DNF Discussion: The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley

The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley
Book 3 in The Seven Sisters series
e-book, hardcover, 512 pages
Atria Books
April 18, 2017
DNF

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from the publisher for review

Book Blurb:

Travel through the lush English countryside and explore the magnificent estates of the British aristocracy in this next spellbinding love story in The Seven Sisters series by #1 internationally bestselling author Lucinda Riley.

Star D’Aplièse is at a crossroads in her life after the sudden death of her beloved father—the elusive billionaire, affectionately called Pa Salt by his six daughters, all adopted from across the four corners of the world. He has left each of them a clue to her true heritage, and Star nervously decides to follow hers, which leads her to an antiquarian bookshop in London, and the start of a whole new world.

A hundred years earlier, headstrong and independent Flora MacNichol vows she will never marry. She is happy and secure in her home in England’s picturesque Lake District—just a stone’s throw away from the residence of her childhood idol, Beatrix Potter—when machinations lead her to London, and the home of one of Edwardian society’s most notorious society hostesses, Alice Keppel. Flora is torn between passionate love and her duty to her family, but finds herself a pawn in a larger game. That is, until a meeting with a mysterious gentleman unveils the answers that Flora has been searching for her whole life...

As Star learns more of Flora’s incredible journey, she too goes on a voyage of discovery, finally stepping out of the shadow of her sister and opening herself up to the possibility of love.

I want to first start off by saying that this is NOT a complete review because I did not finish the book.  I completed approximately 60% of the book, and that felt like extensive effort. For those of you that have been with me for awhile now you know how rare it is that I DNF a book. Could I have finished reading this one? Yes, but it was taking so long to slog through the pages and I quite honestly was struggling to find interest to pick it back up again.

I like the premise of the series – each book focusing on one of the sisters that were adopted by a man of whom the reader (and the sisters) have little background knowledge of. Each on a quest of discovery of where they come from thus bringing the reader through a contemporary and historical storyline. I have had a lot of success with stories that move between both a history and contemporary timeline in the past, and it worked to some extent here, but I found the historical story line vastly more interesting than that of the contemporary. The reason for this…the main character Star. I found her SO boring. She had no personality and every time she was in a scene I felt like a wet blanket was being thrown over the plot. In that modern storyline I actually enjoyed the two male side characters the most: Mouse and Orlando, they at least had fascinating and quirky personalities. The historical was definitely the stronger storyline of the two. While Flora occasionally frustrated me, I felt it was appropriate to the storyline and she had a lot going on in her life. I felt for her and how her heart was ripped apart as she tried to make the right decisions in life. Basically I was interested in finding out what ultimately happened to Flora, but could have cared less about what happened to Star. Every time we emerged out of the historical storyline the plot came to a screeching halt and I would put down the book and not be interested in picking it back up. I think that this could have been a much stronger book if the contemporary story line was eliminated.

In case anyone suggests that maybe I would have enjoyed the story more if I had read the first 2 books in the series, I don’t think that this at all affected how I felt about the story. There is quite a lot of backstory provided and even information given on what happened to the sisters of the first two books that I was comfortable with the timeline.

Copyright © 2017 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini

Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini
ARC, e-book, 320 pages
Dutton
October 27, 2015
★★★★☆

Genre: Historical fiction, Christmas

Source: Received from the publisher for review via Netgalley

In 1860, the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow family celebrated Christmas at Craigie House, their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The publication of Longfellow’s classic Revolutionary War poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride,” was less than a month hence, and the country’s grave political unrest weighed heavily on his mind. Yet with his beloved wife, Fanny, and their five adored children at his side, the delights of the season prevailed.

In present-day Boston, a dedicated teacher in the Watertown public school system is stunned by somber holiday tidings. Sophia’s music program has been sacrificed to budget cuts, and she worries not only about her impending unemployment but also about the consequences to her underprivileged students. At the church where she volunteers as music director, Sophia tries to forget her cares as she leads the children’s choir in rehearsal for a Christmas Eve concert. Inspired to honor a local artist, Sophia has chosen a carol set to a poem by Longfellow, moved by the glorious words he penned one Christmas Day long ago, even as he suffered great loss.

