* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

This a wonderful and sweeping piece of historical fiction. In fact, the breadth of this work is so wide that you could easily place it in several genres. There are pieces of mystery, suspense, and magical realism. Krueger clearly did his research to write this book as it is intricately detailed and paints a clear picture of both the story and the historical aspects that surround it. It is just fantastic.

The characters Krueger creates are luminous and incredibly well developed. There are, admittedly, a few of the more primary characters who are not painted in such detailed strokes, but overall they are a collection of colorful, imaginative, and dynamic individuals with clear personalities. They are woven together in both major and minor storylines in a way that just seems masterful. The more I sit and think about this piece, the more I am enamored by it.

That being said, this is not a joyful romp. True, there are moments of frivolity and enjoyment, but overall I found this to be a piece based on sadness, melancholy, and pieces of history that are both depressing and embarrassing. The story is set in the height of the Great Depression, with portraits of humanity at their most desperate or in the depths of despair. There is also a focus on the ill treatment of Native Americans in America's past, with particular regard to the establishment and existence of Indian boarding schools and the massacre of 38 Native Americans, the largest mass execution in American history, via hanging in Mankato, MN following the Dakota War of 1862. Krueger writes about all of these events with respect and with a well-found knowledge. As mentioned earlier, his research for this book was certainly not lacking.

The writing, it goes without saying, is superb. I was hooked within mere pages and I didn't want to put this one down. Though it nears 500 pages, I finished it over the course of four days, reading well into the night on at least two of those occasions. I highly recommend this one for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. It is beautiful and wonderful and tells tales that need to be told.

3.5 stars.

Classics are always a little harder to read given the undeniable expectation of "posh" language. That tends to make my ratings a little lower than maybe the actual story deserves, but that's just how these things go.

I always enjoy reading Jane Austen. Her characters are always full of personality and there is plenty of scandal cast about. This was definitely not lacking in that department. There are despicable characters of both the female and male variety and the absolute OBSESSION with money and place in society is continuously something I shook my head at. This is certainly a stuffy society, but I enjoyed it all the same. I would say that I liked this one ALMOST as much as Pride & Prejudice, but something in the ending just didn't capture me as well. I can't put my finger on what it was, maybe I just "shipped" a couple of characters more than I should have and was disappointed that they didn't end up where I wanted them to. Bummer. I will say that it was still worth the read.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

4.5 stars. So creative and wonderful. Colorful and beautiful with so much room for more. This is a really good book. I enjoyed it a lot. It somehow felt to me like a combination of the magic in reading that came from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. It is weird, it is fantastical, and it is just what I've been looking for in terms of a concept.

I would have loved to give it 5 stars in all honesty, but there were two things that prevented that:

1...Hype. Dang it! I hate it when that happens. I was all worked up for something incredibly magical, blow me off my feet. And it WAS good. It was magical, but it didn't blow me away. I expected too much. I oversold it to myself and wrecked the beauty that is all wrapped up in this book. This means that I may have to put it on my bookshelf and bring it back out in a couple of years for a reread once the hype goes away. In all honesty, there's a good chance I could love it even more on the second go round.

2...Pacing. I STRUGGLED with pieces of this book. It wasn't one where I couldn't put it down. At least not until the last 1/2. The beginning moved slowly for me and I just wanted to get to the action. Again, this was probably a factor of the hype. I knew what this book was supposed to be about and I just wanted it ALL. RIGHT. NOW. Ya...that didn't happen. But I pushed on because I wanted to love it. And the second half moved great. It wrapped me up in the narrative and propelled me forward, itching for each new page.

I blame myself for the lack of 5 stars, really. But let's be honest... 4.5 is still pretty dang good. So I say read this one. But do yourself a favor if you can and wait out the hype. It'll be worth the wait.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

3.5 stars. This was a cute YA read with some stereotypical high school tropes while still having enough originality to be something fun and different. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I liked it just the same. Corey is a trapeze artist who gets ripped from her life following a fire at the circus she performs in. She winds up living in the town of Sherwood, California and attending the local high school. This shift in her life is difficult and she finds herself in several new situations that she isn't quite sure how to respond to. It's a bit of a stumbling journey for her.

