Book Review: Death, The Deluxe Edition by Neil Gaiman

By Shantell Powell

Content warning: death 

Neil Gaiman is a writer who has reached superstar status. His author talks and signings sell out weeks in advance. His first major claim to fame was The Sandman, an award-winning comic book series extending off and on from 1989–2015. The Sandman was one of the first graphic novels to ever grace the New York Times bestseller list and won many awards, including the Hugo, the World Fantasy Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the British Fantasy Award, and a whole boatload of Eisner Awards. The series features the family of beings known as the Endless: Dream, Destruction, Destiny, Despair, Desire, Delirium, and Death. Death first appears in The Sandman No. 8 (August 1989).

Death: The Deluxe Edition is a collection of each of Death’s major appearances from The Sandman as well as from the Death miniseries and one-offs. In case you are unfamiliar with the character, Death is no cloaked grim reaper carrying a scythe. No, this version of Death is a perky goth girl with cat’s eye makeup and teased-up black hair, typically dressed in a black tank top and jeans while sporting a big ankh. I was a goth chick in the 1990s, and she was my style icon.

The stories offer a microcosm of late 20th century counterculture. Goths and punks abound, and the stories feature a diverse cast of characters from a wide variety of intersectional backgrounds. Decades later, the stories still hold up, although some of the earliest illustration work is pretty raw and unpolished. It begins with a foreword by Tori Amos, friend to Neil Gaiman and the inspiration for the Delirium character.

My favourite stories are from Death: The High Cost of Living, illustrated masterfully by Chris Bachalo. The collection includes an extensive Death gallery painted/illustrated by a who’s who list of artists: Michael Zulli, Dave McKean, Rebecca Guay, Moebius, Bryan Talbot, Gahan Wilson, Michael Wm. Kaluta, Jill Thompson, Clive Barker, Charles Vess, and more. The book ends with a one-off on AIDS, where Death, aided by John Constantine from the Hellblazer comic book series, explains safe sex and demonstrates how to use a condom.

Although the colour quality is superb throughout the book, I am disappointed with the layout and the thinness of the paper. On pages with a lot of white space, the material from the reverse side is visible. On dark or busy pages, this is not so much of an issue. My main complaint is with the layout: not enough white space goes around the comic cells, which means that in order to see the art and read the text, I must open the book so wide I’m afraid I’ll crack its spine. Because of this and the thinness of the paper, I don’t think the book will survive a lot of readings. That being said, the book itself is gorgeous, with a full-colour glossy dust jacket and an equally beautiful wraparound design on the book cover.

With Audible’s recent full-cast audiobooks of The Sandman and the forthcoming The Sandman Netflix series, I expect the comic book series and its spin-offs (including Death: The Deluxe Edition) will be flying off the shelves.

Thank you, DC Comics, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Relatives by Camilla Gibb

By Larissa Page

The Relatives is the newest release from the Giller finalist and award-winning author Camilla Gibb. The Relatives tells three different stories from three different characters whose lives are not at all linked, but whose DNA or the DNA of their loved ones might be. Lila is a social worker dealing with her demons on her way to becoming a mother. Adam is an aid worker who is kidnapped and held captive in Africa and has his own demons to face during and after. And Tess is trying to manage her feelings around her ex Emily using their (biologically Tess’s) embryos to grow her family when Tess never identified with motherhood to begin with.

The Relatives is a short read, capping off at just over 200 pages, something I managed to read in a single (holiday) Monday. The stories of each of the characters and the writing itself move along quickly enough to keep the reader engaged. Each of the three stories is almost completely unrelated (except for the linking genetic material), but each also has its own story arc, and each of the characters is developed to an extent within their own storyline.

Personally, I found there to be a bit too much time given to the initial part of each character’s story and not enough on the end part or resolution. For example, I wanted the whole novel to be about Lila and Robin, or about Tess and her trip to Greece and the relationship she’d built with her son as a child when she didn’t connect with him as a baby or being a mother in that way. These storylines, along with Adam’s captivity, were the bulk of half or over half of the book, but then each story shifted onto a new trajectory that wasn’t unrelated to that initial part but also wasn’t completely linked to it or to the other stories.

Additionally, I do wish the three stories had linked up more at the end. I expected they would as they were so unrelated, and I assumed there would be a coming together, but there was not. Each story also felt unfinished and unresolved. I am someone who loves an open-ended story or an unfinished ending, a messy ending even, but I felt like this story just stopped with no conclusion at all.

All that said, Gibb’s writing is, without a doubt, incredible. Both easy to read and sophisticated with excellent descriptions of settings and feelings as well as relationships. This isn’t surprised considering she is a renowned author, so perhaps this novel requires a step back and a consideration that the important parts may not be the linked storylines but the statements made on what it means to be a family, what motherhood looks like to can look like if it is outside of the norm, and what it means to be linked to another person by genetic material or not.

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel

By Kaylie Seed

Content warning: rape, domestic violence

Danielle Daniel’s debut novel, Daughters of the Deer, is a remarkable story about colonization, intergenerational trauma, and family bonds, especially the mother-daughter relationship. Inspired by Daniel’s familial link to a young girl murdered by French settlers, Daughters of the Deer is a novel filled with heartbreak and love as it follows a mother and daughter throughout their lives from their own perspectives.

I enjoyed the characters and the character development throughout Daughters of the Deer. While the focus was mainly on mother Marie and daughter Jeanne, the secondary characters all played an important role in this story. Marie is an Algonquin woman who ends up forced to marry a French settler; she is also a gifted healer. Jeanne is a Two-Spirited young woman in love with a girl named Josephine. While Marie is understanding of her daughter, Jeanne must hide who she is from those around her, including her family. Daniel created such complex characters and they all had a unique voice which helped elevate Daughters of the Deer.

Daughters of the Deer focuses on so many different themes, and while this may seem overwhelming to some, Daniel has written this novel in such a way that it would not make sense to leave any of them out. From violence against Indigenous women to the love between a mother and her child to Two-Spirited individuals and colonization, Daughters of the Deer has managed to reflect upon many important topics still relevant today while bringing forth a history so few know about.

