fantasy, young adult

A Tale of Ashes by Ann Dayleview

Mia

I want to give a big THANK YOU to author Ann Dayleview for giving me an advanced reader’s copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate you!

Summary:

In a world where humans and fae live side by side, 17-year-old Freddie dreams of becoming a journalist. As several students go missing, she knows solving this mystery is her opportunity to make her journalism dreams come true. However, uncovering the mystery of the kidnappings becomes more and more difficult as news sources continue to spread biased news. Human and fae relations are already strained, and as the public starts to unfairly blame fae for the kidnappings, Freddie must work to not only achieve her dreams but also to clear her fae friend’s name. 

As Freddie investigates the kidnappings, she meets mysterious Aiden, a fae soldier forced to fight in the Fairy War. Although her friends warn her of Aiden’s dangerous reputation, Freddie cannot believe that Aiden would commit such heinous crimes. As evidence points to him being the perpetrator for the kidnappings, Freddie must choose whether to follow her heart or her head.

A Tale of Ashes combines young adult fantasy, mystery, and romance to create an intriguing novel for all readers.

Review:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

As someone who does not typically read fantasy, this book was the perfect way to ease back into the genre. Author Ann Dayleview blends fantasy and human worlds in a way that makes the setting easy to understand. By creating a society similar to ours today — with people facing prejudice, police bias, and hate even after being “equal under the law” — Dayleview is able to make commentary on our world in a creative and interesting way. 

A Tale of Ashes also makes itself comfortable for inexperienced fantasy readers by centering itself on a mystery. This was what drew me to the book in the first place, and I loved that it took on the mystery through the lens of investigative journalism. It added another level of urgency to the story, with Freddie’s journalism deadline approaching, and by outlining all of the evidence, readers are able to solve the mystery along with Freddie. However, with so many different storylines happening at once, it sometimes felt as though the mystery was forgotten. It occasionally disappeared into the background, swallowed by romance and battle scenes.

All things considered, I am in no way complaining about the level of romance in this book. I loved the time spent on dates between Aiden and Freddie. I felt as though I was developing feelings for him along with Freddie, and I could understand her emotional torment as evidence stacked up against him. I also enjoyed how Dayleview portrayed Freddie’s lasting feelings for her ex-boyfriend, Pelrin. It never fell into a love triangle, but instead, it showed how being in a long-term relationship can cause someone to still care for another deeply, even if not romantically. This made Freddie feel so much more real, which added on nicely to her already relatable and likeable character. 

Aiden was another amazing character in this novel. He was incredibly complex and multi-faceted, and Dayleview did a great job at showing the different sides of him, along with the reasons why he acts the way he does. I was worried that I would end up disliking his character because of my hatred for the “bad boy” trope, but Aiden is much more than that. By seeing how he acts in different settings along with learning about his past, Dayleview creates a realistic character almost expected to walk off of the page and into real life.

Although the characters were very realistic, A Tale of Ashes still included plenty of fantasy elements, including plenty of magical battle scenes. These were intense without losing clarity; I was able to follow what was happening, but the scenes were still fast-paced and exciting. There were also lots of fantasy elements through the variety of magical characters represented throughout the novel. As an inexperienced fantasy reader, this was somewhat confusing for me, as most of the types of fae were not clearly defined. However, this variety of fae made the fairy world more interesting, as it was richly diverse.

In conclusion, A Tale of Ashes is a fun, quick fantasy read that has something everyone can enjoy, whether you love fantasy, mystery, romance, or commentary on our world today, and I can’t wait to read what Dayleview writes next. 

(P.S. Ann, if you’re reading this, please tell me there will be a sequel!)

fantasy, favorites

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Mia
The review on the cover of “The House in the Cerulean Sea” calls the book “very close to perfect.” I would have to agree.

Summary:

“DON’T YOU WISH YOU WERE HERE?”

Linus Baker is a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY): stiff, rule-following, and perfectly content with his current life, thank you very much. His only longing is for the beautiful sandy beach on his mousepad at work, which asks, “DON’T YOU WISH YOU WERE HERE?” (To which he responds, “Yes. Daily.”)

Due to his reputation for thorough, unfeeling, and objective reports, Extremely Upper Management gives Linus an important assignment. He must investigate an orphanage for magical youth on an isolated island, which is said to house the six most dangerous magical children in the world — and, conveniently, a beautiful beach just like the one Linus so admires on his mousepad.

