 Comments

Celebrate Independent Bookstores! #IndieThursday is Born!

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Jenn

 

For any of you who follow on me on Twitter, you’ve seen my recent soap-box sermons on shopping at independent bookstores. Now that Borders is closing for good, now is the time to really embrace your local independent bookstore!

I’ve been trying to think of a way to get more people inspired to shop locally.  What’s the best way to get the word across? Social media, of course!

Author Ryan Jacobson suggested a fantastic idea; creating a twitter event, one day a week, in which book lovers tweet about what book they bought at an indie that week. Fantastic idea, yes?  Thinking of all the various events on Twitter (Follow Friday, Friday Reads, Writer Wednesday, etc.) I had to pick a day of the week not already taken.  And so…#indieThursday was born!

Each Thursday, tweet about the book you recently purchased at your local independent bookstore.  Be sure to mention the name of the store and use the hashtag #indieThursday! Even better, take a picture of yourself with the book at your independent bookstore! Ebooks count as well, as long as you purchased it through and independent bookstore!

Then, the following day, don’t forget to tweet what you are reading, using the #Fridayreads hashtag!

You don’t need to have read the book yet in order to tweet about it! If this event becomes popular enough, I’ll even contemplate giving away prizes, i.e. giftcards to independent bookstores, indiebound gear, etc.

Need to find a local indie in your area? Check out indiebound.org, which lists independent bookstores based on address or zip code! Don’t have a indie bookstore close to you? Several independent bookstores have online stores!

So, go forth & shop indie!

Posted in Celebrate Independent Bookstores Day! | 8 Comments

Review: The Book of Lies by Mary Horlock

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Jenn

  • Paperback:368 pages
  • Publisher:Harper Perennial; Original edition (July 19, 2011)
  • ISBN-10: 0062065092
  • Source: Publisher

Fifteen year old Cat Rozier, once a star pupil, is now a murderer. She admits it to the reader within the first few pages of the book:

I’m a murderer and it’s not just my fault. I can blame the Germans, and I can blame my parents, and I can blame my parents’ parents.  Don’t you see?  Once you know your History, it does explain everything.  It turns out I was a murderer before I was born (p. 5).

 

Cat lives with her mother on the small island of Guernsey.  She’s often picked on at school; she has no true friends.  That changes when the beautiful Nicolette befriends Cat when she moves transfers to the school in 1984.  The two become inseperable; never before has anyone been willing to put up with Cat’s “quirkiness.”  They do the typical teen rebellion sort of things: go to parties, drink, and shoplift.  But one apparent act of betrayal causes a rift in their friendship and they go their separate ways.

Cat has long been obsessed with her recently deceased father’s “research;” he dedicated his adulthood to finding the truth behind Guernsey’s occupation by the Germans during WWII in order to repair the reputation of his older brother Charlie, accused of working for the Germans and killing his own father.  Through her father’s letters and tapes of Charlie, recorded before his death, Cat reveals secrets buried within the roots of the island, and in her own family.

The novel alternates between Cat’s retelling of the murder of her best friend and the retelling of Charlie’s saga of imprisonment and torture. At times, the shift in narration is jolting, seemingly misplaced.  Eventually, however, the reader begins to notice a similarity in Charlie and Cat’s lives. The only difference is that Cat seemingly gets away with murder.

Cat’s character is extremely difficult to trust and believe.  While she states up front she committed a murder, it was hard for me to believe anything she said.  It was also extremely difficult to like her; she seemed to be able to lie at the drop of a hat.  She’s full of cynicism, and the typical teenage attitude. For these reasons, it was impossible for me to like her character. 

Charlie’s character, on the other hand, was a bit more sympathetic.  He himself was betrayed by someone he trusted and sent to a concentration camp to be tortured.  His explanations for what happened are unvalidated, they seem as flimsy as Cat’s reason’s for killing Nic.  Yet, Cat is able to get away with it, Charlie is not.

Ultimately, it is Horlcok’s gift for writing that made me adore this book, despite my feelings about Cat’s character.  Historical fiction has always been a favorite genre of mine; not one I often get to enjoy.  I appreciated the historical bits spread throughout the novel.  I admit to not knowing much about Guernsey, other than things I’ve read in other pieces of fiction.

I did find Cat’s footnotes (backing up claims she makes throughout her portion of the novel) a bit distracting, ultimately not referring to them much at all.  I understand the point; her father was quite the researcher, documenting all sorts of facts, and it was just natural for Cat to pick up on her father’s practice.  That said, many of the footnotes were quite entertaining, adding an element of Cat’s wicked sense of humor to the storyline.