Christmas Bells chronicles the events of 1863, when the peace and contentment of Longfellow’s family circle was suddenly, tragically broken, cutting even deeper than the privations of wartime. Through the pain of profound loss and hardship, Longfellow’s patriotism never failed, nor did the power of his language. “Christmas Bells,” the poem he wrote that holiday, lives on, spoken as verse and sung as a hymn.

Jennifer Chiaverini’s resonant and heartfelt novel for the season reminds us why we must continue to hear glad tidings, even as we are tested by strife. Reading Christmas Bells evokes the resplendent joy of a chorus of voices raised in reverent song.

Despite the name, Christmas Bells is a novel that while it fits more with the holiday/winter season, it can certainly be enjoyed throughout the rest of the year. The title relates directly to the poem, and later the Christmas carol, written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the novel by Jennifer Chiaverini takes that poem at its heart and builds around it both a modern story as well as a historical story. Let’s explore that more.

The historical story is set during the years of the Civil War in the United States and follows the Longfellow family (yes, the Longfellow that wrote the titular poem) through all the trials and tribulations that led to the composition of said poem. I had not known anything about Longfellow, I’m not a huge fan of poetry, but I found his life fascinating, but so tragic. There was a lot of sadness during this time for him. While we learn a lot about the man himself we also see what some aspects of the War would have been like for those living in the North as well as on the battlefield as that touched close to home for Longfellow as well.

The modern story line ties in because it is based around a church children’s choir that is practicing to perform Christmas Bells for their Christmas service. While the historical narrative follows one man/one family, the modern narrative looks at several different people’s stories each filled with a lot of hardship and sadness around the holiday, just like Longfellow.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked both the historical and the modern for different reasons. The historical narrative evoked the time period very well and looked at the effects of the War on the people at home and how they dealt with their family member being at war. The modern story was one that kept you on the edge of your seat wondering how each person’s plight would resolve and if it would be happy or not. Both stories pulled at my heart strings and made me truly care about the characters. However, there were a couple issues as well.

My major issue was with the structure of the novel. The historical narrative is told from the limited perspective of Henry Longfellow whereas in the modern narrative each chapter is told by a different character – from children in the choir, to the choir directors, parents, and church people. It was weird for me to bounce around between characters in one narrative, but remain with one character in the other. However, this wasn’t my most significant issue with the structure. In the modern narrative there were some instances of repetition in storytelling between characters. This was particularly obvious with the chapters from the brother/sister and their mother. There were entire passages that I skimmed right past because I had already read that exact thing not a chapter before, which was a little frustrating. It felt almost like a copy/paste job. You can still have overlapping segments, but being from 2 perspectives there should be differences there. They were wasted words on me.

At its heart, Christmas Bells is the story of survival, moving on, and embracing what life throws at you, which can be appreciated at all times of the year.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• The Calico Critic
• Always With A Book

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

 

Also by Jennifer Chiaverini:

Jennifer Chiaverini has written many books in the Elm Creek Quilt series, that I am not going to list here for brevity. You can find the complete list on her website.

Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule

The Spymistress

Fates and Traitors

Mrs. Lincoln’s Rival

Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker

Find Jennifer Chiaverini: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

Copyright © 2017 by The Maiden’s Court

Audiobook Review: My Last Continent by Midge Raymond

My Last Continent by Midge Raymond

Unabridged, 8 hr. 55 min.

Simon & Schuster Audio

Cassandra Campbell (Narrator)

June 21, 2016

★★★★★

 

Genre: General Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Source: Received download code for review from publisher

It is only at the end of the world—among the glacial mountains, cleaving icebergs, and frigid waters of Antarctica—where Deb Gardner and Keller Sullivan feel at home. For the few blissful weeks they spend each year studying the habits of emperor and Adélie penguins, Deb and Keller can escape the frustrations and sorrows of their separate lives and find solace in their work and in each other. But Antarctica, like their fleeting romance, is tenuous, imperiled by the world to the north. 

