Friday Face-Off: An Alien Encounter
Posted on January 22, 2021 21 Comments
Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.
This week’s theme is:
“We come in peace…or maybe not”
~ a cover featuring AN ALIEN ENCOUNTER
Mogsy’s Pick:
Rosewater by Tade Thompson
Not all books about alien encounters involve little green men. In Rosewater, the extraterrestrial presence takes the form of a biodome which has settled itself right outside of Lagos, Nigeria, giving rise to its own little community. Every so often, the dome would split apart, releasing a mysterious substance that is said to have strong healing properties, making it the destination for millions of the world’s most sick and desperate.
Let’s take a look at the covers:
From left to right:
Apex Book Company (2016) – Orbit (2018)
Orbit eBook (2017) – Russian Edition (2019) – French Edition (2019)
German Edition (2020) – Turkish Edition (2019) – Spanish Edition (2019)
Winner:
There are some really nice covers here, but I was immediately drawn to the French edition because all the lovely colors and the alien imagery.
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Thursday Thriller Audio: The Push by Ashley Audrain
Posted on January 21, 2021 26 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Suspense, Thriller, Mystery
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Penguin Audio (January 5, 2021)
Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Marin Ireland
Three days after reading The Push by Ashley Audrain, I still don’t really know how I feel about it! This book makes you question everything, but it’s definitely not the kind to hand you all the answers. At its heart is a story of difficult motherhood like no other, through the eyes of one of the most disturbingly unreliable narrators I’ve ever read.
Traumatized by her own harsh childhood of growing up with a distant and uncaring mother, Blythe never thought she wanted kids of her own, but that was before she met Fox in college—her perfect boyfriend who would later become her perfect husband. Loving, kind and gentle, Fox was always meant to be a father, and Blythe soon warmed to the idea of starting a family with him, despite her reservations and memories of the past. After all, she was determined not to let history repeat itself, and so long as she and Fox were a team, she was convinced that together they would conquer any challenge—even parenthood.
Soon, their daughter Violet came along, but what didn’t arrive as expected was the sense of joy and connection to her baby that Blythe had so badly wanted. Of course, it didn’t help that Violet was a difficult child from the start, seeming to actively reject all of Blythe’s efforts to calm or comfort her, though with Fox she would be an absolute angel. As Violet grew older, it only got worse. Blythe fears there is something wrong with her daughter, the way her eyes sometimes flash with something cruel or wicked behind them, or the way the other children at preschool would shy away in fear. No one else seems to notice, causing’s Blythe’s resentment to grow and a rift to develop between her and Fox. Desperate to fix things, she hastily agrees to have another child, though later, she realizes that the arrival of their son was exactly what the family needed. Blythe’s mothering instincts were reawakened with Sam, a happy child who was adored by everyone, even his temperamental older sister Violet. However, the bliss is short lived. Tragedy strikes out of the blue, dealing a final, irreparable blow to Blythe’s marriage, and worst of all, she can’t be sure if her own daughter had a role in what happened.
Told in a unique and distinctive style which has Blythe narrating her story to her husband, the book also alternates between flashback chapters which include the perspectives of her mother Cecilia and grandmother Etta. By establishing that our protagonist came from a long line of women with a track record for suicide, abandonment, and abuse, we’re able to sympathize with her determination to break that cycle.
Unfortunately though, the law of reverse effect in full play. Heartbreakingly for Blythe, it seemed that the harder she tries to be a good mother to Violet, the worse their relationship gets. True, The Push is a psychological thriller, but in many ways it is also a commentary on the pressures of mothers in society, and the question of nature versus nurture. Echoing the stories of so many first-time mothers, Blythe’s disillusionment begins on day one as her perfect birth plan falls apart and she fails to form an immediate bond with her daughter. The difference though, is that Blythe never seems to move past feeling this failure, and the emotional toll this has on her can be deduced from her increasingly unreliable narrative. As her discomfort around Violet grows, doubts arise about her mental state. Could she be exaggerating the problem? Might she be justifying her mistakes or reading too much into things? As the reader, I wanted badly to believe her, but as her actions grew more erratic and paranoid (not to mention more stalkerish and manipulative), it became hard not to ask these questions. Blythe also goes through a lot, suffering experiences I would not wish upon anyone, and that most certainly has an effect on her perceptions as well.
