Title: Protogenesis
Author: Alysia Helming
Genre: YA, Teen, Urban Fantasy, Greek mythology
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
DNF at 21%
Well, I broke my read 30-35% of a book before deciding to DNF. I’m sorry but this is just YA trash (and not the good kind). Now that I've had time to calm down some and sort out my thoughts I think I can write this review without too much ranting. But to sum up Alysia Helming's Protogenesis in short I would say it is painful. The writing, characters, plot, and everything else feel like a YA trope. I almost wondered at one point if she was making fun of the genre it was so cliche.
The List of Ridiculous Things
I'm not sure how else to easily talk about all the issue I had with Protogenesis except to list them out for you:
- Ever is not a name. It is a word. It is incredibly awkward to read things like "Ever carried her bag". In fact when our gal first meets him I had to read the paragraph twice to make sure I read correctly that his name is Ever. It's a ridiculous name and (so far as I could tell) added no actual value, except to confuse readers.
- All teenage boys are gorgeous. Apparently this is quite the world (even though it appears to be Earth in our time period...) that our gal lives in. Every teenage boy she encounters (and even some male adults) seem to be drop dead gorgeous! This chick is either in hormone overload (which I suppose is possible as she's a teen) or else Helming can't find a way to describe people that isn't with positive adjectives.
- Coincidences galore. Our gal spends less than 12 hours in Greece (after flying from the USA), where she knows absolutely no one. She meets two people at the airport or during her travels in the first 12 hours. And somehow those EXACT two people just *happen* to attend the same school she attends? Really?
But then the coincidences get worse... she happens to see a cats eye gem during her first 12 hours in Greece that seems to be important; and the next day at school in her geology class the teacher just so *happens* to talk about this gem? Where do I start with my complaints: geology is the study of rocks and earth not usually gems, what high school has geology class (isn't that just science class?), and what are the chances that she learns about this rare gem on her first day at the new school? I hate coincidences that are painfully obvious. At least try to work the plot points into a cohesive and believable story please.
- I've read this before. Based on the prologue and the quick dispatch of our gal to a new country, plus the details of the blurb on the back; this is just Percy Jackson for girls. I've already read that book thanks, no need to read a female version of it.
On top of all that the writing is very cliche. It must include every YA trope ever (hey check it out, ever is a word not a name!) in the opening chapters, Helming has written a forced plot and nothing is shown to us, it's all told in a stilted, amateur way. I hate to be so harsh but honestly I could not find a single thing to take away from this book that I liked, or felt like I hadn't read a thousand times before.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Title: Dangerous Crossing
Author: Rachel Rhys
Genre: WWII, Historical Fiction
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
I have been thinking about what to write about Rachel Rhys' Dangerous Crossing for almost a week. This is a difficult book to really rate and write about as it's a bit confused about what it is; and yet I enjoyed the majority of what I read. So it's not that the book is bad but it's not a 4 or 5 star read either.
Confused Plot
My largest complaint is that the plot isn't really a plot. Our lead gal gets on a cruise ship headed from England to Australia in 1939. Of course the world is just entering into WWII and things are starting to fall apart in Europe. It's interesting to think about a boat with all different nationalities, including some Jews already fleeing the Nazis, just before England declares all out war. This is explored in a very intriguing way as we being to realize that there are 'enemies' on board if war is declared and that some on the boat are definitely in line with Hitler and his regime policy of pushing the Jews.
While there are mysterious and odd things happening on the cruise ship, some first class folks who 'slum' with tourist class, and every character is beautifully written and developed (back stories and all), I still never really felt like there was a plot. Unless plot can be a cruise ship going from one location to the next while the world is in turmoil?
The Ending
My plot issues only compound once I get to the last few chapters and realize that what I thought was going on is not at all what was happening. It's not that the ending is coincidental or unrealistic; it's more that it came a little out of nowhere for me. Interestingly the events on the cruise are derived from true stories on that same cruise ship over a few years during WWII. So while Rhys has moved a few timelines for minor events on the ship and changed many of our main characters; everything she writes is based on fact (as explained at the end of the book).
Overall
This is a decent piece of historical fiction that gives insight into what it would have been like to be just on the outskirts of WWII. To be waiting for any country to declare war; hopeful that it might be avoided. I think Rhys creates the kind of awkward suspense that is appropriate for all our characters. And she certainly creates a few well written villains to help tell the story to remind us all that while most were against the Nazi's policies; not everyone was.
There are some really disturbing (at least to me) moments in Dangerous Crossing where I realized that the tension in our world today, that US President Donald Trump has created, could easily be the opening steps to a larger conflict; just like what is inevitable in 1939. Between controversial conversations that divide people who would otherwise have a potential to be friends and average people showing their 'true colors' as villians; any one of the people on the ship could be someone today. Additionally, some people saying that the stories of persecution against the Jews in German couldn't possibly be true. Yet we all have the knowledge that nothing was exaggerated by anyone. It really was that horrific and dangerous to be a Jew in 1939. So, if you replace Jew with Muslim, Hitler with Trump and German with United States you could almost be reading a story of today.
Whether Rhys did this on purpose, or it's just a case of history repeating itself, I'm not sure. What I do know is that Dangerous Crossing is a good reminder to us that you can get caught up in politics and choose sides that will eventually turn into murder and war.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Title: The Transfigured Hart
Author: Jane Yolen
Genre: Fairy Tale, Short Story
Rating: 5 out of 5
While Jane Yolen first had The Transfigured Hart published in 1975; this short story is one that can easily transcend decades and generations. Known for her fairy tale narratives, Yolen takes the story of a 'white deer' (aka. unicorn) and tells of two unlikely friends brought together my the search for the unicorn.
Beautifully written and in the style of Grimm or Anderson; if you are looking for a 'new' fairy tale to read that has that older style of lyric writing I believe you will really enjoy The Transfigured Hart. For me this was a refreshing read as I have been reading a lot of intense historical fiction or bad YA tropes. It was the perfect little read.
There's really not much else to say except that this is well worth the read. And you may find that you become addicted to Yolen's style of fairy tale writing. Luckily if you are she has a whole collection of published works, including some that have won the Nebula World Fantasy awards and many other accolades.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
