oceanwriter's reviews
719 reviews

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn

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challenging dark sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Theresienstadt, a ghetto in Czechoslovakia, is the stage the Nazis set to show ‘proof’ that Jewish people aren’t being harmed at the hands of the Third Reich. The reality, of course, is a living hell for the prisoners sent there. Hilde is the filmmaker assigned, and she’s keen to prove herself. There, she runs into her childhood friend, Hannah, who is there as a prisoner with her grandfather.

The contrast between Hilde and Hannah provides great conflict and what I imagine would have been a realistic picture of the reality of living at that time. Hilde has been sucked into the Nazi ideologies, while Hannah has no choice but to bear the cruelty and oppression. The storytelling is powerful.

I read Jennifer Coburn’s novel Cradles of the Reich a couple of years ago and I enjoyed The Girls of the Glimmer Factory just as much. I enjoy this author’s ability to find lesser-known elements of the Holocaust to write about. I feel as though I learn a lot through her writing.

A huge thanks to the author for inviting me to read a digital ARC through NetGalley!
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The Girl From Saint Petersburg by Joyana Peters

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

A strong plot and a charming main character, but sadly, I found the pace to be much too fast to fully appreciate the complexity of this time period, especially in that part of the world. Another drawback to the rushed pace is that it made the resolution to the conflict feel unbelievable because we didn't get enough time to absorb the trouble the characters faced in such an oppressive system. Younger readers may benefit from this pace, however, which is something I'll keep in mind for the future for sure. For what it was, I did enjoy it, I only wish I could have enjoyed it more. 
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All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall

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adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Set in a dystopian future where severe climate change has all but destroyed civilization, Nonnie, her family, and what few remain in what's left of New York City. They've taken shelter in the Museum of Natural History, balancing what they need to do to survive and trying to preserve what they can of what's left of the world that once was. They are faced with the constant threat of devastating and toxic floods, and eventually, they must evacuate the city.

The author does a terrific job of capturing the atmosphere of what a, more or less, post-apocalyptic New York City might look like. Most of the dystopian novels I've read tend to take place in some unknown, often fictional place, so imagining a place as familiar as New York City underwater makes the reading all the more unsettling.

I struggled to connect with the characters, finding a lot of the narration repetitive and not engaging compared to the world-building. The plot was interesting, but missing something for me. I wish I knew exactly what. It may come to me after some further reflection. Still, very much worth the read with such a haunting, well-crafted atmosphere.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing a free digital ARC!
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Red River Road by Anna Downes

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I read this months ago and just realized I never rated it. The details are a bit murky by now, but I remember being equally perplexed as I was intrigued. The setting was fantastic, but the narration was difficult to follow and keep the characters straight. 
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Like Embers in the Night by Andrew Goliszek

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dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Nearing the end of her life and battling dementia, Wanda is living in a nursing home with the Sisters of Saint Francis. Her memory comes and goes, and she often thinks about her late husband, Janek. Memories of him come with memories of war. Through flashbacks, we see both Janek’s and Wanda’s experiences.

Janek is sent off to fight in the west, leaving Wanda and their young daughter, Sophie, behind. The Soviets soon move into their city of Lwow and begin meticulously erasing all traces of Polish culture. This includes the destruction of buildings, the outlawing of religion, and even the banning of the Polish language. The horrors only get worse for Wanda, Sophie, and Janek, who ends up being captured. 

Like Embers in the Night is rich with history. I learned a lot about Poland, both what the country and its citizens went through during the war as well as its culture and faith. Of course, the emphasis is on the horrors brought on by the Nazis and Soviets both in brutality and ideology. 

Straight away, I was absorbed into the story. The eloquence of the writing has a hypnotic element that makes thirty pages go by in what feels like a heartbeat despite it not being dialogue-heavy. This kind of well-crafted writing can be difficult to come by, and I think a lot of this is a testament to the author’s obvious passion for the subject matter.

