General Fiction
Plot/Idea: The Importance of Wives is an authentic late 15th century romp that proves to be both compelling and dramatic. It is an absorbing and meticulously crafted tale with brilliantly observed characters and an enthralling storyline.
Prose: The Importance of Wives is addictive and captivating with well written characters and an interesting plot. Morgan's delicate use of language contains subtle narrative flourishes that highlight the story's romanticism and lyrical depth.
Originality: The Importance of Wives is a confidently written period drama with excellently articulated dialogue that feels authentic and measured. A must for those who love well written historical dramas, The Importance of Wives intricately blends fact and fiction to create a thoroughly impressive tale.
Character/Execution: Duchess Anne of Brittany is a strong-minded protagonist brilliantly realized by Morgan. Anne's burgeoning maturity and sense of responsibility come to the fore, bolstered by dynamic stretches of dialogue and great plot development.
Blurb: A riveting historical drama.
Plot/Idea: Vincent's Women is a thought-provoking, intriguing novel built on a fascinating premise: the life of van Gogh through the eyes of the women in his life. Using archival sources such as the artist's letters, the author has woven an intricate plot that will keep readers turning the pages.
Prose: The prose is clear and effective in moving the plot forward. It employs some sophisticated stylistic features, including the layering of multiple narrators, threaded through with the voice of van Gogh's sister-in-law as the narrator. The novel features a lot of shot chapters and frequent page breaks that, at times, detract from the narrative's flow.
Originality: The novel's premise is really compelling, offering a unique take on portraying the famous artist's life. There seems to be an effort to reframe how readers think of van Gogh by focusing on the voices of the women who were often left in the wake of his turbulence. While this is an excellent goal, there are still many ways in which his perspective still comes across as the dominant narrative. The title alone, for instance, positions the women van Gogh interacted with as his possessions, not as equals.
Character/Execution: The novel brings historical characters to life, blending storytelling, historical fact, and intrigue. The reader will especially enjoy the narrative between van Gogh and Gaugain, whose volatile – sometimes violent – relationship shaped the latter's legacy in ways most don't know about.
Blurb: Russo's Vincent's Women presents the life story of Vincent van Gogh through the eyes of the women in his life: muses, adversaries, lovers, and even a concerned nun.
Plot/Idea: The War Photographers, a work of historical fiction with a mystery element, centers on two women living in different time periods, whose lives intriguingly intersect: Mae Webster, a codebreaker in 1943, and her granddaughter Rachel, who is a photographer and activist during the Cold War.
Prose: Beaumont tightly weaves together the two narratives. The prose is clear and generally seamless, allowing readers to become fully immersed in the storytelling.
Originality: Beaumont's level of research and knowledge of the history she recreates is apparent throughout the novel. The War Photographers provides a unique blend of history, mystery, and romance.
Character/Execution: Mae and Rachel are memorable characters who are nicely distinct from one another. Through the two protagonists, readers gain a fresh perspective and understanding of both WWII and the fall of the Berlin Wall, while the mystery surrounding the death of Jack Knight provides a level of intimacy and intrigue to the broader circumstances.
Plot/Idea: Set in 1960s New Orleans, Camellia Season is a lively, character-driven coming-of-age novel that centers around Cherie, who grapples with a troubled home life and seeks to find herself during an era of rapid cultural change.
Prose: Peterson's prose flows lovingly, clearly, and, at times, poignantly. Descriptions of the protagonist's wordless journal add intriguing texture to the storytelling.
Originality: While exploring familiar coming-of-age themes, Camellia Season is uplifted through its vibrant setting and focus on a core set of characters as they change and grow.
Character/Execution: Readers will easily empathize with Cherie as she longs to escape her circumstances and achieve independence. The broader cast of characters are effectively rendered, while the New Orleans setting sparkles.
Plot/Idea: Savage To Savvy is a tense and gripping psychological thriller with a fearless and innovative storyline. The story's intriguing premise, which is based on the rehabilitation of a dog-reared feral child, unravels at a steady and consistently captivating pace, emboldened by strong and intriguing central characters.
Prose: Rigby's text is imbued with a deep knowledge of psychological issues which help shape the clinical atmosphere of her novel. Her meticulous attention to detail amplifies the medical surroundings allowing Nicki's incredible story to truly sparkle.
Originality: Savage To Savvy is a stark and revealing psychological drama with strong central characters and a provocative plot. It deftly explores the doctor-patient dynamic in an extremely resonant and affecting manner.
Character/Execution: Rigby's central characters, psychology graduate Heidi Harper and the dog-reared feral child Nicki, are equally fascinating and well-developed. In addition, supporting characters, such as the Professor, are convincingly realized and believable.
Blurb: A bold and engrossing psychological thriller.
