Thoughts: Walk on Earth a Stranger

Walk on Earth a Stranger

by Rae Carson
Book 1 of Gold Seer Trilogy

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  3.5 Stars


I absolutely adored Rae Carson's Fire and Thorns series and so, unintentionally, I might have done a little bit of compare and contrast; and I might have over-hyped myself with the announcement and publishing of Walk on Earth a Stranger.

Officially "Historical" books aren't my typical genre and for whatever reason that is, I couldn't possibly say.  I've just never really been one to seek out historical fiction as part of my reading consumption, but every so often I run into a gem of one.  Unfortunately, I'm conflicted as to whether or not Walk on Earth a Stranger is that gem.


The Story in Brief
Walk on Earth a Stranger takes place during the gold rush to California in 1849.  Leah Westfall starts her journey from Georgia after the murder of her parents.  As she is able to divine gold like a dowsing rod is supposed to find water, she somehow figures out that her greedy, creepy Uncle Hiram was the man who murdered her parents and stole their stash of gold dust.  And since he has plans for her, she chooses to run, to catch up with her best friend, Jefferson, who has already left ahead of her, telling her that he'll meet her in Independence if she decides to go west with him.

And, of course, throughout Leah's adventure, as she travels, disguised as a boy for convenience and safety, using the name Lee McCauley, she meets many new people and makes friends and begins forming a kinship with many of them.

This little ragtag group of people, working together for a common cause is what I loved about the Fire and Thorns trilogy, as well as what I DO like about Walk on Earth a Stranger.  Especially since, in this particular book, the characters are all from such different backgrounds and would all be the last to try and make friends with the people they are traveling with.


My Overall Thoughts
The book has a very monotonous feel to it, and while I self-proclaim my love for adventures, and this book actually spent the entire time traveling, I just couldn't quite get that adventurous feel of it.  There were ups and there were downs; and there were exciting times and there were draggy times. And then there were also the "what the heck is going on here?" times.  And while overall, Walk on Earth a Stranger was quite enjoyable, it stayed at a fairly flat progression throughout--it started off quite slowly, gave us a strong turn of events, and then just kind of maintained that same, flatness throughout the rest of the book.

Aside from the traveling and the few mishaps that happen during traveling and a few scattered events here and there (that felt like a textbook check-off list of "things that could happen when traveling west in 1849"), nothing else really happened.  Even the looming base plot of "Uncle Hiram murdered my parents and wants to use me for my gold divining magic" seemed insignificant for a duration in the book.

Rae Carson is a great writer with excellent attention-to-detail.  The book is still grounded in historical facts with detail to the correctness of prejudices and behaviors with a pretty good collection of culturally diverse characters gathered together on this journey to California.  And while there are exciting moments, the book really read very much like the Oregon Trail game wherein anything and everything that could possibly happen to a troupe of travelers during those harsh times DID happen to Leah and her group: from cholera to broken axle wheels to crossing a river and losing animals... and even several deaths to boot.

Again, it was like a travel book check list of possible disasters to look out for during historical times of America.  Historically accurate, great to know about, but uninspiring and lackluster in execution.


In summary: Yes, this book was enjoyable.  No, nothing overly exciting actually jumps out at you.  Yes, there was an adventure to be had.  No, it wasn't really all that exciting and didn't quite elicit much in the "oh this is so much fun" department for me--not that harsh travels, asshole troupe leaders, and sickness and death is fun, but you know what I'm talking about adventure-wise, right?  Yes, this book had a "friends-to-love" romance implanted... and no, there were no FEELS to be had.

In fact, I don't know whether to be disappointed about the romance or to be glad that maybe there's more development to look forward to in the next book--that the romance wasn't the foremost concern of the story plot, unlike many other YAs we encounter regularly.  Because while I really dig the whole "friends-to-lovers" romantic plot device, I was having trouble accepting Jefferson and Leah as a couple if only because they rarely show any inclination towards romantic notions aside from a few words and a marriage proposal of convenience.  Sure, Leah gets a little jealous when Jefferson seems to be spending so much time with another young girl in their traveling group.  And sure, Jefferson says a few things here and there that make you wonder.

The romance just didn't feel very well developed and I sincerely hope that there's more to build on it in future books--future books I still have intentions of reading.

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This review was originally posted at Ani's Book Abyss / BookLikes in December 2015.

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Fairly Brief Thoughts: Ice

Ice

by Linda Howard

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  4.0  Stars

Gabriel McQueen has only just arrived home on holiday leave from the service when his county-sheriff father sends him back out again with new marching orders.  A brewing ice storm, and a distant neighbor who’s fallen out of contact, have the local lawman concerned.  So he enlists Gabriel to make the long haul to the middle of nowhere, and make sure Lolly Helton is safe and sound.  It’s a trip the younger McQueen would rather not make given the bitter winter weather–and the icy conditions that have always existed between him and Lolly.