A new travel and research season has just begun, and Deb and Keller are ready to play tour guide to the passengers on the small expedition ship that ferries them to their research destination. But this year, Keller fails to appear on board. Then, shortly into the journey, Deb’s ship receives an emergency signal from the Australis, a cruise liner that has hit desperate trouble in the ice-choked waters of the Southern Ocean. Soon Deb’s role will change from researcher to rescuer; among the crew of that sinking ship, Deb learns, is Keller.

As Deb and Keller’s troubled histories collide with this catastrophic present, Midge Raymond’s phenomenal novel takes us on a voyage deep into the wonders of the Antarctic and the mysteries of the human heart. My Last Continent is packed with emotional intelligence and high stakes—a harrowing, searching novel of love and loss in one of the most remote places on earth, a land of harsh beauty where even the smallest missteps have tragic consequences.

I know this isn’t my usual reviewing genre, but I just loved this book SO much that I just had to try to put it into words and share with you all so you can enjoy it yourself. This is a contemporary set story with romantic elements, and while the greater story arc does revolve around the relationship between two characters, it didn’t read like your typical romance – you know where you know there will be a happily ever after no matter what and the wooing and pursuit of the other person. I didn’t even realize it was categorized as a romance when I selected this title, I was simply excited about the vastly different setting of Antarctica and was drawn in by the prospect of the looming disaster of a ship sinking.

One of the things you will notice right from the start is that it is not told in a linear nature, but rather each chapter is a point in time relative to the sinking of the Australis (ie. 5 months before the sinking, 3 days before the sinking). You may jump for a point in Deb’s life 10 years before the sinking to 5 hours before the sinking in the next chapter and then back to 2 years before. While I can sometimes find this style of jumping all over the timeline to be confusing, especially if they just title the chapters with dates, this worked here. I was easily able to follow where Deb was in her life and how it built upon what she would be experiencing the closer be get to the crash or why she made certain choices that she did.

For a place that I have certainly never been anywhere near (and not experienced on the page either), Raymond brought the continent of Antarctica to vivid life. It is not a friendly place to be at all; the weather changes in an instant and you are taking your life in your hands simply traveling there. The descriptions of glacial ice, snow storms, and the frigid nature of just daily life were palpable and I was transported there within just a few pages. If the author has never travelled there I would tell you that I didn’t believe it. I think part of the intrigue for this story was simply just how exotic the setting was for me.

As to what this book is about, it’s about so many different things that it is hard to describe. The overarching story arc is the relationship between Deb and Keller and how that’s affected by their work in Antarctica and when they are apart, and don’t have that place to connect them, how their relationship changes. Scaled down a bit is the story of the changing environment of Antarctica seen through the perspective of the wildlife that lives there. Deb and Keller are researchers and are studying penguin colonies that call this frigid land home. You get a lot of information about the wildlife, but it never felt like an infodump or being too preachy about protecting the environment (even though that is there too). There are also some smaller storylines involving some of the passengers and crewmembers on the ship that Deb works from, which become important at times.

I’m going to warn you that this story will pull at your heartstrings and probably require a tissue or two. It’s one of the best books I have read recently and I would recommend it far and wide.

★★★★★

Cassandra Campbell is a top rated narrator and loved by many audiobook listeners. This is the first title I have read from her, although I have picked up several more titles she has narrated since reading this. Not only is the narrative excellent, but the way Campbell reads the story amps up everything: the passion, the fear, and the adrenaline pumping action moments. I believed her as the voice of Deb. She pulled me through this novel and made me never want to put it down.