Plot/Idea: When Ollie finds herself without a job, the aspiring writer hatches a brilliant plan: chronicle her experiences as a sugar baby, for hire. In comical form, Ollie fails miserably at her new career—but learns some valuable lessons in the meantime, opening up a world she hadn't envisioned. That premise is an entertaining hook, and readers will find Ollie's adventures amusing.
Prose: Carere's prose is satisfyingly witty, but with deep emotion lurking just under the surface throughout.
Originality: Ollie's struggles to improve her performance as a sugar baby is a humorous, original take on a topic that's been done before.
Character/Execution: Carere's characters feel believable, and their situations combine the hard knocks of real life with humor and a pleasing, give-and-take banter that readers will relish.
Plot/Idea: School is an imaginative and insightful college drama that mixes fantastical elements with modern day teenage issues. Although it has a tendency to descend into monotonous teenage melodrama at times, it is generally an ambitious and rewarding read.
Prose: Freed's text is inventive and playful, brilliantly capturing the likes of text speak and meme culture while exploring the positive and, more often than not, negative vibes associated with college life. Her use of crude and offensive language throughout the novel is simultaneously shocking and effective.
Originality: School will strike a chord with a young, vibrant audience, with its fresh and compelling college setting and exploration of contemporary issues. The plethora of characters and lack of a central protagonist results in an adventurous book that casts a dizzying existential tone over proceedings.
Character/Execution: School's myriad cast of characters lend the novel a freshness and vitality with large stretches of dialogue that are often engaging and dynamic. Freed masterfully displays an understanding of teenage emotion and relationships in a bold, affecting, and memorable book.
Blurb: An inventive and colorful campus drama.
Plot/Idea: Isaak's plot will hook readers with moments of intensity scattered by character-driven angst, as the teenaged Rick Leibnitz navigates abuse in his home and a dangerous, enticing world outside.
Prose: The narrative flows smoothly, and Isaak tangles flashes of electrifying prose throughout.
Originality: This coming-of-age featuring crime, drugs, and sex veers into cultural flashbacks of the late 1960s, from guitar fragments of Led Zeppelin to the Vietnam War to sociopolitical aftershocks from Vilgot Sjöman's I Am Curious (Yellow).
Character/Execution: Though the story's execution meanders at times, Isaak's characters feel genuine and believable, each with a unique voice that differentiates them while facilitating a deep connection with readers.
A Grand Pause: A Novel on May 14, 1945, the USS Randolph, Kamikazes, and the Greatest Air-Sea Rescue
by Gary SantosRating: 8.50
Plot/Idea: Santos dedicates much of the novel to building background for the historical plot, sharing the mechanics and inner workings of the U.S. Navy and Air Force against the backdrop of the Second World War. That buildup is both meticulous and intriguing for history buffs, though the action initially takes a backseat. Once it picks up, the fate of airmen Morris and Phegley becomes the center focus, though the crew of the USS Randolph is painted in vibrant tones as well.
Prose: Santos effectively builds a rich, authentic culture through his writing, drawing readers into the world of nations at war and the everyday nitty-gritty of the personnel fighting that war, from the lowest ranking military professional to top commanders.
Originality: Santos pays respect to the true story behind this illuminating historical novel, giving readers solid characters to root for, painstaking details, and an edgy tension.
Character/Execution: Characters abound in this sweeping story, but, despite their immense number, readers will feel connected to the book’s individuals. In many ways, the USS Randolph becomes a character in its own right, as it races an already worn-down crew to rescue fellow military men. Morris and Phegley stand out, of course, but so too does Admiral Mitscher, overburdened and weighed down by the war’s seemingly endless savagery.
Plot/Idea: Reinelt’s story has a compelling premise—a deep exploration of the mechanics and idiosyncrasies that happen between a patient and psychologist during therapy. The dialogue drives the plot, through poignant interactions between Charlie Houden and psychologist Dina Epstein that illuminate the heartache, trauma, and distress in Charlie's life.
Prose: Reinelt’s prose is direct and easy to read, allowing Charlie's story to unfold in broad strokes while also exploring the minutiae of his past and how it relates to his present experiences.
Originality: The dynamics that come into play between Charlie and his psychologist are riveting and will engage readers. The story favors simmering tension over immediate conflict, a strategy that melds well with the book's premise.
Character/Execution: Charlie and Dina form the strongest part of this novel, and the give and take of their relationship is engrossing to watch—so much so that readers may wish Reinelt expanded their relationship beyond their primary interplay.
Plot/Idea: Pescadero is a quietly moving novel that centers on 14-year-old Hilde, who relocates with her mother and brother from Wisconsin to the titular Northern California town. An additional narrative focuses on a migrant worker and his family, whose story becomes engagingly intertwined with Hilde's.
Prose: Brady prose sensitively examines Hilde's feelings of disorientation as she adjusts to life in California, while sections devoted to Gabriel and Joaquín’s attempts to reunite with his sibling, are raw and impactful.