Daniel has taken a time period not often seen in historical fiction and has written about many issues that have caused a ripple effect throughout history for Indigenous Peoples. The reader will note that while history during this period focused heavily on settlers, Daniel has shifted that narration to focus on the Algonquin People in Daughters of the Deer, especially the women who were forced into marriages with the settler men. Daniel takes readers to the origin of violence against Indigenous women and where the First Nations were forced to give up their land, culture, and traditions. Pieces of history long lost due to whitewashing, Daughters of the Deer helps to reclaim that history and shifts the focus to Indigenous Peoples and their voices. This novel is important, heartbreaking, and one that is bound to stay with me for a long time. I applaud Daniel on such a strong debut, and I encourage others to read this remarkable piece of historical fiction.

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Pure Colour by Sheila Heti

By Dylan Curran

From the author of Motherhood comes Pure Colour, a daring and unique interpretation of today’s world. Or, as proposed in the opening chapter, the life of those navigating the trials and tribulations of “the first draft of creation.” Part fiction, part philosophy, this book by Shelia Heti invites us to examine the lives of three types of people: those born from the egg of the bird, those born from the egg of the fish, and those born from the egg of the bear. Although initially these ideas are met with confusion (c’mon, bears don’t lay eggs!) it lends itself to larger-than-life or stranger-than-fiction metaphors where egg of the bird individuals are synonymous with those interested in beauty, art, harmony and meaning; egg of the fish are concerned with community and fairness for all; egg of the bear those who dedicate themselves wholly to love and protect those closest to them. All three types of people are necessary and none is more important than the other. Heti posits that it is this togetherness that makes for fascinating richness in life. Not to be confused as a speculative fiction or fantasy, these classifications are merely a means of defining personalities and are not literal or physiological by any means.

Throughout the book we follow Mira—our egg of the bird character—as she finds herself falling for Annie, a strong-willed, selfless caregiver and friend born from the egg of the fish. Stolen kisses, longing glances and unrequited love make for an interesting look at the challenges that face most couples. Readers at times will see themselves in both characters. With each charge or emotion, sting of heartbreak or leap of joy, the narrative takes a twist and forces us to reimagine our own lives through the lenses of these different personality types. Amid all of this is another layer to the story. Mira documents the grief she feels following the passing of her father, a man wholeheartedly and without a doubt born egg of the bear. Mira fears that she has caused him pain throughout his life, unable to love him to the same degree that she knows he has loved her. Although we, as the reader, know that she has no need to seek forgiveness or else accept this guilt, it becomes evident that Mira herself is conflicted. We can recognize the unconditional paternal love that Mira’s father has for her, but it will take her most of the book to reconcile with these feelings.

Sheila Heti explores grief and love—the human experience in essence—with such poise and cleverness. Within even the most absurd constructs of the imagination (like waking up one day trapped within a leaf) we find ourselves weeping as the truth of her words envelop us, comfort us, and then encourage us to turn the page. Immersed in the urgency of climate change and existential crises, readers will find solace and answers to questions they didn’t realize they had in the first place. Heti’s writing is without question one of the most important works of our generation.

Thank you to Knopf Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Deep House by Thomas King

By Dahl Botterill

Thomas King is an award-winning writer who grew his fame with stellar literary fiction before expanding into nonfiction, children’s literature, poetry, and more. In the early 2000s, he delved into the mystery genre under the pseudonym of Hartley Goodweather, penning two funny and well-received detective novels to very limited fanfare, and for a decade or so, that seemed to be all we would ever see of detective-turned-photographer-turned-reluctant-detective Thumps DreadfulWater. Those two books were republished without the pseudonym shortly after The Back of the Turtle and The Inconvenient Indian made King a household name, and they found a much broader audience. Thomas King returned to the DreadfulWater mysteries and has to date given us four more; Deep House is the sixth mystery novel starring Thumps, and the series is going strong.

King’s strengths have always made his writing something special. His writing is playful and recognizes the value and beauty in everyday lives and events; King’s humour is kind and his characters so very real. Such traits made his early works stand out, but also serve his mystery writing to great effect. The setting of Chinook is a smallish town that feels more lived in with every book. Characters and locations change and grow from title to title, and the reader is drawn in by this familiarity. Characters who in so many books might be cookie-cutter placeholders providing clues or moving the plot along are instead thinking, feeling individuals that breathe life into the setting and make every little moment matter.

Deep House continues this grand tradition. It isn’t likely to be a book that changes a reader’s perspective of the world, but it will certainly draw them in and make them feel like they’re a part of what’s happening in Chinook. The mystery starts small, with an abandoned, burned-out van, and grows over time. As it grows, its many threads touch on so many aspects of Thumps’s life as to make it unavoidable, and this sense of something unseen growing is mirrored somewhat in the town, where its businesses and community are awakening and changing in the aftermath of the pandemic. Chinook is a town filled with people, and King introduces his reader to many of them. The degree to which one gets to know everybody that exists even tangentially to Thumps DreadfulWater, and the fact that he knows people just about everywhere he goes, builds up a sense of community that permeates the setting. Both the dialogue and DreadfulWater’s inner narrative are engaging and fun to read, and really set the book apart.

The mystery is teased out effectively, keeping everybody guessing while providing a momentum that ensures the reader will always want to read just a few more pages, but there is more to this book than a mystery. Were the mystery excised entirely from Deep House—no vandalism, no murder, no intrigue at all—it would still be an entertaining read about the relationships between the diverse individuals that make up a community. It would still be Thomas King.

