The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell book review

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars ★★★★
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical
Source: Purchased, received in July LitJoy box

When Esta was just a toddler, she was found in a park by a man called “The Professor.” Esta has magical abilities and was raised in a place with other magical people (“Mageus”) where she developed those abilities to perfection. She can bend time; so effectively that with the help of a magical item, she can time travel. She uses this ability specifically as a master thief.

Magic like Esta’s is all but extinct in her modern-day New York City. There is a magical force around the city called “The Brink” which allows the Mageus to come in, but never to leave. They are trapped. The Professor sends Esta back in time to 1902, when The Brink was just put in place.

All in an attempt to destroy it once and for all.

I’ve discovered something about myself recently: If I enjoy a fantasy book, it’s almost always because it’s based in the real world. My real world. I personally need stories based in a world I can relate to because world-building bores me, plain and simple. So the fact that this book was set in New York City was a plus on my list.

The Saturday Evening Girls Club by Jane Healey book review

The Saturday Evening Girls Club: A Novel by Jane Healey

My rating: 2 of 5 stars ★★
Genre: Historical
Source: Purchased, received in Once Upon a Book Club box

Caprice is the daughter of Italian immigrants who dreams of opening her own hat shop. She attends the Saturday Evening Girls Club with three of her best friends, all of whom also come from immigrant families. As the four girls try to make their way and discover who they are in an ever-changing America, they find that the tradition of their families is difficult to escape. They navigate love, education, family, and dreams, all while attending the Club and supporting each other through it all.

Sigh. This book is essentially the less-good version of what you’d get if you took a huge pot and mixed together the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding and the book The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

And if you’re like me, naming those two (My Big Fat Greek Wedding and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) as “similar” might give you hope. But unfortunately, this book is missing all of the fun and relatability of those two stories. It’s actually quite dull.

The 5 Best WWII Books (that may or may not be hidden gems?)

I could readily tell you that historical fiction is my favorite genre. More specifically, historical fiction about WWII is my absolute favorite.

My biggest reason I love it so much is because I love to see the bravery, compassion, and endurance of the human race. It’s awful to witness the bad, but it’s amazing to witness the good: the kindness and gentleness that existed even in the heart of horror.

That’s why I love it.

A lot of books about WWII are ehh, but some are so special, I’ll be rereading them for years to come.

So without further ado, here are…

 

The 5 Best WWII Books
(that may or may not be hidden gems?)

 

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Oh, this book… It’s powerful, sad, and very moving. Just so good.

 

If the Creek Don’t Rise by Leah Weiss book review

If The Creek Don’t Rise by Leah Weiss

My rating: 4 of 5 stars ★★★★
Genre: Historical
Source: e-ARC from NetGalley/publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark Publishing

Sadie Blue is pregnant and newly married to an mean, abusive moonshiner. Life is undoubtedly hard. Not only for her, but for all the people who live in the North Carolina mountain town of Baines Creek. Everyone in the town, from Sadie’s grandmother to the new schoolteacher, have secrets to keep and a past that won’t stop following them.

If you’re not familiar with the North Carolina mountains, you should be. I’ve had the privilege of visiting them over the past few years and have a profound love for them. I only wish I could call those mountains “Home.”

The Appalachians are remarkably beautiful, but even I know that they have seen a sad and painful history.

See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt book review

See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt

My rating: 2 of 5 stars ★★
Genre: Historical, Mystery, Crime
Source: e-ARC from NetGalley/publisher, Grove Atlantic Publishing

On a hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden calls out to their maid, “Someone has cut Father.” Both Andrew Borden and his wife have been brutally murdered with an ax, but there is a baffling lack of evidence. Was there a stranger near the house? Was it Lizzie herself? In this book, the reader sees into the minds of four of the main players in the still-unsolved Borden murders.

When I was young, I was the kid who vegged in front of the TV, watching shows with titles like, “America’s Creepiest Destinations,” “America’s Most Haunted,” and so on.

And trust me, the Borden house was featured on most of those lists. I knew plenty about the Borden murders before beginning this book, which made me very excited to be swept away by the story.

Because like I did, maybe you’re asking yourself, “Could a book about an unsolved double murder be anything but riveting?”

And I’m here to tell you that unfortunately: YES. It can be. 

The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore book review

The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars ★★★★
Genre: Historical
Source: Goodreads Giveaways

“Electric light is our future. The man who controls it will not simply make an unimaginable fortune. He will not simply dictate politics. He will not merely control Wall Street, or Washington, or the newspapers . . . No, no, no. The man who controls electricity will control the very sun in the sky.” (16)

It’s 1888, New York City. George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison, both genius inventors and owners of their own electric companies, are suing each other for the rights to claim that they were the first to invent the light bulb. Paul Cravath, who we follow throughout the story, is the young lawyer of George Westinghouse.

Paul has both successes and failures, all while learning just how corrupt and deep the battles between the dueling electric companies go.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden book review

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars ★★★★★
Genre: Fantasy, Historical
Source: Library

“I would walk into the jaws of hell itself, if it were a path of my own choosing. I would rather die tomorrow in the forest than live a hundred years of the life appointed me” (279).

Vasya lives with her family in wild, frosty northern Russia. She is a fierce, precocious girl who loves hearing the stories her elderly nurse tells about the spirits who protect their home and lands. She has a connection to these spirits like no one else. That is, until her father gets remarried to Anna, a woman whose entire life is driven by fear. As Anna discourages her new family and town to spurn these primitive spirits, she does not realize the danger she is bringing to their doors: a danger that only Vasya can save them from.

Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner book review

Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars ★★★
Genre: Historical, WWII
Source: Goodreads Giveaway

Emmy is a teenage girl living in WWII-era London. Emmy and her little sister, Julia, have been raised by their single mother, who is often gone long hours in order to feed and clothe her daughters. Emmy wants nothing more than to design wedding gowns, which is unrealistic in wartime London, but she’s hopeful.

Her dreams of fashion stardom are (kind of?) dashed when she and her sister are evacuated from the city to foster homes in the countryside. But she doesn’t want to give up her dream of being a world-renowned fashion designer just yet…

Everyone knows someone like Emmy. She is, for lack of a better description, a turd. She is one of those people who is selfish, snotty, and ungrateful. You don’t like them, but you still ask your mother or mutual friends about their latest antics. Because they are that train wreck that you secretly enjoy watching?

It’s Monday! What are you reading? June 19

I found this neat little weekly challenge from Emma at Emma’s Bookish Corner, who found it from Kathryn at Book Date. I doubt I’ll do it every Monday, but I still plan to do it often. I love this idea because as Kathryn says, “It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!”

Here we go!

Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion by Jenna Blum book review

Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion by Jenna Blum

My rating: 5 of 5 stars ★★★★★
Genre: Historical, Short stories, WWII
Source: Purchased

I love anthologies. I love being introduced to new authors and their storytelling. There are always some short stories that I’m glad are short, and some that I wish were the length of an entire book.

And this anthology was, hands down, one of my favorites I’ve ever read. It focuses on the lives of people after WWII, centered around Grand Central Station in New York City.

I’ve read a lot of books about WWII. I would say it’s one of my favorite subjects, which might make me sound like I have a cold heart. And maybe I do. Muah-ha-ha.

But not really. I’m nice.

I love books based on WWII because I love seeing how people reacted to the most difficult situations that I can possibly imagine. The physical difficulties were there, and so was the heartbreak. Broken hearts, broken families, broken people. Some of it is traumatizing to read so living through it must have been unimaginable.