Book Reviews – The Ink'd Scrivener

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman

After writing the last books about the Owens family, Alice Hoffman takes us on another magical realism adventure in The Invisible Hour.

If you have ever declared your love for a long dead author or fictional character, this book is for you. I myself have my three favorite fictional loves and they are “Aragorn” (LOTR), Lestat (The Vampire Chronicles) and Shadow (American Gods). In this book, we meet Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of the book that most of us read in high school “The Scarlet Letter.” I will admit, my knowledge of this classic American author stops at that book and the little I learned from a college professor who did his dissertation on Hawthorne (but I only half paid attention). It is a delightful way to bring someone like Hawthorne alive and see him as a Man instead of some dead guy who wrote some cool stories.

Bringing Hawthorne to us, is Mia. A young woman who had a horrible childhood and found solace in Hawthorne’s words. It is his words that inspire her to make changes in her life.

I like Mia. Even as a child growing up in a very strict religious environment, she still asked questions. She never took an adult’s word as the absolute truth.

I do not want to give too much away, because I hate it when things are spoiled for me when I am reading, especially when a book came out just a few days ago. I will say this, if you are a long-time fan of Alice Hoffman and her work, not just the Practical Magic series, I think you will find some fun “easter egg” type of references in the book. Again, not spoiling, but if you know, you know.

If you are new to Hoffman or have only read her Practical Magic series, definitely check The Invisible Hour out along with “The Dovekeepers” and “The Museum of Extraordinary Things,” just to name two of my all-time favorite books by her that did not involve the Owens clan.

Book Review: The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

I was not prepared for this story. I thought it would be a typical women’s fiction story based in a library. I love that it was not that type of story. The other surprise, at least to me, was that the main character was not your typical “young woman looking for purpose .” Liesel Weiss is middle-aged and knows her purpose. Or at least she thought she did.

While I love that Liesel was not your typical character, I was not a fan. I did not like her decisions, especially when it came to her family. I felt she mistreated her husband and was more smothering her daughter than a parent. I think you are meant not to like her. Because I wasn’t a fan of Liesel’s, I found that I didn’t care about her or any changes she may have gone through.

I feel the same for the rest of the characters featured. They all felt very one-note. I pushed through the story because I would hope that something would spark and make me like it, but sadly I didn’t care very much about the result of the main problem in the story. I so wanted to cheer for the team. I wanted them to come together to find a solution. Still, all they achieved was being a bunch of self-centered career people who could care less if their team succeeded or failed.

The setting was fun. I have not read many books where the location is Canada. I found it interesting to read about a place I have yet to visit as an adult (I went to Toronto once when I was 7, and I barely remember it). However, any setting in a library makes me smile. The story gave insight into how university libraries are run and the specialness of curating rare books. I related to the scenes at the bookseller conventions, as I have a museum background, and I’ve been to a few shows in NYC where there were rare book vendors. They are unique places.

Overall, while I’m not a fan of this book, I think the writing was decent. The plot has potential. I may not have liked it, but that’s the great thing about books; just because you don’t like a book doesn’t mean the next reader will feel the same.

Book Review: Forest of the Vanishing Stars

The Forest of the Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

I received an ARC from NetGallery for an honest review.

The Forest of the Vanishing Stars is a story about family, survival, love, and discovering your place in the world. Set in World War II, a young woman named Yona, who was kidnapped and brought to the woods as a baby, is forced to make decisions in her life that she never expected to make. At least, that is what she tells herself in the beginning. Yona’s knowledge of nature, the woods where she lives, and religion help Yona help others.

I don’t want to say much more about the story and the plot because I don’t want to give any hints that may lead to spoilers. I really liked this book, and I think everyone should read it when it comes out.

I enjoyed the well-thought-out characters. I appreciated that all the characters were not totally good and not totally bad. Yona is brave, naïve, worldly, and stronger in mind and body. She is a character that will most likely stay with me for a very long time.

The story’s events were based on real events during World War II in Poland and authentic places. The author, Kristin Harmel, did thorough research for the book. Her descriptions of the woods and surviving the forest for long periods of time were so in-depth, I felt like the woods were right outside my house.

The story is both heartbreaking and triumphant and well worth the read.

Book Review of Castle Shade by Laurie R. King

Note: Thank you, NetGallery and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, for giving me a free ARC of Laurie R. King’s newest title, “Castle Shade,” for my honest review.

I’ve loved Sherlock Holmes stories for a long time, especially re-imagining versions of the stories, such as the Robert Downey Jr. movies and, of course, the excellent BBC series starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
This latest installment in Laurie R. King’s series focused on Mary Russell is right up there with the others for me. I love Mary’s ingenuity and her relationship with her husband. I’ve only read one other book in this series, and that was the first book, “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice”.

Castle Shade brought elements in a story I enjoy. History, the supernatural, mystery, and folklore.
The setting in Bran was familiar to me as I had previously read a historical non-fiction book on the Crimean war. I also felt that the small town featured in the story felt like any small town. I think whether it’s the early 20th century, 19th century, or today, small towns have the same feel all over, especially in fiction. There are family ties, legends, and feuds.

Using Dracula’s castle was delightful as I am a big fan of Bram Stoker’s novel and myth surrounding the most famous vampire.

The relationship between Mary and Sherlock is wonderful. They make it work despite their huge age gap. If anyone could get the eternal bachelor to settle down, it was definitely Mary. I love their banter. I also enjoy that Sherlock doesn’t talk down to his wife. He encourages her to come up with her own opinions, and even if he disagrees, he doesn’t tear her down. At least in this book, I have yet to read the other books in this series.

I highly recommend picking this installment of Mary and Sherlock’s adventures. It’ll keep you guessing until the end.