Book Review: The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab

By Shantell Powell

Content warning: violence, starvation, emotional manipulation, survival sex, depression, drug use

V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a dark fantasy romance with queer protagonists and a cast of shadowy, ephemeral characters spanning centuries and continents. If you are into vampire books, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue just might scratch that itch. Although Addie is not a vampire, the story includes such vampire tropes as immortality, agelessness, and a cruel sire.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is the story of a Faustian bargain. In 1714 France, a young artist is disillusioned with her life. She does not want to be a wife, and she does not want to be ordinary. Desperate to escape what she considers a boring, meaningless life, she prays for freedom and immortality without considering the ramifications. A dark god grants her this wish. She is given what she asks for, but the gift comes with a terrible side effect: no one will remember her. If someone were to be having a conversation with her and then leave the room, they would forget she ever existed, and she would appear as a stranger to them. To top it all off, Addie cannot say her name or leave a mark or a memory upon the world. Since Addie is an artist like her father, being unable to leave any marks is especially devastating. The story pairs the despair of loneliness and being forgotten with a joie de vivre and a love of learning.

After three hundred years of existing as a shadow and being tormented by the dark god, Addie encounters something new: someone who remembers her.

The story is told from the point of view of Addie and by the only person who remembers her. The book uses the third person point of view and includes epistolary elements.

This was my first time reading a book by V.E. Schwab, and I was enchanted by their writing. The language is lyrical, and some of the sentences are so lovely that I read them again and again. Schwab has an excellent command of language, and their poetic prose is so immersive that I could gladly swim in it. That being said, there are places where the manuscript could have used some editing, because as pretty as the words are, the story gets bogged down. Story threads are introduced and then abandoned, never to be picked up again. The most egregious example of this is when Addie becomes a spy during World War II, but the reader doesn’t get to experience any of it. It is only mentioned in passing but could have been an excellent balm to the flagging middle section of the book.

Faults notwithstanding, I do recommend this book for its delicious premise and gorgeous prose. I look forward to reading more of V.E. Schwab’s books. I expect they will get better and better as their career progresses.

Book Review: Daughters of the Occupation by Shelly Sanders

By Meredith Grace Thompson

Content warning: sexual violence, racial violence, genocide

Shelly Sanders’s upcoming novel Daughters of the Occupation is a fictionalized family history based on true events. Sanders painstakingly recreates the lives of three Jewish women affected by the Soviet invasion of Latvia and subsequent invasion by the Nazis. Affected seems too flippant a word. Forged in. Destroyed by. Forever changed by. Like so many European Jewish families who emigrated—fled—to America in search of acceptance and freedom and to escape the persecution and violence of the war, Sarah, the protagonist of Sanders’s novel, comes from a family that has been torn apart by war. Raised an American Catholic, Sarah has spent her life unaware of her Jewish identity or of the history of her mother’s family. Following her mother’s sudden death and the subsequent illness of her estranged grandmother, Sarah begins down a path of family secrets towards a history she never conceived of and from which she had been, up until now, carefully kept. During an impulsive trip to Soviet-controlled Latvia (the year being 1976) and an impromptu meeting with an American professor of Russian architecture who is able to translate for her, Sarah finds herself on a journey towards someone her mother and grandmother could only dream of, to find answers they have spent their lives in search of.

I won’t spoil anything because the story itself really is fabulous.

Sanders writes a family legend. Her words string together the intertwining lives of grandmother, mother, and daughter. Her structure is strong, finding its roots deep in the violent history of Latvia. The language, especially in dialogue, is heightened—the way we wish people spoke rather than the way they really do, risking a loss of the suspended disbelief. The story of Sanders’s novel feels real, hitting the firm beats of chronology and necessity with precision—this happened at this time, leading to this. It is the in-between bits which are less strong. The narrative voice has trouble bouncing back and forth between the double timeline of the 1940s and 1970s. It is too modern and yet too archaic to fit seamlessly in either timeline. It lacks sophistication in its use of metaphor and its overuse of cliché, as well as having several micro plot holes where assumptions are made by characters which have little basis in the text itself.

We need to be careful in the ways we talk about, write about, and subsequently mythologize war and genocide, particularly the Holocaust, WWII, and the Cold War. Sanders makes broad stroke claims about the nature of freedom and oppression—American is freedom, Latvia is oppression—when in our contemporary landscape, our views of freedom, oppression, structural inequality, and institutionalised racism have expanded and become much more nuanced, although there is still a lot of work to be done. Every human being is of value. We as tellers of stories, particularly those of grief, tend to fall into patterns of comparison. That is to say, especially in stories of the Holocaust, we seem to expect that if a certain level of inhumanity and violence did not occur then the stories are not valuable. Every human being who lives through a large-scale trauma is affected by that trauma, in small ways and in large ways. Sanders’s narrator focuses on specific aspects of the suffering of her main characters to an exorbitant degree that feels as through their pain is trying to be explained or justified. It risks lapsing into the fetishization of grief, trauma, and victimhood, or more specifically, the fetishization of those who survive.

Whatever else it may be, Daughters of the Occupation is an enjoyable story of family intrigue and the secrets forced upon unwilling keepers by the nature, not only of war, but of the specific kind of war committed by the Nazis against the Jewish people—an attempted eradication of Jewish families and their stories. While Sanders’s novel may fall short in some areas of craft and perhaps her narrative style may require further refinement, she is still doing the incredibly important work of telling the unflinching story of a Jewish family, ripped apart by the Nazis, who managed to continue. It is essential that these stories continue to be told, to be felt, and to be held, so as never to allow hatred and bigotry to eradicate the lives of the people they chose to hate. We must look without fear at the pain, the love, the laughter, and the lives of these families. The essential act is the telling itself. 

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Something Wilder by Christina Lauren

By Robyn Rossit

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren was definitely a highly anticipated 2022 read for me. Christina Lauren is the pen name of the writing duo Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. They write such fun romantic comedies that are the perfect escape! Something Wilder follows Lily, the daughter of well-known treasure hunter Duke Wilder. While a childhood of neglect left Lily uninterested in treasure hunting, when her father passes away and leaves her with nothing, she uses his coveted maps to guide tourists through the canyons of Utah on staged treasure hunts. A profession that, while it pays the bills, doesn’t get her much closer to her dream of buying back her family’s ranch. When a former love, Leo Grady, ends up on one of her tours by chance with a group of his friends, Lily and Leo have different ideas of how to proceed. Lily wants to keep things professional, while Leo, full of regret, wants to reconnect. From there the trip takes a turn for the worse and they end up on the adventure of a lifetime, forced to work together and confront their pasts to go on a real-life treasure hunt. 

