The Ghosts of Heaven is a challenging experience. It’s extremely difficult to explain, much leRead This Review & More Like It At Ageless Pages Reviews
The Ghosts of Heaven is a challenging experience. It’s extremely difficult to explain, much less review coherently. I highly recommend, not just reading it, but purchasing it, because this book is not the kind of thing you can fully appreciate in one go. However, it’s also certainly not for everyone.
Sedgwick has crafted a novel around the concept of spirals and infinity. The book consists of four short stories that can be read in any of 24 combinations, though I think most will read them in the order they’re initially presented in. Each story is a separate genre, part of what makes the book so hard to pin down as a whole. The stories are tied together through a supernatural element and a recurring fascination with natural spirals. Snail shells, fern fronds, twists of rope. The spirals are the key, though in some of the stories, I’m not sure I understand the question. It’s a cerebral book.
Of the four stories, two have female protagonists with a strong feminist bent, while the other two have male protagonists. I found that I prefered the first two stories, with the feminist slant, as I thought they showed an interesting continuity in the struggles women face. I wish that thread had continued to the other two stories, as I felt both the asylum and the spaceship lacked an emotional connection.
The prose is beautiful, particularly in the first story, set in a prehistoric village. To illustrate the pre-literary nature of the narrator, the story is told in an almost poem like way. There’s no character development; the narrator isn’t even named, and yet I felt closer to her than any of the other characters.
The second and third stories are historical fiction, though the first is a relatively straightforward historical, focusing on a witch trial, while the second is a gothic thriller set in an asylum. They’re also the most connected of the stories, as the narrator of the asylum directly mentions the witch trials and the fates of the other characters in the witch’s village. The spiral theme works less well in these two, and I was left with a lot of unanswered questions.
Finally, the last story is an amazing descent into madness in outer space. This narrator is one of the guardians of a ship of people in cryogenic sleep. He awakens every decade to monitor the sleepers, run system maintenance, and then he too returns to his hibernation. Unfortunately, this is also the most challenging story. The science is murky and the twist is just strange.
Like the spiral, though, the end pulled the book around again, and I was left loving the story, the book, and the author’s balls. The Ghosts of Heaven is a hard sell. From the dense, scientific prologue all the way to an end that requires you to know the Fibonacci sequence, this book is not light reading. Of the four stories, I only love one. It’s uncomfortable and there are a lot of unanswered questions. But it’s undeniably unique. I’ve had more fun reading books, but I’ve rarely been so challenged. ...more
I don't dislike When as a serial killer mystery, thought the police work is shoddy as hell. (MRead This Review & More Like It At Ageless Pages Reviews
I don't dislike When as a serial killer mystery, thought the police work is shoddy as hell. (Maybe we could stop focusing on all these teenagers who alibied out and start focusing on this town's disproportionately large population of creepy as fuck middle age men?) I do hate When as a supernatural/fantasy, because it's not one.
Maddie has the ability to see deathdates, the day a person will die. It doesn't matter if she sees them in person or in photo or if they're already dead. Maddie knows when every one around her will die. And though she's tried for a decade to change these futures, ever since her cop father was killed in the line of duty, she can't.
The problem is the deathdates aren't worked into the story well. Maddie ends up being investigated by the FBI, (after one disappearance, before the local police have even looked into the missing person, much less found a body,) because she warns a woman her son will die. After that, the paranormal aspect is pretty much ignored until the end of the mystery. Sure Maddie tells a lot of people their deathdates, but it's not integral to the plot. Instead we get large sections on how hard it is to be the child of an alcoholic. Laurie writes the tragedy of Maddie's mother well, but it's far from the supernatural mystery I was expecting.
On the positive side, the book is very readable. I finished it in a day, staying up late because I was unable to put it down. I didn't love the reveal of the killer, but the final act is action packed and tense. I liked Maddie and her interactions with her uncle Donnie and the push and pull between him and Maddie's mother. The scene where Maddie finally convinces the FBI agent to listen to her was believable with just the right touch of humor.
