Hunted by Kelley Armstrong

In the fifth installment of the best selling “Women of the Otherworld” series, we are treated to a new narrator. Armstrong, who never does the same thing twice, gave us a Werewolf as the narrator for the first two books in the series: “Bitten” and ”Stolen.“ Then she switched focus to a Witch in “Dime Store Magic” and “Industrial Magic.“ Now, the focus changes once more and in ”Haunted,“ we are introduced to Eve Levine: former witch and supernatural super power, now a ghost.

Eve Levine first appeared in “Industrial Magic,“ but now we get to know Eve better, up close and personalAs a dead witch, Eve still holds a lot of power. Part demon, part human, there isn’t a lot that can phase Eve; except of course the inability to speak with her daughter, Savannah. Not being able to be with her daughter on the mortal plane, to hold her and comfort her, is a constant reminder of the life she leads.

Still, she is able to look in on her from time to time. Eve’s world is turned upside down when she is summoned by the Fates. They want to call in a favour she owes them; previously, the Fates helped save Paige and Lucas, Savannah’s guardians, from death. Now they want Eve to repay the favour.

The Fates need Eve’s help with catching the Nix, a demi-demon who inhabits the bodies of people on the verge of killing. The Nix gives those people that added push in order to help them carry out murder. Where there is murder, there is chaos, the stuff that the Nix thrives on. The Nix escaped her afterlife hell after centuries of confinement. She is out in the world again and will kill soon.

Eve agrees, never one to let a promise slide. But things are going to be more difficult than she could have imagined. She is given some help on her quest to find the Nix, however, in the form of an angel. Together, they must find the Nix before she kills again. Eve’s world will never be the same.

For the Nix knows that someone is on her trail and will strike at all and everyone that Eve holds dear!Each book in the series can be read as a stand alone novel, but the connections are there in each novel to connect the series.

While you may think that the change of narrator from book to book may be difficult to keep up with, it’s far from jarring. In fact, that’s what keeps the series so fresh and new. We’re introduced to different characters in each of the books, only to have them pop up with their own story.

Paige Winterbourne, for example, first made an appearance in “Stolen” only to later appear in “Dime Store Magic.“ The change in narrator gives us a chance to delve into other characters’ minds and gives us a better impression of how far and wide the Otherworld stretches. Each novel gives us a different perspective on the Otherworld, seeing it through different eyes.

“Haunted” is, by far, the best of the series so far. My plot summary barely scratched the surface on the fantastic and amazing things that go on within the pages. It is a supernatural thrill ride, a ghost love story and a white knuckled thriller that keeps you in suspense until the last page.

An amazing addition to the “Women of the Otherworld” series, “Haunted” shows us a world that we cannot begin to imagine and which we will never want to leave.

The Secret of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells

When secrets have been buried beneath the veneer of the skin, they fester. Sometimes, those secrets can be held at bay for years, decades even. Sometimes the secrets you hold can eat away at who you are, and what you have become. Usually, they have to come out sooner or later.

The consequences of that release, letting the secrets breathe and have life once more, can be good or bad – but keeping those secrets inside can tear a family apart.

In the incredible book “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” by Rebecca Wells, we meet Siddalee Walker, a middle aged playwright directing her first Broadway play. She is the daughter of Southern Belle Vivi Abbot Walker. Their relationship is rocky at best.

Along for the ride are Vivi’s life long friends: Necie, Caro and Teensy. Decades ago, Vivi, Necie, Caro and Teensie formed a secret sisterhood, the sisterhood of the Ya-Ya’s. They will let no man put them under, and will always listen to the call of the women and Gods that came before them.

Their friendship, forged in the heat of the South and the blood they shared, has stood the test of time. Unfortunately, Vivi’s relationships with her children, especially Sidda, haven’t.When the New York Times interviews Sidda and proclaims her mother to be a tap dancing child abuser, all hell breaks loose. Vivi cuts Siddalee out of her will and proclaims her dead to her, in true Southern fashion.

