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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Nightingale in Books

Aug 12, 2021  
The Nightingale
The Nightingale
Kristin Hannah | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.9 (61 Ratings)
Book Rating
A touching portrayal of family and love during wartime
In 1930s France, Vianne says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he leaves to fight in the War. She's left behind to care for their daughter Sophie. Her younger sister, Isabelle, is in Paris with their father when the war starts. Reckless and impulsive, Isabelle wants to fight for her country, but their father sends her to stay with Vianne. But soon, after being betrayed by the young man who helped her find her way to Vianne's home, Isabelle is fighting for the Resistance. As for Vianne, she finds herself forced to house Nazi soldiers and make horrible sacrifices to protect her family.

This was an excellent and informational portrayal of World War II. It's haunting and heartbreaking and hopeful all together. Hannah tells the story of the War through our two sisters--looking at how they approach the war, along with their father. Vianne is the practical older sister, who worries for her safety and that of her daughter. Meanwhile, Isabelle has felt betrayed most of her life after the death of their mother and perceived abandonment by her older sister and father. This feeling spurs her to join the Resistance. Following their different paths allows us to see many varied sides of this awful and terrifying War. As you form attachments to the characters, the snatching of Jewish families and children and the concentration camps become even more stark and brutal--it's horrifying.

While I cannot really know what happened during this time period, this book seemed realistic and authentic to me. It made me cry. It's sad and yet somehow sweet at times. It's a vivid look at loss and love--for sisters, family, and your country.

I read this book as part of my new reading project--choosing books off my shelves based on their Goodreads rankings. This is my first book of the project, forcing me out of my comfort zone and to try books in genres I don't usually read!
  
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ClareR (6037 KP) rated The Sentence in Books

Nov 6, 2023 (Updated Nov 6, 2023)  
The Sentence
The Sentence
Christina Dalcher | 2023 | Contemporary, Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Christina Dalcher really does write a good dystopian thriller! This time, the US government has decided that the way to end capital punishment is to make the prosecutors responsible for any miscarriages of justice pay with their own lives. So if an innocent person goes to the electric chair, the prosecutor will follow them - and all without a trial. That trial already happened when the wrong person was deemed guilty.

This is such a tense read! Justine Boucher had always campaigned against the death sentence, but when her husband is brutally murdered, she is given a case where the person on trial appears to be guilty without question. But as time goes on, and Justine asks more questions, it begins to look as though there is more to the ‘guilty’ mans case. The parts from Jake Milford’s (the prisoner waiting on death row) diary entries are heartbreaking.

This throws up the question of just who is this State Remedies Act for? It still satiates the need for blood, for someone to pay with their life for the life that’s been taken. Ok, in my opinion, this is why a death penalty will never work. How can we always be 100 percent sure that someone is guilty? Is it worth killing the majority if one innocent person slips through the safety net?

It was interesting to read how Justine had gone from being a member of Vita with her husband, campaigning for the abolishment of the death penalty, to making sure that the man she was prosecuting was killed. I think this proved that once you put a human with all of their emotions and opinions in to the equation, it will always be nigh-on impossible to have an impartial verdict.

This is a really tense read, and the fact that we never really know how it ends was the icing on the cake for me - frustrating, but oh so good. It certainly leaves the reader with a lot to think about.
  
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Ali A (82 KP) rated A Multitude of Dreams in Books

Sep 6, 2023  
AM
A Multitude of Dreams
Mara Rutherford | 2023 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Trigger Warnings: plague, death, blood, racism, murder, self harm, genocide, survivors guilt

A Multitude of Dreams is a reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death. Four years ago, King Stuart gathered his royals, noblemen, and daughters and locked them into the safety of the castle walls. Every window was boarded up and every door sealed shut - all to protect those within of the horrible mori roja plague ravaging the land outside.

Told in third person, this novel follows Seraphina, a Jewish girl, who is also the (fake) Princess Imogene, and Nico, who once lived a comfortable life but now works for Lord Crane, the man who saved his life after he lost everything. When Lord Crane sends Nico and two others on the search for survivors, Nico meets a princess who wants out. But both are living in giant webs of lies and deception that they must unravel if they’re going to survive.

I wanted this title because I read The Poison Season and I really enjoyed it. So, when I saw Mara Rutherford had another YA novel coming out, I immediately put it on my TBR list. It’s also listed as Fantasy Gothic and
I was all about it and also the cover - like, I love it!

There were a few twists in here I didn’t quite see right away, which was nice. And, even some of the ones that I did see coming, I still enjoyed Rutherford’s storytelling and it kept me interested. And yes, there is some romance in this, but it wasn’t the main focus of the story - surviving and getting out of the castle was.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who’s in need of a good gothic fantasy with a hidden identity, Jewish representation, a masquerade, and the fight of survival.

*Thank you Inkyard Press and BookishFirst for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review