The Storyteller's Secret

The Storyteller's Secret was yet another book from a large box my friend passed on to me. The lovely cover and texture of the cover drew my eye.

Jaya wants a child more then anything else but after three miscarriages she has given up hope. Determined to not let her life be destroyed Jaya decides to go visit her home country of India after learning her grandfather is gravely ill. Arriving too late Jaya is saddened to learn she will never know what her grandfather wanted to tell her until an elderly man appears and declares he will tell her the story of her grandmother.

While The Storyteller's Secret was average I do feel that the transitions between the past and the current was flawless. I cannot count how many times I get confused transitioning between times periods so it was refreshing this was not a problem. My biggest concern was Jaya, she was not a likable character. While a small cast of characters I did get a feel for rural village life in India along with the caste system for the time period. All in all the story was average with average characters.

Breathe

When I saw Breathe had no waiting list at the library I quickly checked it out for the car ride home. I have no clue how I found out about Breathe but it felt a bit different then other post dystopia stories I have read.

Earth has been devastated and no air is left except the air inside the pods produced artificially by Breathe. Citizens are divided into classes and there is little chance of changing your class. Only the wealthy premiums can afford extra oxygen and all the rights that come with it. Three different people with three different missions and yet they all become entangled. Determined to change the way things work Quinn, Bea, and Alina are forced to work together to prove that not everything is as it seems.

I really enjoyed the pacing of Breathe, nothing felt like filler. Chapter consistency was a bit off, some chapters were super short two to three pages and others were eighteen to twenty pages which threw off my read a bit. At first I thought Breathe was a stand alone but once I reached the end I am thankful to see that Resist will finish up the story.

Escaping from Houdini

Escaping from Houdini is the third book in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series. Having completed her studies of forensic science in Romania Audrey Rose is accompanying her Uncle to America to continue learning from him.

Nothing is more exciting then the thought of the circus unless it is a circus that travels on a first class ocean liner as it travels to America. Entertained every night with dazzling performances things quickly change as privileged young women turn up missing or worse dead. Terrified for herself Audrey Rose must work with allies and enemies alike as she attempts to catch yet another murder before times runs out.

Once again Kerri Maniscalco painted a dazzling picture with vivid words, musical sentences, and a memorizing cast of characters. I cannot get enough of the stories and am eager to read Capturing the Devil, the final book in the series.

The Candy Shop Wars

The Candy Shop War has been on my radar since I finished Fablehaven. Seeing the library had it available I quickly checked it out. My husband had a root canal that took over five hours today so I had plenty of time to read.

Nate is dreading the new town his family moved to. Missing his friends and things that are familiar Nate reluctantly goes outside to meet some local children at the urging of his parents. After a little hesitation Nate quickly becomes friends with Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon. The four kids start school together and are excited to see a new candy shop open up. Upon entering the shop they quickly become friends with the owner Mrs. White who wastes no time getting them hooked on her candy.

The writing was smooth and easy to understand. Despite the book being geared towards middle school age I felt like the story was engaging and even threw in a word at times that most middle school students would have to look up. The only that confuses me this is part of a series yet the story tied up nicely in the end so I fail to see how it will continue.

Sold

Sold has been on my radar for awhile and when I saw the library had no waiting list for it I quickly checked it out. Yes the story was vile, horrible, and made me question humanity but I am a strong believer if you are not aware of what is going on in the world you cannot make anything change.

Lakshmi is a thirteen year old girl who lives in a poor mountain village in Nepal and knows hardship. With a cruel and drunken step father Lakshmi is used to him not providing for her mother, younger brother, and herself. Determined to help her family in any way possible Lakshmi is beyond excited when she learns she is to go work in a city as a maid. Thinking she will help her family with the money she is earning Lakshmi eagerly goes with the woman who buys her for a small sum. However none of that is true instead Lakshmi is sold into the sex slave trade and soon true horror is known to the young girl.

The story was written like a diary, all chapters were short and some only one paragraph. However McCormick did not need a lot of words to get the story across. I continue to hope with more education, awareness, and people learning not to take advantage of others crimes that involve children will stop. 

The Cowboy's Christmas Bride

I believe The Cowboy's Christmas was a Free Friday book at one point. Once again I was looking for a Christmas story and found this in my Nook library.

Cassidy is looking for some peace and quiet to recover after a surgery. Deciding her childhood home with her Grandpa is the best place for her Cassidy is shocked when she hits the truck of her ex-boyfriend. Determined to keep things professional while she finishes healing Cassidy does her best to build a wall around her heart locking out Ryder and his little girl Molly.

Ryder never got over Cassidy and when she left to become a music star it broke his heart. Determined to protect his little girl he refuses to get close to Cassidy as she recovers at her family's house. In over his head with little girl duties Ryder focuses on being the best dad he can to Molly.

I tried really hard to read The Cowboy's Christmas Bride but I just did not like it. At around the forty percent mark I just started skimming it. The story was dull to me and too slow of a pace. The writing was average and none of the characters stuck with me.

Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing was in a big box of books given to me by a friend. The story started out a bit slow but I am glad I continued with it.

Kya has never known anything but the marsh to bring her safety. With a drunk and abusive father she learns to hide in the marsh to keep him for hurting her. Abandoned by her mother and eventually siblings Kya learns to take care of herself. Using the marsh for food and eventually learning to trade at the local shanty town for things like gas and grits Kya scratches out a small existence. Life is good until a local man is found dead.

The second half of the story was defiantly fast paced compared to the first half. I could not put down Where the Crawdads Sing about about the 60% mark and just read straight though. The writing was smooth and transitioned easily even when jumping between two time periods. I did get a bit bored with all the poetry that seemed randomly inserted and eventually just skipped reading the poems.