she's up to something

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Genre: psychological suspense
Read 20 in 2020 Challenge Category: book with a color in the title
Review: Patty Watts is being released from jail, having served 5 years for aggravated child abuse.  Based primarily on her daughter's testimony, she was convicted of having poisoned her daughter with Ipecac syrup, causing her to vomit repeatedly.  The resulting malnutrition caused her to exhibit a host of other symptoms, which required lots of attention from the medical community, and lots of support from their neighbors.  And who is there to pick Patty up as she takes her first steps back into freedom?  None other than her daughter, darling Rose Gold (and Rose Gold's 2 month old son).  Why on earth, you ask yourself, would Rose Gold be willing to allow her mother back into her life?

Told in alternating chapters, starting with Patty's release, going back to get Rose Gold's story of her life after her mother's imprisonment, and coming together as we near the dramatic conclusion, this book is in no way straightforward.  It becomes increasingly clear that Rose Gold is playing a deep-fake game with her mother, but it's not until the end, that we find out exactly how deep her game goes.

This book is indeed thrilling, and suspenseful, but I couldn't help but wonder how a girl like Rose Gold, who has been sick and beyond sheltered her entire life, would have the physical strength (she's described as being very small and thin) and mental fortitude to pull off her scheme.  But it's that very question that will keep you reading all the way through!

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

reptition repitition

The Gate House by Nelson DeMille

Rating: 2 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: This is the most repetitive book I've ever read. Not only does it repeat the entire plot of The Gold Coast, but every single point is made over and over again. And over and over and over. To top it all off, the writing is beyond trite. I'm sure it's very difficult to edit a book by such a prominent author, but if ever a book needed a rigorous editing, this book is it. And unfortunately, no matter how interested I might have been in finding out what happened to the characters of The Gold Coast (admittedly, not very much), the lack of editing, not to mention the ridiculously convenient ending, made me care even less.

inconsistent timing

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fantasy, YA

Review: This book seemed like much less of a mush of other books than the first one in the series did, which was a relief. It picks up shortly after the first book left off, with all the main characters just recovering from the wounds they sustained in the big fight against Valentine's Forsaken. Which brings me to my only major problem with this book: the timeline. Although we're told that it was August during the events of City of Bones, in this book it seems to be late fall (there's always a chill in the air). Clary wakes up and eats a doughnut on her way to meet Simon, and then suddenly it's late afternoon. And a few more occasions of missing time...

If you can ignore those inconsistencies, though, this is a good read. Plenty of twists and turns, and unexpected action. A few characters wind up not being dead a few too many times (an author can only pull that trick so many times before all the tension leaks away). And, although the book dragged in a few scenes (ok, Inquisitor, we get your point), I'll be waiting with a fair degree of anticipation for the last (hopefully, since I don't think this story-line can last for more than one more book) book in the trilogy.

the long walk west

Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Genre: historical fiction
Challenge: A-Z (title)
Review: This book is something of a departure for Bohjalian, since it doesn't take place in the northeast United States of today. Instead, it takes place during the end of WWII in Europe. As in his other books, though, Bohjalian is not afraid to ask difficult questions in subtle but inescapable manner.

Through the eyes of the daughter of a Prussian aristocratic family fleeing the Russian advance, a Scottish POW, and a German Jew who is masquerading as a German soldier, Bohjalian explores the nature of revenge and collective guilt. Interspersed with the story of their trek west through Germany, is the story of a group of women being marched in the same direction from a Nazi labor camp, through which Bohjalian explores hope and survival.

This book is not a romance, no matter what the publisher may claim. But it is a compelling and well-told story about the relationships that can develop between people who initially think they're on opposite sides of a war.