The early parts of the book were difficult to get into, perhaps this is because it takes some time to get used to the shifting of the characters and time period. Once I got over the early chapters, however, I was truly engrossed in this book.  The overall theme of the book, lies, is quite an interesting one. We all tell lies for various reasons: to protect ourselves and others. But this small island is so riddled in lies, it’s difficult to believe they have remained hidden for so long.  Definitely a thought-provoking book, I can definitely see The Book of Lies as a book club selection.

 I highly recommend this to fans of historical fiction, noting that it tends to be a little on the dark side. Considering two of the characters are murderers, it would be hard not to be!

 

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this book. Please be sure to check out the other stops:

Tuesday, July 19: Life In Review
Wednesday, July 20: Book Hooked Blog
Thursday, July 21: Book Addiction
Friday, July 22: Iwriteinbooks’s blog
Friday, July 22: Diary of an Eccentric
Tuesday, July 26: StephTheBookworm
Tuesday, July 26: Life in the Thumb
Thursday, July 28: Rundpinne
Monday, August 1: Crazy for Books
Tuesday, August 2: Peeking Between the Pages
Wednesday, August 3: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Thursday, August 4: I’m Booking It
Friday, August 5:  Savvy Verse & Wit
Friday, August 5: In the Next Room

 

 

Posted in Harper Perennial, Historical Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Review | 12 Comments

Guest Review: Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Jenn

I’m super excited to day to welcome a special guest reviewer to my blog today!  Jessica is my younger sister, and probably the second most avid reader in my family.  She’s been a fan of Janet Evanovich’s book since I introduced them to her a few years ago so when I presented her with the opportunity to review the latest, she couldn’t resist! 

  • Hardcover:320 pages
  • Publisher:Bantam; 1st Edition edition (June 21, 2011)
  • ISBN-10: 0345527682
  • Source: Planned Television Arts

As an avid and devoted reader of the Stephanie Plum series, I was honored when my sister Jenn asked me if I would be interested in reviewing the latest book in her series.  This review is written with the understanding that the reader has read the previous books in the series. 

Smokin’ Seventeen begins the way most of Stephanie Plum’s days begin…with a stop to pick up doughnuts.  This doughnut stop is ruined though when Stephanie has a run in with Morelli’s Grandma Bella and is given “the eye.”  Will this act be the trigger of Stephanie’s decisions throughout the book?  I’ll leave that to you to decide.

In the previous book, Sizzlin’ Sixteen, the bond’s office is firebombed by Vinnie’s unhappy associates.  Because of this the bond’s office is now being run out of Mooner’s RV with the agreement that Mooner will be supplied with gas and burrito money.  The plot thickens when construction work at the bond’s office site a body with a hand exposed in a shallow grave is discovered.  Looking at the hand, the expensive pinky ring tells everyone that this is the body of Lou Dugan, owner of the local topless bar.  But why dump his body on the bond’s office site?  Stephanie’s curiosities are running. 

With business being down, Stephanie has no choice but to track down the few FTA’s she does have.  Tracking down and bringing in FTA’s has never been Stephanie and Lula’s strength so nothing changes here as they track down a 72 year old vampire, an armed robber who’s toe gets shot off when he calls Lula fat and lets not forget the dancing bear. 

Stephanie’s love triangle continues with occasional hook-ups with both Ranger and Morelli and Stephanie not being able to decide who it is she really wants.  We also must not forget Dave Brewer, a famous high school football player that Stephanie went to school with.  Stephanie’s mom doesn’t think Morelli or Ranger are appropriate choices.  Dave slides into Stephanie’s life making gourmet meals in her apartment for Stephanie and her friends.  How is a girl to pick?  I know my pick…hehehe.

 As several more bodies show up…some with notes attached saying “For Stephanie”, Stephanie can no longer ignore what is going on around her.  She is certain the killer is someone she knows…someone she sees on a regular basis.  Who could it be?  Could it be Nick Alpha, brother of Jimmy Alpha (the one man Stephanie has killed) seeking revenge against Stephanie for the murder of his brother?  Stephanie is determined to link Nick Alpha to the killings.  As the investigation ensues, Stephanie isn’t so sure she has the right guy and soon realizes the killer is someone much closer to her.

