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momwithareadingproblem 's review for:
The Empress Chronicles
by Suzy Vitello
Thank you to Netgalley and Diversion Books for providing an eARC. This in no way affects my views on this book.
The Empress Chronicles by Suzy Vitello is an interesting piece of historical fiction, with alternating points of view between Liz in the present and Sisi in 1850s Austria. Liz is a city girl who while her mother is away on business is sent to live with her father on a goat farm. Not only is this cruel, but unbearable to Liz who is OCD and just got out of a psychiatric hospital. Sisi, better known as Empress Elisabeth of Austria, is fifteen and not yet Empress. She is introverted, a daddy's girl, and still living in her "childish ways" when her mother and aunt call her and her sister Helene to arrange their marriages. When Liz finds Sisi's old diary and locket, Liz becomes obsessed with the translation and the potential to change her fate.
The Characters
Liz is a fifteen year old who has had a rough start to high school. Teased in middle school about her hair, then a failed romantic endeavor, and the divorce of her parents lead to her having a mental breakdown. You see, Liz has OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder. She believes that everything about her is bad, everything is covered in germs, and if she doesn't fix it then people will be hurt. After cleaning a bathroom she shared with her mother and mixing the wrong chemicals, she lands herself in a psychiatric institution. Once released, her mother sends her to live with her father and his new girlfriend on a goat farm. To me, this is just cruel to send a girl recovering from an OCD breakdown to a farm that is crawling with dirt and germs. Not only is she stuck at this farm with her dad and Willow, but girlfriend's trouble-making brother, Cory, is sent there too. Cory is a carefree teenage boy, or at least that's how he wants people to see him. In reality he is just as troubled as Liz.
Sisi is also fifteen years old when this story begins and I love her! She is portrayed as the tomboy sister, interested in everything her father does. It isn't until her imperious aunt makes a rather mean comment about her teeth that Sisi becomes concerned with her looks. Throughout the book, the author portrays Sisi as a carefree child, then she slowly becomes more and more a teenager, even having her first menses. It's actually quite sad to read as the vibrant character goes out of Sisi as the book continues. Also Sisi is a bit of a romantic. She wants to be unabashedly in love, and as every teen has had a first crush knows it doesn't always end well. Sisi when thinking about her parent's relationship and her uncle's affair with a gypsy says this:
The Plot
This is truly a coming-of-age story that centers around social issues such as anorexia, bulimia, depression, and of course OCD, typical mental health diseases that usually begin during adolescence. Liz is fighting to overcome her compulsions. All she wants is to be normal, to not feel like she has to wash her hands or wear gloves all the time, but to just be normal. Cory becomes her lifeline in a sense. Together they steal Sisi's journal from her psychiatrist, and because Cory can read German, he begins translating it for her. Cory as I already stated is just as troubled as Liz and together they begin to overcome their obstacles.
Sisi, unfortunately, begins a downhill slide as she succumbs to the pressures of her mother and governess. She must act more like a lady. And, again unfortunately, she falls in love, but with the wrong person. Sisi's love is sent away and then as history tells us she is forced into another marriage. Or is she?
As the synopsis says, Liz finds a link to the past with Sisi's journal and locket, and well let's just say it gets really interesting. As a first book in the series, the author has set the stage well for the next book leaving a great cliff-hanger and an enchanting mystery.
My Conclusions
As my friends know, historical fiction is my vice. I love it! This book tops them all for creativity and to be honest, I'm not sure I've ever read another quite like it. The author blends the past and present so well as Liz's and Sisi's stories run parallel to one another. I really can't wait for the next one, and since this book just came out I'm guessing I have a long wait. If you enjoy historical fiction, young adult literature, coming-of-age stories with a little magic thrown in I highly recommend you check out this new book.
The Empress Chronicles by Suzy Vitello is an interesting piece of historical fiction, with alternating points of view between Liz in the present and Sisi in 1850s Austria. Liz is a city girl who while her mother is away on business is sent to live with her father on a goat farm. Not only is this cruel, but unbearable to Liz who is OCD and just got out of a psychiatric hospital. Sisi, better known as Empress Elisabeth of Austria, is fifteen and not yet Empress. She is introverted, a daddy's girl, and still living in her "childish ways" when her mother and aunt call her and her sister Helene to arrange their marriages. When Liz finds Sisi's old diary and locket, Liz becomes obsessed with the translation and the potential to change her fate.
The Characters
Liz is a fifteen year old who has had a rough start to high school. Teased in middle school about her hair, then a failed romantic endeavor, and the divorce of her parents lead to her having a mental breakdown. You see, Liz has OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder. She believes that everything about her is bad, everything is covered in germs, and if she doesn't fix it then people will be hurt. After cleaning a bathroom she shared with her mother and mixing the wrong chemicals, she lands herself in a psychiatric institution. Once released, her mother sends her to live with her father and his new girlfriend on a goat farm. To me, this is just cruel to send a girl recovering from an OCD breakdown to a farm that is crawling with dirt and germs. Not only is she stuck at this farm with her dad and Willow, but girlfriend's trouble-making brother, Cory, is sent there too. Cory is a carefree teenage boy, or at least that's how he wants people to see him. In reality he is just as troubled as Liz.
Sisi is also fifteen years old when this story begins and I love her! She is portrayed as the tomboy sister, interested in everything her father does. It isn't until her imperious aunt makes a rather mean comment about her teeth that Sisi becomes concerned with her looks. Throughout the book, the author portrays Sisi as a carefree child, then she slowly becomes more and more a teenager, even having her first menses. It's actually quite sad to read as the vibrant character goes out of Sisi as the book continues. Also Sisi is a bit of a romantic. She wants to be unabashedly in love, and as every teen has had a first crush knows it doesn't always end well. Sisi when thinking about her parent's relationship and her uncle's affair with a gypsy says this:
How a man could fall so deeply in love that nothing else mattered. Not the silly laws, nor the arguing over where a country border should go, or even who should wear what hat when. Who cared about what time a beer garden should shut down for the night when real tears and passions and hearts were involved?Like I said, she's a romantic ;)
The Plot
This is truly a coming-of-age story that centers around social issues such as anorexia, bulimia, depression, and of course OCD, typical mental health diseases that usually begin during adolescence. Liz is fighting to overcome her compulsions. All she wants is to be normal, to not feel like she has to wash her hands or wear gloves all the time, but to just be normal. Cory becomes her lifeline in a sense. Together they steal Sisi's journal from her psychiatrist, and because Cory can read German, he begins translating it for her. Cory as I already stated is just as troubled as Liz and together they begin to overcome their obstacles.
Sisi, unfortunately, begins a downhill slide as she succumbs to the pressures of her mother and governess. She must act more like a lady. And, again unfortunately, she falls in love, but with the wrong person. Sisi's love is sent away and then as history tells us she is forced into another marriage. Or is she?
As the synopsis says, Liz finds a link to the past with Sisi's journal and locket, and well let's just say it gets really interesting. As a first book in the series, the author has set the stage well for the next book leaving a great cliff-hanger and an enchanting mystery.
My Conclusions
As my friends know, historical fiction is my vice. I love it! This book tops them all for creativity and to be honest, I'm not sure I've ever read another quite like it. The author blends the past and present so well as Liz's and Sisi's stories run parallel to one another. I really can't wait for the next one, and since this book just came out I'm guessing I have a long wait. If you enjoy historical fiction, young adult literature, coming-of-age stories with a little magic thrown in I highly recommend you check out this new book.