ARC Review: My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

My Contrary Mary

by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

Publication Date: June 22^nd 2021

Publisher: HarperTeen

Find This Book: My Contrary Mary

Rating: 5/5

An ARC of this audiobook was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This series as a concept had me so unbelievably excited. After completing a trilogy of historical Jane retellings, Hand, Ashton, and Meadows have set their sights on Marys. The very first, My Contrary Mary, is a Mary Queen of Scots retelling. Get ready to be transported to Renaissance France where Mary is a ward of the French Court! 

The book's narration comes from several shifting POV's (primarily Mary), as well as some third-person narrator comments. The narrator's are really what makes this book so special. They are absolutely hilarious, providing a 'so-here-is-the-scoop' tone. They are terrible gossips, but charmingly witty at the same time. They are that friend in college/high school that you always turned to when you wanted to hear about the latest scandals without going through the effort of snooping things out for yourself. Before the book even properly started I was cry-laughing at the dedication: "For the people who feel like they have to be perfect; and for France. We're sorry for what we're about to do to your history, but it was your turn."

I found myself enjoying the return to the Eðian/Verity dynamic (shapeshifter/pure humans) as a metaphor for the disparity and tensions between Catholics and Protestants at the time. It is a cool way to reframe this time period, and was pretty genius! 

On top of the comedy, the characters were so well developed. I truly felt for Mary and Francis, and even the side characters like Mary Livingston and Ari. Their actions and motivations felt real, and the stakes and betrayals in court were gutting. While of course this is a series of Marys, in a sense each book is also a stand alone, which I think is a boon to the work. Readers don't necessarily have to read The Lady Janies series to enjoy this latest work. Comedy and Historical Fiction blend together effortlessly in this gem of a book. Bonus points? Bonus points! On top of everything, I actually feel like I learned a lot reading this book. The plot was surprisingly historically accurate, if we overlook the whole fantasy shapeshifting element haha.

All in all, My Contrary Mary is a must-read, and I impatiently await the additions of Mary Shelley and Mary Read to the new Mary series!

ARC Review: The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis

The Initial Insult 

by Mindy McGinnis

Publication Date: February 23^rd 2021

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Find This Book: The Initial Insult

Rating: 5/5

An ARC of this audiobook was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Wow, and can I say it again? WOW. I have read This Darkness Mine, so I had an idea of what I'd signed up for with a Mindy McGinnis book but my mind was still blown by her impressive prose. McGinnis has crafted two amazing main characters, Tress and Felicity, that switch POV's throughout the book. This creates an interesting dynamic of perspectives as we settle into a Cask of Amontillado type situation. That's right, someone is getting entombed behind a brick wall Edgar-Allan-Poe-Style! I absolutely loved this premise, and I found the flashbacks to their friendship falling apart (told by both sides) to be completely fascinating.

McGinnis has perfectly crafted yet another psycho-thriller and I can't wait for the second half of this duology. I thought I knew where this was going but was so intrigued by the flashback stories that I didn't care too much, and then BAM! My expected ending did NOT happen. I was so shocked I had to re-listen to the last couple of chapters to confirm I wasn't dreaming! The ending was so abrupt it left me reeling, and it would have been a perfect ending point to the entire story, no second half needed, if I wasn't left with so many unresolved flashback questions. You could say I'm 'dying' to find out what happens next!

**The one thing that I do have to warn about is that there is some sexual content, so this might not be the 'young adult' book for everyone!

ARC Review: Rebel Daughter by Lori Banov Kaufmann

Rebel Daughter

by Lori Banov Kaufmann

Publication Date:  February 9^th 2021

Publisher:  Delacorte Press

Find This Book: Rebel Daughter

Rating: 4/5

I was given an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rebel Daughter starts off strong with heartfelt characters and careful attention to historical detail. It really felt like I’d been visiting 1st century Jerusalem every time I picked up this book! The best part is that all the details felt natural, time-traveling descriptions never bogged down the plot or emotional depth of scenes. The story is of Esther, the daughter of a priest, worries for her marriage prospects and for her family as tensions erupt in her home between the Jewish people and their Roman conquerors. As war erupts, Esther struggles not only to keep it together but also to keep her family together. A story where people and friendships are not as they seem, Rebel Daughter bears witness to all the strong women who have shaped and desperately survived history.

