Aficionados of Hawaiian history and those who lust for battle will enjoy this hero’s tale.
This novel presents the trials and derring-do of a warrior, set against the backdrop of the most tumultuous time in the history of Hawaii, the end of the 18th century.
Readers meet Kalani Tana when marauders steal into his compound in Kahului on the island of Maui in the early hours, set fire to the buildings, and slaughter those who try to escape the flames. Kalani’s pregnant wife, Nani, burns to death. Who was behind this? Kalani vows revenge. He travels to Hawaii, the leader Kamehameha’s home island. Eventually, Kalani is enlisted to spy for Kamehameha, assessing the strength of his enemies’ forces. Enter Capt. George Vancouver, who is trying to broker a peace among the warring factions of what was then called the Sandwich Islands. Kalani, who is bilingual, becomes very important in the negotiations. A deal is struck: The islands will be under British protection, but peace must be maintained. This does not go well. Rival kings plot against Kamehameha, and alliances are extremely fluid. And through all of this, Kalani is still trying to get to the bottom of his wife’s murder. After much brutal warfare, Kamehameha is triumphant, and Kalani plots his retribution. An epilogue takes readers up to the final unification—thanks to Kamehameha—of the islands that people know today as Hawaii. Fernandez is a competent writer. That it is a dizzying challenge to follow the tale, considering all of the names that will be unfamiliar to most readers, is hardly his fault. (The list of important characters is quite helpful.) This is literally a bloody book that is also historically true, offering rich details. The author has to keep the protagonist alive, of course, so Kalani comports himself in combat like a superhero (with his faithful sidekick, Moki). In this engrossing story, Kalani is an appealing figure who is against human sacrifice and supports the decent treatment of the powerless, attitudes that will later be accepted in principles like the Law of the Splintered Paddle.
Aficionados of Hawaiian history and those who lust for battle will enjoy this hero’s tale. (maps, sketches, glossary, bibliography)Pub Date: April 23, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-9990326-9-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Bowker
Review Posted Online: June 6, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.
A young woman’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life.
When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances “Frankie” McGrath’s older brother—“a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften”—who is leaving to serve in Vietnam in 1966, we feel pretty certain that poor Finley McGrath is marked for death. Still, it’s a surprise when the fateful doorbell rings less than 20 pages later. His death inspires his sister to enlist as an Army nurse, and this turn of events is just the beginning of a roller coaster of a plot that’s impressive and engrossing if at times a bit formulaic. Hannah renders the experiences of the young women who served in Vietnam in all-encompassing detail. The first half of the book, set in gore-drenched hospital wards, mildewed dorm rooms, and boozy officers’ clubs, is an exciting read, tracking the transformation of virginal, uptight Frankie into a crack surgical nurse and woman of the world. Her tensely platonic romance with a married surgeon ends when his broken, unbreathing body is airlifted out by helicopter; she throws her pent-up passion into a wild affair with a soldier who happens to be her dead brother’s best friend. In the second part of the book, after the war, Frankie seems to experience every possible bad break. A drawback of the story is that none of the secondary characters in her life are fully three-dimensional: Her dismissive, chauvinistic father and tight-lipped, pill-popping mother, her fellow nurses, and her various love interests are more plot devices than people. You’ll wish you could have gone to Vegas and placed a bet on the ending—while it’s against all the odds, you’ll see it coming from a mile away.
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781250178633
Page Count: 480
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
BOOK TO SCREEN
SEEN & HEARD
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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