Speaking of which, The Push touches on some dark and uncomfortable themes. That sense of unease settled in early as I started reading, and to be honest, it never really left me. Part of this is due to the aforementioned dark themes, but admittedly, some of it probably had to do with the lack of answers and clarity as well. The final line of the book was especially infuriating and I can’t say it helped at all with providing closure.
Still, this was a fascinating read, and provided a lot of food for thought. The Push is definitely not your run-of-the-mill thriller that you can read and enjoy and then set aside as you move on to the next one. I think if some of the story’s topics weren’t so sensitive and distressing, this would make an excellent book club title, spawning all kinds of interesting discussion. Even though all the elements didn’t quite come together in a satisfying manner, and the ending kind of swings and misses, this is still the kind of novel that stays with you and burrows under you skin. I have to give it credit for holding my full attention, making me wonder and question everything along the way.
Waiting on Wednesday 01/20/21
Posted on January 20, 2021 17 Comments
Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick
The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell (June 1st, 2021 by Penguin Books)
Lucky folks in the UK will be getting this one real soon, but thank goodness it’s only a few more months to wait for those of us stateside!
“A struggling silhouette artist in Victorian Bath seeks out a renowned child spirit medium in order to speak to the dead – and to try and identify their killers – in this beguiling new tale from the queen of Gothic fiction, Laura Purcell
As the age of the photograph dawns in Victorian Bath, silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another… Why is the killer seemingly targeting her business?
Desperately seeking an answer, Agnes approaches Pearl, a child spirit medium lodging in Bath with her older half-sister and her ailing father, hoping that if Pearl can make contact with those who died, they might reveal who killed them. But Agnes and Pearl quickly discover that instead they may have opened the door to something that they can never put back.”
Audiobook Review: Tales From the Hinterland by Melissa Albert
Posted on January 19, 2021 25 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Tales From the Hinterland by Melissa Albert
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Short Stories
Series: The Hazel Wood
Publisher: Macmillan Audio (January 12, 2021)
Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Rebecca Soler
If you loved The Hazel Wood and The Night Country by Melissa Albert, Tales from the Hinterlands is not to be missed. Heck, even if you aren’t a fan of the series, you should give this one a chance. Filled with stories both wondrous and terrifying, this is not your typical book of fairy tales.
Those familiar with the main series will recognize this as the collection written by the protagonist’s grandmother Althea Prosperpine before she all but vanished from the public eye, even as her work gained ground in certain circles. As readers, we were able to experience snippets and pieces of these stories over the course of Alice’s adventures, but merely peripherally, often in a secondary context. Now, finally, we are able to read them in their entirety, and discover out what they’ve been all about. If you haven’t read the novels though, don’t despair! They are certainly not a prerequisite, and in fact, it might even be beneficial to read this collection first as it may provide you with the context to appreciate the novels even more.
Normally when I review short story collections, I break down each entry by providing a brief summary along with my comments. However, I will not be doing that this time, since it would not work as well. Much like the traditional fairy tales that inspired them, many of the stories in here are allegorical, going beyond the plot to probe deeper themes and messages. The Brothers Grimm influence is also strong with this one, both in the whimsy and darkness of the tales. Some of them are downright twisted and disturbing, pushing beyond the boundaries of fantasy and entering horror territory as they explore extreme and impossible situations.
While I will not go into detail into each story, I do have a few favorites. The opening tale, The Door that Wasn’t There was a nice introduction, setting the tone for the rest of the collection. Fairy tale fans will appreciate the familiar tropes—rich merchants and their daughters, stepmothers and blood curses—but the ending will also surprise you, a reminder that Albert has her own ideas and that she’s working towards a unique vision for The Hazel Wood series. Other favorites include Jenny and the Night Women, The Skinned Maiden, as well as Alice-Three-Times. I loved how the protagonists of these stories are not your helpless maidens, but neither are they always good, kind, or sweet. In fact, some of them are highly unlikeable, and you’d be hard pressed to sympathize with them at all.
I also want to note that I’m generally not a big reader of short stories or collections because I prefer more developed characters and plotlines, and the short format is usually too restrictive for that. Fairy tales, however, are an exception. As I alluded to before, many fairy tales are often about something bigger than just the plot at hand. A lot of times, their characters as well as the things they do or feel are also less intrinsic to the story and more about representing something about human nature. I definitely got this vibe with many of the stories in Tales from the Hinterland, and in many cases, the shorter they were, the more meaningful they actually felt, while the longer ones rambled and lost much of their impact. Don’t get me wrong; all the stories in this collection were fun to read, but there were a few meandering, ambiguous ones that failed to hold my attention all the way, like Hansa the Traveler, Ilsa Waits, and even the much acclaimed Twice-Killed Katherine.
