A Ladder to the Sky

A Ladder to the Sky 

By John Boyne
Published: Hogarth, 2018
Pages: 384
Genre: Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Amazon, Goodreads

Everyone has secrets. There's something in all our pasts that we wouldn't want revealed. And that's where you'll find your story.

About the book

Maurice Swift is handsome, charming, and hungry for fame. The one thing he doesn’t have is talent – but he’s not about to let a detail like that stand in his way. After all, a would-be writer can find stories anywhere. They don’t need to be his own. 

Working as a waiter in a West Berlin hotel in 1988, Maurice engineers the perfect opportunity: a chance encounter with celebrated novelist Erich Ackermann. He quickly ingratiates himself with the powerful – but desperately lonely – older man, teasing out of Erich a terrible, long-held secret about his activities during the war. Perfect material for Maurice’s first novel. 

Once Maurice has had a taste of literary fame, he knows he can stop at nothing in pursuit of that high. Moving from the Amalfi Coast, where he matches wits with Gore Vidal, to Manhattan and London, Maurice hones his talent for deceit and manipulation, preying on the talented and vulnerable in his cold-blooded climb to the top. But the higher he climbs, the further he has to fall…

Review

Maurice Swift is a pompous asshole who commits atrocious acts of emotional abuse in the name of ambition, so he can do what he believes what he was born to do: write. Even though Maurice is a terrible, inconceivably vile character, A Ladder to the Sky is a book I could not put down. I ate this story in an entire day. There's something about Maurice that's like a horrible car accident - you just can't look away.


A Ladder to the Sky is essentially a sociopath's rise to fame and eventual downfall. What makes the story work so well is how it's split into different sections with different perspectives. We first catch a glimpse of Maurice through Erich's eyes: a sexy young man who seduces him into telling him his darkest secret. Maurice, being the psycho he is, uses this to his advantage to make a name for himself. An awful and morally questionable thing to do, but still not TERRIBLE terrible.

As the story progresses to Edith's point of view, readers begin to see more of Maurice's dark side and, at the conclusion of this section, know what Maurice really is. And it just gets darker from there. 

By setting up the story this way and using these separate point of views, the author does an excellent job of slowly uncovering Maurice's deadly ambitions. While I believed it to be slow at first, the book quickly picks up pace and left me nearly breathless at the end. 


A Ladder to the Sky is easily one of my favorite books of 2019 and I can see why it's getting critical acclaim. It's a fantastic read and it's a story that will always stay with you.

RATING (out of five puppies)

Midwinterblood

Midwinterblood

By Marcus Sedgwick
Published: Roaring Brook Press, 2013
Pages: 288
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery/Thriller
Amazon, Goodreads

It cannot be, he thinks, that when our life is run, we are done. There must be more than that, surely?

That we are not just one, but a multitude. 

About the book

In 2073 on the remote and secretive island of Blessed, where rumor has it that no one ages and no children are born, a visitor arrives. He is greeted warmly, but something is wrong. Something is hidden on the far side of the island. Something that, as if in a dream, he cannot reach.

And so it is that under the light of the waxing and waning moon, seven stories unfold: the story of an archaeologist who unearths a mysterious artifact; of an airman who finds himself far from home; of a painter, a ghost, a vampire, and a Viking. And the story of life so primal and passionate it slips the bonds of time.

Review

Urgh, I so wanted to like this book. I really enjoyed the premise behind the story and how everything ties together... yet I found the writing to be on the dull side.

The author sets up an eerie atmosphere on a strange, mystical location far, far away - an isolated island where freakish things are happening. This tone continues throughout the book until the very end, where the reader FINALLY uncovers what's going down. This is not a story of horror or mystery, but rather one of love.

I'm not a fan of the author's sentence structure, which is very simple and uninspiring, or writing style.

In half an hour, Isabella shrieks.
She actually shrieks.
"Oh God! I think I found something!" 
She has.

Now why, he thinks, would they print a map of only half the island?
That would be stupid. Unless, unless, unless you wanted to keep half of it secret.
He knows he's on to something.