As Linus spends time with the children and mysterious master of the orphanage, Arthur Parnassus, he begins to question his beliefs on right and wrong. Are these children truly so dangerous that they can bring about the end of the world? Or has someone made them believe that? 

The House in the Cerulean Sea tells the beautiful story of finding where you belong, and in that, finding yourself.

Review:

Featuring the Beth March bookmark from Page Petal (pagepetal.com)

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Wow. I absolutely fell in love with this book. As I was reading it, I was putting off finishing it because I didn’t want it to end. The House in the Cerulean Sea made me laugh out loud, tear up, and feel like my heart was about to burst out of my chest. Even thinking about this story gives me the warm fuzzies. 

One of the main sources of said warm fuzzies are the characters. Each character was crafted so intricately that by the end of the novel, I felt as if I knew them. I knew their fears and doubts, their sense of humor, their passions and goals… and I loved them all. Author TJ Klune did an amazing job at not only writing these characters’ personalities, but also naturally revealing them. The relationships between Linus and the children, as well as Linus and the adults (Arthur and Zoe), progressed organically. Each interaction was purposeful, showing the growing bond between characters, how the characters had evolved, and sharing more of their personalities. This made the novel and its characters feel real. 

The setting also added an element of reality to the book. I love the way that Klune blended worlds. By using elements from our current world, a dystopian society reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984, and fantasy, Klune creates a feeling akin to that of Harry Potter. It is the perfect mix for all readers: it’s realistic and understandable enough for those who don’t typically read fantasy, without losing the transportive magic of fantasy novels. 

This blended setting was grounded enough in the reality of our world for Klune to send powerful messages about our society today, turning this book into what I would call a “modern classic.” This is not a term I use lightly. I do believe that this book and its messages will continue to be relevant and enjoyable for decades to come, and that everyone should read this. Klune was able to integrate conversations about important issues without it feeling like he was listing relevant buzzwords or going through a “social justice checklist.” The messages came naturally, yet powerfully, revealing the depth of Klune’s writing talent.

Klune’s writing style is unlike anything I have read before. His descriptions of the setting and appearance of characters made me feel as though I was watching an animated film (side note: if I was a millionaire, I would fund an animated movie of this book, no hesitation). I have never experienced the feeling of watching an animated film while reading a book, and it was so fun. Additionally, the descriptions of the setting were detailed without being unnecessarily descriptive, and the island was vibrantly beautiful. I loved being able to escape there at the end of a long day.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is a novel that I will never stop thinking about. It is one of my all-time favorite books, and it has changed the way I see the world. If that isn’t a sign of a good book, I don’t know what is.

mystery, thriller, young adult

The Good Girls by Claire Eliza Bartlett

Mia

Summary:

It’s Thursday morning at Jefferson-Lorne High School, and as usual, the students are abuzz over new gossip. Except this time is different. This time, someone has been murdered.

Daughter of the police chief, almost-valedictorian, and so-called “good girl” Emma Baines is missing, and a video of her being pushed into the roaring rivers of Anna’s Run has been released. The only thing left to do is find her killer. However, the Lorne Police Department has never been too successful when it comes to solving murders of teenage girls. 

A few years ago, another soul was lost to Anna’s Run. It was ruled a suicide, but Emma believed otherwise. She won’t let hers be ruled the same. 

As the school’s troublemaker, cheer captain, and other almost-valedictorian are interrogated, readers quickly realize not all is as it seems in Lorne. The murder must be solved before another “good girl” is lost to Anna’s Run.

In this multi-layered mystery, author Claire Eliza Bartlett explores and breaks stereotypes while beautifully narrating a shocking and relevant story of friendship, feminism, revenge, and how far people are willing to go to hide the truth. 

BOOK CONTENT WARNING: s*xual assault and violence, m*rder (not just referred to, but described)

Review:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

“Wow,” was the only word I could use to describe this book when I finished it. Wow. This book was not what I anticipated at all. I expected a fairly formulaic, basic Young Adult mystery novel. You have characters who are different high school stereotypes trying to solve a mystery to clear their own names, accidentally finding friendships in the midst of it, like One of Us is Lying (Karen M. McManus). This was not that at all. This was better.

