Book Review: A Wicked Deep

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This goes from a creepy, intriguing beginning to a disappointing climax. The concept is cool but the overall execution is meh. I wish that the tone and style of writing that happen in the opening chapters, and the very last chapter, was throughout the whole book. Regardless, the ghost story plot is clever and I did like the setting of a fairly isolated town on the coast. Plus the addition of our lead gal and her Mom living on an island near the main town added some ambience and opportunity that Shea Ernshaw capitalized on. I mean who doesn't think an old, but still functional, lighthouse isn't a great locale for ghosts to inhabit other girls bodies.

The Characters
So the real downfall of The Wicked Deep is the characters themselves. Perhaps not their actual personalities or actions; but certainly the awkwardness with which their dialogue and interactions are told to the reader. The lead gal has some great moments in the introduction; but as the pages flipped by I felt like she became awkward and stilted. Not only in her dialogue but even her internal narration lost something. Essentially as the out-of-town boy, who is of course the love interest, showed up it felt too forced. I liked the overall character of the mysterious boy but his dialogue and actions were awkward and made me feel uncomfortable while I read.

The Twist
From the blurb The Wicked Deep it is apparent that there is likely to be a twist. And yes there is one. I had three theories at one point on what the twist would be. One of them was mostly true. That didn't, surprisingly, take away from the reveal for me. Usually guessing the outcome is not as fun; but in this case there was still so much to happen in the story that I didn't mind I'd figured out the twist early. Unlike many horror or ghost stories the reveal is about 75% in and not at the very end. This allowed for a lot more exciting climactic plot and some additional softer moments between our characters to transpire.

Overall
I didn't dislike this book; but I didn't love it. Were someone to ask me if I'd recommend it I'm likely to ask how intrigued they are by the blurb on the back. If they say it's intriguing but their not sure; I'd likely recommend they pass on it. However, for those who love ghost stories, are okay with summer fling love interests and don't mind a few cliche moments, then they are likely to get a satisfactory read from The Wicked Deep.

PS...those who've argued there is a rape scene in this book are reaching, a lot, in my opinion. I didn't even think of it this way until I read someone's comments about it possibly being classified as rape. It's a ghost story where the spirits of dead girls inhabit those of living ones. If you want to insinuate that it's creepy the way one scene plays out I'll say 'okay'. However, in no way do I think Ernshaw made any connection to the scene in question being considered rape-esque. I am hoping that only a small percentage of people actually think this book requires a trigger warning. I do not believe it needs one; nor do I write this note because I think it's at all an offensive scene. Instead I write this to acknowledge that I am aware of the controversy. I'd like to think that most people aren't so negative and pessimistic that they twist an innocent ghost story into something else. This is my personal opinion on the matter and you can, of course, disagree with it.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

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Book Review: A Fist Around the Heart

A Fist Around the Heart by Heather Chisvin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A short novel that has many interesting facts in it. My personal favourite fact was that Avon originated as the California Perfume Company. Unfortunately A Fist Around the Heart reads less like a novel and more like a biography. Now if that appeals to you then you may find this an interesting book. However if you are looking for a mystery or thriller, like the blurb implies, you should head elsewhere.

The Story
Set predominantly in New York Heather Chisvin tells the story of two sisters. One whom is our narrator and the other whom is the older sister to the narrator. As I suspected it starts out with our narrator as a child. There's always something unreliable about a child narrator...
Our story progresses quickly to tell about the adult lives of the women. One (our narrator) that runs away to New York; and the other who chooses to stay in Winnipeg, where her parents (presumably) sent her and her sister as children. While there is a mystery to be solved here, did the sister in Winnipeg commit suicide or not, this is really the story of a New York girl and her struggles with being a single, childless Russian woman. She has hardships, but preservers during a time when so many fall destitute, that of WWII. It's an interesting perspective on women's rights and struggles prior to receiving the vote and to the Nazi's attempt to take over the world. I have nothing but huge respect for the women who came before us that worked so hard for the rights women deserve including: voting, birth control, abortion, marriage, and more.

Medical Interest
There is a point late in the story, where there is an interesting medical condition presented to the readers. I really enjoyed this part. I can't give anything away for fear of spoiling the mystery; but I can say that it's an interesting concept and makes me wonder if more people don't have this condition than we currently believe. I am also not sure what this condition is called today; or what it might be treated with. So more research is needed for me.

Mystery
Like I said in the intro, the mystery here is really not the focus of the story. It's more used to move the main narrative forward; to tell the story of our narrator. Not to say that it isn't intriguing; but I found the jumping back and forth between current day (in the book) to the past a little bit annoying. While I usually love books with this set-up; here it felt a bit too stilted and the progressions were lacked the smoothness I desire. That said, it was always obvious to me, even without headers declaring the historical moment, what the time period was.

Overall
I feel like there is more that could be done with this story. As this is Chisvins first fictional piece, she's a journalist, I can see why the book is written the way it is. Instead of giving more elaboration to the events and adding some juicy, literary descriptions; Chisvin focuses on facts. Very much like a journalist is required to do. There is obviously a lot of autobiographical material in A Fist Around the Heart and so I cannot in any way criticize the story; and I wouldn't anyways. The story is solid, it's the execution that is unusual. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy reading this. Just to say that it reads differently than your average historical fiction; or fiction book in general.
It would be interesting for this story to be told one of two ways in the future. First choice is as an actual autobiography of Chisvin. I'm interested to know what is really truth and what she developed into the fiction. Second as a true mystery story. With more developed setting, descriptions and literary devices used. The concept, story and outcome in the hands of a well-developed mystery writer could easily be a huge hit; and still bring a lot of light to the circumstances of the time periods portrayed. I'd definitely read another version of this if it was re-written in either way listed above.
And yet, I did really enjoy this story. It taught me things; from small facts (like Avon) to larger issues (like the medical condition) and afterall I usually just want a book to teach me something and entertain me. A Fist Around the Heart did do both of these to different degrees.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

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Book Review: Sofie & Cecilia

Sofie & Cecilia by Katherine Ashenburg


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a literary, fictionalized biography. As such it does not have a climax. It is even and true to life throughout. This makes it possibly boring for many people. However, if you understand that the author, Katherine Ashenburg, normally writes non-fiction then you can perhaps come around to the genius of this story.

The Story
As opposed to plot this is more of a character study. Ashenburg bases her main two women (and their husbands) on two women who actually existed. While the names, some of the details and events are fictionalized; the core storyline is based on actual events and people. The story is split into two perspectives Sofie first, and then Cecilia. It's a little tedious at times to experience the same event from both sides; but Ashenburg limits the number of times that happens.

Artistry
This is not a fast-paced story. Instead it's very lyrical and literary. The way the art is described, the people, the situations and the thoughts of our characters are all done with a gorgeous literary style that I admire. Ashenburg did not lightly write this story and while the pacing is a bit slow; the overall artistry of the story matches up well with the main topic of Swedish art.

WWII
This is an odd book that overlaps part of it's timeline with World War II. Odd in that the war is a relatively small factor. Our main characters mostly live in Sweden which is a neutral, unengaged country. It was interesting to me to feel what many in the neutral countries might have felt while the whole world was at war. This was a very different way to see the war for me and I, while it's a small part of the overall story, it made a large impact on me.

Overall
If you are interested in Swedish culture or Swedish art then you are likely to enjoy this book. If you don't mind a character study as opposed to exciting events this this is for you. Sofie & Cecilia is a different type of book but that doesn't make it a poor read. I found it to be an interesting read and would merely want others to be aware of what they are getting into at the forefront.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

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