Still, the good stories were by far the majority. Save for a few mediocre entries, this was actually a very strong collection of fairy tales, one of the most impressive I’ve ever read. Be forewarned though, Tales from the Hinterlands is not for the faint of heart. Personally, I felt the overall tone was even darker and more mature than the novels, but that’s probably why I enjoyed it so much! Like I said, this collection can be read independently of the series, but mega-fans will probably want to seek out the print edition, as I hear the illustrations in it are gorgeous. I had the pleasure of reviewing the audio edition which had no visual component obviously, but I nevertheless had a great time listening to the fantastic narration by Rebecca Soler, whose talented voice acting made each story shine in its own way.
Audiobook Review: Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule
Posted on January 17, 2021 21 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction, Media Tie-In
Series: Star Wars Canon, Star Wars: The High Republic
Publisher: Random House Audio (January 5, 2021)
Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Marc Thompson
So, what is The High Republic? In publishing terms, it’s a new Star Wars franchise campaign spanning books, comics, and other print media exploring the stories set during the golden age of the Jedi. In the context of the Star Wars timeline, the period known as the High Republic occurred approximately 200 years before the “Skywalker saga” movies, a hopeful and optimistic time in which the galaxy experienced an idyllic epoch of relative peace and prosperity.
But not everyone is content with the way the Republic Senate governs, nor do they share the core worlds’ admiration of the Jedi, the renowned order of Force users who serve as their enforcers. As Star Wars: Light of the Jedi opens, the Republic’s influence is growing ever stronger, leading to the expansion of their hyperspace lanes into the Outer Rim, awakening a threat that has been slowly growing. When a deadly catastrophe tears a ship apart whilst in hyperspace, whole systems are put in danger as large pieces of debris are flung out almost at random across the galaxy, acting as explosive projectiles that can level whole worlds. Immediately, the Jedi are called upon to help. The establishment of a new Republic outpost in the Outer Rim hangs in the balance, and unless the situation is defused, billions would go without the benefits it could offer.
Enter the Nihil, a criminal organization of killers and raiders based in the Outer Rim territories who see themselves as the storm to withstand the intrusion of the Galactic Republic. Led by the mysterious Eye of the Nihil who has reason to see the Republic fail, this shadowy order has allied themselves with pirates and other gangsters to impinge rescue efforts and sabotage the mission of the Jedi while sowing more chaos and death across the galaxy.
For many reasons, Light of the Jedi is an important book. As the first novel of The High Republic, it needs to make the best impression possible. It’s also clear to see why the series creators have chosen this time period for the setting. Completely separate from any of the films or TV shows, the High Republic era provides a brand-new opportunity for innovative storytelling without the risk and hassle of tangling itself in any of the other timelines. And from a marketing perspective, it’s a chance to expand the Star War audience, or even introduce movies-only fans to the print medium.
But for those of us who have been reading Star Wars books for years—decades, even—the bar is admittedly set pretty high. For that reason, I wouldn’t say Light of the Jedi swept me off my feet, and if I’m to be completely honest, I would have expected a little more from a launch title. That said, I’ve read worse, and to the novel’s credit, it’s a decent opener. I think we can safely say the dark days of crappy tie-ins are behind us, as readers have come to be much less forgiving of bad writing and throwaway plotlines. Charles Soule, who made his name as a comic book writer before becoming a novelist, is one of the “top-tier, fan-favorite” authors tapped for this project, and kudos to him, he’s taken a “thriller” approach to writing this story, which I found refreshing.
However, this style also brings its own problems, mainly that it introduces a lot of viewpoints, some of them fleeting as multiple characters are used as plot fodder and then promptly thrown away. Scene transitions are also numerous as the storyline jumps around, following an ensemble cast. Personally, this was my biggest issue with the book. My favorite Star Wars novels tend to only revolve around one or two major principal characters, and if there are more, you’d better hope they’re all equally interesting and well-written. Unfortunately, Light of the Jedi stumbles in this area, throwing up a bunch of new characters, though none of them are really all that unique or completely developed. By the end of the book, the most memorable to me was the villain, because he was the only one to make a lasting impression.