At a loss as to how to articulate her pain, Sidda decides not to marry her seven-year sweetheart Connor McGill. The Ya-Ya’s step in to Sidda’s aid. They implore Vivi to send Sidda the Divine Secrets, a scrapbook of sorts that chronicles their lives together. Flipping through the large book, Sidda is thrust back in time, to the South in the 1930’s and beyond, and learns what really happened to her mother and her life.

We learn, along with Sidda, about the alcohol, the lost love that died in the war, what really preceded the beating outside of their family home when Vivi finally broke down. Once secrets are released, they have a difficult time staying hidden. And, as is often the case with secrets, once one has found it’s way out to the light, the other secrets are not too far behind.

In “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” Wells has created a tapestry of words, showing us snapshots of one family’s life and a relationship between mother and daughter that is, in the end, strong enough to survive child beatings, abuse, booze, girl scouts, lovers, enemies and the perfect perm.

We are offered a glimpse into the lives of these people, Sidda, Vivi, her husband Shep, and it is often times a harrowing picture, a dark one. It is, however, a story that probably everyone can relate to. For how often have we bemoaned our parents, thought them ill equipped to deal with us, or that they really didn’t love us or want us when it is the other way around? That they don’t know how to show love and affection, that they are unable to, perhaps due to what happened to them as children. Secrets that no child really ever finds out.

“Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” is a wonderful novel filled with humor, honesty and the strength of the human spirit. If you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for?

Malinche by Laura Esquivel

I have read everything that Laura Esquivel has written.

Her novels are always filled with images and with passion, imagination and with love. While Malinche is not the best book she has written (that spot is held by Like Water for Chocolate and The Law of Love) it is still one amazing read.

Malinche, given away at an early age, finds herself the interpretor of Cortez, who does not speak the native Aztec tongue. Malinche sees Cortez as the re-embodiment of their Aztec lord and stands by his side, even when it looks as if he is intent on slaughtering the Aztec people.

After being taken over by the Mexicans, this is the last thing that Malinche wants. She believes him when he says that he has no intention to engage in the mindless slaughter of her people and a love begins to grow between the two.

A love so passionate that it threatens to blind Malinche to the truth about who Cortez really is and what he intends to do.

This novel didn’t have the flow of her other books; it felt a liiiitle stilted, as if it were trying to find its pace well into the short book. But nevertheless, it is a beautiful read.

Part novel, part commentary on life, part philosophy text book, Malinche is sure to delight with words and with a pure love that may survive all that threatens to distroy it. Most striking of all is the Codex’s included with the novel.

The Aztecs used Codexs (pictures drawn in sequence) to tell stories and one is here for us to see. Some of the pictures are scattered through out the novel to divide the chapters; but it is the books dust jacket that is the true masterpiece. If you unfold it, you will be able to follow the love story of Cortez and Malinche without words.

The art is beautiful (drawn by Esquivel’s own nephew) and is a testament to the Aztec people and a grand love affair.

Read and be enlightened.

After by Francine Prose

They called what happened at Pleasant Valley a massacre. Dozens of students and teachers gunned down in the school’s gymnasium before anyone knew what was going on. The most terrible thing is that no one saw it coming.

A group of teens, loners, marched into the school wearing trench coats, tracked down the jocks and opened fire. Fifty miles away, the students at Central High reel from the news that something so bizarre could happen at so close to home. However, the students at Central High are about to realize just how bizarre things can be. Overnight, new security measures pop up all over Central High. Students must now enter the school through metal detectors, bags are searched, and inspections are done, all in an effort to prevent what happened at Pleasant Valley from happening at Central High.

After all, you can never be too safe, can you? And then a new Grief and Crisis councillor is hired to aid students in dealing with the tragedy. Dr. Willner seems to change the school overnight, adding new rules and regulations.

No cell phones are allowed, a new dress code is introduced. Central High begins to take on an air of desperation. Tom and his friends Brian, Avery and Silas watch as the school turns from a place of learning to a prison. Their parents begin to receive nightly emails from the school telling them of the possibilities of violence and how to protect their children. They watch the goings on with curiosity. Surely this was all for their safety, wasn’t it? Students are afraid to step out of line. Silas starts talking of a cover up, a conspiracy. Something is wrong in their school and Silas knows it.

