The Vanishing - Review

Title:  The Vanishing  

Author:  Sophia Tobin

Synopsis: “On top of the Yorkshire Moors, in an isolated spot carved out of a barren landscape, lie White Windows, a house of shadows and secrets.  Here lives Marcus Twentyman, a hard-drinking but sensitive man, and his sister, the brisk widow, Hester.

     “When runaway Annaleigh first meets the Twentymans, their offer of employment and lodging seems a blessing.  Only later does she discover the truth.  But by then she is already in the middle of a web of darkness and intrigue, where murder seems the only possible means of escape…”

Review:  I’m going to be straight up and tell you right now that The Vanishing is dark and terrifying.  I read it in pretty much one sitting.  I started reading it sitting on the couch after dinner last night while SuperSteve was watching television.  I took a break midway to brush my teeth, put on my pajamas and climb into bed.  I finished at 11:30pm last night.  That’s an hour and a half after my bedtime, but I just couldn’t put it down!

     I requested this novel to review based solely on the cover.  It’s different, it grabbed my attention.  I thought it might be a light historical romance.  It is not!  Be warned, it is full of triggers.  There’s rape, drugs and the death of a child within these pages.  It started out a little slow, but the description of the moors, and the isolation found there, drew me in.  It was probably around 30% of the way in when I realized I was not going to sleep until I was finished with The Vanishing.  Even after I finished reading and turned out the light I lay there in the dark wide awake and thinking about Annaleigh and White Windows.  I'm immediately buying more books by Sophia Tobin and I highly recommend this novel to anyone who can deal with the aforementioned triggers.
*****I was provided a free copy of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.****

Publisher:  Simon Schuster UK

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Hunger by Alma Katsu

The Widow’s Confession by Sophia Tobin

No Cure for the Dead - Review

Title: No Cure for the Dead

Author: Christine Trent

Series:  A Florence Nightingale Mystery #1

Synopsis:  “When a young nurse dies on her watch, Florence Nightingale must uncover the deep –hidden secrets someone will kill to keep buried.

     “It is 1853, Lady of the Lamp Florence Nightingale has just accepted the position of Superintendent of the Establishment for Gentlewomen During Temporary Illness in London.  She has hardly had time to learn the names of the nurses in her charge when she suddenly finds one of them hanging in the Establishment’s library.  Her name was Nurse Bellamy.

     “Florence’s mettle is tested by the dual goals of preserving what little reputation her hospital has and bringing Nurse Bellamy’s killer to justice.  Her efforts are met with upturned noses and wayward glances except for her close friend and advocate inside the House of Commons, Sidney Herbert.  As Florence digs deeper, however, her attention turns to one of the hospital investors and suddenly, Sidney becomes reluctant to help.

     “With no one but herself to count on, Florence must now puzzle out what the death of an unknown, nondescript young nurse had to do with conspiracies lurking about at the highest levels of government before she’s silenced too.”

Review:  I found No Cure for the Dead to be a highly entertaining read.  I appreciate historical novels with strong female main characters that also strive to maintain some historical accuracy.  The willingness of the police officers and several male members of the board who oversee the Establishment, to dismiss Florence’s concerns, simply because of her gender, is infuriating but also accurate to the time period of the novel. 

     I’ve been reading more historical mysteries since I’ve discovered my love for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories and novels, which I will be discussing in an upcoming post later this month.  There are a few moments during No Cure for the Dead when the story lags due to some areas of large chunks of description where we are given vast amounts of historical nursing procedures all at once.  These sections could have been handled a bit differently as they are not truly relevant to the story, but they are relevant to the true story of Florence Nightingale, and you can easily skim past them and still retain all of the information that is pertinent to the story.  I did not guess who the murderer was before it was revealed, which is unusual for me.  Trent spends a lot of time bringing many of the nurses and patients of the Establishment to life and I appreciate that aspect of storytelling.  I truly came to care about the characters and look forward to reading the rest of the series.  I recommend fans of mysteries and fans of historical fiction give this new series a try. 

  

*****I was provided with a free copy of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*****

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

If you like this book you may want to read:

Lady of Ashes (Lady of Ashes Book #1) by Christine Trent (Read BookGirlR’s review here)

The Lion’s Courtship: A Dark Victorian Crime Novel (Anna Kronberg Mysteries Book #0.5) by Annelie Wendeberg

Lady of Ashes - Review

Title:  Lady of Ashes

Author:  Christine Trent

Series:  Lady of Ashes #1

Synopsis:  “In 1861 London, Violet Morgan is struggling to establish a good reputation for the undertaking business that her husband has largely abandoned.  She provides comfort for the grieving, advises them on funeral fashion and etiquette, and arranges funerals.

     “Unbeknownst to his wife, Graham, who has nursed a hatred of America since his grandfather soldiered for Great Britain in the War of 1812, becomes involved in a scheme to sell arms to the South.  Meanwhile, Violet receives the commission of a lifetime: undertaking the funeral for a friend of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.  But her position remains precarious, especially when Graham disappears and she begins investigating a series of deaths among the poor.  And the closer she gets to the truth, the greater the danger for them both…”

Review:  I really enjoyed Lady of Ashes.  There aren’t many novels out there about undertakers, much less a female undertaker in Victorian England.  Trent’s character building and world description was well done.  The descriptions of Victorian funeral practices, and etiquette was fascinating.   Violet is a likable heroine and I couldn’t help but feel for her.  I hated Graham and truly felt throughout the novel that Violet would be better off without him, despite her being a woman in a male dominated society. 