Still, neither old fans nor prospective readers should write this one off just yet. I’ve enjoyed Soule’s writing in the past, and books like The Oracle Year and Anyone made me appreciate his imagination and wit. I think he brought some excellent ideas with him to the Star Wars universe, and while I might not have fared well with the storytelling style in Light of the Jedi, that doesn’t mean it won’t work for others. If you’ve ever wondered about the expanded world of Star Wars beyond the screen or been tempted to dip your toes into the franchise’s tie-in fiction, this is the most perfect chance you’ll ever get.
Audiobook Comments: Marc Thompson rocks! That is all. 😀
Bookshelf Roundup 01/16/21: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on January 16, 2021 31 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I summarize what I’ve finished reading in the last week and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.
Received for Review
My thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!
A few new arrivals this week. First, with thanks to Subterranean Press, I received an ARC of The Cretaceous Past by Cixin Liu, translated and publishing for the first time in the US this May. I don’t know much about this one, just that it was previously published in the UK under the title Of Ants and Dinosaurs and that it’s a short story in the form of an allegorical fable. The cover looks incredible!
Also with thanks to Entangled: Teen, I received a surprise copy of Crown of Bones by A.K. Wilder which I had actually added to my watchlist last year, so I was pretty excited at its arrival! I don’t often see a lot of YA epic fantasy come my way, but whenever they do, I’m intrigued. Crossing my fingers it’ll be good!
And thank you also to Orbit for sending along a finished copy of Brother Red by Adrian Selby. This will be my third book by the author, and I think it is also set in the same fantasy world as the other ones. I’m really looking forward to reading this, especially since it appears to have an element of mystery.
In new audiobooks, I received a listening copy of Tales from the Hinterland by Melissa Albert from the awesome folks at Macmillan Audio. I really enjoyed the fairy tales in this series, so I wasn’t about to miss this collection! With thanks to HarperAudio, I also received The Frozen Crown by Greta Kelly, a hidden gem of a fantasy novel that’s been getting lots of praise lately.
And in new eARCs this week, I received a widget for The Minders by John Marrs with thanks to Berkley Books. I’ve been hooked on his work ever since The Passengers, and this one sounds like it’s going to be another pulse-pounding near-future thriller!
Reviews
In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce (5 of 5 stars)
The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick (3 of 5 stars)
The Effort by Claire Holroyde (2.5 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
This Week’s Reads
Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read! Let me know what you plan on checking out. Until next time, see you next Roundup!
Friday Face-Off: An Aerial Encounter
Posted on January 15, 2021 25 Comments
Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.
This week’s theme is:
~ a cover featuring AN AERIAL ENCOUNTER
Mogsy’s Pick:
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson, a book that is all about aerial encounters. In Spensa’s world, everyone has heard of the heroic achievements of the Defiant Defense Force in the Battle of Alta—the battle in which forty pilots protected their planet Detritus from the alien Krell attack. Except in Spensa’s case, her father was known as the pilot who ran, shot down in disgrace for trying to abandon the fight. Now Spensa lives with the stain of that disgrace, but being a pilot has always been her greatest desire. Despite efforts to keep her out, she manages to make it into Flight School, more determined than ever to be come a full-fledged pilot for the DDF even with the deck stacked against her.
Given the story and its themes, I’m actually surprised there aren’t more covers for this book featuring aerial encounters, but I did find some. Let’s take a look at this week’s competition:
From left to right:
Delacrote Press (2018) – Gollancz (2018)
Polish Edition (2019) – Bulgarian Edition (2019) – Turkish Edition (2020)
Italian Edition (2019) – Russian Edition (2020)
German Edition (2021) – French Edition (2020) – Estonian Edition (2020)
Winner
I’ve always love the cover to the UK (Gollancz) edition of this book, and while there were a bunch of new ones here I hadn’t seen before, nothing quite came close to unseating it.
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Book Review: The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick
Posted on January 14, 2021 21 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Rook & Rose
Publisher: Orbit (January 19, 2021)
Length: 672 pages
Author Information: Twitter
I’m a big fan of Marie Brennan and I’ve always wanted to read Alyc Helms, so when I found out about their collaboration on The Mask of Mirrors in which they would be writing together under the joint pen name of M.A. Carrick, I had some pretty high hopes. Hopes that weren’t completely realized, as it turned out—and I’ll go into them a bit later—but it also wasn’t a total loss, as there were certain aspects I thoroughly enjoyed.
