Tag Archives: 21st Century

The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood

British Literature

Synopsis: A series of murders in a resort town lead to the unexpected reunion of two women who have been sentenced never to see each other again after they murdered a child when they were only 11. Review: Heavenly Creatures is one of my favorite movies of all time, so I was keen to read The Wicked Girls after reading it compared with Peter Jackson’s thriller about two preteen girls who commit an unspeakable murder. The structure of The Wicked Girls is quite cleverly executed.…

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The Fever by Megan Abbott

American Literature

Synopsis: When her best friend has a mysterious seizure and ends up in a coma in the hospital, a high school girl begins questioning everything she knows about her friends and family–and then another one of her friends falls victim, too. Review: I wasn’t sure if I would love or hate The Fever, but imagined I wouldn’t fall in the middle the way that I did. There were enough intriguing elements to keep me interested, along with some good surprises, but the emotional payoff just…

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The Secret Place by Tana French

Irish Literature

Synopsis: When the daughter of a detective brings in an anonymous tip for an unsolved murder at her boarding school, a young officer sees his chance to escape Cold Cases and break into Dublin’s elite Murder Squad. Review: Oh, Tana French, I love you so much! The Secret Place is every bit as good as her first four books. And while I can’t imagine loving anyone the way I love Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy, I thought French did a masterful job with the two new characters…

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What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

Australian Literature

Synopsis: When Alice falls off a bike during spin class, she hits her head and promptly forgets the last 10 years–including her three kids and her ongoing divorce from the husband she believes she still madly loves. Review: I loved the premise of What Alice Forgot but unfortunately didn’t enjoy Alice. I found myself getting annoyed with amnesiac Alice, who seemed like a bit of a drip, and wanting to see more of the bitch she supposedly turned into.

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The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman (Magicians Trilogy)

American Literature

Synopsis: As Quentin tries to make sense of a life without Fillory, a mysterious bird summons him to pull off the heist of a magical lifetime. Review: I got so much reading pleasure out of the trilogy that concludes in The Magician’s Land that I won’t wallow too much in my disappointment. Let me make one thing clear–my theological differences with Grossman have nothing to do with my criticisms of the ending of the story. Sure, his worldview is about as far from mine as…

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The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

British Literature

Synopsis: In this book about Cormoran Strike, beleaguered amputee veteran turned private eye, an egotistical novelist has gone missing, and all signs point to a literary puzzle with potentially deadly consequences. Review: Listen, writing mysteries is harder than it seems. The best writers (Barbara Vine) conceal the works so deftly that you forget how necessary machinations and contrivance are to the genre. So don’t think I’m picking on The Silkworm just because I want to take JK Rowling down a peg (I don’t) when I…

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The Magician King by Lev Grossman (Reread)

American Literature

Synopsis: Now a king in Fillory, Quentin Coldwater struggles with the same ennui that beset him at Brakebills, and wonders if he will ever be happy–and then he’s abruptly kicked out of paradise. Read my original review here. Review: Like with my reread of The Magicians, when I reread The Magician King I was both bowled over by the characterization and risk-taking, and overly aware of some of the contrivances and plot expediencies needed to make the story work. And again, I did not care…

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Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

American Literature

Synopsis: After being hidden away for 19 years, the lawful heiress to the throne of the Tearling emerges from hiding, only to find her kingdom tarnished by an ongoing atrocity perpetuated by someone she always admired, and her life in danger from many sides. Review: Queen of the Tearling is a bold, skillful beginning to a promising series. The twist here is that the feudalism typical of epic fantasy is actually the fallout after all technology has failed. It’s futuristic and medieval all at once,…

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The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Reread)

American Literature

Synopsis: Check out my review from three years ago. Review: What struck me most on my re-read ofThe Magicians was how hard Grossman was working to pull off the implausibility of his scenario. He needed Quentin & co. to be college age so that they could drink and then head out into the working world and suffer quarter life crises and all that, but he also wanted to play with the conventions of the classic boarding school story, which typically take place in high school.…

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No Book but the World by Leah Hager Cohen

American Literature

Synopsis: When Ava discovers that her autistic brother has been arrested for an unspeakable crime, she delves into her memories of their unusual upbringing by their father, an educator dedicated to radical unschooling. Review: No Book but the World had me flipping pages like a madwoman, even as I couldn’t shake the sneaking feeling that something was really hinky. The book was so well-written that the lapses really stood out, and when they culminated in a twist ending I didn’t feel surprise or relief, just…

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