Something Wilder is so different from the other Christina Lauren books I've read. It is action-packed and full of suspense. However, it is still done with their trademark romantic comedy flair. It is marketed as an escape from reality, and it certainly succeeded in not only taking the reader on an adventure, but also in adding a mystery to solve along the way. I truly felt like I was on a horseback adventure and could easily visualize the canyons of Utah.

The story is told from both points of view of Lily and Leo. I enjoyed both perspectives equally. Lily is an inspiring female lead, tough and determined to achieve her dreams. Leo is a dreamer who put everything on hold to take care of his family. While I usually put reality aside when reading a romantic comedy, I did wish there was a bit more development in Leo and Lily’s relationship together. It at times feels a bit too fast. What I love the most about Christina Lauren books is that even their side characters are well developed, and often the most hilarious characters. Nicole was a delight, and I would have loved a dash of her point of view. If there is one thing you can count on in a Christina Lauren book, it is witty banter.

The theme of forgiveness is very much present throughout the story, both with Lily and Leo’s relationship, but also in the strained relationship Lily had with her father. While the reader is taken on an actual adventure, the emotional journey is woven in seamlessly.

Overall, I enjoyed the journey that Something Wilder took me on. It is a second chance romance full of fun and adventure. I will caution you though, this book may give you a serious case of wanderlust!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: An Unthinkable Thing by Nicole Lundrigan

By Erica Wiggins

Content warning: murder, sexual assault

An Unthinkable Thing is the eighth novel by Canadian author Nicole Lundrigan. I have been a fan of this author for quite some time and had the good fortune of being able to meet her at an event and listen to her speak. It only increased my love for her novels, and I was obviously excited to dive into this one.

An Unthinkable Thing begins with Tommie Ware, a young boy living with his aunt. In the summer of 1958, Tommie’s life is upended when his aunt doesn’t come home after work one night. When she is found murdered, there is no other choice but for Tommie to return to the mother that gave him up. Tommie has just turned eleven, and his mom is working as a “live-in” housekeeper. The family gives Tommie’s mom, Esther, permission for him to stay until the next steps are sorted out.  But things at the Henneberry Estate are not as they seem. By the end of the summer, a horrific crime has been committed, and we are left to ask if an eleven-year-old could really be responsible.

“When I was a young boy, my aunt often told me a lie makes things worse. But she never explained that the truth can, too. I learned that lesson on my own during the summer of 1958, when I was eleven years old.”

This story shifts between June 1958 and the trial of Tommie in March 1959. The trial is conveyed through newspaper articles, excerpts of testimony, evidence reports, and other court and transcript documents. I loved this shift between the timelines and the different styles. It made for a very quick read, and I found myself turning page after page. This is a book you will need to set time aside for when you start—you will not want to put it down.

I really enjoyed Tommie’s character. He cared deeply for his aunt and was happy living in their apartment with very few things. When he moves in with this mother, his discomfort is palpable, and it permeates the story. Lundrigan does an incredible job of bringing the Henneberry family to life. Right off the bat, you get a creepy vibe from them and wonder if they are just eccentric or if there is really something wrong with this family. I really disliked the character of Martin. He is overall a terrible person—sneaky and manipulative, and this plays into the story perfectly. My favourite part was all the clues and red herrings in this story. I started thinking I knew exactly what was going to happen, but I was not at all prepared for that ending! IT WAS INCREDIBLE!

I loved this book! If you love a good suspense with surprising twists, check this story out. Once you love this one, she has a backlist of stories just waiting to be read. I will be over here just waiting for her next book to arrive.

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Petting Zoos by K.S. Covert

By Larissa Page

It’s been ten years since a virus known as Henny Penny ravaged the world, causing many deaths and a “temporary” government called the regency to implement strict mask and glove laws. A series of BLT laws (“Behaviour Likely To” spread the virus) has caused Lily King, writer and former reporter, to live alone in fear in her apartment, only leaving to get the necessary food and provisions for the past decade. When she is mandated back to work and required to attend TTCs (therapeutic touch clinics) to help ease her back into the world, she discovers that living alone has lead her to experience something called Skin Hunger—her bodies way of reacting to not having been touched by another human in so long. As the clinics stop being enough for her, her boss asks her to investigate and report on the illegal underground businesses benefitting from humans’ need to touch and be touched with something called The Petting Zoos. Lily is sent on a life-changing self journey as she begins to experience the world around her, including human touch, again.

Pandemic based books have always been a popular genre of books, dystopian, post-apocalyptic, etc. I have personally found, since living through this pandemic we’re in right now, that I’ve needed to be careful reading these books as they have often given me added anxiety about the possibilities of our world that once seemed to only be in fiction. The Petting Zoos had aspects of that, and I had to remind myself it was fiction, but only at the beginning did I find myself in that space, as the world and story were set up for me. Once Lily returned to work and began to live her life outside her apartment, I felt my own fear of the unknown, fear of the pandemic, also lift.

I found this novel incredibly interesting and also incredibly relatable. Many of us are right now in a position of fearing to remove our masks in spaces that we, for the past two years, were told to fear. Lily lives with those same anxieties. I also found the need for human touch, and this novel’s highlighting of that, to be fascinating. It is something so true and so often taken advantage of by those who have it regularly, but just as mothers are told to hold their newborn babies skin to skin, adults too need that contact to live and function.

The levels of the petting zoos Lily works through and the relationship she develops become increasingly sexual, and while they were initially outside of Lily’s comfort zone, they may also be outside of the reader’s as well. I was so interested to find that much of Lily’s character growth, as a person coming out of a long depression, growing into a sexual being again, and becoming an individual for possibly the first time in her life, was so much about the symbolism of that growth versus so much about the sexual experiences she was having.

The Petting Zoos was a compelling, thought-provoking novel with excellent character development and a unique but incredibly relatable setting. K.S. Covert knocked this debut novel out of the park, and it is one that will stick with me for a bit.