I think Midwinterblood reads more of a middle grade level... I got bored easily while reading it. This book may be for others, but wasn't for me.

RATING (out of five puppies)

If We Were Villains

If We Were Villains

By M.L. Rio
Published: Flatiron Books, 2017
Pages: 368
Genre: Contemporary, Thriller
Goodreads, Amazon

This thing of darkness I acknowledge mine.

About the book

On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door. Detective Colborne wants to know the truth, and after ten years, Oliver is finally ready to tell it.

A decade ago: Oliver is one of seven young Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a place of keen ambition and fierce competition. In this secluded world of firelight and leather-bound books, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingénue, extras.

But in their fourth and final year, good-natured rivalries turn ugly, and on opening night real violence invades the students’ world of make-believe. In the morning, the fourth-years find themselves facing their very own tragedy, and their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, each other, and themselves that they are innocent.

Review

If We Were Villains is a smart, intriguing novel set around a group of friends studying at a prestigious school of theater. 

This book is kind of like a whodunit murder mystery, but the author avoids the normal clique by beginning the novel with the narrator - Oliver - being released from prison and confusing the TRUE story to the now-retired police chief who had worked the crime during the initial arrest. The novel divided into "acts" (aka parts) with Oliver speaking with Colborne then smoothly transitioning to the past.

I was pleasantly surprised throughout the story; While the author placed clever foreshadowing scenes, I didn't guess the "killer" until almost the end. The characters are also very well-written, each with their own vices and virtues. 

The author executed the story beautifully with the works of Shakespeare as the background. Julius Caesar, King Lear, and Romeo and Juliet are key plays studied and performed by the students that also emulates their situations.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but I'm not a poetry reader and I definitely consulted Sparknotes during certain portions of the novel. Poetry readers/Shakespeare fans will especially like this book. 

RATING (out of five puppies)

Into the Drowning Deep

Into the Drowning Deep

By Mira Grant
Published: Orbit, 2017
Pages: 448
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
Amazon, Goodreads

 The mermaid does not care whether or not we believe in its existence. Somewhere far from here, the mermaid continues to do what it has always done: it continues to thrive. And it waits for us to realize that belief is, in the end, irrelevant.

About the book

Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a tragedy. 

Now a new crew has been assembled. But this time they're not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life's work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost. 

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves.

Review

Into the Drowning Deep is a fascinating, mind-blowing sci-fi-horror read about killer mermaids. And this book is definitely killer all right!

What drew me right away was the plot: crew members to a ship that had set up to film a mockumentary of mermaids mysteriously disappears and several years later, a new crew is assembled to set out and find the proof the previous crew could not. 

The mermaids present in our pop culture are like the Little Mermaid: beautiful, curious about humans, etc. Into the Drowning Deep presents a different perspective - mermaids as vicious hunters. The author's originality mixed with a tense, terrifying atmosphere and great writing makes this book a fantastic read.

This book surprised me in several ways: it's also a horror novel and it's very diverse. One of the main female characters starts a romance with another female, and it's considered normal, not at all unusual. Neither one of them are required to explain it or question what they are doing; it's just them and their love for each other. I knew Into the Drowning Deep was a sci-fi (that's where it was in the library) but there is a sinister atmosphere to the story similar to Stephen King's writing.

This is the first of Mira Grant's novels that I've read, and I'm definitely going to check out her other books. Into the Drowning Deep is a book I'd recommend to those who like fantasy, sci-fi and/or horror.

RATING (out of five puppies):

Since You've Been Gone

Since You've Been Gone

By Morgan Matson
Published: Simon & Schuster, 2014
Pages: 465
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Amazon, Goodreads

Sloane looked up at me and smiled, a flash of her bright, slightly crooked teeth. "But where's the fun in that?"

About the book

Imagine the ominous stillness of waking up one day to find that your best friend and constant companion is suddenly gone—family and all. Emily and Sloane shared every thought via text ever since Sloane moved into town, and Emily became the faithful sidekick to her fearless personality. 