This novel was more than a regular murder mystery. It was not just a forgettable but fun read. It was powerful. It provided commentary on relevant issues accurately, including s*xual violence, poverty, LGBTQ+ prejudice, and power dynamics. For me, this is what set it apart from its similar YA high school murder mystery counterparts. As a high school student today, I know all too well how all of these issues play out in a high school setting. Bartlett does justice and brings light to these problems without it seeming performative or as if she is just knocking them off of her fingers like buzzwords. They are built into the plot and characters, just as they are in real life.

The Good Girls was so multifaceted. There were multiple mysteries to uncover at the same time, the characters were complex and well-written, and the writing style was beautiful, to say the least. Bartlett has an almost poetic way with words. Her descriptions and metaphors when it came to Anna’s Run, the river where the two girls were murdered, were hauntingly melodic. There were certain passages or descriptors that made the novel feel prose-like at times, which is difficult to find in Young Adult fiction.

Additionally, the stereotypes of the cheerleader, overachiever, and “school slut” were not used for comedy, but instead broken. Each character was so well-written and complex. It made the characters feel real. A lot of mysteries don’t spend enough time on character development. After all, it is a mystery. However, Bartlett’s character descriptions and anecdotes set this book apart. In the end, you weren’t thinking of any of the characters as their label. They were just who they were.

I took a half-star off of my rating because of some plot points that fell flat at the end, but nothing that took away from the story in my opinion. I know some have critiqued the book by saying that it was paced too slowly, but I disagree. If you come into this book expecting a fast-paced thriller, I can see how you would be disappointed. However, the time spent on character connections and development set up the plot twists and discoveries so that they were more shocking and compelling.

In the end, I think The Good Girls is one of my favorite reads of 2021 already. If you read One of Us is Lying but were wishing for a little more depth, this is for you. Just read it!

favorites

My Favorite Books of 2020

Mia

2020 was a big year for reading for me. I read more books than I ever have in all of my years recording my reading on Goodreads (wow)! Below are all of the books I rated 4.5 or 5 stars last year. Note that while not all of them were published in 2020, I read them all in 2020.

Mystery

The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson (Young Adult)

Ellingham Academy is known for teaching the brightest students in America. It is also known for the infamous unsolved murders of the headmaster’s wife and child a century ago – and now, it is known for the three recent murders of students on campus. Time is running out, and teen detective Stevie is sure that all of the murders are linked, but she isn’t quite sure how. In the third book in the Truly Devious series, author Maureen Johnson perfectly ties up loose ends in a fast-moving, thrilling, and shocking conclusion. There is a reason why the Truly Devious series is an absolute favorite of mine. I know I will be coming back to these books again and again.

Photo Credit: Amazon

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Young Adult)

When billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies, the majority of his fortune is not left to his family – instead, it is given to poor high school student Avery Grambs, on the one condition that she lives with his family in the mysterious Hawthorne House. However, not all is as it seems in the House, and with danger around every corner, Avery must use her intelligence in order to survive and uncover why Tobias Hawthorne, a man she never met, left her billions. I never wanted to put this fast-paced mystery down. The characters are interesting and complex, the dialogue is witty and enjoyable, and the setting is jealousy-inducing.

The sequel, The Hawthorne Legacy, will be released in September 2021.

Don’t you hate it when the sticker leaves residue on your books?

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stewart Turton (some Fantasy elements)

Heiress Evelyn Hardcastle has been murdered. And she will continue to be murdered every day until detective Aiden Bishop can find her killer. Each day, Aiden wakes up in the body of one of the guests staying in the mysterious Blackheath Manor, and in order to escape and return to his own life, he must solve the mystery before it is too late. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is insanely original, combining a classic high-society mystery with the fantastical elements synonymous with Groundhog Day. The setting, characters, and plot twists made this book one I will never forget.

Historical Fiction

I don’t usually read a lot of historical fiction, but this year I was very drawn to other time periods.

Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce (WWII)

In World War II London, Emmy Lake dreams of being a Lady War Correspondent to help the war effort. When she sees an ad for a journalism job, she thinks her dreams are finally coming true. Instead, she ends up working for prissy advice columnist Mrs. Bird, who rejects all things “unpleasant.” To help people with these “unpleasant” problems, Emmy starts writing advice in secret to those who need it. Dear Mrs. Bird made me laugh, cry, and shut the book to stare into space. The characters are enjoyable, the plot is the perfect mix of sadness and joy, and the messages in the book have stuck with me to this day.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (WWII, Romance)

As World War II ends, former newspaper columnist Juliet Ashton is looking for inspiration for her next book when she receives a letter from a man she has never met who has found her name written inside one of his favorite second-hand books. Juliet starts a correspondence with this man and his many eccentric friends, learning about their lives on the island of Guernsey during the German occupation where they coped by starting a book club. Thinking this could be the subject for her next book, Juliet dives deeper into each of the Guernsey residents’ lives, learning about life, love, and friendship. The setting and characters in this book made it feel like a warm hug. The story is told through letters, which conveyed each of the characters’ personalities beautifully. I loved each of the characters, and I felt heartache and joy along with them. If you’ve seen the Netflix adaptation of this novel, note that it is not accurate to the book. You need to read this to get the full story!