 Janet Evanovich doesn’t disappoint at anytime in Smokin’ Seventeen.  Between Stephane’s continued love triangle with Ranger and Morelli…the crazy and random FTA’s Stephanie and Lula try to apprehend, I was one reader that was kept on my toes.  I love this series and look forward to many more.  Stephanie lives a life full of plenty of excitement and lets not forget the good looking men.  What more could a girl ask for?  😉

Posted in Bantam, Mystery/Suspense, Review | 2 Comments

Review: Close Your Eyes by Amanda Eyre Ward

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Jenn

 

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Random House (July 26, 2011)
  • ISBN-10: 0345494482
  • Source: Publisher

Lauren Mahdian, (age six) and her brother, Alex (age nine) awake from a night spent in their treehouse to learn their mother is dead, their father arrested for her murder.

Decades later, Lauren is now a real estate broker and Alex is a doctor. Lauren refuses to speak to or visit her father in jail, while Alex pursues his own investigation of the crime, unwilling to accept their father is guilty. They are orphans, in a sense, raised by their grandparents.  Their grandfather passed away several years ago, their grandmother is now in a nursing home, suffering from Alzheimer’s.

When Alex tells Lauren he is headed to Iraq to participate in a Doctors Without Borders program, Lauren is heartbroken.  Alex is persistent and heads off to Iraq, leaving Lauren on her own.  Before he leaves, he attempts to talk to her about his investigation, the leads he’s uncovered, but Lauren refuses to listen.

When Alex goes missing after an explosion at hospital at which he was working, Lauren is inconsolable. In an instant, the only immediate family she knew is now gone.  She uncovers a file Alex was keeping on the investigation and begins to follow her brother’s tracks, the most valuable piece of evidence being an earring found at their home the night of the murder.

Sylvia is a 43-year-old woman, pregnant with the child her husband doesn’t want.  She decides to leave him and head to New York, the home of her “wild child” friend from her youth, Victoria.  The person she discovers is not the friend she remembers, but a woman who drowns memories of a horrid night by drinking, leaving her young daughters in the care of her mother, Mae.

Mae and Victoria share a horrible secret, one that involves Sylvia and, unknowingly, the lives of Lauren and Alex as well.  They are all forced to come to terms with the horrible incident of one evening and how it will forever change their future.

Close Your Eyes is quite a unique story of family, love, honesty and ultimately, forgiveness.  There was a bit going on with this story, in a sense too much, in my mind.  There were so many characters, each with quite involved storylines if their own.  I wish more time was spent developing each of the characters rather than just trying to solve the mystery that connected them all.  

Lauren does go through a tremendous change in the novel.  Used to having her brother Alex to support her, she puts on a brave face and overcomes a reluctance to learn the truth behind her mother’s death. I don’t believe she would have taken this step had Alex been around to support her.

It is Sylvia’s character that I wish was more developed.  At times, it seems her character, and the characters of Victoria and her mother, Mae, were just thrown in to add additional drama to the story.  I wanted to know more about her, perhaps allowing me to feel more sympathy for her than I did.

At just over 250 pages, I think adding a bit more details about many of the characters would add to the overall experience.  I was left feeling sympathy for each of the individuals involved, but only at the surface.  That said, not all mysteries must have strong characters, authors often have a difficult decision in chosing between deep, strongly developed characters and a robust storyline.

 Ward does an outstanding job of portraying this decades-long mystery.  The prose was eloquent, instantly capturing my attention.  My emotional reaction to the writing perhaps outweighs my opinions of the character development.  Ward took me completely off guard with the storyline; never would I have connected the characters.

Close Your Eyes is an engrossing read that may at surface level seem dreary or depressing.  Ultimately, however, it is a story of hope, of persistence, and of trust.  Despite my issues with the book, I would still recommend it.

Thank you to TLC book tours for providing me with the opportunity to participate in this tour.  Please check out the other stops in this tour:

Monday, July 11th:  Bewitched Bookworms
Wednesday, July 13th:  Starting Fresh
Monday, July 18th:  A Bookworm’s World
Saturday, July 23rd:  Take Me Away
Tuesday, July 26th:  Bella’s Novella
Wednesday, July 27th:  Colloquium
Thursday, July 28th:  In the Next Room
Friday, July 29th:  Luxury Reading
Monday, August 1st:  Nomad Reader
Wednesday, August 3rd:  Life in the Thumb
Thursday, August 4th:  Rundpinne
Wednesday, August 10th:  Crazy for Books

 

Connect with the author on her website, www.amandaward.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter

Posted in Literary Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Random House, Review | Tagged , | 3 Comments