You can listen to a sample of this awesome narration below:


Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Book Chatter
• This Literary Life

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia


Also by Midge Raymond:

Forgetting English (short story collection)


 
Find Midge Raymond: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Find Cassandra Campbell: Twitter | Goodreads

 
 


Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: A Light on the Veranda by Ciji Ware

A Light on the Veranda by Ciji Ware

Book 2 in the Time Travel Duo

ARC, Paperback, 480 pages

Sourcebooks Landmark

March 1, 2012

★★★★☆

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction

Source: Received for review from the Publisher

“A ‘stand-alone’ sequel to Midnight on Julia Street, this novel tells the story of Daphne Duvallon, a wayward southern belle and Juilliard-trained harpist, who returns to Natchez, Mississippi from New York’s cut-throat classical music world, weary from professional battles and personal despair. Still wounded from the uproar that ricocheted through her family when she ditched Jack Ebert, her philandering groom, literally at the altar, she has an unexpected rendezvous with her future when she meets Simon Hopkins, a nationally-renown nature photographer with a dark secret of his own. Reinventing her life as a jazz musician while sorting through a series of bizarre collisions with her nineteenth century ancestors—and Simon’s as well—Daphne begins to get the feeling that she might well be better off making her way as a second-rate musician at society weddings than as a wildly successful woman band leader whose past is deeply rooted in the ‘Land that Time Forgot.’”

I can’t say that I have read a novel set in the Deep South, but the “Land that Time Forgot” was a wonderful setting for A Light on the Veranda! Ciji Ware creates the entire experience for you from the food, to the gorgeous old mansions, to the music – and oh what wonderful music! I love music and the jazz that Ware features in this novel makes you just want to run out and attend a jazz concert – certainly one like the Aphrodites! She really makes you feel like you have been there yourself.

This was also my first experience with a “time slip” novel. While most of the story takes place in a contemporary setting, fragments of the novel are set in the 1800’s. With these segments we learn about the life of some of the family members of Daphne, and Sim, Jack, and others from around the Natchez area. These time slips fit perfectly into the story and helped move the plot along and provide Daphne with some interesting references regarding experiences she was going through at the time. They never felt jarring or out of place – I just wanted more of them! Through these time slips we get a sense of 19th century plantation life.

For the most part I enjoyed the characters. Jack is quite is evil villain – I would really not want to get on his bad side, let me tell you! Sim is a sweet guy with a lot of baggage but someone you can really get behind and root for. Daphne got on my nerves from time to time with her constant flip flopping and relationship woes – but based on some of her experiences it does make sense.

I didn’t realize that this was a sequel of any kind to Midnight on Julia Street, having not yet read that novel. I do believe the blurb that says this works as a standalone because I did not feel the least confused about the plot points or backstory.

I also have to give kudos to Ware on her inclusion of safe sex. Reading primarily historical novels I don’t usually encounter this issue, however contemporary novels don’t typically address the issue either. It almost felt a little shocking to me to actually see the issue raised in the book, but then I felt “way to go!”.

If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Butterfly-O-Meter Books
• Linda Banche and Her Historical Hilarity

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia |

Also by Ciji Ware:

A Cottage by the Sea

Island of the Swans

A Race to Splendor
[My Review]

Midnight on Julia Street (Time Travel Duo #1)

That Summer in Cornwall (The Four Seasons #1)

That Autumn in Edinburgh (The Four Seasons #2)

That Winter in Venice (The Four Seasons #3)

That Spring in Paris (The Four Seasons #4)

Find Ciji Ware: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy

The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy

ARC, Paperback, 384 pages

Mira

January 24, 2012

★★★★½☆

Genre: Epic Family Saga, Historical

Source: Received for review as part of Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc blog tour

“An epic, sweeping tale of a dynasty rotten to the core, driven by ambition, lust – and hatred. 

For generations, Aurelia was the crowning glory of more than three thousand acres of Iowa farmland and golden cornfields. The estate was a monument to matriarch Lavinia Hathaway’s dream to elevate the family name—no matter what relative or stranger she had to destroy in the process. It was a desperation that wrought the downfall of the Hathaways—and the once-prosperous farm. 

Now the last inhabitant of the decaying old home has died—alone. None of the surviving members of the Hathaway family want anything to do with the farm, the land or the memories. 

Especially Meredith Pincetti. Now living in New York City, for seventeen years Lavinia’s youngest grandchild has tried to forget everything about her family and her past. But with the receipt of a pleading letter, Meredith is again thrust into conflict with the legacy that destroyed her family’s -great name. 

Back at Aurelia, Meredith must confront the rise and fall of the Hathaway family…and her own part in their mottled history.”

