Book Reviews

Pale Shadows


Pale Shadows by Dominique Fortier, Rhonda Mullins (Translator)
Publisher: Coach House Books
Special thanks to Coach House Books for sending a copy for review.

Summary:
Dickinson after her death: the story of the trio of women who brought the first collection of Emily Dickinson’s poems out of the shadows Grieving the loss of her sister and alone in a big house, Lavinia goes through Emily’s things and wonders what to do with her sister’s poems. She enlists the help of Susan, Emily’s best friend and brother Austin’s wife, who rouses herself from a deep depression to put the poems into some order to approach a publisher. Lavinia also brings Austin’s mistress, Mabel, into the project for her worldliness and connections. In the wings, there is Millicent, Mabel’s daughter, a little girl like Emily in spirit, wise and strong-willed, and fascinated by things big and small in the world around her. Delicate like lacework with dark threads running through it, Pale Shadows picks up the story of Emily Dickinson where Paper Houses left off, to explore the place of women in history, their creativity, and the enduring power of Dickinson’s poetry (Goodreads).

Continue reading “Pale Shadows” →

Skater Boy


Skater Boy by Anthony Nerada
Publisher: Soho Teen
Special thanks to Soho Teen for sending a copy for review.

Summary:
Stonebridge High’s resident bad boy, Wesley “Big Mac” Mackenzie, is failing senior year—thanks to his unchecked anger, rowdy friends, and a tendency to ditch his homework for skateboarding and a secret photography obsession. So when his mom drags him to a production of The Nutcracker, Wes isn’t interested at all . . . until he sees Tristan Monroe. Mr. Nutcracker himself.

Wes knows he shouldn’t like Tristan; after all, he’s a ballet dancer, and Wes is as closeted as they come. But when they start spending time together, Wes can’t seem to get Tristan out of his head. Driven by a new sense of purpose, Wes begins to think that—despite every authority figure telling him otherwise—maybe he can change for the better and graduate on time.

As a falling out with his friends becomes inevitable, Wes realizes that being himself means taking a stand—and blowing up the bad-boy reputation he never wanted in the first place (Goodreads).

Continue reading “Skater Boy” →

Gallows Hill


Gallows Hill by Lois Ruby
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Special thanks to Firefly Books for sending a copy for review.

Summary:
Salem, Massachusetts – 1692

Thomas is marked as an outcast the moment he steps off the ship from England. As a Quaker, he’s outnumbered and distrusted by Salem’s Puritans. And as an orphan without any useful skills, he has nowhere to live and no way to earn his keep. In a stroke of luck―perhaps good, perhaps not―he’s taken in by the aged widow Prudence Blevins, who’s rumored to be a witch.

Patience has tried all her life to be a good Puritan―obedient to God and to her elders―and all her life, she has come up short. But her orderly world is upended when her younger sister, Abigail, falls victim to a mysterious affliction. The same torments have stricken other Salem girls, who claim they’re being bewitched by servants of the Devil. Soon the girls, including Abigail, begin accusing neighbors of witchcraft.

As the community becomes consumed by suspicion and fear, Thomas and Patience search for the truth. To protect those they care about, they will have to question everything they think they their faiths, their loyalties, and their places in Salem (Goodreads).

Continue reading “Gallows Hill” →