But there’s no talking back when your dad is the town’s top cop.  And there’ s no turning back when night falls just as Gabriel arrives–and discovers that the weather outside isn’t the only thing that’s frightful.  Spotting strangers in Lolly’ s home–one of them packing a weapon–is all it takes to kick Gabriel into combat mode.  And his stealth training is all he needs to extract Lolly from the house without alerting her captors.  But when the escape is discovered, the heat–and the hunt–are on. And the winter woods are nowhere to be once the ice storm touches down, dropping trees, blocking roads, and trapping the fleeing pair in the freezing dark.

Ice was pretty much like an exciting action/thriller and romance movie.  While the beginning of the book was kind of slow to start up, once our couple gets trapped in the ice storm on the mountain, the action just kept moving forward.  This isn't a mystery or anything, really just a suspense and thriller that takes place throughout the night in an ice storm, with danger lurking everywhere in the form of mother nature as well as human.

Character development was sorely lacking, but I still found that I liked the main hero and heroine enough.  I wish we could have delved more into the relationship between Lolly and Gabe, because the ending of the book seems rather abrupt.

Nonetheless, this was a rather exciting and entertaining read, even if not my favorite of Linda Howard's work.

Halloween Bingo 2019

Thoughts: Half-Off Ragnarok

Half-Off Ragnarok

by Seanan McGuire
Book 3 of InCryptid

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  4.0 Stars

When Alex Price agreed to go to Ohio to oversee a basilisk breeding program and assist in the recovery of his psychic cousin, he didn't expect people to start dropping dead.  But bodies are cropping up at the zoo where he works, and his girlfriend—Shelby Tanner, an Australian zoologist with a fondness for big cats—is starting to get suspicious.

Worse yet, the bodies have all been turned partially to stone...

The third book in the InCryptid series takes us to a new location and a new member of the family, as Alex tries to balance life, work, and the strong desire not to become a piece of garden statuary.  Old friends and new are on the scene, and danger lurks around every corner.

Of course, so do the talking mice.

I went into this third book in the InCryptid series knowing that we were switching perspectives from Verity Price to her older brother, Alex Price.  I hadn't exactly decided on any kind of expectations, but I was still a bit wary about how much I'd like the book based on what little you get to know about Alex from Verity's POV in the first two books.  And while I didn't really squee or love Half-Off Ragnarok as much as I loved the first two books, I admittedly enjoyed following Alex's POV very much.

Alex Price is a science nerd and his sort of socially awkwardness only makes him so much more endearing.  Especially since this book didn't really focus on the quirks of his personality, even while displaying them in ways that I absolutely enjoyed.  I'm not sure how I felt about Shelby, although she seemed a bit one-dimensional and stereotyped--though this could have just been because of the first person POV wherein we only really get to see things from Alex's perspective.

The mystery of who was turning people to stone was actually a rather great premise to start the book off with, and made this an interesting page-turner... even as the rest of the book felt a bit lackluster.

Don't get me wrong--I absolutely enjoyed myself reading this book.  But somehow it just didn't bring about the giddy feels and the laugh-out-loud moments that I'd found so much fun from the first two books.  This could just be because of the little book time you get with Alex's splinter colony of Aeslin mice, or maybe the absence of a specific carnage-loving Gothic-lolita Waheela whom I ended up loving from the second book.  Even Alex's miniature griffin, Crow, didn't really help much, cute as the little snot was.

Nonetheless, this was definitely a great inclusion to the series, and I actually kind of appreciate seeing the cryptid world from more than just Verity's perspective.  And the nerdy scientist thing that Alex is sporting is quite endearing.

We still could have used more time with the Aeslin mice, though... just sayin'...

Halloween Bingo 2019

Quick Thoughts: Footsteps in the Dark

Footsteps in the Dark

by Georgette Heyer

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  4.0 Stars

Locals claim The Prior is haunted and refuse to put a single toe past the front door.  Left empty for years, and even their deceased uncle chose to live in a different house, far away from this particular property.  But the ramshackle old house, with its rambling charm is the perfect setting for a much-needed holiday for siblings Peter, Celia and Margaret, who have inherited it from their uncle.  It wasn't the lack of modern conveniences that made a summer spent at the ancient priory mansion such an unsettling experience.  It was the supposed ghost... or whatever was groaning in the cellars and roaming the countryside around Framley Village after dark.

But when a murder victim is discovered in the drafty Priory halls, the once unconcerned trio begins to fear that the ghostly rumors are true and they are not alone after all!  But traditionally ghosts don't commit murder.  And in this case, the things which go bump in the night are deadly.  With a killer on the loose, will they find themselves the next victims or will they uncover the true in time?  Does the key to the crime lie in the realm of the supernaturalr?  Or is the explanation much more down to earth with a more corporeal culprit of flesh and blood?

The premise for Footsteps in the Dark was definitely one that I was extremely excited about.  Even though I'm a scaredy cat, and don't really like scary stories, I get really giddy about haunted house stories, and a double whammy would be a haunted country house setting.