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows (Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult)

16-year-old King Edward is dying, so he arranges for his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, to marry Lord Guilford in order to successfully rule the kingdom. However, a political uprising is brewing, and the three of them must work together in order to survive and save the kingdom. This retelling of the story of Lady Jane Grey goes absolutely off the path of historical accuracy, instead crossing over to comedic fantasy with witty dialogue and an enemies-to-lovers relationship (or two.. shh…). I typically don’t enjoy when authors add fantasy elements in historical retellings, but I did not want to put this book down. It was witty, entertaining, romantic, and the fantasy elements were implemented seamlessly into the plot and time period. I am definitely rereading this book this year.

Classics

I am rereading this book right now!

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Wuthering Heights tells the story of aggressive Heathcliff and fiesty Catherine growing up together, then apart, on the moors of England. It is a story of love, hatred, and the destruction that goes along with both. Wuthering Heights is controversial. People hate it. People love it. I fall under the latter. The characters are unlikable, the setting is dark and isolated, and the plot is twisted. So why do I like it? The book is like no other. The complexities of loving the wrong person, of the small actions that have unforeseen effects, and of jealousy are all explored deeply in this novel. Each character, though unlikable, is incredibly well-written and multi-faceted. Wuthering Heights continues to haunt me to this day.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” It is also a truth universally acknowledged that Pride and Prejudice is one of the most-loved books of all time, focusing on the (for lack of a better term) enemies-to-lovers relationship between the prideful Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet. I will admit, it took a second read-through for me to truly understand and admire this novel. Once I did that, however, this became one of my all-time favorites. Lizzie is a lovely, relatable, interesting heroine that I could identify with. The other characters are lovable and developed, and the relationships between them are well-written. The tension and growing romance between Mr. Darcy and Lizzie is incredible. I expect to reread this book countless times in my life.

Isn’t this edition of Little Women so gorgeous? It is from the Puffin in Bloom collection.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Ladylike but materialistic Meg, boyish and independent Jo, kind and generous Beth, and talented but selfish Amy are the four March sisters. Little Women centers on the sisters as they grow up together, facing different challenges at each age, including war, love, loss, and personal ambitions. As someone who has a sister, I find that the relationships Alcott portrays are as realistic and nuanced as any sisterhood today. The characters are all likable, yet flawed, making it easy to relate to at least one character in the novel, and making for many “teachable moments” that are still relevant now.

What were your best reads of 2020? Let me know in the comments! I would love some recommendations for 2021.

mystery, young adult

Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Mia

Summary:

High heels. White gloves. Debutantes. Blackmail. One of these things is not like the others…

Sawyer Taft is 18, an auto mechanic, and an expert at threatening sexual harassers on the job. What she doesn’t know is that she is also a future debutante… and accessory to a felony (or a few).

While Sawyer’s mother is away on another one of her whirlwind romances, Sawyer’s grandmother arrives on her doorstep offering her $500,000- to Sawyer, this is more than an opportunity to get out of her small town and go to college: this is her opportunity to finally discover who her father is. The catch? She has to stay at her grandmother’s house for a year to participate in the debutante season.

While being prodded, plucked, and trained to be a perfectly charming “Deb,” Sawyer stumbles upon a dangerous secret kept by her cousin Lily. So-called “Little Miss Perfect” has been keeping a semi-explicit photo blog, and a fellow Deb has the evidence to expose her for it. Faced with ruining her reputation, Lily does all that she can to preserve it, dragging Sawyer and ever-anxious friend Sadie-Grace down with her.

Little White Lies is Mamma Mia meets Miss Congeniality meets a multi-faceted mystery all wrapped up in one quick read.