Along with the eloquent writing is its ability to convey the story’s atmosphere. I have read countless historical fiction books in this and similar settings and only a few have immersed me as deeply as this book did. The material is haunting but also hopeful. I especially enjoyed how much faith was incorporated, offering a bonus history of Poland's deeply rooted Catholicism. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I plan on purchasing a physical copy so I can do a deeper reread. This is the kind of book that deserves a devoted amount of time spent with it for reflection.

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery for providing a free digital copy to read and review.
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The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

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lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

A cute Christmastime read but I didn’t feel at all invested in the mystery or the romance. Initially I was interested in the initial twelve year flashback but unfortunately that didn’t last long. Just wasn’t for me. I enjoyed parts of it.
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The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi

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hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Such beautiful writing! I think if I’d read it when life wasn’t so hectic I’d have more appreciation for it because I felt a bit lost, but it was enjoyable. 
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Dunamys: Adrift by Carlos G. Moreno

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

4.75

Siblings Will and Jen are traveling through the solar system aboard a spaceship called Dunamys (or ‘power’) with their friends David and Elizabeth along with some others. The destination: Zion. A promised safe haven from a doomed Earth.

Their journey does not go without conflict. Enemy ships are following and targeting them. They encounter aliens. They have to fight battles. Soon, they come to realize their enemies are attempting to enslave them. Many times, they have to question who is friend or foe. 

In the background, the group experiences love triangles (or a quadrilateral, if you will). Most prominent is the triangle between Will, Elizabeth, and David. Maintaining friendships is important in their isolated existence, but Will finds it increasingly difficult to hide his feelings for Elizabeth. When they become exposed, Will fears the rift it will cause with David. This adds to the tension of the Dunamys crew as they are trying to navigate through space.

The book has a strong spiritual theme which was an unexpected but nice surprise. David and Elizabeth sing hymns throughout, inspiring their shipmates (and other beings) with their songs filled with faith, hope, and love. This element of the story ends up taking a different path than one might expect, however, it echos an Earthly faith. Some passages really struck me, especially in the last fourth of the book.

Dunamys: Adrift is book two of the Dunamys series. I have read Adrift as a standalone. However, I would recommend reading the books in order for the best reading experience. Even reading out of order, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters. I don’t know why, but I always forget how much I enjoy space travel-centric plots until I pick a book like this up. I’m looking forward to backtracking to the first book (Dunamys: Foreign). I also suspect there will be a third book to come. (And I hope there is!)

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery for providing a free digital copy to read and review.
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Men of Light: The Betrayal of Brigade 2506 by Tom Phillips

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challenging informative sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I've never come across a fictional telling of The Bay of Pigs Invasion, though, I have read a number of accounts in various nonfiction books. This is an intriguing era of history to explore and I applaud the author for making the venture. 

Men of Light focuses on the men of Brigade 2506 in Cuba as tensions escalate between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Fidel Castro. The men (Manuel Francisco Artime Buesa, José Alfredo Pérez San Román, Ramón J. Ferrer Mena, and Erneido Andrés Oliva González, to name a few) are counting on the aid of the United States, but a last minute decision made by the White House leave the brigade stranded and, essentially, left for dead. 

Reading this, I came to realize just how abbreviated my past reading on this subject has been. Or rather, how much I've forgotten over the years. This book was an interesting way to be reintroduced to the topic and offered a perspective I've not read before — the perspective of the people hurt most by the fiasco. It was also interesting to see both Fidel Castro and John F. Kennedy represented at length. For some reason, I'd only expected to see them mentioned in passing.

I would have loved for the book to be longer. There were a lot of names to keep track of and I struggled to differentiate who was who even by the time I'd reached the end. These 100+ pages only scratch the surface. While there was near constant action, it came at the expense of character development. I still enjoyed it and it will inspire further reading, but I would have enjoyed it even more at a slower pace. Because of this, I would also recommend that readers have a baseline of knowledge of the Cuban Missile Crisis to enjoy this book to the fullest.

Above everything else, this book gives a voice and tribute to the Bay of Pigs victims. Once more, I applaud the author for being the one to take on this homage.

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery for providing a free digital copy to read and review.
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The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A cute addition to The Maid series! Though I didn't find it very 'mysterious', it was full of charm and made for a cozy Christmas read with familiar characters. 
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