Unfortunately, the end is so saccharine I have a toothache. The few established rules to the extremely underdeveloped supernatural ability are flung out the window. The romance is a joke. Characterizations do 180s with no explanation. (view spoiler)[The bad guy is now a good guy! The good guy was secretly a bad guy! PTSD is cured though an afternoon of skateboarding! (hide spoiler)] I can overlook a lot in the name of exciting scenes, but the end is a disaster whether you consider this a police story or a supernatural story.
When feels very much like two books. The contemporary drama of high school bullying, alcoholism, and the crushing guilt of not being able to save those around her from their fated deaths is one story and the serial killer procedural is a second. Unfortunately, while I liked some parts, I don't recommend either story, much less the book as a whole. ...more
*doorbell rings* "Oh, who ever it is, they gotta go away or they'll be killed."
Victorian murder mysteries and drawing room farces are genres that have faded away, but if they were all written with the wit of The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place, let's hope for a come back.
There's been a murder at St. Etheldreda's School for Girls and each of the seven students, defined by the poor home life that lead her to the institute, is determined to cover it up lest they be returned to the family that calls them Dull, Pocked, or Disgraceful.
The characters are intentionally one dimensional, with the exception of the girl who emerges as the main character who does undergo a surprising, (and forced,) amount of growth. I thought their adjectives and character traits lent the book most of its humor, though some of the characters, like the dumb one and the slutty one, ran thin by the end.
Still, the girls band together to solve a whole host of mysteries, starting with who killed poor Mrs. Plackett and moving down to jeweled elephants, missing wills, and falsified ledgers. This isn't one of those books where the question is whodunit, but instead, who didn't? Everyone has motive, from the reverend to the neighbor. (Fortunately there's no butler to have done it.) It's twisty, impossible to pin down, and full of red herrings, but when the mysteries all come out in the inevitable drawing room scene, the clues were all there. It's satisfying, though a few red herrings leave dangling plot threads.
The biggest problem with the novel is the size of the cast. With seven main characters, the deceased, a bevy of suspects, nosy neighbors, and constables, having six love interests felt like major overkill. They do all move along the plot in some way, so I can't point at one and say, "that's the superfluous one! Take him out!," but I wish they could have been pared down somehow.
I found The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place to be a exceptionally fun mystery with an old soul. It sacrifices character building for mystery building and suffers from some expendable threads, but if you liked Clue or want a feminist Sherlock Holmes, it's easy enough to sit back and enjoy the ride for what it is....more
I’m really glad I gave this series a second chance.
I liked Also Known As, (really!) but my main issue with it was a lack of actual espionage. There was a botched job at the newspaper owner’s house and the big conclusion, but for the most part the first book is about interpersonal relationships. Friendship, romance, letting your teen leave the nest...typical high school stuff. And I thought it suffered for that.
Have no fear, Going Rogue never once sets foot inside a school. The relationships from book one are carried over: Maggie’s still dating Jesse, still bffs with Roux, still trying to find a kid/coworker balance with her parents, but the actual spy work has been ramped way up.
Maggie’s retired from spying to finish high school, but the whole family’s dragged back in when it turns out that the rogue spy from the last book may not have been the only agent to turn. The Collective accuses Maggie’s parents of using their hacker/linguistic, (that’s what dad does!,) skills to steal some ridiculously valuable gold coins. Rather than sit back and let the family be burned, Mags teams up with Angelo to clear the family name.
You can guess how that plan goes.
I really liked seeing Maggie do something this time around. Not just safecracking, but casing, researching, and lifting evidence. She still has too much of a tendency to talk about her job in public, but this time she notices shadowy figures, destroys SIM cards, and just generally acts like a spy with a decade plus of training. Very exciting.
Beyond the actual heist parts, the characters really make the novel. Roux and Jesse are officially part of the team, because we can’t just let civvies run around and tell all of our secrets. Roux remains delightfully exuberant and is thrilled to be included, though the new vulnerability she shows is special and very well written. Jesse, too, is struggling in this book, but never falls into the douchebag role that a lot of other YA boyfriends do.