I liked this book well enough, but in the end found a few things lacking for my own tastes. With the title of "Trapeze", I expected much more of the circus atmosphere, but that dissolved rather quickly and it was moved to the side as things swayed into more of a stereotypical high school YA novel. The writing was good, I will admit and I stayed fairly hooked with the narrative despite the movement away from the element that drew me to the book in the first place.

The character of Corey was created well enough, with her personality fully displayed and her emotional journey well explored. However, the supporting characters felt a little flat to me and sometimes their character shifted in a way that felt unnatural to everything that had been developed so far in the story. This happened in particular with Luke and, on one notable occasion, with Kim. I needed more plot development on these side characters.

In fact, the plot was where most of my issues stemmed. The pacing moved really well for about 2/3 of the book, but seemed to go completely out of whack for the last 1/3. It moved overly quickly and things tumbled together in a way that felt a little overly contrived. I wanted it to be a bit more convoluted and complex. And...as is oh so often my juggernaut, the ending just didn't suit my tastes. It was handled well enough and everything was more or less tidied up and explained without being overly perfect, but it just didn't sit right with me. I'm not sure what exactly I needed other than I needed more.

Overall, a good and quick YA read. I just was left a little underwhelmed.

1.5 stars. Ugh. This was SOOOO boring. Seriously. That's all I can really say about this one. There was the potential for a good premise, but beyond the big event at the beginning of the novel that sets up the entire reason for the book...NOTHING HAPPENS. If this wasn't a read for my book club, I would have DNF'd this one, hands down. So why the 1.5 you ask? Well...the writing was decent. That's it. Seriously. Everything else is super glossed over and mundane. Blah, blah, blah. I was so incredibly disappointed by the exploration of the plot. Oh...and Aaron annoyed me. Yes, he's grieving, I get that. But he is such a miserable person at the core. Ugh. I just COULD NOT get on board with this one, but found that I COULD get bored with it.

I am incredibly glad I picked this book back up. I first attempted to read it a few years ago, after it won several awards and was being lauded as simply amazing. I was apparently not in a good place for its complex seriousness as I couldn't get myself interested in the story. This time around, historical fiction was back to being my jam. I picked up the audio, which was a fantastic way to experience this story...especially given the attention of the novel to the sense of hearing via the radio and use of Marie-Laure's blindness as a plot device.

It is indeed a complex narration and there is so much thought and historical significance in the things that are included in the story. The writing is fantastic, detailed, and occasionally overwhelming in its comprehensive view of the situation. The bifurcation of the narrative into both Marie-Laure and Werner's individual stories was a brilliant way to construct this novel and it is filled with a view of war from their young and impressionable experience.

I loved the way this book moved and how it simultaneously endeared me and disgusted me. World War II is an oft discussed historical topic, but there was something so intrinsically different to this story. It was magical and beautiful while at the same time being terrifyingly heartbreaking and painful. It is certainly a must read, both from a standpoint of historical significance and one of artistic wonder.

2.5 stars.

While I appreciate Carrie Fisher's voice and it was mildly entertaining just to listen to her sardonic wit, this isn't the memoir I was hoping for. I think I need to seek out her Wishful Drinking to get the content I was searching for.

This short memoir is primarily dedicated to the story of her early days working on Star Wars, primarily the beginnings of her relationship with Harrison Ford. There are some short excerpts from diaries she wrote at the time where she clearly comes across as eloquent and thoughtful about her experience. A third portion of the book discusses her experiences with fans at ComicCon prior to her death.

