If This is Home

by Kristine Scarrow

Dundurn Press

978-1-459736504

184 pp.

Ages 12-15

January 2017

The bright sun and wheat fields of the cover may hint at the Saskatchewan setting but not the darkness and confusion of If This is Home, Kristine Scarrow’s second novel for young people.  And though the story resolves itself to a setting in which a swing, grain fields and fresh breezes prevail, don’t expect a happily-ever-after ending because If This is Home is more real than that.

Even with their mother working two jobs, there is barely enough food in the house for sixteen-year-old Jayce  (J.J.) Loewen  and her four-year-old sister Joelle.  But now their mom is missing shifts, barely able to get out of bed, and their dad Joe, a touring musician, hasn’t been in the picture for years, never even having met Joelle.  When J.J. meets the intriguing senior Kurt at detention,  he shows interest in a friendship with her which she tries to nix.

My mom has kind of given up on everything and stays in bed all the time.  My four-year-old sister pretty much fends for herself.  I'd invite you in, except I'd have nothing to offer you but a hot, steamy bowl of oatmeal and, really, my life is getting far too complicated to add something new in, so it's best if we cut ties now. (pg. 22)

However, after her mom is taken to hospital and diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, and J.J.’s best friend Amanda pays little attention to anything but her own dramas, J.J. finds Kurt a valuable support as she seeks out her dad, as instructed by her dying mother.

However, the search for Joe does not lead to the comforting family the girls need.  In fact, J.J. discovers Joe is no longer the bad-boy musician she’d remembered and is harbouring secrets that stun and anger her.  Meanwhile her mother is reaching out to her own mother who’d stood by when J.J.’s grandfather kicked J.J.’s mother out upon learning of her pregnancy at 18.  Will J.J.’s father and grandmother be able to offer the support her family needs?  Does she have it in her to forgive their trespasses against her mother and sister and herself?

I'm done letting people walk in and out of my life at their whim. It's better just to keep them out altogether. (pg. 119)

When  troubles overwhelm, most of us seek out family.  After all, they’re the ones who are supposed to take you in when no one else will.  But what happens when history and disappointment and anger impede that happy reunion?  Do you look elsewhere or find the means to forgive?  Kristine Scarrow creates a tenuous situation of an ill mother trying to find caregivers for her children when there seems to be no one around and worrying that she will die before she is able to restore familial links.  But more than that, If This is Home is about a teen trying to be the adult in a family untethered, trying to secure assistance without showing her vulnerabilities or forgiving those who’ve neglected them for so long. While Kurt, a young man who lives and cares for his ailing grandmother and is very forthcoming about his own parents’ inadequacies, provides a sharp contrast to J.J.’s own situation, he provides her with the unconditional support she requires.  He becomes the family she desperately needs while helping her to reconcile the family she has.

If This is Home is all about finding home in whatever form is available to you.  For J.J. and Joelle, home is what is made for them by those who want to do right and it's a home and a family as real as any.

Gathering Darkness: Falling Kingdoms, Book 3

by Morgan Rhodes

Razorbill

978-1-59514-705-9

432 pp.

Ages 12+

For release December 9, 2014

(1) Map of Mytica

I am so glad that Falling Kingdoms is not a trilogy, for three books would not be sufficient to house the complexity of the relationships within and between the three kingdoms of Mytica–Auranos, Limeros and Paelsia– and their people, given the richness and depth that Morgan Rhodes has woven into the plot.

When Falling Kingdoms, Book 1 (Razorbill, 2012) ended, King Gaius of Limeros had violently and successfully seized the castle and throne of Auranos, with some magical help from his daughter Lucia who is a powerful, albeit novice, sorceress.  Princess Cleiona, the only remaining Auranian royal, is determined to regain her family's rightful place, perhaps with the help of Jonas Agallon, the rebel who wants to take down the King of Blood.

But, in the second book of the series, Rebel Spring, (Razorbill, 2013), the rebels and Cleo have accomplished seemingly little to halt King Gaius’s plans.  Gaius is having a road constructed to link the three kingdoms of Mytica, through the Wildlands and Forbidden Mountains, destroying much of Paelsia while enslaving its people.  He has also arranged for the marriage of his son, Magnus, to Cleiona, which takes place regardless of an attack arranged by Cleo and Jonas to prevent it.

Now Gathering Darkness returns the story to Auranos where King Gaius continues to rule with fear, hopeful of securing the Kindred, the four crystals that hold the elemental magic: amber for fire, moonstone for air, aquamarine for water, and obsidian for earth.  But the Kindred is a very desirable commodity, and not everyone understands its significance or danger.

