A somewhat drawn-out but ultimately heartwarming story that examines themes of community and friendship.
In Boyle’s fantasy novel, a mysterious American town in the early 1900s gets turned upside down by the actions of a newcomer from a century in the future.
After a fateful truck accident in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, TV actor Madeline Drake wakes up to find herself in a strange place on Thanksgiving. At first, she thinks it’s the set of her current show, The Star Bright, which takes place in the fictional town of Bethlehem, Wyoming, in the early 20th century; in it, she plays saloon proprietor Calliope Corfield. “From what she could see, this place was a close replica….Except this felt so very real.” Madeline soon realizes that she’s trapped in the actual town of Bethlehem in 1907—more than 100 years in the past. It turns out that every resident was led there by a guide named Shandy, and each has some misfortune that they want to escape. Madeline soon learns that Shandy can’t take her home until Christmas,so she decides to reopen the town’s closed saloon. Some of the more conservative townspeople disapprove of Madeline’s activities, but they inspire others. Parathinia Minch, the town’s postmistress, who’s highly trusted for her discretion, is keeping an unwanted secret that could split the town in two, while Savannah Clarke, a resident from the Civil War era who prefers not to celebrate the holidays, starts involving herself in town matters after stumbling upon handwritten Christmas wishes. Boyle’s story of placemaking and letting go of the past is sure to enchant readers with its charming cast and reflective prose. The pace of the novel is overly slow at times, and the logistics of its time-travel elements are unsatisfyingly explained. However, Madeline, Parathinia, and Savannah are winning characters with rich personalities that push back against small-town expectations; in the end, they bring the people of Bethlehem together for an unforgettable holiday season.
A somewhat drawn-out but ultimately heartwarming story that examines themes of community and friendship.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.
A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.
Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374172
Page Count: 640
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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