This was a book like I haven’t read before; it sort of defies being placed in a distinct genre category for me – part historical, part family saga, and part gothic drama. We learn about each generation of the family on the Aurelia farm – her Grandfather and his siblings, her Father and his siblings, and then finally Meredith and her sisters. You get some historical references to World War II, the Vietnam War, hippies – but really you learn what life was like in small farming communities.

The first couple of chapters were a little slow going for me, mostly because you are quickly swept into the family history and I had a hard time discerning who was who and also who was telling the story. We are basically following Meredith through her memories and what she knows of her family’s rise and ultimate downfall.

As each generation is fleshed out we really get to see more and more of the cracks and problems within the family – each of them has some epic problems. You can start to see how things could go wrong over time but the author really leaves you hanging as to what ultimately brought the family to its lowest until the final chapters.

After I got through the first couple of chapters the story took off for me and raced at a breakneck pace until the very end. You will find yourself wrapped up in the characters and not wanting to put the book down because you just have to know what they did next. While this wasn’t a typical type of read for me, I enjoyed it immensely

If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book (scroll down the page about halfway)?

You can also watch the book trailer below.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• A Bookish Libraria
• Amused By Books

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

 
Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Audiobook Review: Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Unabridged, 9 hr. 58 min.
Macmillan Audio
Polly Stone (narrator)
May 26, 2009
★★★★½☆

Genre: Historical & Contemporary Fiction

Source: Audiobook borrowed from Library

“Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.

Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.

Tatiana de Rosnay offers us a brilliantly subtle, compelling portrait of France under occupation and reveals the taboos and silence that surround this painful episode” .

This book came highly recommended to me by my Aunt and I have to pass on my high recommendations for this book to you all.

This novel tells two stories – both set in Paris, France, but 60 years apart. You have the story taking place in 1942 – told through the eyes of a 10 year old child. With this perspective, you are not told everything, but we as the reader can start to put pieces together for a more complete story. In her story the characters do not have names – they are just mother, brother, father, etc. For me, the fact that people were not given names – made this anyone’s story; it wasn’t necessarily just the story of Sarah and her family’s traumatic event, but the story of any of the families affected by the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup.

The other story is the 2002 story – this is the story of Julia – an American ex-patriot living in France. She is a journalist and begins writing a story about the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup for the magazine that she works for and becomes so absorbed with the story of this little girl, Sarah. As the novel bounces back and forth between time periods, you can use the information you learn through Julia’s research to help understand what is going on in Sarah’s story.

About half-way through the novel the two stories merge in a shocking way. You learn the names and fates of the characters and at that point it becomes Sarah’s story – no longer is it the generic story of any little girl.

This is a very sad and traumatic story – you will likely need a few tissues. Although the events are sad, the fact that Julia is doing this research and determined to bring these events back into the minds of the public who have forgotten, is admirable and something that I think should happen more often. If we don’t remember, we forget – it’s a very straightforward concept. For me, the writing was flawless and the story was so inspirational and taught me a lot.

★★★★½☆

The narration was absolutely top notch! With this book set in France and some phrases in French, it was easier to get the real feel of the story - I know absolutely no French so I would have slaughtered it.

You can listen to a short sample of the book below:

This book has been turned into a movie, Elle s’appelait Sarah, which was recently picked up at the Toronto Film Festival for US distribution by Weinstein & Co. It is scheduled to be released in France on October 13, 2010. It stars Kristin Scott Thomas as Julia and Melusine Mayance as Sarah.

Here is the trailer –

Reviews of this book by other bloggers

• S. Krishna’s Books
• Reading in Winter

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Tatiana de Rosnay:

The House I Loved
[My Review]

A Secret Kept

The Other Story

A Paris Affair

You can also check out my review of the movie.