Originality: Brady integrates familiar coming-of-age themes, while the Northern California setting–and what it represents–is portrayed effectively via multiple lenses.
Character/Execution: Hilde grows from a girl grappling with a sudden relocation and the loss of the family she knew to a wiser, more outwardly compassionate individual. The story of Gabriel and Joaquín plays out movingly and, while Brady doesn't imply Hilde's circumstances are directly comparable, the author makes some acute observations about the human need to find shared community and reestablish roots.
Plot/Idea: It Rhymes with Truth is an intriguing and engrossing tragicomic novel drenched in sentimentality. It focuses on the relationship between an 8-year-old boy and an elderly woman, and this odd dynamic helps forge an engaging and beautifully touching tale.
Prose: Miller's sharp attention to detail and compelling, well constructed characters lure the reader into the story. His prose style is dynamic and entertaining, with the text written in first and second person, creating a strangely immersive atmosphere.
Originality: It Rhymes with Truth is an imaginative and cleverly written debut novel, driven by a powerful childlike simplicity that recalls Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. The eccentric nature of the central relationship coupled with the diaristic writing style helps create a beguiling and convincing narrative.
Character/Execution: It Rhymes with Truth has two brilliantly realized central characters, an eight-and-a-half-year-old homeless boy and a slightly peculiar elderly woman. Their touching, funny and engaging relationship evolves effectively over the course of Miller's impressive novel.
Blurb: An engaging character-focused drama.
Plot/Idea: The Diving God follows flawed, disillusioned Bob Banks whose life is upturned as he leaves New York City for Mexico. Ray Brewer delivers an endearing story of personal growth and unexpected fulfillment.
Prose: Ray Brewer has a pleasingly lyrical style that gently propels the storytelling. Detailed passages devoted to landscapes, rock formations, archaeological sites, and diving offer a vivid sense of place. Dialogue, while expressive, can sometimes miss the mark, relying too heavily on exposition.
Originality: Bob Banks's journey of discovery is uplifted via atmospheric backdrops and the lead characters total immersion in his surroundings.
Character/Execution: While not always empathetic, the characters are suitably layered. Ray Brewer avoids idealizations and makes Bob Banks's path toward contentment a bumpy and uncertain one.
Plot/Idea: Zodiac Pets is a colorful, sparklingly funny drama starring a sprightly protagonist and a frequently compelling storyline. It boasts a consistently charming yet thought-provoking narrative that takes a biting look at the brutal world of American idealism.
Prose: Giroux's wiring style is both wryly humorous and sincere, neatly carving an accessible novel that demands the readers attention from the off. Moreover, the streets of Pennacook, Massachusetts are vividly and diligently brought to life with nimble attention to detail.
Originality: Zodiac Pets, told from the perspective of college-age Wendy looking back at her younger self, features a vivacious cast of characters and a stirring plot. Giroux's intricate, incisive writing and nicely balanced storyline create an absorbing blend that deals head on with often complex themes.
Character/Execution: Giroux's well rounded protagonist, Wendy Zhou, is mourning the loss of her father while forging a new life for herself in dilapidated Pennacook. Furthermore, Zodiac Pets features a fine supporting cast of quirky and offbeat characters coupled with subtle observations of U.S. society and city life.
Blurb: An absorbing and vibrant teen drama.
Plot/Idea: Botánicos is a unique yet relatable story that unfolds organically. The novel blends mystery with romance and scientific exploration.
Prose: Meerow's writing style is informative but entertaining, blunt but personable, with all of the appropriate rises and falls in tone when the story picks up speed.
Originality: From the very beginning, Botánicos set itself apart as a witty mixture of different tropes that somehow blend seamlessly together to serve the characters and the key conflicts in the plot. Because of this, it's almost difficult to assign this book just one genre, and it means that more readers will be able to dive in and find something to enjoy.
Character/Execution: Each of the main characters are distinct from one another, with their own voices and mannerisms that lend themselves to the rising and falling action nicely.
Plot/Idea: The Blue Iris is engaging and easy to follow as it explores the rich interplay between a group of people with very different backgrounds, motivations, and hardships. Readers will be intrigued by the cast's individual stories, all closely woven together against Stone's vividly launched backdrop of a neighborhood flower market.
Prose: Stone writes familiar, crisp prose that entertains as it builds multiple perspectives. The nuances of Tessa's interactions with the staff at the Blue Iris are carefully fashioned, with gentle direction and guidance from Stone that gives each character a brilliantly developed voice.
Originality: The flower market setting brings this lush story to life, allowing multiple perspectives to bloom across the novel as they grow into one cohesive, stunning storyline.
Character/Execution: Stone attentively nurtures each character, with Tessa and Charlie as standouts, using a rotating first-person viewpoint to allow readers an intimate glimpse of the cast's emotions and thoughts.