Additionally, the relocation to Paris gives the book a chance to introduce three other teenage spies, Ryo, Élodie, and Ames. All three were fun additions, though Ryo and Élodie could have stood more characterization. I’m afraid I’m still not clear on their “clean up Paris” scheme. Their inclusion lets us see both how the Collective recruits spies and dumps them when they're done.
Going Rogue is a fun, fast paced adventure that was not only extremely enjoyable, but surprisingly tense. The new city and expanded backstories help flesh out the world building. The climax is very satisfying, showing both the full depth of the corruption and the heroes' strengths. It may end a little bittersweet, but the series is left open to grow in any number of ways, just like Angelo’s phoenix. ...more
Evalina Cooper is Sherlock Holmes’ niece in a steampunk London where there is also magic, but Read This Review & More Like It At Ageless Pages Reviews
Evalina Cooper is Sherlock Holmes’ niece in a steampunk London where there is also magic, but that’s illegal. Steam is pretty illegal too, because all the steam is controlled by the steam barons, particularly the Gold King, who’s embroiled in trouble with missing Greek artifacts. Evalina’s staying with the family of her girlfriend Imogen, who has a mysterious illness and is trying to find a husband in the London Season, while she tries to balance her past as a circus performer and her present as a lower uppercrust lady. This is encapsulated by her love triangle between Imogen’s elder brother Tobias, who secretly makes steam inventions, and Nick, a magic wielding knife thrower. Meanwhile, servants are turning up dead, with magic clinging to them, and a dark magician skulks up with a secret connecting to Tobias’ alcoholic father’s past and…
And that’s just a spoiler free summary of when I stopped reading, around the 215th page mark.
I’m in absolute shock that there can already be three books in the series, because this book reads like every idea the author has ever had was included. That’s not to say A Study in Silks is badly written, there are a lot of good ideas, but it’s too much. It’s too long. Too many side plots. Too many points of view. If this was 300 pages with just Evalina narrating the mystery of Grace’s death? Well, I wouldn’t have abandoned it.
Everyone says it gets better around 80-85% through, but I shouldn’t have to try that hard for something that’s supposed to be fun....more
Oh fine, but you really could just skip the review and go buy a copy. It’s a much better use of your time.
The Magician’s Tower picks up three months after the end of The Wizard of Dark Street, one of my favorite 2013 reads. Thirteen year-old Oona has re-settled into her duties as the Wizard’s apprentice, as well as launching her own detective agency. Unfortunately, that agency isn’t doing so well. While her friends have been summering in New York, Oona has only had two small cases. Like, missing barrette small.
Disappointed, she looks forward to the Magician’s Tower contest, a quinquennial trial combining mental and physical tests culminating in a puzzle box that hasn’t been opened in 500 years. Her father made it to the top two when he competed and, when she was just a toddler, Oona promised him that someday she would win the contest in earnest. Since his death at the hands of the villainous Red Martin, it’s become even more important to her to be the first contest winner.
The book deals a lot with grief and loss, even more so than the first. Oona is finally moving on from the death of her parents, but that forward momentum carries a lot of guilt as well. It’s a major element in both the narration and in actual mystery, and as grief does, it makes for a darker and deeper story. One reveal near the end of the book is down-right cruel and I’ll admit I missed some of the whimsy.
The mystery of The Wizard of Dark Street was well constructed and the sequel is no different. The clues to play along at home are (mostly) presented directly in the narrative, giving readers every opportunity to solve the mystery first. The book is structured differently than the first, so the detective work didn’t feel like a retread. Because the story revolves around the contest, there are also a lot of riddles and word problems presented.
As for magic, there’s a lot more this time around. As Oona’s accepted that there’s nothing evil about her natural abilities, we’re able to explore more of magic system itself. Most spells require a conductor to direct them, such as a wand or the handle of a magnifying glass, but not all. Seeing the future requires a special artifact, but is possible. Uncle Alexander makes flowers bloom and close and Samuligan magically switches hats. And that’s all on top of the flying carpets and angry apes in summary. It’s very nice to see some world building and separate Dark Street from New York and London.