All in all, the scope of the book is very narrow. I enjoyed hearing her voice and her experience, it just wasn't the content I was hoping for...so...this rating is more of a failure on my part to look into the contents of the memoir prior to reading than it is an issue with the writing.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

Maternal Instinct is a fantastic dystopian read centered on reproductive rights and parenting abilities. Using the difficulties of balancing work and family as well as the statistics for child abuse, the Australian government has developed a program that requires older teens to submit to at least 2 years of "reproductive service". Females are required to have two births and males volunteer their time serving in Birth Houses where pregnant and newly delivered mothers live during their service. At the age of 6 months, the children are then taken from their mothers and placed in the care of a Mater and Pater in a child's home. Being a Mater or a Pater is an occupation that requires skilled training and they are responsible for raising the children in a video supervised environment. Birth parents are allowed relationships with their children, but only via visitation on Sundays.

This is honestly a semi-creepy read when you begin to consider the possible ramifications. The idea does seem to have some merits as you read through the story, but the system is emotionally horrific. It all feels quite Stepford and, when the darker side of the system becomes evident, things start taking a gripping turn.

Something of a blend of The Handmaid's Tale and 1984, this is a fantastic book. I was hooked early on and didn't want to put this one down. I read it over the course of a family vacation and stayed up far too late at night because I NEEDED to know what was going to happen.

The development of the dystopian government is fantastic and well-constructed. The presentation of the system in a semi-balanced manner, giving the pros and cons from the direct voices of the characters, was brilliantly done and made it have a realistic feel. I was reminded of Margaret Atwood's saying that “Nothing makes me more nervous than people who say, ‘It can’t happen here.’ Anything can happen anywhere, given the right circumstances.” The slow slip from policies based on idealism and happiness into a culture of oppression and manipulation can be so stealthily done. Bowyer uses that approach to her advantage and creates a world that is both believable and horrific. It's this approach that makes Maternal Instinct both intriguing and frightening.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

2.5 stars.

A cross of dystopian sci-fi and mystery/thriller, the premise of this book is terribly intriguing, set in a version of our world where individuals are scanned for disease and then "welded" if they are determined to be healthy at the age of 55. Those unlucky enough to fail the scan will simply live out their lives however their illness progresses. Those who have been subject to the weld will "conclude" at age 75, nearly 20 years to the day from their weld date.

Colin's wife, Ruby, has just pre-concluded, deciding not to hold the power in her own hands and not wait for her true conclusion date. Colin himself still has a year or two to live. When he decides to splurge on himself and winds up in the luxury flight lounge, he sees a man who he swears is already dead. What follows is his obsessive journey to discover if he is correct in his assumption that this is the same man and, if so, how the man has cheated the system.

The idea for creating this book was creative and original and I was terribly intrigued. The plot was fairly well paced for the first half of the book, though occasionally confusing -- something I somewhat expect when I'm reading a mystery (otherwise where would be the surprise?). I appreciated the detail to the surroundings and the comprehensiveness with which the Boundary Waters and their exploration were written. The writing of this book was overall decent and I did moderately enjoy reading the book enough that I never considered placing it in the DNF pile, but there were things that I unfortunately found lacking.

There was a lot that could have been done with this premise and it felt interesting for the majority of the book, but it didn't feel like it was explored thoroughly. While I enjoyed the character of Colin and nearly as well enjoyed Justin, the stories swirled around each other in a bit of a confusing way for a good chunk of the book and Justin's motivations were not entirely explored. I could have tolerated the confusion had the plot felt full, but the last third of the book felt overly rushed and not near as complex as the writing had been for the prior portions. There was a lot of repetitiveness to the writing, particularly in that last third, and the story didn't feel completely cohesive.

The additional characters, though they were few, fell flat and were unbelievable for the most part. Angie felt like a poor man's Lisbeth Salander and her presence in the plot felt heavy-handed. Her relationship with Colin didn't feel right and things moved in an awkward way. The antagonist(s) could have been present more in the story. It just felt a little slapdash in the end, as if the writer was attempting to hurriedly meet a deadline rather than working to fully culminate the story.

I was happy with the read until that fateful last third. After that, things just fell flat for me. Though a creative story and a fairly solid ending, it just didn't fulfill me.