Tom, Brian and Avery laugh it off – until the students start to disappear. Willner is taking over their school; they are being watched, observed. If anyone steps out of line, the consequences are severe. Tom learns that this is happening all over the country, students are disappearing without a trace or an explanation, Silas and Avery among them. They are sent to rehab camps, never to return.

Tom thinks this is bad enough until the first student dies. Knowing he is in a race against time, he rallies together with his friend and the class pet, Becca, to try and stand up to the school and to Dr. Willner …

Prose gives us a novel that is at times chilling, at times shocking. It is a slow book that takes its time to hook the reader and draw them in to the story. Once you’re hooked, it won’t let you go. It’s also a stark novel, one that relies more on internal and external dialogue rather than the powers of description. It is also very reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984. Big Brother is watching.

However, there are a few interesting quirks about the novel. There are several things that aren’t clarified or explained. We’re never told whether or not this book is set in the future, for instance, or if it is a fantasy or a satire of real life.

We never find out what happened to the students who have disappeared. Their disappearance remains a mystery even after the book is finished. It isn’t even explained why the school is killing students and treating it’s halls like a prison.

Now, the theme of the book is supposed to be safety gone too far. That’s fine and dandy, but we still could have benefited from some explication. I enjoy fiction where I walk away thinking about what I’ve just read.

However, “After” just leaves too many questions unanswered. There is vagueness to “After” that I found unsettling, that got under my skin; this may have been its desired effect.

In the end, “After” is a pretty good novel. It shows us what can happen when supposed safety measures are taken too far and that Big Brother may not be as unrealistic a portrayal of our society as we once thought.

The Anybodies by N. E. Bode

 

What would you get if you combined the wit of Lemony Snikett’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events” with Harry Potter and tons of literary references? Well, hopefully something as astounding and enjoyable as N. E. Bode’s novel “The Anybodies.”

Switched at birth, Fern Drudger knows she has always been different than her two boring parents. Far from being boring, Fern is quite certainly more than different. She is extraordinary. One would even say magical.

As a young girl, odd things always happened to Fern. Once, as a child, she shook crickets out of a book and filled her room with them. Not magical enough for you? Well, when she was older still, drops of snow fell into her palm and formed into little pieces of paper with words on them. When she rearranged them to make sense, the sentence read: Things aren’t always what they seem are they?

Far from being amazed, the Drudgers discouraged such talk of nonsense. They were so boring their beige skin blended in perfectly with their beige walls. Ms. Drudger had a wonderful collection of flyers and they were both accountants. They would not put up with such ridiculous tomfoolery.

Fern always knew that this was not her home and wished that things would change. When Fern turns eleven, her wish is granted. She meets the Bone one evening and is informed that she was switched by accident at birth with another baby, a boy named Howard. The two families decide to swap children for the summer so that the two children can try out their new lives. This is the beginning of a marvelous adventure for Fern, although she does not know it at the time.

The Bone informs Fern that he is an Anybody, someone capable of changing their form into anybody and anything at whim. Only he is not a very good one. Fern’s mother on the other hand was a spectacular Anybody and the Bone hopes that Fern has some of her dead mother’s talents. The Bone needs Fern’s help in finding a special book called “The Art of Being Anybody.” With it, one could rule the world, if they chose to.

They have to find the book before The Miser, The Bone’s archenemy, can find it first. In the wrong hands, “The Art of Anybody” could be quite dangerous. As Fern embarks on her remarkable journey, she will learn a lot of who she is, where she came from and what she is destined to do.

In short, this book is absolutely incredible. Stupendous even. In fact, it is probably the best book I have read so far this year – and I read a lot. It’s got everything in it: magic, family secrets, revenge, odd characters. From the first page, I was enchanted and didn’t want to put it down. As soon as I finished it, I went right back to the first page and read it again.

What makes the book so wonderful is first and foremost, it’s writing style. Written in a style that is reminiscent of Lemony Snickett, it is witty, full of funny author interruptions and hilarity. The book takes the normal children’s fantasy novel and turns it upside down. Nothing is as it seems and it is fresh and crisp, wonderful reading.

The author even apologizes for having talking animals in the story. Another bonus, for those of us who have been given the pleasure of reading in our younger years, is the references to other classic children’s works.