One final, minor spoiler for parents and guardians who care about romantic content: (view spoiler)[Hold it, hold it, this is a kissing book! Well, two kisses, between Oona and Adler at the very end. They’re chaste and not what I would call inappropriate for a pair of thirteen year olds, (one is only on the cheek, even,) but I do know there are some who prefer no romance in their MG. (hide spoiler)]
Shawn Thomas Odyssey has quickly become a must read author for me. Twice now he’s given me a vivid, fantastical take on London with a lovable main character. Oona continues to be logical, brave, and driven without becoming bossy or annoying. Side characters are nice, although still not as fleshed out as I’d like. I’m very excited to continue visiting Dark Street with him....more
When I was in the 9-12 age range, some of my favorite books were mysteries, particularly the kRead This Review & More Like It At Ageless Pages Reviews
When I was in the 9-12 age range, some of my favorite books were mysteries, particularly the kind where no one got hurt and I got to play along at home. Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, "Alfred Hitchcock", (though I could never guess those twists. The diamond was in the python, who was in the acrobats' baton?!) I think Oona Crate and The Wizard of Dark Street would have made little-me very happy and will certainly become a mainstay in my house as my nieces enter their middle-grade years.
Dark Street is an entire city condensed into one very long road. At one end, an iron gate that opens into our world. At the other, a glass gate that opens into the world of the fae. But that gate doesn't open any more. Cut off from the magical world of Faerie for so long, Dark Street, and New York beyond, have very little magic to tap into, except for the Wizard. The Wizard lives in Pendulum House and is responsible for the street's magical needs. There must always be a Wizard on Dark Street, even if he's a rather mediocre one like Uncle Alexander. Fortunately, Oona is the most promising Wizard apprentice in some time. She has Natural Magic, unlike her uncle's Learned variety. Unfortunately, she has no interest in being a Wizard, after a tragedy several years before book start.
First, Oona is fantastic. She's logical, resourceful, and brave. When she's thrust into the heart of a mystery, her immediate reaction isn't to fall to pieces, but to find a way to make it right. After being a Wizard didn't work out, she realizes what she really wants is to be a detective like her dad. She handles the career switch pretty maturely for a 12 year old and sets off to solve two seemingly unrelated mysteries. She's joined by a motley assortment of side characters who I wish had gotten more screen time. There's a talking animal sidekick, a wise servant, a prissy rich girl, a mysterious love interest, a timid witch, and the one who's not from around here. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to flesh them out, what with them all being murder suspects, and that did show towards the end of the book when I realized that after 345 pages, I wasn't rock solid on any of the apprentice candidates names.
The mystery is appropriately twisty, but not unfairly so. You may be able to guess the culprit relatively quickly, but the manner in which whodunit kept me guessing all book long. In the vein of old Nancy Drew stories, every single detail is vitally important and not a piece of candy can be overlooked in the conclusion. Including candy. And overturned stones. And cinnamon.
The Wizard of Dark Street is a bright, smart Middle-Grade fantasy with a great protagonist and a world I'm eager to revisit. If I could give it a grade, (oh look, I can!) I'd say A and a gold star. ...more
Margaret [Redacted], AKA Maggie Silver, AKA Peggy, Maisie, Molly, Margie, Read This Review & More Like It At Ageless Pages Reviews
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Margaret [Redacted], AKA Maggie Silver, AKA Peggy, Maisie, Molly, Margie, or Meg. Suspect has a long history of espionage, dating back thirteen years. She is believed to be a member of the Collective, working as the safecracker on a team of two or three other intelligence agents. These team members are believed to be her immediate family. Suspect should not be considered armed or dangerous, but is believed to be exceptionally emotionally volatile.
Maggie learned to pick locks when she was three. Being born to a hacker and...what is her dad’s speciality? (Actually, the first chapter makes her parents seem AWESOME. Orphans who met during the fall of communism in Moscow and became spies together? Spin-off, please.) Anyway, being born to two spies means she was never destined for a normal childhood. Maggie is cracking bad guys’ safes in Luxembourg and Bosnia before her baby teeth fall out. Her family and the Collective are good spies, only gathering information and stolen good to take down baddies. They fly around on private jets, collecting evidence of human trafficking rings and art forgery, living in the shadows, but now a newspaper has information on the group and is threatening to name names.
