I hate the flu. But thankfully, I’m better and ready to mini-review the last books I read for the year of 2023!
Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman
Summary
Teenage Matilda is distraught when she must leave her home at a convent to actually work for a living in a poor part of London. However, she soon learns the value of the works of medicine after being employed as an apprentice to the street’s infamous bone-setter. We follow her journey as she experiences the conflict between being true to her faith and the experiences she is facing concerning medicine and even death.
Likes
- Time period. I love to read stories set in medieval times, though it seems that many adult and YA books set in this period have a lot of sex and profanity. That’s why it was refreshing to read a MG book from a younger, more innocent, perspective and still learn about the era.
- Language. I’m glad that the language was not too “Olde English”, as many books try to do when set in different eras.
Dislikes
- Plot. While the story and facts of the period were engaging, I didn’t feel like the story had a main plot, other than random circumstances that helped the character grow. This was definitely a character-driven book, which I am not always a fan of.
Passage to Zarahemla by Chris Heimerdinger
I’ve been wanting to read this one for a while, particularly because it is a historical fiction adaptation for kids/teens. …And it has characters and settings from the Book of Mormon so of course I’m going to read it! I was curious when I saw the movie adaptation for sale at Deseret Book and when I saw it was on Bookshelf+, I knew I had to listen to the audiobook!
Summary
After the death of their mother, teenage Keira and her brother Brock find themselves on the run from child services, not to mention the dangerous gang leader who is looking for something that has fallen into Brock’s lap. They flee to their aunt and her family’s home in Utah where Keira discovers a rift in time, which brings her back to her childhood friend Kiddoni—who everyone had tried to convince her was imaginary. She soon learns of a land full of secret robbers and righteous warriors set in a time which her grandfather tells her is cohesive with the stories in his church’s Book of Mormon.
Likes
- Plot. I like Christian fiction that does not come off as too preachy to the reader and this story was careful to invite the reader to interpret what was happening instead of telling them what to feel. It was interesting to read a book about the church where the main characters were not LDS and the reader sort of learned things about the church as the characters did.
- Characters. The main characters exhibited a balanced amount of fear as well as hope, which is always refreshing to read. Even the side characters, who could have been more static characters, were more rounded than I expected.
- Conflict. It was cool to read about characters from the Book of Mormon coming to life and clashing with our own modern world. I always wondered what they would have thought of our day if given the chance to live in it.
Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden
I recently reviewed a Facebook post from this author (whom I follow) about a film adaptation for the title of this book. It is the first title in “The Lancaster Family” proper romance series I haven’t read yet. So, naturally, I was curious.
Summary
Persephone Lancaster has just married a duke named Adam who is a stranger to her. Initially it seems to her that Adam, who suffers from a facial deformity, has a heart to match, until she starts to get to know the man behind the reputation. Adam can’t believe that this Persephone he agreed to marry is so beautiful…just his luck. They could never be each other’s true match, could they?
Likes
I didn’t expect this to be a “Beauty and the Beast” story. It’s more subtle than other adaptations I have read, which is rather refreshing. Eden also includes many original descriptions that help the plot move forward, instead of cliché’s that often accompany retellings.
Dislikes
Once I gathered this was a “Beauty and the Beast” adaptation, I could predict the ending, which made the story drag a bit. I also wasn’t a fan of Persephone’s character, who was often sad and forlorn.
While I wish this story had a more original plot, Eden still did an effective job rehashing a much-loved tale into a proper romance. I’m curious to see how it will adapt to the big screen!