First, the gist of the story: our main protagonist is a con artist named Ren who has come to the city of Nadežra to pull off her biggest grift yet. With her sister’s help, Ren has created and assumed the identity of a noblewoman, using it to trick her way into being accepted by House Traementis by posing to be a long-lost cousin. However, as her deception grows deeper, so too do her ties to the family she had set out to swindle. As their problems swiftly become Ren’s problems, our protagonist realizes for the first time the extent of the aristocracy’s role in the degeneration of the city.
Ren also quickly discovers that she is not the only one putting on a false show. Enter the Rook, a self-styled masked vigilante in the same vein as Zorro or Robin Hood—a champion of the poor and downtrodden. Certainly, for the real Ren, who had grown up in poverty far away from the swells of Nadežra, the Rook was the hero of every child. Unfortunately, a chance meeting with him while in the midst of her masquerade complicates things, as Ren becomes more entangled in the shady and nebulous affairs of the nobility.
Like I said, there were parts of the story I really enjoyed, and The Mask of Mirrors also contained some of my favorite fantasy tropes which had made me excited to read this book in the first place. I find it nearly impossible to say no to a con artist or a thief protagonist, for example, nor can I resist a richly layered world full of culture and magic, one that felt very reminiscent of The Lies of Locke Lamora at times. I’m also a big fan of strong, smart and capable female characters, and we have a shining example in Ren, whose mind proves to be her greatest weapon. Armed with a powerful memory and a careful eye for detail, she manages to sell her false identity to House Traementis, then proceeds to use her wits to outsmart or outplay them when they become suspicious.
But clocking in at almost 700 pages, this book also felt overly long, which wasn’t helped by the fact this story goes nowhere fast. To be fair, perhaps this was simply a negative but inevitable consequence of a plot revolving around a long con, which by definition necessitates more patience, planning, and a longer time to execute. That said, it’s still a pretty big ask for readers to persist through a prolonged intro in which nothing of much import happens, while the authors tediously describe in detail more than you would ever want or need to know about the world. It’s a common problem when it comes to debuts, so I was surprised to see it here, but then again, it might also be a case of two seasoned authors who both love world-building letting their enthusiasm get away from them, with no mediating force to pull them back.
The good news is, the later parts of the book fare much better, as the pacing improves and more conflicts are introduced to the plot. Quite some time would have been invested by the reader at this point though, and while the payoff was worth it, there are plenty of similar fantasy stories out there that don’t require such endurance and blind faith.
Bottom line, I think some collaborations need more time in establishing a groove and balance than others, and The Mask of Mirrors appears to be still finding its feet, but we also see a lot of progress made by the end of the book. For now, I have tentative plans to pick up the next novel, but I hope the storytelling will tighter and provide a smoother, more engaging reading experience.
Waiting on Wednesday 01/13/21
Posted on January 13, 2021 18 Comments
Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick
Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep (July 6th, 2021 by HarperVoyager)
Jennifer Estep’s Crown of Shards ended last year, but that doesn’t mean the stories are over. That was the first series I ever read by the author, and I’m definitely up for more. That’s why I’m excited for an all-new trilogy set in the same world, starting with Capture the Crown, the first novel of A Gargoyle Queen.
“Bestselling author Jennifer Estep returns to her Crown of Shards world with an all-new trilogy and a bold new heroine who protects her kingdom from magic, murder, and mayhem by moonlighting as a spy.
Gemma Ripley has a reputation for being a pampered princess who is more interested in pretty gowns, sparkling jewelry, and other frivolous things than learning how to rule the kingdom of Andvari. But her carefully crafted persona is just an act to hide the fact that Gemma is a powerful mind magier—and a spy.
Gemma is undercover, trying to figure out who is stealing large amounts of tearstone from one of the Ripley royal mines when she encounters Prince Leonidas Morricone of Morta—her mortal enemy. Gemma tries to steer clear of the handsome prince, but when she finds herself behind enemy lines, she reluctantly joins forces with Leo. Also coming to Gemma’s aid is Grimley, her beloved gargoyle.
Despite the fact that Andvari and Morta are old, bitter enemies, a dangerous attraction sparks between Gemma and Leo. Further complicating matters is Leo’s murderous family, especially Queen Maeven Morricone, the mastermind behind the infamous Seven Spire massacre.
