Seeds has everything that makes a novel sing for me - layered, multi-facted characters, moments of beauty, moments of levity, moments of sorrow (like deep, make-me-ugly-cry sorrow...), moments of longing, of fear, of anger, of frustration, of triumph... a thoroughly and entirely satisfying read. Angie Paxton has a gift. She did such a powerful job of illuminating the consequences of abusive, toxic relationships that can sometimes occur between parents and children, and reminding the reader that forgiveness is not an obligation (especially when the abuser is hardly even contrite and continues to make excuses - the very telltale of the narcissist.) This novel is a study in the human experience - though the majority of the characters are mythological deities. I cannot recommend it more enthusiastically. Let Seeds take root.
For fans of Madeline Miller and Pat Barker, a debut fantasy novel set in Mycenaean Greece that explores the myth of Persephone through the lens of mother-daughter dynamics.
Kore has lived her entire life under her resentful mother Demeter’s shadow, trying her hardest to please a woman grown bitter by betrayal. With her self-esteem in tatters and deliberately isolated by her mother, it’s no surprise that Kore is flummoxed when she meets a collection of otherworldly women – the Goddesses of Olympus – who tell her that her mother is in truth a Goddess herself. Kore tells them her preferred…
The Fort is an engaging, evocative, and compelling read. Christy K Lee's characterization and dialogue are flawless - powerful and natural, never stilted or forced. Every character feels properly fleshed out and developed, with wonderfully transformative arcs. I felt cold with the characters, felt afraid with them, desperate with them, and joyful with them. This novel also taught me much about Canadian history, especially as it pertains to the voyageurs, 18th- and 19th-century French and later French Canadians who transported furs by canoe at the peak of the North American fur trade. And is that not such a wonderful aspect of historical fiction? To learn while being entertained. A thoroughly moving novel that made me laugh and cry as I journeyed through the perilous Canadian wild with Abigail.
For fans of Genevieve Graham, The Fort transports readers to the rugged Canadian fur trade era, where a resilient single mother defies conventions to forge a new life on the frontier.
It's the height of the fur trade in Canada, and Abigail Williams leaves her home in England and travels deep within the rugged wilderness to escape her scandalous past. With her young son in tow, Abby imagines a life on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River, in the rugged but beautiful Fort Edmonton, where she can mend horseshoes in her father’s blacksmith shop and her past will not…
Found is a striking, engaging, original, highly intelligent piece of fiction, with themes that run as deep as the questions it raises, the laughter it inspires, the empathy it stirs. Found takes a sci-fi premise and elevates it into a clever meditation on humanity, often from an extraterrestrial perspective. One does not have to love sci-fi to love Found. One needs only to love powerful storytelling, layered, believable characters, and a perfect blend of pathos and humour to find this novel to be a rewarding read. A brilliant debut.
Mars colonist Michelle Arensen, taken from her home against her will and flung into deep space, finds herself in the custody of an intimidating alien race, the powerful Vinyi. Despite her best efforts, the odds of getting back to her family start to dwindle, and Michelle unexpectedly finds that she's begun creating a new place for herself among her alien hosts. But not all Vinyi embrace the idea of a human living among them, and Michelle's hope of ever having a normal life again dims further with each passing day. To survive what the Vinyi have in store for her,…
The violent clash between the Ottoman Empire and the Knights of St John on the island fortress Malta serves as the backdrop to Eight Pointed Cross, the first novel in Fenech's Siege of Malta trilogy. Young siblings Domenicus and Katrina Montesa live under constant threat of raids by corsairs loyal to the Ottoman Sultan. Hundreds of leagues away in Istanbul, Demir’s dream of becoming an imperial horseman in the Sultan’s cavalry is his only salvation against relentless torment by his cruel brother.
The 1551 Turkish invasion of Malta and the island’s bloody defence will forever change the lives of the three protagonists, whose fates are intertwined not only with each other, but with nobles and peasants, knights and corsairs, tyrants and galley slaves, on both sides of the conflict as the novel sweeps across the Mediterranean world of the sixteenth century—from Malta, a barren Christian outpost, to Istanbul, the glittering seat of Islam, from filthy prison cells to lush palace gardens.
Against soaring sea cliffs and open sea lanes, the men and women of Eight Pointed Cross face corruption and oppression, broken vows and betrayal, as two great empires collide. Surviving this battle-soaked world of swords and scimitars will test the limits of every character’s courage, loyalty, and love.