Review:

Asterisks will be used to refer to events without spoilers. Refer to the asterisk at the bottom of the page to see the spoiler.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I went into this book thinking I knew what to expect. Sawyer lives at her grandmother’s house, can’t walk in heels, makes lots of jokes about debutantes, searches for her father, causes general chaos, and uncovers a family secret. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. While Little White Lies includes all of these things, it also covers much, much more. Like blackmail, kidnapping, a semi-explicit photo blog, a hit-and-run, and a few more felonies sprinkled in.

Little White Lies alternates between short chapters centering on the present, where the debutantes are locked in a jail cell, and regular-length chapters that lead up to their arrest. The titles of the chapters count down to the present, which helps to determine a timeline and build excitement. However, with that being said, the flash-forwards also added an element of confusion. The police officer, Mackie, has trouble distinguishing between the debutantes, referring to each as “the girl who picked the lock,” and other nicknames. Without reading too far into the novel, it is hard to distinguish between the debutantes yourself. This caused a rocky start for me in reading this novel, but it became smoother as time went on.

I am a sucker for books set in high society, especially when the main character doesn’t necessarily fit into said society. This is the perfect example of that. Sawyer is a fun, relatable yet unique character. I loved her point of view and interactions with the other characters, who were nearly as endearing.

One thing I continue to notice in Barnes’ writing is her ability to write incredibly realistic and nuanced female friendships. This was shown perfectly in the friendship between Sawyer and Lily. It has ups and downs, and downs that turn into ups in a matter of seconds. They say the wrong things. They try to forget mistakes instead of forgive them. They are, in short, just like every other teenager. They are young; they’re still growing; yet, they have an inexplicable bond.

Lily slid in beside me. The two of us sat cross-legged with our knees touching as I paged through the book, sheet by sheet. I’d never been the slumber-party, confiding-in-other-girls type. Having Lily here with me should have felt invasive, but it didn’t.

Page 205, Little White Lies, Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Another relationship that Barnes portrayed perfectly was between Sawyer and her mother. The way Barnes showed Sawyer’s love for her mother, even through deeply frustrating circumstances, captured the teenage mother-daughter relationship unbelievably accurately. The awkwardness, attempts to brush over questions, and familiarity after being apart for a long time were reminiscent of my own relationship with my mother.

Little White Lies includes several full-page photos with confessions written on them. These are labeled “Secrets on My Skin” with a website written below (www.secretsonmyskin.com/community) in order to model a website featured in the story. Secrets on My Skin is the semi-nude photo blog run by Lily, Sawyer’s Type-A cousin. I had several issues with this part of the plot, which largely lead to its final rating. Secrets on My Skin allows people to submit their confessions for the anonymous photographer (Lily) to paint on her body and post.

The images that were put into the book to model Secrets on My Skin posts were completely unnecessary. For one thing, they weren’t even what Secrets on My Skin posts would have looked like. They used random photos in the background (doesn’t this look exactly like the app Whisper?). I understand why they did that (they can’t put nearly pornographic images in a Young Adult novel…), but I would have rather they didn’t put them in at all. They didn’t add anything to the story except for confusion and flashbacks to 2014. Trust me, I do not want to go back to 2014.

Additionally, these “confessions” are inserted into the book before we learn what Secrets on My Skin is, causing more confusion. I initially thought there was some kind of misprint in the book that had caused scammers to put in ads. I even did a Google search to figure out what was going on, only to find several people with the same question.

As a current high schooler, I have to say that Secrets on My Skin aged the book majorly. Secrets of My Skin stunk of Whisper, an anonymous confession app that was popular around 2014. If you were an adolescent during that time on the internet, you’ve probably seen Whisper confessions, especially on BuzzFeed Video’s YouTube. Personally, the idea of Secrets on My Skin reminded me so much of Whisper that it was hard for me to believe that this book was set in 2018 and not four years prior. This part of the plot seemed unrealistic for today’s culture.

In addition, there were so many unanswered questions when it came to the blog. Did only their high school’s students submit confessions? Was this a blog that was popular throughout the country? If so, how were they so sure that one fairly vague confession* was from a student at their school? I feel that Secrets on My Skin is the younger, meeker sister of the dialogue in Netflix Originals when adults try to write teenagers and fail horribly.

The end of the novel seemed somewhat abrupt, but I cut some slack for that considering that there is a sequel. The information** discovered at the end was entirely surprising to me, and any loose ends that aren’t wrapped up are sure to be put into a little bow in Deadly Little Scandals.