Maggie is assigned her first solo mission. Enter private school, befriend Jesse Oliver, son of the newspaper magnate, and use him to gain access to Papa Oliver’s files. This turns out to be far harder than expected, because (shock!) high school really, really blows. Maggie befriends the drunken former mean-girl Roux as her ONLY teenage acquaintance, severely limiting her social standing and causing her to have to bail on missions to drag her alcoholic ass home. Fortunately, she does manage to end up in Jesse’s presence. Unfortunately she happens to be shouting into a cell phone at the time that she’s really a good spy, really! Congratulations Maggie, you've blown decades of covers in two seconds because you can’t use code words or wait until you get home to complain to your mom that she’s being totes unfair.
Luckily, Jesse is dumb as a box of rocks and accepts the lie that she was talking to Roux about their Halloween party. That she tries to convince Roux to throw as her alibi. And Roux says no. And that’s not weird to Jesse, because he’s throwing a Halloween party himself and now the girls get to go! Before they leave, Maggie’s assigned her family friend and forger, Angelo, as her tail. She throws a complete shit-fit because grown-ups don’t need back-up, mooooooom!
Now seems like a good point to stop and say all of the “spies” in this book are just terrible. Maggie, despite having 13 years experience, is whiny, petulant, unsubtle, and entirely too trusting of her new friend and boyfriend. Her parents, who would have 22 years of experience and just spent months establishing and infiltrating an Icelandic human trafficking ring, lose their minds that the job isn't done in one day. They nag incessantly, refuse to trust Maggie for a single second, and blame her for their bad intel. Again, Maggie's no saint, but enforcing a curfew on a working spy and almost blowing her cover because you just HAD to go to parent-teacher conferences? I was starting to wonder if they were trying to sabotage her mission.
Angelo is the only one who does anything remotely spy-y for the whole book, and is also the only one who seems to remember Maggie is a trained agent, which of course means he's fooled by fake intel and disappears before the climax. Despite training, Maggie's spy work never moves beyond Harriet the. That works when taking a MasterLock tm off a fence to impress a boy, but to go into the big baddy's hideout with a diamond tipped drill but no lock picks? Sydney Bristow she is not.
In the end, Also Known As isn't much of a spy novel. It's a fish-out-of-water story with a tepid romance, funny sidekick, and a mystery that barely starts until the third act, just in time for Maggie to find her unique voice, rebel to show her parents she's trustworthy, and get the boy. It's an average representation of high school with some completely ludicrous details, fine to good side characters, and wit. That it doesn't take itself too seriously is Also Known As's greatest strength. Still, it's more Goldmember than Goldfinger. ...more
I’m going through a really difficult time right now. I have to write a review of Etiquette for the End of the World, but even though it was really boring, offensive, and schizophrenic, I can’t come up with anything to say! How do you even start reviewing a book that calls itself a romantic comedy, but is more All About Steve than Annie Hall? The romantic “twist” is so badly telegraphed it hardly counts, and is offensive as hell to boot! Plus, halfway through, the author completely forgot she was writing a romantic comedy and turned it into a conspiracy thriller/supernatural/travel fiction! No, I don’t know how it’s all supposed to work, either. As a famous columnist, and one time chapter header writer on an etiquette guide, can you get me out of this?
Sincerely, Bored of Everlasting Stupid Tropes, Reading Even Very Irritatingly Exasperating Works for Enthusiastic Review, Even Veritably Enraging Romances
Dear BEST REVIEWER EVER,
When my boyfriend Matt dumped me for my feng-shui expert neighbor, I didn’t sit at home and moan. I went to the bar and ordered laundry-themed drinks from my hot, gay BFF. And when I lost my job writing this column, (sorry this won’t get published in some big-shot NYC newspaper, by the way,) I didn’t wallow in self pity. I went to the bar and ordered laundry-themed drinks from my hot, gay BFF! BEST REVIEWER EVER, what I’m saying is you need to get out of your slump. Fly to Mexico or London or the beach, even if you’re flat broke like yours truly. The change of scenery, and all the gin, will do you good.
