Aficionados of Hawaiian history and those who lust for battle will enjoy this hero’s tale.
This novel presents the trials and derring-do of a warrior, set against the backdrop of the most tumultuous time in the history of Hawaii, the end of the 18th century.
Readers meet Kalani Tana when marauders steal into his compound in Kahului on the island of Maui in the early hours, set fire to the buildings, and slaughter those who try to escape the flames. Kalani’s pregnant wife, Nani, burns to death. Who was behind this? Kalani vows revenge. He travels to Hawaii, the leader Kamehameha’s home island. Eventually, Kalani is enlisted to spy for Kamehameha, assessing the strength of his enemies’ forces. Enter Capt. George Vancouver, who is trying to broker a peace among the warring factions of what was then called the Sandwich Islands. Kalani, who is bilingual, becomes very important in the negotiations. A deal is struck: The islands will be under British protection, but peace must be maintained. This does not go well. Rival kings plot against Kamehameha, and alliances are extremely fluid. And through all of this, Kalani is still trying to get to the bottom of his wife’s murder. After much brutal warfare, Kamehameha is triumphant, and Kalani plots his retribution. An epilogue takes readers up to the final unification—thanks to Kamehameha—of the islands that people know today as Hawaii. Fernandez is a competent writer. That it is a dizzying challenge to follow the tale, considering all of the names that will be unfamiliar to most readers, is hardly his fault. (The list of important characters is quite helpful.) This is literally a bloody book that is also historically true, offering rich details. The author has to keep the protagonist alive, of course, so Kalani comports himself in combat like a superhero (with his faithful sidekick, Moki). In this engrossing story, Kalani is an appealing figure who is against human sacrifice and supports the decent treatment of the powerless, attitudes that will later be accepted in principles like the Law of the Splintered Paddle.
Aficionados of Hawaiian history and those who lust for battle will enjoy this hero’s tale. (maps, sketches, glossary, bibliography)Pub Date: April 23, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-9990326-9-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Bowker
Review Posted Online: June 6, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.
A struggling writer finds an unexpected muse when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin.
Petra Rose used to pump out a bestselling book every six months, but then the adaptation happened—that is, the disastrous film adaptation of her most famous book. The movie changed the book’s storyline so egregiously that fans couldn’t forgive her, and the ensuing harassment sent Petra into hiding and gave her a serious case of writer’s block. Petra’s one hope is her solo writing retreat at a remote cabin, where she can escape the distractions of real life and focus on her next book, a story about a woman having an affair with a cop. When officer Nathaniel Saint shows up at her cabin door, inspiration comes flooding back. Much like the character from Petra’s book, Saint is married, and he’s willing to be Petra’s muse, helping her get into her characters’ heads. Petra’s book is practically writing itself, but is the game she’s playing a little too dangerous? Does she know when to stop—and, more importantly, is Saint willing to stop? Hoover is no stranger to controversial movie adaptations and internet backlash, but she clarifies in a note to readers that she’s “just a writer writing about a writer” and that no further connections to her own life are contained in these pages—which is a good thing, because the book takes some horrifying twists and turns. Petra finds herself inexplicably attracted to Saint, even as she describes him as “such an asshole,” and her feelings for him veer between love and hate. The novel serves as a meta commentary on the dark romance genre—as Petra puts it, “Even though, as readers, we wouldn’t want to live out some of the fantasies we read about, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy reading those things.”
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781662539374
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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