The closer Gemma gets to the stolen tearstone, the more deadly plots she uncovers. Everyone is trying to capture the crown, but only one queen can sit on the throne…”
Audiobook Review: In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce
Posted on January 11, 2021 33 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce
Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror, Historical Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Penguin Audio (January 19, 2021)
Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrators: Natalie Naudus, Stacey Glemboski
Last year, one of my favorite discoveries was Camilla Bruce’s You Let Me In, her debut that impressed me so much that I would read anything else she writes, sight unseen. Because of that, I was totally unprepared for what awaited me when I picked up In the Garden of Spite, her new novel about the most notorious female serial killer in American history.
Oh man, this book was so messed up. So brilliantly twisted. This nightmare-inducing historical is a fictionalized account of Belle Gunness, known as “the Black Widow of the Midwest” who is thought to have murdered at least fourteen and quite possibly up to forty people between the years of 1884 and 1908. But before she became a notorious killer, she was Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset, a young girl born into a family of poor farmhands in Selbu, Norway. In Bruce’s reconstruction of Brynhild’s backstory, our protagonist becomes pregnant at seventeen, but when she demands the father to marry her, the young man tries to kill her instead.
After she loses the baby in the attack, Brynhild makes plans to leave Norway and travel to America to stay with her older sister Nellie and her family in Chicago. But before her departure, Brynhild makes sure to get revenge by fatally poisoning her ex-lover, thus beginning her journey and lifelong obsession with spite. Once in Chicago, she changes her name to Belle, vowing to leave her old identity behind with her poverty-stricken life. Instead of helping Nellie with her children and work around their apartment, Belle sets her sights on finding a husband of means, eventually marrying Mads Sorensen, who was able to satisfy her expensive appetites—at least for a time. Once someone ceases to become useful to her, they have a tendency to drop dead, something her sister Nellie notices first with Mads and then with Belle’s second husband, Peter Gunness. They say blood is thicker than water, and to Nellie, Belle will always be “Little Brynhild,” a scared girl held in her arms. But as the body count rises, and Nellie’s suspicions grow stronger by the day, how long before her loyalty to her sister runs out?
What really got to me was how plausible this novel was, despite the author’s afterword explaining how she blended truth and fiction. Yes, there were a lot of embellishments, but a lot of it was rooted in fact too, integrating what is known about Belle Gunness and her heinous crimes. After reading this book, I went and did some reading of my own into her life, which gave me the heebie-jeebies all over again, but also an even greater appreciation for what Camilla Bruce achieved here.
Not surprisingly, the highlight of the book was her portrayal of Belle’s state of mind. Most monsters don’t feel that they’re monsters, but on some level, our protagonist does recognize something broken within her. Perhaps the most frightening aspect of her character is how she feels justified in being the monster, rationalizing her degeneracy and why she must do what she does. She is also ruthlessly persistent; once she puts her mind to a goal, there’s nothing anyone can do to stop her from achieving it. What’s even more complicated is the background Bruce has constructed for Belle, designed to establish sympathy—which worked to an extent. Eventually though, Belle’s thirst for blood—for spite—becomes simply too extreme, but of course by this point the story has become so fascinating that putting it down is impossible.
Still, even without any sympathy for Belle, I found myself incredulously reading on, addicted to her voice. She was so vile and chilling, and yet I was completely engrossed, wanting to know more. As she became increasingly emboldened, not just in committing murder but also in her cold calculating way of taking in children and fooling the world into believing they are her own, the depravity reaches a whole other level, not to mention the gruesomeness and violence. Only Nellie’s chapters, scattered among Belle’s, helped keep the terror manageable by injecting a bit of sanity into this disturbing read. That said, the story still remained a nerve-wracking head trip as Nellie realizes the depth of Belle’s hunger, agonizing over what to do because in spite of herself, she still loves her little sister.
Ultimately, In the Garden of Spite is an intensely compulsive read, comprising a sharp concoction of historical fiction, psychological thriller, and of course, horror. Certainly if the latter is what you are looking for, your cravings will be answered, though there’s also much here for fans of historicals and true crime. I highly recommend this book, as well as the audio format that I reviewed. Narrators Natalie Naudus and Stacey Glemboski performed the parts of Belle and Nellie perfectly, giving voice to all the complex emotions that made the characters in this book feel so incredibly, scarily real.
The BiblioSanctum 