      I don’t read a lot of mysteries, because I can always guess what is going to happen and get bored.  Lady of Ashes was a perfect blend of history, mystery and romance.  I did not get bored and even stayed up past my bedtime to finish, because I just HAD to find out what happened.  A big thank you to my Tattooed Cupcake for recommending this outstanding novel to me.  I can’t wait to read the next installment!

Publisher: Kensington

If you like this book you may want to read:

Stolen Remains (Lady of Ashes #2) by Christine Trent

Jackaby (Jackaby #1) by William Ritter

A Deadly Affection (Dr. Genevieve Summerford Mystery #1) by Cuyler  Overholt

The Radium Girls - Review

Title:  The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women

Author:  Kate More

Synopsis:    “The incredible true story of the young women exposed to the “wonder” substance of radium and their brave struggle for justice…

     “As World War I raged across the globe, hundreds of young women toiled away at the radium-dial factories, where they painted clock faces with a mysterious new substance called radium.  Assured by their bosses that the luminous material was safe, the women themselves shone brightly in the dark, covered from head to toe with the glowing dust.  With such a coveted job these “shining girls” were considered the luckiest alive – until they began to fall mysteriously ill.  As the fatal poison of the radium took hold, they found themselves embroiled in one of America’s biggest scandals and a groundbreaking battle for workers’ rights.

     “A rich, historical narrative written in a sparkling voice, The Radium Girls is the first book the fully explores the strength of extraordinary women in the face of almost impossible circumstances and the astonishing legacy they left behind.”

Review:  This book was really hard to read, while also being hard to put down.  The descriptions of what happened to these women are horrific; I had nightmares after reading this.  But it’s an important part of our history.  Where would we be without the ground breaking legal battles that these brave women fought?  They illuminated the way for future worker’s rights.  With The Radium Girls, Kate Moore brings history to life.  I truly felt like I got to know the women whose stories are being told here.  At one point I was so into what I was reading that I literally burned water.  Seriously, I was beginning dinner, making rice and the pot boiled dry while I was reading.  There were flames. 

     It took me about 5 hours to read The Radium Girls, and I did nothing else while reading it.  I had to finish, to find out what happened to these women, and make sure they got the justice they deserved.  If you like history, or enjoy the safety laws that keep you safe at your job, I strongly recommend The Radium Girls.

**I received a free copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review, via NetGalley**

Publisher:   Sourcebooks

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann

Fevre Dream - Review

Title:  Fevre Dream

Author: George R. R. Martin

Synopsis:  “Abner Marsh, a struggling riverboat captain, suspects that something’s amiss when he is approached by a wealthy aristocrat with a lucrative offer.  The hauntingly pale, steely-eyed Joshua York doesn’t care that the icy winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of Marsh’s dilapidated fleet; nor does he care that he won’t earn back his investment in a decade.  York’s reasons for traversing the powerful Mississippi are to be none of Marsh’s concern – no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious York’s actions may prove.  Not until the maiden voyage of Fevre Dream does Marsh realize that he has joined a mission both more sinister, and perhaps more noble, than his most fantastic nightmare—and humankind’s most impossible dream.”

Review:  I’m not a huge fan of Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.  Don’t get me wrong, they are wonderfully written novels.  The story just doesn’t do it for me.  That has always made me sad, because I admire Martin’s gift with words and the way he puts them together into sentences, which then form paragraphs.  You see where I'm going with this right?  I don’t have to be sad anymore, because I have discovered that he has written other novels and these novels are just as well written and catch my fancy better than A Game of Thrones. 

     Fevre Dream is a wonderful historical story of horror and vampires, and steamboats on the Mississippi River.  Since I picked it up I haven’t wanted to put it down.  When I reached the last few pages I was sad because it was almost over.  Even now, an hour later, I’m still grieving.  I feel sorry for whatever I choose to read next because I know it won’t even come close to being as good as Fevre Dream.  The mystery of who, or what, Joshua York really is grabbed me right off.  I knew the truth, and watching Abner Marsh come to the realization so slowly made me want to grab him and shake him until he figured it out.  Martin’s amazing description of the rich history of this time period flowed off of the page and into my brain so vividly that I could see the swirling muddy water of the Mississippi and smell the smoke in the air.  The ending was perfect and could not have met my expectations better even if I had written it myself.  This is not your typical vampire novel, it’s way better.  Do yourself a favor and add it to your summer reading list!

Publisher:  Bantam Books

ISBN:  978-0553577938

Looking for more novels that give a different spin to the classic vampire tale?  Try these fantastic novels:

Sunshine by Robin McKinley (Find out why this is BookGirlR's favorite book here)

Anno Dracula by Kim Newman

A Taint in the Blood by S. M. Stirling

Blood Rights by Kristen Painter