In addition to Magnus and Cleo, who have returned from their wedding tour, more perplexed about their feelings for each other, there are others who have appeared in Auranos whose motives are probably linked to securing the Kindred for themselves.  Alexius, the immortal Watcher from Sanctuary who had discovered Lucia’s power as a sorceress, has been banished to the mortal realm, ostensibly to be with Lucia, but claiming the Kindred must be returned to Sanctuary to help save the world from destruction.  And Prince Ashur and his sister Princess Amara from the far-off kingdom of Kraeshia have maneuvered themselves into honoured guests of King Gaius, easily manipulating everyone to their wishes, inevitably to garner the Kindred for their father, Emperor Cortas.

It is essentially a race to find the Kindred.  Many are willing to have others find the crystals and then steal them, but Cleo is more proactive, becoming a cherished friend to Lucia, who is frightened by her erratic powers and helping her, with Alexius’ guidance, to focus her magic, hopefully to locate and claim the Kindred.  And, through a secret messenger within the castle, Cleo is able to share this information with Jonas.

Meanwhile, Jonas has been joined by another rebel, the charismatic Felix, and is determined to save Lysandra and the other rebels who are being held in the King's dungeons and awaiting execution.  But what are Felix’s motivations?  Even Jonas’ motives are less transparent, especially as he is confused by his feelings for Cleo and Lysandra.

As in the earlier books in the series, Gathering Darkness is both plot- and character-driven, relentless in its ability to startle, to gratify, and to crush, engulfing the reader in more emotions than the heart can normally endure within a scant 432 pages.  The elemental disasters–fire, tornado, earthquake–are nothing compared to the cataclysmic breaches in the essential relationships within Gathering Darkness: between Magnus and Cleo, Cleo and Jonas, Jonas and Lysandra, Nick and Ashur, Amara and Ashur, Felix and Jonas, Lucia and Alexius, and everyone in between.

Morgan Rhodes wastes neither words nor characters, definitively giving everything and everyone substance.  The words she gives her characters are prophetic and powerful.  For example, Felix tells Jonas that,

“There are no guarantees in this life, only strong possibilities.” (pg.16) 

whereas Cleo reassures Lucia to

“believe in things other people think are impossible, and it makes you strong enough to face whatever comes next.” (pg. 76)

Forgive me for not sharing the gut-wrenching words of spellbound lovers or cutting comments by the wicked. Those are all there too. But, after the intense read that is Gathering Darkness (and that darkness is certainly gathering), I need to hold onto the crystals of tenderness that Morgan Rhodes embeds, helping us to see that it’s not all darkness. In fact, I must thank her for seven simple words on page 397 that carried me through the wickedness revealed in the last chapter and forward to await the next Falling Kingdoms book.  Thank you, Morgan Rhodes, for that gift and for taking Gathering Darkness into new realms of wickedly magical splendour.

(1) Map of Mytica: Retrieved from http://www.fallingkingdoms.com/extras.html on January 16, 2014.

Tomorrow's Kingdom

nota bene: As Tomorrow's Kingdom is the final book 

in The Gypsy King trilogy, 

I adamantly recommend that, 

if you haven't read Books 1 and 2 already, 

please read them first 

to enjoy the full effect of The Gypsy King trilogy.  

It is so worth it!

by Maureen Fergus

Razorbill

978-0670067664

448 pp.

Ages 12+

July, 2014

Persephone's trajectory has been an extraordinary one from The Gypsy King (Razorbill, 2012) to A Fool's Errand (Razorbill, 2013) and now Tomorrow's Kingdom.  From slave to long-lost twin of King Finnius, then seeker of the healing Pool of Genesing and initially-reluctant bride of the gypsy Azriel, Persephone launches Tomorrow's Kingdom as the true Queen, and hostage of Regent Mordecai who intends to wed her and rule the kingdom himself.

In addition to Mordecai plotting Persephone's future with him, Lord Bartok is working with the other lords to liberate and return her to the throne, by attacking Mordecai's New Men army.  Of course, Bartok plans to wed Persephone himself, in case his daughter Aurelia, who is pretending to be pregnant with King Finnius' child, doesn't succeed in making it a pseudo-reality with some random man.

If Persephone is anything, she is amazingly strong and determined, first to save herself and then focus on her next steps. 

"All that was left to do was to find Azriel, prevent the slaughter of the tribes, save the Kingdom and take the throne." (pg. 113)

Yeah, that's all. 