My only critique is that there a couple jarring time-jumps. One between chapters is excusable and between chapters can be a murky passage of time, but the one that happens between mere paragraphs not demarcated in any way ruined the immersion for me. It took several pages to re-adjust back to the plot. I realize that the time jumps probably fit with a historical timeline, but it could have been padded or headlined for a smoother flow of the story.

Top Ten Tuesday #13

Created by The Broke and The Bookish
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

6 New-to-Me Authors I Read in the Last Year

1. V. E. Schwab

I was absolutely blown away by The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and will 100% be reading more from Schwab in 2021. I still haven't decided if Vicious, This Savage Song, or A Darker Shade of Magic will be my next read!

2. Leigh Bardugo 

I read Six of Crows and will definitely be reading more from the Grishaverse in the future!

3. Victoria Aveyard

I read Red Queen and while I wasn't crazy about the plot I did enjoy the writing style. I haven't decided yet whether I'll finish the rest of this series, but I'm actually really excited for her upcoming new series Realm Breaker.

4. Sarah Kuhn

I recently listened to the Doctor Aphra audiobook, written by Kuhn, and loved it. I'm very interested in picking up I Love You So Mochi soon!

5. Art Spiegelman

I was immensely impressed by Maus volumes one and two this past year. This was expected, as the duology is long acclaimed as a brutally moving work of art (Maus came out in '86).

6. Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mexican Gothic was such a spooky read and it put Moreno-Garcia on the map for me. I'm looking forward to also reading Gods of Jade and Shadow.

Top Ten Tuesday #12

Created by The Broke and The Bookish

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl 

Top 10 Books I Meant to Read In 2020

1. Skyhunter 

by Marie Lu

2. The Tower of Nero (The Trials of Apollo #5) 

by Rick Riordan

3. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars 

by Christopher Paolini

4. Unravel the Dusk (The Blood of Stars #2) 

by Elizabeth Lim

5. Grown 

by Tiffany D. Jackson

6. One of Us Is Next (One of Us Is Lying #2) 

by Karen M. McManus

7. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder 

by Holly Jackson

8. Plain Bad Heroines 

by Emily M. Danforth

9. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires 

by Grady Hendrix

10. Kingdom of the Wicked 

by Kerri Maniscalco

What 2020 books do you still want to read?

ARC Review: Phoenix Flame by Sara Holland

Phoenix Flame

by Sara Holland

Publication Date:  March 11^th 2021

Publisher:  Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Find This Book: Phoenix Flame

Rating: 4/5

I was given an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the fantasy world of the Havenfall series and it was great to be back! Holland presents a well thought out and balanced magical system, with a new twist (sorry, that's spoilers). With the returning health of Maddie's uncle, she steps down from being the Inkeeper of Havenfall, but that doesn't stop her adventures! The soul trade is alive and well, the Silver Prince has escaped to Byrn, and a new soul trader has been discovered in Fiordenkill. Can Maddie successfully pull off her infiltration mission? Will her relationships, especially her two crushes, survive the turmoil ahead?

One of my favorite aspects that I truly appreciate about this series is Maddie's bisexuality. It's not an in-your-face part of the book, and I don't think sexuality has to be. I love that the book is not about Maddie struggling with her sexuality and it's not about Maddie having an identity crisis. She lives her life and just happens to be bisexual. The book is not super romance heavy, but when she talks about her crushes one is a guy and one is a girl. It feels like a totally natural representation and it is so refreshing to finally see someone like me reflected in the characters I read.

I do wish that Maddie's character had more of an arc in Phoenix Flame. I still enjoyed Phoenix Flame, but she felt more complicated and had more depth in Havenfall that was not quite replicated here. I couldn't help but notice that Maddie appeared more passive in this one, though to be fair many of the situations she was in were totally out of her control. That being said I was still hoping for a bit more, especially from the climax itself. This is what took the book down one star for me.