There are references to over thirty different classic children’s books including “The Wizard of Oz,” “Charlotte’s Web” and “Where the Sidewalk Ends” to name a few. While reading along, see if you can count them all.

“The Anybodies” is a book about books and any book lover, child or adult, will enjoy flipping through its pages. I can’t wait for the sequel “The Nobodies” to come out next year. In the meantime, I will have to read “The Anybodies” again a few more times; and enjoy every blessed moment.

Christ The Lord by Anne Rice

 

Everyone knows of The Greatest Story Ever Told. How Jesus was tempted by the devil and was betrayed by Judas for three pieces of silver; how he was crucified on a cross and rose from the dead three days later. It’s quite a story. It has all the elements of a good potboiler: heroes, villains, damsels in distress, betrayal, miracles, true love. Almost sounds like “The Princess Bride” doesn’t it? But has anyone ever asked themselves what happened before The Greatest Story Ever Told?

Apparently, Anne Rice has. The result is the breathtaking “Christ the Lord Out of Egypt.” I can hear you going: What? Anne Rice? The Vampire Lady? It’s true. After the death of her husband, Anne Rice stated that her focus of writing would change drastically. There were to be no more vampires, no more Lestat. They were to be gone from us forever.

Many speculated what focus or direction Anne Rice’s writing would take now that she was not going to write about vampires, mummies or witches. Having grown up in a strict Catholic childhood, Rice had left the church, only to return to its walls years later. Before the death of her husband, Rice had gone back to the Catholic Church and had wanted to write the story of Jesus Christ. For wasn’t Christ the most supernatural of creatures ever made?

Meticulously researched, it tells the story of a young, seven year old Jesus who realizes that he is not like other boys. Able to give life to clay birds, bring death and life to someone else in a heartbeat, Jesus is feared by many. After causing a boy to die and then bringing him back to life to ease the grief of his parents, Jesus and his family leave Alexandria and return to Jerusalem.

Jesus is aware that they are leaving because of him. Wherever they go, there is whispered conversation about what happened in Bethlehem seven years ago. Jesus learns that Joseph is not his father; this is something he has always known, though he is not sure how he knew. Though he questions Joseph about his birth, he is told not to ask questions, told not to question that which he can’t understand at such a young age.

Finally, one night, Jesus is forced to ask his mother about his birth. He tells her he needs to know about the mystery surrounding him. She tells him that he is not the child of an angel, that he is the child of the Lord, the child of God.

That an angel came to her and told her that she had been chosen the most blessed of women, that she would bear a child for the Lord. She worries that Jesus doesn’t understand the enormity of what she is telling him.

But Jesus does understand. For he is wise beyond his years. As well, when they return to Jerusalem, it is to a grueling sight: Instead of the Passover ceremony they were expecting, they walk into the temple into a slaughter. Herod’s men are killing the Jew’s left and right. Jesus knows that people are dying around him but he understands that he must see this; that he is meant to see this. He begins to get a measure of human suffering.

Jesus will have to learn a lot more before “Christ the Lord Out of Egypt” is over. And I, for one, hung on to the book with white knuckles as I read on to find out what would happen to him. The book starts with a bang and just gets better. “Christ the Lord” is really a historical novel of the finest weaving. Rice’s research is evident and the story of Jesus is brought to such life that you feel you are there, living, with him.

There are lessons in this book too: On human suffering, on love, on parenthood, on life and death. Jesus knows he must look at everything with a different eye than most. And he is very philosophical for a seven year old. But you feel for Jesus, for his family; for the trials they must go through.

Normally, this is not the kind of book that would interest me at all. I normally stay far away from anything that has to do with the Catholic Church. But the fact that Anne Rice had written it (and that is had gotten several glowing reviews) made me wonder. I knew it would be (hopefully) well written and I knew it would be well researched. I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, I was enchanted.

I honestly think this is her best book since her earlier work on the Vampire Chronicles. The sensuality of her writing is still there, still crisp. And the love of her subject matter shines through at one hundred watts. Put simply, this book glows.

I can only hope that Rice will continue with the life of Jesus so that I can find out what happens to him next. Even if you’re not a Christian, you will love this book. Pick it up and be enchanted.