But, just as Persephone has been transformed, so too has Azriel, from chicken thief and proud Gypsy and target of Mordecai's New Men army, to Persephone's devoted protector and amorous husband.  And when he learns that she is pregnant with his child, there is nothing he won't do to keep her safe.

It's a fight for tomorrow's kingdom, a kingdom which Persephone has promised will unite the five tribes–Erok, Gypsies, Khan, Marinese and Gorgishmen–of Glyndoria.  But, with so much plotting for the throne, it's not surprising that deception and battle may be deemed necessary.  But who is deceiving whom?  Well, it's not Persephone with Azriel or vice versa, and that is the sweetness in a battle-ridden conclusion to the trilogy.  While Books 1 and 2 have Persephone and Azriel doing some romantic sparring as they sort out their feelings for each other and attempt to interpret the other's actions (often incorrectly), Tomorrow's Kingdom releases the reader from worrying whether the two lovers will find their way to each other.  They have.  Now there's so much more to worry about: an angry Mordecai who is losing his grip on his New Men army; Lord Bartok whose plans for control are being thwarted by his hapless son and daughter; the tribes who all have some reservations about Persephone's prophesized reign; and the healthy birth of a baby that may mean everything to everyone.

Maureen Fergus is so adept at carrying readers away to a different land and time, of cultures and societies so different than our own, where their speech is different, from crass to formal, their lifestyles foreign (in more ways than one), and their spirits undefinable.  From vivid descriptions of scenery,

"...as she beheld the sprawling castle that rose up before her.  Built in the shadow of a barren mountain at the very edge of a high cliff, it was constructed of blackest stone.  Except for along the cliff edge, it was protected by a wall so thick that a brace of oxen could have pulled a wagon along the top if it hadn't been for the iron spikes set every few feet.  Several of these spikes were topped with heads that appeared to have been dipped in tar to slow the process of decay; the rest stood empty and waiting against a backdrop of low clouds scudding across the stormy sky." (pg. 65)

to experiences beyond my imagination,

"After shoving into her mouth a piece of meat so tender, juicy, fragrant and delicious that she almost started to cry, Persephone unenthusiastically handed the rotten-toothed man his share." (pg. 134) 

and the seasoned speech of any character, including the third-person speaking Gorgishman,

     "Miter has not pledged friendship!" reminded the Gorgishman shrilly. "Miter has pledged nothing but his eternal enmity if you take this tiresome war of yours anywhere near his beloved valley!"
     "Oh, stop," said the Gypsy dryly.  "You're making me feel all choked up inside." (pg. 327)

the text becomes a part of the plot, enriching all elements of the story.  Every word spoken or not is fulfilling to the experience that is Tomorrow's Kingdom, as was in The Gypsy King and A Fool's Errand. But here we have the delight of a hard-earned happy finale, with a last-minute surprise or two, before ending with the words, "The Gypsy that would be king." (pg. 456)

Blood Prophecy (The Drake Chronicles, Book 6)

by Alyxandra Harvey

Walker Books/Bloomsbury

978-0-802734297

475 pp.

Ages 14+

2013

Blood Prophecy, the sixth and final book of Alyxandra Harvey's The Drake Chronicles, came out at the end of last year but I couldn't bear to read it.  Ending trilogies is hard enough. Imagine what it's like having committing yourself to getting involved with characters after six books. But it's time.  Time to wrap up story-lines, relationships and clean up the messes from nasty vampires and rogue hunters.

When the various vampire tribes gathered at the Blood Moon (Book 5) to forge relationships and see the new queen crowned, Solange, the youngest of the Drake offspring, was not dealing well with her new vampire-ness, seeming to have gone to the darkside and listening to a voice that encourages her to feed her blood lust (not something her family does).  Sadly, her brother Nicholas and her best friend, Lucy, Nicholas' girlfriend, get caught up in her machinations, which then threaten all the Drakes and relationships between tribes.

While Solange struggles to command her thinking and actions, she begins having bizarre experiences–like time travel or magic–in which she relives the events that the voice in her head, Viola, endured in the 12th c. There are dragons, dungeons, witches, a love interest, a nasty grandmother, and a whole lot of anger.  Luckily, Lucy is sure that Solange is not herself and more likely possessed by another's spirit.  Lucy gets help from all the Drakes and close friends to attempt to rid Solange of Viola, and make things right at the Blood Moon camp where Solange/Viola caused much mayhem.  And did I mention that somebody, dubbed the Dracula Killer, is murdering humans and making it look like the vampires are to blame?

