Month: March 2019

Audiobook Review: The Nowhere Child by Christian White

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Release date: January 22, 2019

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Narrator: Katherine Littrell

Blurb:

Kimberly Leamy is a photography teacher in Melbourne, Australia. Twenty-six years earlier, Sammy Went, a two-year old girl vanished from her home in Manson, Kentucky. An American accountant who contacts Kim is convinced she was that child, kidnapped just after her birthday. She cannot believe the woman who raised her, a loving social worker who died of cancer four years ago, crossed international lines to steal a toddler.

On April 3rd, 1990, Jack and Molly Went’s daughter Sammy disappeared from the inside their Kentucky home. Already estranged since the girl’s birth, the couple drifted further apart as time passed. Jack did his best to raise and protect his other daughter and son while Molly found solace in her faith. The Church of the Light Within, a Pentecostal fundamentalist group who handle poisonous snakes as part of their worship, provided that faith. Without Sammy, the Wents eventually fell apart.

Now, with proof that she and Sammy are in fact the same person, Kim travels to America to reunite with a family she never knew she had. And to solve the mystery of her abduction—a mystery that will take her deep into the dark heart of religious fanaticism where she must fight for her life against those determined to save her soul… 

Review:

There are a rare handful of books that when listened to in audio format are taken to the next level and The Nowhere Child is most certainly one of those books. The combination of an incredibly well thought out mystery and top notch narration made this one a must listen.

While the premise itself doesn’t sound all that original I can say that I’ve never seen it handled in the way the author did. This flips back and forth between past and present; in the present Kim learns that her mom may have actually been a kidnapper, and what’s worse is that she’s been dead for years so answers are not easy to come by and in the past you follow the Wendt family in the days leading up to Sammy’s disappearance and after she’s gone. Both past and present were equally enthralling, I found myself riveted no matter what chapter I was listening to. You know just from the blurb that Kim was indeed kidnapped, so there’s no surprise as to the what, but the fun lies in the who and the why. Throw in a crazy, cult like church which never fails to intrigue me and you have a great recipe for a highly original mystery.

The narrator is Australian and I’m a sucker for an accent, but she also pulled off a really well done American drawl without sounding contrived. She was just excellent and like I said earlier, she raised the stakes with impeccable delivery and a smooth voice that was hypnotic. Highly recommended for audio fans!

The Nowhere Child in three words: Nuanced, Seamless and Tense.

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

February Wrap Up

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Hello lovelies! I can’t even believe we’re in March already, February absolutely flew by! I had another amazing month full of great books, how about you?!

Stalker: Harrowing, Brilliant and Intricate

Forget You Know Me: Genuine, Fluid and Secretive.

Little Darlings: Unsettling, Menacing and Dark.

When You Read This: Poignant, Fresh and Touching

The Beantown Girls: Heartwarming, Precise and Impassioned.

Once A Liar: Duplicitous, Unexpected and Skillful

The Dead Ex: Addictive, Unpredictable and Engrossing

The Hiding Place: Sinister, Scary and Atmospheric.

Say You’re Sorry: Tense, Compelling and Dark.

The Secretary was one I’m really torn about.

More Than Words: Touching, Sweet and Lyrical

Never Tell: Rapid, Intricate and Unputdownable

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls was one that just didn’t work for me at all.

Keep Her Close: Tense, Explosive and Addictive

Dead Memories: Thrilling, Intricate and Pacey.

The Silent Patient: Captivating, Clever and Cunning.

The Lost Night was middle of the Road for me.

The Beautiful Strangers: Glamorous, Dramatic and Classic

Why We Lie: Deceptive, Fast and Entertaining.

Review: In Another Time by Jillian Cantor

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Release date: March 5, 2019

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb:

Love brought them together. But only time can save them…

1931, Germany. Bookshop owner Max Beissinger meets Hanna Ginsberg, a budding concert violinist, and immediately he feels a powerful chemistry between them. It isn’t long before they fall in love and begin making plans for the future. As their love affair unfolds over the next five years, the climate drastically changes in Germany as Hitler comes to power. Their love is tested with the new landscape and the realities of war, not the least of which is that Hanna is Jewish and Max is not. But unbeknownst to Hanna is the fact that Max has a secret, which causes him to leave for months at a time—a secret that Max is convinced will help him save Hanna if Germany becomes too dangerous for her because of her religion. 

In 1946, Hanna Ginsberg awakens in a field outside of Berlin. Disoriented and afraid, she has no memory of the past ten years and no idea what has happened to Max. With no information as to Max’s whereabouts—or if he is even still alive—she decides to move to London to live with her sister while she gets her bearings. Even without an orchestra to play in, she throws herself completely into her music to keep alive her lifelong dream of becoming a concert violinist. But the music also serves as a balm to heal her deeply wounded heart and she eventually gets the opening she long hoped for. Even so, as the days, months, and years pass, taking her from London to Paris to Vienna to America, she continues to be haunted by her forgotten past, and the fate of the only man she has ever loved and cannot forget.

Told in alternating viewpoints—Max in the years leading up to WWII, and Hanna in the ten years after—In Another Time is a beautiful novel about love and survival, passion and music, across time and continents. 

Review:

Oh my heart this was a moving book! While it most definitely falls under the umbrella of historical fiction, this is also an epic love story that transcends time and distance and swept me away to a foreign land.

This alternates between Max and Hanna’s perspectives and spans across the years before and after WW2. I was equally drawn to both of their characters but I was head over heels for sweet, dear Max. He captured my heart almost instantly, he’s the type of character that will remain with me forever. I was also invested in Hanna, she’s just a bit more distant than Max, she’s so focused and passionate about her music career, her violin is her lifeline during a depressing time in history, that’s it hard to foster a deep connection with her. Both were amazingly well crafted and hearing from both of them throughout the years was truly a special treat.

Cantor writes in such a beautiful, evocative manner, even though her books always break my heart in some way, it’s in the best way possible. If you’re like me and you can’t get enough of WW2 fiction this is a must read, there’s a unique spin on the sub genre that I wholeheartedly enjoyed.

In Another Time in three words: Poetic, Moving and Emotional.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.