Book Review: Little Witch Hazel by Phoebe Wahl

By Kaylie Seed

Author and Illustrator of Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest, Phoebe Whal, has created an adorable children’s book about a witch who lives in the forest. Hazel is loved by all the animals who live in the forest and appreciate the helping hand she is always willing to lend. While at first this may seem like a simple story, Whal has incorporated themes such as comfort and intimacy through nature that is bound to teach young readers about the importance of nature through the four seasons while invoking a love for the outdoors.

Split up into four sections, Whal takes the reader through a year in Hazel’s shoes as she makes her way through each season, completing different tasks. From spring to summer to autumn and winter, Whal has illustrated beautiful scenes that will help young readers appreciate nature and the four seasons we experience each year. Each section has Hazel focused on completing a task, and while all the sections are their own smaller story not necessarily impacted by the other sections, the central theme of helping and tending to nature is present throughout. Whal has sectioned this 96-page story into four parts, but it can still be read and enjoyed all at once. Parents will appreciate that there are shorter sentences that Whal has written instead of long paragraphs, and young readers will find joy in the beautiful illustrations as the tale goes on.

It's clear that Whal has a love of nature and wants to share that love with young readers. Parents who are hoping to instil a love of the outdoors will appreciate what this book has to offer. Young readers will enjoy pointing out different animals and seasons as they make their way through this book. Little Witch Hazel can be enjoyed at any point in the year, and while intended for readers aged 4-8, readers of all ages will find something to love in this children’s book that is clearly an ode to nature.

Thank you, Tundra Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

By Christine McFaul

Content warning: death of children, trauma

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas (whose debut, Cemetery Boys, was a New York Times Bestseller) is a deliciously dark YA retelling of the classic children’s story Peter Pan.

When yet another child goes missing in the small town of Astoria, Oregon, it sends eighteen-year-old Wendy Darling into a tailspin. The current events dredge up memories from five years earlier when Wendy and her two younger brothers disappeared under eerie circumstances from the woods behind their home. In what feels like a bad case of deja vu, the police are once again questioning Wendy and asking things like “why she returned from the forest while her brothers did not” and “can she really not remember anything about the six months she was gone.”

Wendy wishes she had the right answers. Ones that might bring her brothers, and all the lost children of Astoria, home safely. But like she has already told the police time and time again, she has no new information to share about what happened all those years ago—or at least none they would believe if she told them. Because how could it be possible that a boy with no shadow, who Wendy thought existed only in stories, has mysteriously come into her life. Peter says he knows who has taken the lost children and all he needs is her help to bring them home. But helping Peter means Wendy must first find the courage to remember—and to do that, she will have to return to the never woods to confront the darkness that waits for her there.

What a stellar set-up! If you follow my reviews here at Cloud Lake Literary, you probably know by now that I am always down to read a modern twist on an old classic. That said, when an author chooses to riff on an iconic story, it sets the bar high for my reading expectations. To land, the finished product must be flawlessly conceived as well as executed, borrowing just the right amount from the original tale while simultaneously creating something that feels completely new. And Thomas does not disappoint. Lost in the Never Woods delivers something that feels at once familiar and completely strange. The plot moves, shadowed and twisty, with plenty of reveals and just the right amount of dark pixie dust to have readers racing to flip the pages. 

In a story like this that is very plot-driven, I often enjoy the literary sprint but am left unsatisfied by an ending. I’m sure we could all point to some thrillers that left us with this exact hollow feeling. Thomas ensures that Lost In the Never Woods avoids that fate by grounding the plot with well-developed characters and a meticulously crafted setting. But, in my opinion, the real meat in this retelling reveals itself in how Thomas handles the story’s messaging. In my opinion, what has given the OG Peter Pan its lasting appeal is, in large part, its themes—longing for lost things, the poignancy of growing up, and the haunting nature of a forever childhood. These same themes are expertly threaded through Thomas’s retelling but explored from new angles and fresh perspectives, making the book itself a layered metaphor for growing up—beginning in the wild sweet ambience of early spring before Wendy’s childhood ultimately fades into the lush darkness of late summer and early adulthood.

Lost in the Never Woods is a smash. The strange elements of the book are fascinating, unique, and handled in a way that feels believable within its contemporary setting. Darker plot points are age-appropriate while not sacrificing the least on delivering thrills. A delicious shivery read for YA readers (as well as grown-ups who aspire to a Peter Pan approved reading philosophy—never grow up!). Pick up this book and save it for a dark summer night when you can binge in one sit. 

Thank you, Raincoast Books and Feiwel & Friends, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

By Melissa Barbuzzi

The Roughest Draft follows literary stars Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen, who on the heels of their greatest success, ended their partnership on bad terms. They haven’t spoken in years—until their agent (who is also Katrina’s fiancé) forces the duo to reunite to write the final book on their contract. The Roughest Draft was marketed as a romance/rom-com, but I would categorize it under the contemporary fiction genre.

The coolest part about this book? It’s a book co-written by two authors (Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, who are married in real life!) about two authors co-writing a book. I thought this was super cool, and while reading, I always found myself wondering who wrote what. 

I’ll start by saying that I enjoyed the general premise of this book: two authors working together, a potential friends to lovers romance, and a new bestselling book on the horizon. However, it ended up being not at all what I expected it to be. I really expected to love this book, thinking it would give me Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation vibes, but sadly it fell short for me. The cover makes it seem like a light and fun rom-com, which is what originally caught my eye, but the book itself is the complete opposite. If I hadn’t gone in with the expectation of something light and fun, I may have enjoyed it more, but unfortunately, I didn’t, so here we are!

Where this book fell short for me was the relationships and chemistry (or lack of). What I expected to be a fun romance turned out to be a book filled with cheating, infidelity, and multiple relationships where I felt no chemistry at all. I think each character cheats on their significant other at least once throughout the book, and at one point, Kat’s fiancé even gives her permission to cheat (what!!). The physical and emotional cheating are really what set this book back for me.

