Shadows Wake

       


Review of Shadows Wake by Robyn LaRue


Overview from www.barnesandnoble.com: Gold Hill is a peaceful place with a dark secret and forgotten calling. In ancient times, a native tribe trapped evil inside the mountain. That prison is now weakened, and the tribal blood line responsible for its maintenance is dangerously diluted. One girl and her friends are all that stand between the mountain demon and the outside world.

Lillian, a social outcast with secrets of her own, will learn about love, friendship, and loyalty, but can she save Gold Hill and all she holds dear?

And if she does, can she then save herself?

Shadows Wake is a coming of age story with supernatural elements and is set in historical 1952.

My Review:

Once again I will review a lesser known author after at least two weeks of interviewing NYT Best-Selling Authors. I came across Robyn LaRue, author of Shadows Wake, on Twitter, the same way I have met at least one other author whose work I have reviewed on this blog. I am not really sure exactly how we met but I wanted to explain that as well as get the whole self-disclosure thing out of the way.

Ms. LaRue gave me a copy of her book for review on this blog and I believe it is her first. Her genre is the Thriller genre which is interesting but not my favorite so imagine my surprise when I start reading only to find out that it takes place in 1952. Thus it could also be considered Historical Fiction which is my favorite. And I really like the way she combines it.

Lillian, a young teenager with a bad reputation, is our main character. She lives in Northern California and is not well-liked in town but not because of anything she’s actually done. It is her family name that provides her with her undeserved reputation. That and the fact that she lives above a bar with her uncle since her parents are both dead and her grandfather is in prison.

Lately Lillian’s life has been changing in ways that she can’t entirely understand.  A bear dies near the famous mine/mountain and Lillian is determined to tag along with some other students to find out what exactly is going on up there.

Along the way, she manages to make friends with one of the town’s most popular girls and two other guys. They decide to meet at the mountain to try to see if it might be the thing that is causing all the nightmares they have been having as well as figure out if it is the reason for the angst and anger among the townsfolk.

The story has its set of twists and turns but most of them are different from the ones I am used to seeing in thrillers. The evil lies beneath the surface of the mountain. There are some scary characters but we get the sense that the mountain is behind their behavior and perhaps there is not some kind of sinister plot to sell the land cheap or murder someone who is standing in someone else’s way. But what is this evil?

I can only suggest that you read it for yourself to find out. I don’t like to give spoilers in my reviews, especially those with a mystery so I won’t tell you what it is. But it is definitely worth reading. The characters are well-drawn, the writing is good, and the story is not what you’d expect. Plus, I loved reading more about life in the 1950’s and did I mention that it is overall a good, clean read? Well, it is.

Contains: some violence

Paper Fish

 



Review of Paper Fish by Tina De Rosa


Overview from www.goodreads.com: Set in Chicago during the 1940s and 1950s, this novel of Italian American life is populated by hardworking immigrants whose heroism lies in their quiet, sometimes tragic humanity. At the center of the novel is young Carmolina, who is torn between the bonds of the past and the pull of the future—a need for home and a yearning for independence. Carmolina’s own story is interwoven with the stories of her family: the memories and legends of her Grandmother Doria; the courtship tales of her father, a gentle policeman, and her mother, a lonely waitress; and the painful story of Doriana, her beautiful but silent sister. "Understated, lyrical and intensely imagistic, De Rosa’s tale of Italian ghetto life stands out from other immigrant narratives by virtue of its artistry."—Kirkus Reviews

My Review:

Paper Fish is another book that I have wanted to read for a long time. In this case, a very long time. We're talking years. I was so excited when my friend and coworker presented me with this book as a gift, not knowing that I have been trying to find it for years.


I have to admit though then when I started reading; it was something of a letdown. It just wasn't what I was expecting. I couldn't tell you exactly what it was but I know that I was hoping for something less literary (as in literary fiction) and more like Adriana Trigiani's novels, something that was entertaining as well as educational. This was not it.


However, I kept at it. I had read rave reviews of this thing after all and after years of waiting I was determined to finish the thing. After all, it was only one hundred odd pages or so. It shouldn't be difficult, right?


And it wasn't. It did get better. True, it still wasn't what I'd hoped to get but really there were some great lines and the characters were intriguing. As promised on the back cover, this book does not give you stereotypical caricatures of Italian immigrants. These are real people and real people are flawed yet strangely beautiful, in this novel anyway.


 Our story centers mostly on Carmolina, a young third generation, half-Italian, half-Lithuanian girl who grows up in an Italian neighborhood in Chicago during the 40's and 50's. However this story jumps around—a lot—and not just from character to character but we keep jumping back and forth in time. It got to the point that I wasn’t sure where or when we were much of the time and that was the primary reason for my frustration.


The other was that I had trouble figuring out Carmolina’s motivations. What was this story about? I am still not sure I know but I enjoyed it more when I paid more attention to the other characters such as Grandma Doria, Carmolina’s parents, and Doriana, her sister than I did when I focused exclusively on her.


 I am not entirely sure if I should recommend it so I am going to recommend it only for those who like literary fiction and those that are looking for some Italian American characters that are true to life and yet retain elements of fantasy in their stories. I am just not sure that anyone else will have the patience to keep reading and that’s a shame.


 Contains: some language, sexuality, disturbing images