Overall, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy this novel. Will I be seeking out the sequel? Probably not. I enjoyed the characters and relationships, but I wanted more from Barnes. It seems to be a pattern in her writing for me (I had the same problem while reading The Inheritance Games). I want more descriptive scenery, more character development, more drama. Just more, overall. I feel that she puts so much into her novels- great dialogue, interesting relationships, so many quirky characters- that it can be hard to do all of that to the fullest. On the other hand, this style of writing does make for a fast-paced read. There wasn’t a moment where the book stalled or I was bored. There were times I had to put it down and think for a moment because it was going so fast!

In the end, it all comes down to your preferences. I think Little White Lies was a fun, light, and fast read, but something that I am not likely to remember a year from now.

Spoilers

*The confession “I was driving,” was tied back to Walker (Lily’s ex-boyfriend), who believed at that time to have been driving drunk in the crash that severely hurt Nick’s brother.

**The information I am referring to here is that Sawyer’s father is not who she previously believed him to be. She discovers that her mother made a pregnancy pact with Greer and a girl named Ana, and the man whom Sawyer thought was her father was in fact the father of Ana’s baby instead.

historical fiction

The Last Suppers by Mandy Mikulencak

Mia
The Last Suppers
Photo from Goodreads.

Summary:

A prison was not a place for a family. Yet, it was where Ginny’s family was: her father worked at Greenmount State Penitentiary in Louisiana until he died. Then his murderer was killed. That was the first execution Ginny saw, but it was in no way the last.

In the 1950’s, years later, Ginny returned to be the prison chef at Greenmount. Instead of the mush prisoners usually received, Ginny made steaming hot mashed potatoes, soups and sandwiches that her mother would say the prisoners didn’t deserve. But she needed to do something- something to honor the humanity of these men, these men who were about to be killed. So Ginny prepared their last suppers. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to the inmates. Whatever they asked for, she made. She made it again and again until it was just like his grandmother made it. This was an obsession, a non-negotiable, something she physically needed to do ever since she saw her daddy’s killer die, pleading with God. He said he was innocent. He didn’t get a last meal. He didn’t get a last meal.

When Ginny uncovers information proving her father’s killer may be someone else, she is wracked with guilt and questions. Maybe what’s right isn’t a definite answer. Maybe it seesaws onto wrong, but what does that make it?

Review:

Asterisks will be used to define events referred to vaguely in the review in order to include no spoilers. Do not check the asterisks if you don’t want to know!

The Last Suppers was a unique book, to say the least. At times, it seemed slow moving and I wanted to put it down, but even through the slow movement, Miculencak was able to add many twists and turns. Just when I had settled into a pattern of events, something changed and added a new depth to the novel. It wasn’t constant movement, I will say, but it did have some driving force (even if what that driving force was wasn’t always clear).

Originally, I was unsure what the conflict of this book would be. I thought it might be one of those “I’m struggling with my feelings” books with no outside conflict (not that this isn’t a good topic to write about, but I feel that it cannot be compared to the typical novel, because everything is inside the character’s head. It isn’t my favorite type of book to read, personally, because wallowing in flashbacks and feelings has very little driving force in my experience) but luckily, it was not! I’m not going to give away any of the conflict, but just know, it’s there! It’s coming- maybe not right away with that slow beginning, but it will arrive.

I was very excited about the 1950’s setting before I read the book, but that lead to some disappointment. The setting had very little to do with the book besides some racism and sexism up until one point in the storyline* of who killed Ginny’s father. Some may say that the incorporation of that into the storyline was enough to satisfy their taste of the 1950’s, but I would disagree. I didn’t always feel like I was in a different time period besides the occasional bits and pieces. This, of course, is personal preference. It was purposeful, I’m sure, because Ginny is not the typical woman from the 1950’s, and she was never meant to be that woman.

Although I have been very picky in this review, I did enjoy The Last Suppers. I give it 4 stars out of 5. Most of my complaints were due to the beginning of the novel, but once you get into the story, it is beautifully original with lots of twists and turns. I truly appreciate that Miculencak fully embraced the story. I have noticed that many authors, once having a unique idea for a book, go no further than the original idea. They think having that idea is enough and that writing it will be successful, whether they add additional details into the plot or not. That is one of my least favorite things to happen to a book, and I am so glad that Miculencak went further with her base idea for the novel.

The Last Suppers is like no book I have read before, and I recommend it.

*The part in the storyline that I refer to here is the discovery that her father and Roscoe were in the KKK. That, of course, is historical and does let the readers into a different time period.