If that still doesn’t help BEST REVIEWER EVER, we’re going to have to get drastic. First, steal mail from your 84 year old ex-boss. Then go visit some end of the world loonies and take a massively profitable writing job, even if it will embroil you in an international cult trying to bring about the apocalypse. There, BEST REVIEWER EVER, you’ll meet a smoking hot, mysterious Hollywood exec. who will sweep you off your feet in a whirlwind romance unlike any you have ever know. It’s only a shame he’s also a pathological liar who will tell you his ex-girlfriend stabbed all of his suits, when it was really the cult members, keeping you from getting out while you still can. When he stands you up on New Years, causing you to panic and reveal the detective work you’ve been doing on the side to one of the sketchiest cult members of all, don’t drown your sorrows at the bar…oh no wait, yes do that.
BEST REVIEWER EVER, now’s the part where it gets really tricky. Remember that detective work I mentioned? Well you are going to research a new idea for the end of the world. It will lead you to a librarian who will tell you she found secret plans for a nanobot that could bring down all technology as we know it. Being afraid of these plans falling into wrong hands, she won’t destroy them. She will hide them in an obscure book about beetles. The psycho you’re working for will be obsessed with beetles. His lackey, the one cutting up suits and the one you’re going to have to reveal all these plans to, will steal the book for his boss, inadvertently stealing the apocalypse plans too. I know this is a lot to take in, so pause for a stiff drink.
You may need to take time out for a side plot about your brother stealing your inheritance, I know mine did. This will probably result in baby rabies and a psychic salad-dressing obsessed aunt. You will also start having prophetic dreams about Mexico and earthquakes, just like one of the nutters at the cult. This is totally normal and not mass hysteria, but a tiny bit of the supernatural. Just to spice life up.
Anyway BEST REVIEWER EVER, don’t bother going to the police, because they think you’re nuts. Gather up Gay BFF and fly to London to meet with the cult leader in person. He’ll turn out to be even more mad scientist-y than feared, but you’ll be able to talk your way out of him killing you. You may even get gifts! Make sure to steal a vial of his nanobot solution, because you’re going to need that to prove you haven’t had too many Spin Cycles. On the way home, you’ll meet that same librarian, who’s now a stewardess, and she’ll be able to smuggle the vial through customs for you. This will leave you free to confess to Gay BFF that you’re in love with him. He’ll confess that he’s not really gay; his “boyfriend” is actually his son! (This is a very advanced maneuver, BEST REVIEWER EVER, don’t try this unless you’re sure you’re in a terrible book.) You may now advance to your HEA.
In the end, the Hollywood Exec. will show back up for you to realize he was just a rebound. The government will totally let you go incite hysteria while they quietly deal with the wacko cult leader, whose serum didn’t even work anyway. You’ll settle down to being the stepmother of not-Gay BFF’s kid, while you both make hilarious gay jokes about how could you ever think he was a queen, giiiiirlfriend? And then you’ll get a book deal out of the whole thing! If that’s not enough to break through writer’s block, BEST REVIEWER EVER, I don’t know what is. Maybe you’ll have to write a parody of something.
Now dear, I’m off to Mexico to play poker with some colorful stereotypes. There’s nothing like spending those book advances on expensive, spur-of-the-moment plane tickets!
<3
Tess "Etiquette for the End of the World" Eliot Totally Awesome Relatable Character. Super Not Racist/Homophobic. Pinkie Swear....more
I was in the middle of typing a long review and I lost it. The book is just OK when the author lets go of the conceit of including found vintage photoI was in the middle of typing a long review and I lost it. The book is just OK when the author lets go of the conceit of including found vintage photographs. The photos range from stunning to creepy to out of place. They are never worked into the story well. Usually the author says, "And then so and so found a photo of x" and then it shows the photo. It's really disappointing as the idea of using photos is what drew me to the book in the first place.
The plot is (view spoiler)[very X-Men. Time traveling, teenage X-Men. (hide spoiler)] I didn't have as much problem with that as other reviewers, but it is very different than what's advertised.
The end was very unsatisfactorily left open for a sequel. I probably won't be reading it....more
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