Find Tatiana de Rosnay: Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

 

Copyright © 2010 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo
Book 2 in the Adventures with Jane Austen and Her Legacy series

Paperback, 272 pages

Guideposts Books

February 1, 2010

★★★½☆☆

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance

Source: Received for review from publicist

“Claire Prescott is a sensible woman who believes in facts and figures, not fairy tales. But when she agrees to present a paper to a summer symposium at Oxford on her ailing sister’s behalf, Claire finds herself thrown into an adventure with a gaggle of Jane Austen-loving women all on the lookout for their Mr. Darcy. Claire isn’t looking for Mr. Anyone. She's been dating Neil, a nice, if a bit negligent, sports fanatic. But when a tall, dark and dashing stranger crosses her path, will the staid Claire suddenly discover her inner romantic heroine? Her chance meeting with a mysterious woman who claims to have an early version of Austen's Pride and Prejudice, in which Lizzie ends up with someone other than Fitzwilliam Darcy, leads to an astounding discovery about the venerated authors own struggle to find the right hero for Lizzie Bennett. Neil's unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire's journey to finding her own romantic lead. Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart is the story of a woman who finds that love isn’t logical and that a true hero can appear in the most unexpected of places” .

Honestly, I have to admit up front, I am not a huge Jane Austen fan. I haven’t read any of her books and haven’t really felt a desire to. After I accepted this book, I wasn’t really sure I would enjoy it – my only exposure to Austen’s work was the Kiera Knightly Pride & Prejudice film. I am happy to admit that I really enjoyed this book and found myself interested in reading the actual Pride & Prejudice book.

One of the interesting aspects of this story was the premise that Claire finds a first draft of P & P that was nothing like what the published version was. Now of course I don’t know what the real writing was like, but I felt like Pattillo did a great job of creating her own version of what the first draft might have been like. The story was definitely different than the final version.

My only problem with the story was that I didn’t feel anything for the 2 men that Claire is forced to choose between. I really liked Claire and her felt for her, but the author didn’t seem to develop the male characters enough for me to really feel the struggle.

Interestingly I found some connections between this book and another book I read last year, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. The story was set in an academic setting with the main character searching for a book that had been passed down and hidden from someone who wants it. But I think Physick Book carried it off better.

This was a quick and enjoyable read. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the original work so that I could compare the “first draft” to the real book, but still very enjoyable. I am thinking of picking up Jane Austen Ruined My Life by the same author.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Austenprose
• Dear Author

Buy the Book:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Beth Pattillo:

Jane Austen Ruined My Life (Book 1)

The Dashwood Sisters Tell All (Book 3)

Find Beth Pattillo: Website | Twitter | Facebook 

 

Copyright © 2010 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Hardcover, 480 pages

Delacorte Books for Young Readers

September 22, 2009
★★★★ ½☆

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: Personal Collection

"Can Cameron find what he’s looking for? 

All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most."

Cameron is your normal 16 year old boy – that is until he finds out that he has Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease or the human version of mad-cow. While lying in his hospital bed he is visited by a punk fairy who tells him he must go on a journey to follow clues that will eventually lead to finding a cure for his disease. Cameron takes this trip with a talking lawn-gnome and a dwarf and has many crazy adventures. But will all of these adventures lead to his cure?

I couldn’t stop laughing throughout this entire book. The almost 500 pages just flew by; I was having such a good time. Bray creates her own words to describe things (which is something I do ALL the time) and is really in-tune to how teenagers talk and act. I was disappointed by the ending, but not because it wasn’t good, but because I wanted more of it. I wanted more adventures; Cameron was a totally lovable character.

I still have to say that my favorite part of the book was the first chapter. There is just something so hilarious about what goes on in 5 year old Cameron’s mind as he rides the It’s a Small World ride at Disney.

I think that this book was a great depiction of Bray’s personality. I really enjoyed listening to her read this book at the author event I went to and she is a wonderful person.

Here is the crazy book trailer for Going Bovine:

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Teen Reads
• Electrifying Reviews

Buy the Book:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Libba Bray:

The Gemma Doyle Trilogy:

A Great and Terrible Beauty (Book 1)
[My Review]

Rebel Angels (Book 2)

The Sweet Far Thing (Book 3)

The Diviners series:

The Diviners (Book 1)

Lair of Dreams (Book 2)

 

Stand Alone Novels:

Beauty Queens
[My Review]

 

Find Libba Bray: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

 

 

Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court