Overall, there was so much potential here, and I was really disappointed to not have loved it as much as I thought I would. Two authors with a flirty past, reunited alone in a house to write their next book together, it’s the perfect rom-com set-up! I generally recommend going into books blind and with no expectations, but in this case, I recommend going into the book with certain expectations. I think if I didn’t go into the book expecting a fast and fun rom-com, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. I think this book finally taught me the lesson of “don’t judge a book by its cover” because that’s exactly what I did here!

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

By Carmen Lebar

Content warning: racism, homophobia, pandemics, death, ableism, classism, suicide 

To Paradise is Hanya Yanagihara’s newest novel since her massively popular A Little Life. The novel centres around three centuries of an alternate version of America, taking place mainly in New York City and following characters who are all unknowingly connected. It explores many difficult subject matters such as generational trauma, pandemics, classism, and much more. Split into three sections for the three centuries, a lot is explored in this novel. I found the overall novel was enjoyable, but I think it especially excelled in its final section.

What I enjoyed most about To Paradise was Yanagihara’s risk-taking when it came to genre-bending. The novel blends together historical and science fiction, first person and third person narration, and many other literary elements you wouldn’t expect in one novel. For example, in the first section, set in the late 1800s, we see a man deciding whether to marry the man he loves or a man who will give him status and security. In the third section, set in 2093, we see a world ravaged by pandemics, and New York City being heavily structured by regulations. (These are two very contrasting genres combined to tell one story.) With these various literary elements, Yanagihara can ask hard-hitting questions about humanity. What does it mean to be human? Who is accepted in this world, and who is forced into the margins? All of this is in the forefront of To Paradise.

Every character in this novel is searching for just that— paradise. And in the world that Yanagihara builds, it might not be so easy. There are a lot of harrowing events that occur in all three sections of the novel that make it exceptionally hard for these characters to reach a place where they belong or are at peace. I found it interesting to see how these characters cope and navigate the world they were born in, and how their actions ultimately influence the generations after them. We see characters from previous sections—100 years prior—help form the lives of the next section. However, these time separations sometimes were disadvantageous to the story.

My main critique of this novel was how disjointed it felt. Since the novel spans over 700 pages and is divided into three sections, it felt like I was reading three separate novels in a trilogy. I found the final section to be the most impactful and provocative, yet it needed the first two parts to make sense of what was happening. There were moments in the first two sections that I felt were too long, but I believe that the build-up to the final section is what makes it all worth it. The final section of this novel was my favourite part and brought up many important questions that our society faces today—like how to prevent the next pandemic.

To Paradise is an ambitious novel by Hanya Yanagihara that has many elements of different genres that will satisfy many readers, especially mood readers. It’s an introspective look into our world today through three alternate timelines—all eerily mimicking the problems in our reality. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes multiple genres, but also anyone who wants to venture out of their comfort genres. And of course, if you like Yanagihara’s novels, you’ll love this new risk-taking novel that will hopefully help you define what paradise is to you.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Please note that Carmen is employed with Penguin Random House Canada but all opinions are her own.

In Conversation with Fawn Parker Author of What We Both Know

With Cassandra Navratil

Photo by Alex Tran

What was the inspiration behind What We Both Know? Were any of the characters or experiences in the novel taken from your own life?

I’d written two novels and was feeling frustrated, I think. It was important to me to experiment, to really throw myself into projects and prioritize truth and emotion and creative process. I’m not someone who generally cares about structure or careful plotting or anything. I don’t really have the MFA brain. But the feedback I was getting from friends and colleagues was making me feel claustrophobic. I felt almost like my friends were trying to “level” with me, as if they wanted me to admit, yes, these books were bad, but the exciting part was my potential! Maybe that doesn’t make any sense. Or maybe it’s a woman thing? But so I decided to write what I called, during the writing process, a “Penguin book.” I don’t mean any offence to the major publishers, really. I’m so grateful to have been published by M&S and to have their support. I guess what I mean is I resigned myself to writing something that felt more structurally sound, more clean, so people would be more open to what I’m trying to say. I learned that pure expression is not always coherent to an outsider. And I love this book because it’s full of real feelings, but the original inspiration came from a place of trying to make what I actually wanted to do more palatable. I wanted to stop feeling like everyone’s kid sister. Oh no, I didn’t answer your question did I…

Some of the characters share traits with real people I know, but for the most part they’re fictional. I was excited by the idea of writing a protagonist who isn’t really anything like me. Of course some of my real experiences always work their way in, but for the most part this book feels very separate from my life.

Your novel explores the difficult topic of adult children to care for and navigate elderly parents with Alzheimer’s. Was this a topic that you were familiar with, or did you have to do research? If so, did you have any particularly helpful resources?

I’m not familiar with Alzheimer’s personally though it is in my family. When I was writing this book I didn’t feel I was basing any of it off of my real life, but looking back, I do think some of the questions and emotions in the story come from my experience caring for my mother in the final years of her life.

I did have to do some research into medications and typical timelines, but for the most part I tried to keep things vague enough that no one could assign Baby any particular diagnosis.

Which character do you feel you can relate to the most in your story, and why? Were any structured after people in your personal world or were they pure creation without a source?

Perhaps what I liked about writing this book is I don’t really relate to any of them! Of course Hillary’s narration is first-person, so her thoughts and feelings come from within me, but I don’t feel that we’re too similar. It might be too morbid if I say Pauline!

Your writing style in this novel is quite unique, in that Hilary’s stream of consciousness from the beginning leaves us with very little information about the main characters and what is happening. We, as readers, are left to make assumptions and be patient as more is revealed. What made you choose to reveal certain plot points and elements more slowly in this story and how did this style of storytelling alter the way in which you wrote? Was this a conscious decision to reveal details this way?

Forgetting is an important part of this story, in my opinion. I don’t think Hillary always has a strong handle on what has happened to her or even what’s happening in present. I wanted readers to be there with her, to not have more information than she herself has, because that seemed unfair.

What are you hoping that readers take away from this novel? Is there a lesson or lessons to be learned through Hilary’s experiences? What lasting impressions are you wanting to leave with them?

I’m not sure. I always write in the hopes that people will feel less lonely, or feel understood. This novel is very sad but I think every character has something beautiful in their life.