By alternating chapters from the points of view of Solange, Lucy and Nicholas, Alyxandra Harvey provides the means for the characters, and the readers, to put the clues together about Solange's bizarre behaviour, though tracking Solange's actions was rather confusing.  I actually enjoyed the emphasis on Lucy's voice again, as each of the Drake Chronicles books tend to emphasize the budding relationship of one Drake son with a new character, and Lucy and Nicholas' relationship has not been front and center since Hearts at Stake.  Of course, Kieran and Solange do resolve their bumpy love in Blood Prophecy but Lucy and Nicholas' interactions are so much more satisfying.  That said, I think Alyxandra Harvey had a hard time trying to incorporate all the established romances (Hunter and Quinn, Christabel and Connor, Isabeau and Logan) into Blood Prophecy, though they all make appearances.  Because the couples vary greatly in their sensibilities, their cursory participation in the plot, sadly, just wasn't enough for fans of the Drakes.

While Blood Prophecy and Blood Moon to some extent establish the story-line that brings together all the groups, vampire and not, introduced in the earlier books, Books 1-4 are still my favourites, relying more on establishing the Drake family and its interactions with these groups.  With three Drake sons–Sebastian, Marcus and Duncan–left without their own full novels in which they find partners for themselves, The Drake Chronicles ended far too abruptly for me.  I wanted more.  

Luckily, though Alyxandra Harvey has completed the novels of The Drake Chronicles with Blood Prophecy, look for extras at her website and elsewhere.  There are six novellas, including Sound and Fury which is appended to Blood Prophecy, to help take the sting off the end. 

A Fool's Errand

by Maureen Fergus

Razorbill

978-0-670-06765-7

528 pp.

Ages 12+

October, 2013 

(If you haven’t read the first book in this series, The Gypsy King, please do so before reading this review which contains a spoiler for the first book. A Fool’s Errand begins with the final revelation from The Gypsy King.)


With the final scene in The Gypsy King, a servant reveals that Persephone is the long-lost and older twin of the Erok king, King Finnius, and the true heir to the Erok throne. Fearful that this will threaten his claim as heir to the throne, the evil Regent Mordecai, who has been manipulating the king and the country to his will, has the servant killed. Likewise, the lives of Persephone and Azriel, as well as a Gypsy boy named Mateo, are at risk until Azriel claims to be the son of the former Gypsy King Balthazar and can locate the secret pool of healing.

Threatened with the death of her brother King Finnius, Persephone promises not to seek the throne, and shares one last wonderful day with her newly-discovered brother before heading off with Azriel on his quest to find the Pool of Genesing for the physically-deformed Regent Mordecai. Unbeknownst to them, Mordecai sends his henchman General Murdock and members of his New Men army to follow them, with strict orders to kill them if they find the Pool or if they are not diligently seeking it. But there is also a cloaked man with an unclear mission who follows all of them.

After a stop at the Gypsy camp where a momentous event passes, Azriel, Persephone, Rachel who is an Erok girl who looks like Persephone, and two Gypsies, Tiny and Fayla, head out on their quest, seeking the Khan Warriors first, then the Marinese and finally the Gorgishmen for any clues they may be able to provide about the Pool's location.

Though similar to the action-filled plot of The Gypsy King, A Fool’s Errand is based on a series of adventures that Persephone and Azriel undertake, hopeful that they are always one clue closer to finding the Pool. Pervasive in their quest is their romance which, while initially shaky due to Persephone’s lies, is catapulted to before the two can both acknowledge their deep caring for each other. Azriel’s honour and chivalry demonstrates his love for her far before Persephone even recognizes her’s for him. But readers can be reassured that, though their squabbling is endearing, Persephone and Azriel find their way to each other, eventually, and it is very sweet.

Perhaps some believe that the foolishness indicated in the title deals with Persephone and Azriel falling in love but there are many characters who could be seen as fools in A Fool’s Errand. There are those who believe in the Pool, those who believe they will find it, King Finnius who trusted Mordecai for years to rule the kingdom for him, Mordecai who continues to lust for Persephone and sees her actions as evidence that she cares for him, Mordecai who trusts the treacherous agreement he makes with Lord Bartok, General Murdock who is convinced he is always in charge of circumstances, and even those who believe the lies Mordecai speaks each time he opens his mouth. You'll need to judge for yourselves who are the fools but I'll follow Shakespeare's suggestions that, "A fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." (As You Like It, Act 5, Scene 1)

Sadly I may have to count myself as the fool, never expecting Maureen Fergus to end A Fool’s Errand on a cliffhanger, as she did with The Gypsy King. Of course, I was fortunate to have A Fool’s Errand at the ready to appease that longing for a happy ending. Now, while the reader may guess at Persephone’s "circumstances" at the conclusion of A Fool’s Errand, there is no way to see how Maureen Fergus will resolve the newest twist in her plotting. Waiting without anxiety until the third book is released seems a foolish endeavour right now. But, with an abundance of fools, I will at least be in good company.

≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥

Relief! I've heard from Maureen Fergus who tweeted that Book 3 in the series is called Tomorrow's Kingdom and is scheduled for release in July of 2014.

Arrow

Written by R. J. Anderson

Orchard Books

978-1-40831-262-9

357 pp.

Ages 11-15

2011

Every once in a while I decide to review a book that was published a few years ago just to bring attention to a worthwhile read that I may have missed.  In fact, I have enjoyed the first two books of R. J. Anderson's Faery Rebels series, Spell Hunter (HarperCollins Canada, 2009) and Wayfarer (HarperCollins Canada, 2010), reading them when they were published, and had looked forward to a third book in the series.

However, the third book was never published in Canada, only in the United Kingdom, and its name follows the alternate titles for the books published in Great Britain.  Arrow is the title of this third book, following Knife (Orchard Books, 2009) and Rebel (Orchard Books, 2010).

So, now that I've tried to clarify that there were only two books in the series prior to Arrow, but with different titles depending on where they were published, I insist that you read them before this third book just because you'll not want to miss out on the superb story-telling and strong characterizations of the very different faeries and how they all come together in Arrow.  And in case you're convinced that faeries are for little girls, I might remind you of a mermaid prejudice I had that was completely unfounded. These faery books are not for little girls.  There is romance and treachery and bullying.  In Spell Hunter, there is talk of stealing children, a suicide attempt and a man using laudanum as a pain-killer.  Not your typical faery book.  What is typical of each of R. J. Anderson's books is the flavourful and robust language (e.g., "Great Gardener" is the faery expletive) and the intricate plots and subplots, chock full of connections and relationships, and secrets and revelations.  And I haven't even mentioned the humour.

Just for a little background, in Knife (a.k.a. Spell Hunter), a world of faeries live in the Oak, rarely leaving, for fear of death or losing their powers, except as dictated by their queen. Knife has become the Queen's hunter and freely leaves the Oak, reacquainting herself with a human young man, Paul. Together they learn the truth of the Sunderling, an event that cost the faeries their magic.

With the last vestiges of magic, fifteen-year-old faery, Linden, leaves the Oak in Rebel (a.k.a. Wayfarer), and with a human ally, Timothy, attempts to find other faeries and help the Oakenfolk recover their magic as well as ensure the people don't die off.  Together they bring back the Stone of Naming from the Green Isles, home of the Children of Rhys, to help protect them from the Empress, a self-appointed ruler who learns the true names of faeries to bind them to her forever.

Now the Oakenfolk, all female faeries under Queen Valerian, with Rob and the rebel faeries who escaped the Empress' control, and Garan and other Children of Rhys, who'd taken the Stone of Naming and left the Green Isles without permission, are preparing for an attack by the Empress. 

Back on the Green Isles, the Elders of the Children of Rhys are convinced that they have been cursed by the removal of the Stone of Naming, but are assured that they are not threatened by the Empress.  Rhosmari, formerly betrothed to Garan, is determined to retrieve the Stone of Naming.  Leaving the Green Isles through its secret portal, Rhosmari heads to the mainland and meets Martin, a faery who is trying to evade the Empress and her "enforcers", the Blackwings.  Having heard that the Empress has already attacked the Oak and burned it to the ground, Martin offers to work with Rhosmari to find Garan.

R. J. Anderson's newest faery rebel book plays on several keys themes, including trust vs. deceit, and freedom vs. bondage. While the power and control that the Empress seeks, at all costs, is the obvious example of bondage, Martin recognizes that the Children of Rhys have their own bondage.  Moreover the subjugation to which Rhosmari and others subconsciously relinquish control goes beyond these extraordinary constraints, often including the much more typical ones of guilt, remorse, survival, and love. The extent to which the individual chooses to accept or reject these restraints or even see them as such depends on the individual.  And the submission of one's trust to another, for their affections, or their loyalty or their admiration.

But if you're not looking for understanding or clarification with regards to these themes, and would still enjoy a fantastical romp, Arrow (after Knife and Rebel) provides an inviting portal into the faery realm.  But be forewarned:  Arrow's world of faeries has little in common with those in which faeries scatter sparkly dust and flit around granting wishes.  This one is immersed in politics, love, and allegiances - all the issues sure to cause heated discussions among humans and faeries alike.