Saturday, January 25, 2020

Read This, Not That in January/February 2020

Sometimes, I'm struck by the similarities in a pair of books that are released around the same time. That recently happened to me with Follow Me to Ground by Sue Rainsford, and The Bear by Andrew Krivak. They're both stories about isolated father-daughter pairs, and both have dreamlike and magical qualities. They're set in worlds that are both familiar and foreign.
The writing in both is great, but I was struck by the creepy undercurrent throughout Follow Me to Ground, while The Bear was a bit too pleasant and boring.
Are either or both of these on your TBR list, and which would you choose? Follow Me to Ground was released in January, and The Bear will be released in February. You can purchase them both using the affiliate links below:
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Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

Friday, January 17, 2020

Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald

Behind Every LieBehind Every Lie by Christina McDonald
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Behind Every Lie opens with Eva waking up in the hospital after being struck by lightning., but that's not all. Her mother, with whom she has a strained relationship, was murdered that same night, and it appears Eva was there. But Eva can't remember, because she has amnesia, which she also has for all other events significant to the plot of this book. That's because, as we're reminded what seems like every few paragraphs, Eva is broken.

This lacked a strong voice and I was annoyed by the constant overuse of adjectives and images such as "night was an obsidian fist squeezing me in its grasp" that seemed wedged in to try to float the flimsy story.

The author did a great job with the structure, which alternates between past and present, and between mother and daughter, and I enjoyed the overall theme of resilience and the lengths family will go to protect you.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy.

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