What is your writing process like? Are you the type of writer who starts writing and doesn’t quit until they are finished, or do you prefer to write in small chunks and take breaks between?

My writing process is a sickness. I try to take breaks and all of a sudden I’m typing a note in my phone, or writing on the back of a receipt. When I’m working on a larger project I can’t relax until I’ve hit my word count for the day. I need a break! Help!

Do you have anything else in the works right now, or are you taking a bit of a breather now that What We Both Know was just released?

I have a novel called Hi, it’s me coming out in 2024. In the meantime I’ll be working on my PhD and putting together a collection of poetry with Jim Johnstone at Palimpsest Press.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors who are trying to navigate the publishing world?

Don’t take advice from your competition! In fact don’t take advice from anyone. I like to listen to writers talk about writing, and talk to writers about writing, but I don’t like personal advice. Of course if you’re in a workshop, or a class, that’s the whole point, right. And if you’re working with a literary editor that’s it’s own thing. But your work comes from inside you. It’s a very delicate thing sometimes, and you can’t trust just anybody to hold it. Sometimes I think of writing like being pregnant, and I want the project to at least be able to survive outside of me before I let anyone at it. You know what you need to do better than anyone. I think writing 500 stories you’re unhappy with is infinitely more valuable a learning experience than one person chopping up your story and trying to change it. Anyway don’t listen to me. I don’t know anything.

Lastly, what is your “must-read” book recommendation and what book or author has had the most impact and influence on your writing?

Harrow by Joy Williams! Incredible!!!

Book Review: What We Both Know by Fawn Parker

By Cassandra Navratil

There is something very familiar and comfortable about Fawn Parker’s writing style that drew me into her latest novel almost immediately. After the first few chapters, I tried to pin down what it was that had me so enthralled, barely able to set the book down. Was it the stream-of-consciousness style of narration? The main character’s description of her daily routines, and her state of mind? I finally settled on the fact that Fawn Parker seems to have woven her story together with tiny threads of nebulosity, leaving the reader to guess at major details until they are eventually revealed—without much fanfare, I might add, almost like they’re just casually dropped in front of you to pick up.

The novel begins with breakfast between the main character, unnamed until much later, and someone named Baby. There is a palpable tension between Baby and his caregiver right away, something that left me guessing, searching, scanning for hints that would let me in. It felt as though I was taking a peek through a door sitting ajar and eavesdropping on conversations and thoughts not necessarily meant for anyone else’s ears but the protagonist’s.

As the story unfolds, we meet more characters in the narrator’s life, and find that she is a middle-aged woman called Hilary Greene, and Baby is her father. Baby Davidson, aka Marcus Greene, a prolific author in his time, now struggles greatly with his mind and memory, falling into mental disrepair via the thief that is Alzheimer’s. His last project, a memoir, needs to be completed, and he is absolutely not up to the task. An extremely complicated and dark past, combined with his present issues, leaves both the memoir and Baby’s care firmly in Hilary’s lap. With new and revelatory information flooding Hilary’s brain on what seems like a constant loop, she is understandably overwhelmed, and working through reconciling who she is, who her father is, why her sister died by suicide, and how she is supposed to move forward with her own life when the past keeps coming to haunt her.

Is there such a thing as being pleasantly uncomfortable? In my opinion, that exact feeling is what kept me coming back to this book every time I set it down. I wanted to know more, yearned to find out why, how, and what the resolution(s) would be, if any. I found myself daydreaming about Hilary, worrying about what was going to come next in her story, and thinking about my own life and future with my parents as they age. This is a story that takes painfully real elements of humanity—both positive and negative—and interlaces them beautifully so that the reader cannot help but feel as though they are living vicariously through Hilary’s experiences. Fawn Parker has written another phenomenal novel, one that will undoubtedly live (haunt) in my mind for a long time.

Book Review: Look After Us by Rod Campbell

By Carly Smith

Rod Campbell, creator of Dear Zoo and Oh Dear! brings readers Look After Us, an interactive children’s book focusing on endangered animals. In this book, Campbell introduces his younger audience to animals whose populations are depleting. He presents a beautiful and necessary message—that humans are responsible for taking care of all animals, including wild ones.

The format of this book is consistent and predictable, making it suitable for emergent readers reading with an experienced reader, or for children who are drawn to patterns. On the left side of each spread, with the exception of the beginning and end of the book, is a small paragraph that introduces a new animal. On the right side of the spread is a flap with the animal’s habitat on the outer part, and the animal in focus behind the flap. Below each flap is a bit more text which encourages the reader to help endangered animals. The consistency Campbell creates by formatting the images and text this way supports new readers to infer, a great skill to develop early on and one which also helps maintain interest in the reading material. Another aspect of this book I was drawn to was the repetition of words and syntax; this is beneficial for readers encountering unfamiliar words, or for those who can remember what is being read and wish to join in with the person reading it to them. Moreover, the font is clear and representative of the way letters are taught and learned in school, making the pages even more accessible to a younger audience.

The illustrations in Look After Us offer additional opportunities for enjoyment, learning, and discussion. Firstly, the animals are drawn in their natural landscape. This can spark follow-up questions and comments, and may help with reading comprehension. There is also an option to take the discussion one step further and encourage numeracy skills. For example, the experienced reader could ask questions to the child about how many of each animal there are, what body parts some animals have more or less of compared to the other endangered animals in the book, or by posing questions about the landscapes to prompt estimation. Overall, Look After Us provides numerous occasions for readers to enhance not only decoding skills, but also comprehension, oral communication, and math skills.

There are some additional features that I enjoyed about the physical copy of this book, including its size and the durability of the pages and the flaps. It’s large enough that it will not get lost in a large collection of children’s books, but not too large that it cannot easily fit in a diaper bag or stroller pouch. Look After Us is a charming book, sure to be a hit with any toddler or child, especially those interested in animals or who are developing their fine motor skills.