This is my second Georgette Heyer book, and while I didn't care for the first one I read of hers, Death in the Stocks, this book definitely made up for it.  By rights, it's not the best book in the world, and the investigative process was probably a bit questionable, but the characters were fun, even if the humor slipped into "tackily overdone" territory a few times.

And yet, I still found the bit of comical interactions rather appealing.  I DO wish that the women had more of a role in the investigation... and well, more of a role at all in the book--they seemed like background scenery, to be totally honest.

The romance was most definitely insta, which made it a little hard to take it seriously, especially since Margaret's love interest was more or less a creepy unknown who kept secrets when they first met.  I'd have been happier if their courtship didn't only consist of one walk together and a cryptic conversation in which Margaret is still unsure whether or not Michael Strange was a killer.

Nonetheless, the rest of the book was very enjoyable.  The few moments involving the Monk got appropriately creepy enough to maintain the haunted house atmosphere.  The side characters were also appropriately delightful as comic relief.

And so I'd definitely give Ms. Heyer my continued interest in her work.


***

Halloween Bingo 2019

Halloween Bingo 2019 | Update #1

Halloween Bingo 2019

hosted by Moonlight Reader and Obsidian Blue

So there's a nasty flu thing going around knocking out my co-workers, and apparently it had decided to make its way to me.  I started off being laid up in bed for a couple days, but even after feeling like maybe I was recovering, I've still been rather dizzy where the infection settled in my ears, so I spent the rest of the past week in a perpetual state of motion sick.

It has been an excruciatingly long week, and I haven't felt like doing anything at all, not even reading.  Sleep or staring off into space on the couch seemed to be my main recreations, and it wasn't until a couple days ago that I finally started feeling like maybe participating in life again.

So here's an overdue update for Halloween Bingo, of which I'm quite glad I've managed to finish anymore books at all.

Meanwhile, Red-Eyes Penni has returned to help me with my bingo game, as I was just too blegh to really feel like coming up with anything else fun.  We'll just return to a nice, tried and true marker that I, personally, really liked.

I've already made a lot of changes to my previously listed possible books, and I'm also going to determine a couple squares I'm definitely going to Transfigure, probably in the next update.  As for how I'm going to depict that in my graphics... we'll come up with something.  Now that I'm ready to human again, I might feel a bit more creative... maybe not.  We'll see.

I've just finished reading Footsteps in the Dark and Half-Off Ragnarok, and am planning reviews to go out soon in the next week.  I'm also hoping to be moving onto the next few books pretty quickly, as Ice and Lost Among the Living are both books by authors that I've always enjoyed, and will fly right through their books.

I'm super curious to jump into Truly Devious, which will actually be the second Young Adult book I will be reading for this game, which is more than I can say about most of the year already.  If I like it, there's a high possibility that I'll want to read the rest of the series... maybe for this game.

Happy reading and hope everyone's staying in good health.

Updated Marked Card:

Read: Red-Eyes Penni
Called: Green Square Outline

Currently Reading:

Up Next:

Books Read and Unallocated:

TBA

Squares/Books/Called Dates/Update Post Links:

Progress on my card:  3 squares called || 4 books read || 1 squares completed

Called: Read:	Called: Read:	Called: Read:	Called: Read:	Called: Read:
book by author	book by author	Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier	book by author	book by author
~*~*~*~
Called: Read:	Called: Read:	Called: Read:	Called: 9/13/19 Read: 9/11/19	Called: Read:
book by author	book by author	book by author	Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer	book by author
~*~*~*~
Called: Read:	Called: Read:	Called: Read:	Called: Read:	Called: Read:
book by author	The Visitor by Amanda Stevens	book by author	Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson	book by author
~*~*~*~
Called: Read:	Called: Read: 9/14/19	Called: 9/1/19 Read:	Called: Read: 9/1/19	Called: 9/4/19 Read:
Firelight by Kristen Callihan	Half-Off Ragnarok by Seanan McGuire	Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James	The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle	book by author
~*~*~*~
Called: Read: 9/2/19	Called: Read:	Called: Read:	Called: Read:	Called: Read:
The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee	book by author	book by author	book by author	book by author

Daily Calls

Date	Square	Date	Square
09/01	Ghost Stories	10/01
09/02	Genre: Horror	10/02
09/03	Creepy Crawlies	10/03
09/04	Amateur Sleuth	10/04
09/05	American Horror Story	10/05
09/06	Dystopian Hellscape	10/06
09/07	Fear Street	10/07
09/08	Black Cat	10/08
09/09	Relics and Curiosities	10/09
09/10	A Grimm Tale	10/10
09/11	Stranger Things	10/11
09/12	Creepy Carnivals	10/12
09/13	Country House Mystery	10/13
09/14	Classic Horror	10/14
09/15		10/15
09/16		10/16
09/17		10/17
09/18		10/18
09/19		10/19
09/20		10/20
09/21		10/21
09/22		10/22
09/23		10/23
09/24		10/24
09/25		10/25
09/26		10/26
09/27		10/27
09/28		10/28
09/29		10/29
09/30		10/30
		10/31

Transfiguration Spell:

No Transfigurations used as of present.