Now, without Sloane as her navigator, Emily is stuck with no friends, no job, and no plans, with only her self-absorbed playwright parents and adventuresome younger brother, Beckett (one of the many literary references sprinkled throughout the narrative). Then a to-do list arrives in the mail from Sloane, and Emily begins a transformative summer that she hopes will lead her to her friend.

Review

Since You've Been Gone is a fun, coming-of-age summer read that centers around Emily, who wakes up one morning to find her best friend, Sloane, gone. An extremely shy and introverted person, Emily must learn how to conquer her fears and come out of her shell if she wants to find out what's happened to her best, and only, friend.

I admit, almost every time I've gone to the library I've seen this book on the shelf but didn't pick it up because, well, it just looks lame. I finally decided to check it out on my last trip because why not? And, surprisingly, I'm glad I did.

I enjoyed the story line, and the author's writing style is easy to read. I got through the book in two days despite it being over 400 pages long. Since You've Been Gone isn't for everyone... it's definitely a YA read. But hey, if you're looking for a quick, entertaining read, this might be the book for you. 

RATING (out of five puppies):

The Bear and the Nightingale

The Bear and the Nighingale

By Katherine Arden
Published: Del Ray, 2017
Pages: 370
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism
Amazon, Goodreads

The shadow on the wall. You cannot trust him. Beware the dead.

About the book

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.

Review

The Bear and the Nightingale is an elegantly-woven tale that mixes Russian folklore, fantasy, and complex family dynamics. It's a book that sucks you into a mythical world and won't let you go.

This book is a great example of dark, intriguing atmosphere; it's set at the outer wildness of Russia before modern technology. The The setting is enough alone to be fascinating -  but the author also weaves myth and folklore into the storyline. 

The author creates vivid imagery in the novel that makes the story come to life, such as:

But the chill of that burnt forest, of the frost-demon's touch, lingered. Dunya's bones shook until it seemed they would shake through her skin. All she could see was the frost-demon, intent and despairing, and the laughing face of his brother, the one-eyed creature. The two faces blurred into one. The blue stone in her pocket seemed to drip icy flame. Her skin cracked and blackened when her hand closed tight around it.

The writing is addicting and compelling with an air of mysteriousness and magical realism. 

If you've been following my reviews, you already know that Vasya is my favorite type of protagonist; fierce, strong, independent, and intelligent. Suffocated by society's expectations of who she should be - a mild, well-mannered maiden to be married off and turned into a baby factory - Vasya finds peace in the woods and the ability to be who she was born to be. The other characters are as distinct and well-written as Vasya.

The Bear and the Nightingale is the first book in a trilogy, and I'm curious to how this story will continue. I definitely recommend it.

RATING (out of five puppies):

Two Can Keep a Secret

Two Can Keep a Secret

By Karen M. McManus
Published: Delacorte Press, 2019
Pages: 327
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery
Amazon, Goodreads

There's something deeply, fundamentally satisfying about confronting a monster and escaping unscathed.

Real monsters aren't like that. They don't let go.

About the book

Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery's never been there, but she's heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows.

The town is picture-perfect, but it's hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone declares open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.

Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she's in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous - and most people aren't good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it's safest to keep your secrets to yourself.

Review

I have to admit, I was sooo disappointed in Two Can Keep a Secret. The author's first book, One of Us is Lying, was one of my favorite reads of 2018. I had high expectations for her second novel, and I was definitely let down.

The main issue I had with the novel was the writing; it was dull, uninspired and felt forced at times. I kept getting bored while reading the story and only finished because I had liked the author's first book so much.

The plot is interesting and is unique like the storyline of One of Us is Lying; both are super mysterious and creepy. I enjoyed the atmosphere of Echo Ridge, it has that small-town feel that is also sinister. I'm wondering what the purpose of the hit-and-run accident at the beginning is for in regards to the storyline. I believed it to be distracting from the main plot.

As for the characters, I enjoyed Ellery's and Ezra's characterizations. They seemed like REAL people to me; however, I felt like they were poorly developed, along with the rest of the characters in the story.

Unfortunately, Two Can Keep a Secret is not a novel I'd recommend to anyone.

RATING (out of five puppies):