Book Review: Such Big Dreams by Reema Patel

By Larissa Page

At the young age of seven, Rakhi escaped a bad situation and found herself on the streets of Bombay, quickly befriending Babloo and a rag tag gang of other street kids. She is now twenty-three and after a long stint in a girls home through her adolescent years, renowned human right lawyer Guari Ma’am has given her a “second chance” in the form of a job as an office assistant and covering her rent in a Mumbai slum. When a particular foreign intern takes an interest in Rakhi, asking her to show him the real India and encouraging her to reach farther than her office job, Rakhi’s life becomes more complicated and potentially fuller and brighter than before—unless things come falling down before that happens.

I really enjoyed this novel, both the current timeline storyline and the back story that leads us through Rakhi’s history as a street kid. The plot was quick moving and engaging, while the characters were complex. I felt drawn back every time I put it down, which is something that can be a bit hit or miss with literary fiction. I also felt like I learned a lot about a setting I wasn’t previously familiar with.

I think the relationships and characters in this novel will be a bit of a wake-up call for the typical reader. Particularly Guari Ma’am and Alex, both of whom act as if they are helping Rakhi, maybe even considered selfless or generous when in fact, their actions don’t really help Rakhi in the way she may necessarily need it, or perhaps not the way she needs it anymore. There seems to be a sense that these characters and relationships make the helpers feel like they are doing such great things and great work but ultimately, they haven’t asked Rakhi for her side of the story or her wants/needs. In the same vein, though, there is some aspect of Rakhi not acting in a way that reflects she recognizes she’s being helped at all. I really liked this aspect of the book as it gives us that realness, that people are not all good or all bad; they are complex.

There was a point toward the end that I wondered if it was not going to be terribly uplifting (which is okay), even though I felt it was hopeful all the way along. I am thrilled to say though, that once I finished, I felt this book had a lot of heart and a lot of hope through struggles and mistreatment. It didn’t shy away from realities, but it did show us the other side of the realities we often don’t see, the human side.

Thank you, McClelland & Stewart, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Legend of the Christmas Witch by Dan Murphy and Aubrey Plaza Illustrated by Julia Iredale

By Kaylie Seed

When I was researching books to read and review, I came across The Legend of the Christmas Witch and just knew I needed to read it. I have long been fascinated by witches, and with winter being my favourite season, I felt that this would be a children’s book that I would enjoy—I was right.

The Legend of the Christmas Witch tells the tale of Kristtörn and her twin brother Kristoffer who were abandoned in a forest. They each end up leaving with very different adults who ventured into the forest on that fateful day. Kristoffer ends up with a family whose last name is Kringle and thus begins the legend of Santa Claus in the same breath that we see the lesser-known legend of the Christmas Witch. Kristtörn decides to search for her brother after the village figures out that she is a witch, and while on her way to the North Pole, Kristtörn ends up in the South Pole. Kristtörn makes it her mission to find her mysterious brother and reunite after all this time apart.

Dan Murphy and Aubrey Plaza have created a children’s book that is both eclectic and entertaining. The Legend of the Christmas Witch is very different from other children’s books I’ve read, and I mean this in the best way. Intended for children ages 5-8, The Legend of the Christmas Witch is a story that can be enjoyed by all ages. I found this tale to be easy to follow and felt like it flowed nicely. Being that this is a 50-page children’s book, this would be best read as a bedtime story over a couple of nights as there are natural breaks in the story that would offer a cliffhanger for the next evening.

As The Legend of the Christmas Witch takes place in a Scandinavian country, Murphy and Plaza have done an excellent job incorporating both real life and legend from this part of the world. While the name implies that this should be read at Christmas time, The Legend of the Christmas Witch is a story that can be read and enjoyed at any point in the year.

Julia Iredale’s illustrations are gorgeous and really help tell this story of long lost twins. The pages are thick and glossy, making them easy to turn and beautiful to look at. Iredale has taken great care to include details that older readers will appreciate while maintaining a look that younger readers will find fun to look at while being read to.

All in all, I recommend The Legend of the Christmas Witch to anyone who appreciates Christmas, witches, or just a good old fashioned legend. Easily a book that you can read more than once, The Legend of the Christmas Witch is bound to invoke a love for this lesser-known tale.

Thank you, Viking Publishing, an imprint of Penguin Random House, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

By Erica Wiggins

The Holiday Swap is the international bestseller from the incredible writing pair Karma Brown and Marissa Stapley. Both are Canadian and independently successful authors. This is their first novel writing as a team.

The Holiday Swap is a feel-good romance set in the few weeks before Christmas. The story follows twins Charlie and Cass Goodwin. Charlie is a successful chef who works as a judge on a reality television baking show in Los Angeles, while Cass has stayed in the small town they grew up in and runs the family bakery. One day on set, Charlie hits her head and ends up with a concussion. This leads her to lose her ability to smell and taste. Wondering how she will be able to judge food and save her job, she reaches out to Cass. Can they switch places like they did when they were kids? Cass agrees and they make their plan: they will switch for ten days. Cass will take Charlie’s role as judge to help secure her job and Charlie will go home and run the family bakery. What could go wrong?

This book is sweet and adorable and although it is set at Christmastime, it really can be read any time that you need a dose of holiday joy and romance. There are also some incredible-sounding desserts that will leave you drooling!

I loved both Charlie and Cass and all their quirks. These twins have grown apart a bit and living in the other’s life is challenging. This challenge only increases as the two sisters meet potential love interests.  Enter Jake, the super hot firefighter and Miguel, the brilliant physician’s assistant. How do these women manage their love lives while staying in character?  As they settle into their new roles, each one starts to learn more about their twin and in turn more about themselves. This switch and change of scenery allows both women to determine what they truly want in life. Can these sisters get on track and reveal the truth of the swap?

Did I pick it up and read it one sitting? You bet I did!

Did this remind me of Hallmark movie? Yes!

Did I love it? Absolutely!

Sometimes you just need a great rom-com that you know is going to have a happy ending. This really hit the mark for me. It had me smiling and laughing and rooting for Charlie and Cass. If you love rom-coms with some great food and a little holiday joy sprinkled in, check out this book. I cannot wait to read anything else from this incredible writing duo.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.