Next book

LINEN SHROUD

Like its predecessor, a wildly imaginative but melodramatic period piece.

A complex union of two families in the northeastern United States is threatened by the Civil War in this second installment of a historical fiction trilogy.

The French Huguenot Duladiers have become successful entrepreneurs in the New World, establishing a thriving silk business, a linen concern, as well as a foothold in opium and tobacco production. Their good fortunes, though, are dependent upon intermarriage with the Montours, who have Native American and French ancestry. The connection between the families is a delicate one, partly because of their complicated romantic and familial entanglements and partly due to the cultural differences that divide them. Kristiana Duladier assumes a position of leadership after her Aunt Catherine’s business reputation is ruined, and Kristiana bears a son, Threadneedle, with Lazarus Montour, though she shares a bed with Turtle Dawn Montour, who’s denied a man by her own tribe. Later, Threadneedle draws closer to his native roots and prepares for war, much to his mother’s chagrin. Regina, Catherine’s daughter, is an abolitionist and advocate for women’s rights, and Kilian, Catherine’s son, who doesn’t know the full truth about his parentage, covers the Civil War as a journalist. Meanwhile, Wilhelm, Kristiana’s father, who’d been shunned for his violence against women, tries to worm his way back into the clan. Kinal (Burning Silk, 2010) revisits many of the same themes of the first volume, with erotically charged, polyamorous affairs and the participation of both families in aspects of occult magic. The author’s knowledge of the silk and linen trades remains notable, and she has a penchant for high drama. However, this sequel is much more focused on tortuously incestuous romantic involvements, and much of the tale is torpidly complex and soap-operatic. The prose remains emotionally overwrought, and the discussion of Native American culture is weakened by timeworn clichés; for example, while solidifying the bond with her tribe, Delphine petitions a deer: “Will you offer your life for my quest, to complete my return to my people, to make my first rites as a warrior, to make a buckskin for a purpose I can’t divine yet?”

Like its predecessor, a wildly imaginative but melodramatic period piece.

Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2017

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: sitio tiempo press

Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2017

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 143


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • New York Times Bestseller

Next book

DEVOLUTION

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 143


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • New York Times Bestseller

Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006).

A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 385


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • New York Times Bestseller


  • IndieBound Bestseller

Next book

IT ENDS WITH US

Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 385


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • New York Times Bestseller


  • IndieBound Bestseller

Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.

At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.

Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.

Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016

Close Quickview