The Bone Cay by Eliza Nellums

 

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This novel wasn't on my TBR list until I came across it at work. A quick glance at the cover had me quickly checking it out and taking it home.

Magda Trudell is the caretaker of the Whimbrel Estate in Key West, the home of poet Isobel Reyes. Isobel famously walked off the dock near her home in 1918, drowning in the ocean. Her body was never found. Now, that reputation has people visiting the area to also end their lives. Magda makes it part of her duties to walk the beach and check the mangroves to see if any bodies appear. Not exactly what a caretaker should be doing on a daily basis. 

Madga has fought and fought to get extra funding for the Whimbrel Estate. She's poured all her love and admiration for Isobel's poetry into her life and is an expert on Isobel's poetry. She's been caretaker of the estate for ten years, and has fought tooth and nail to preserve the gorgeous estate and bring a historic landmark designation to it. Unfortunately, she's been unsuccessful. She has one more chance to try for the designation; funding is guaranteed if she's successful.

Unfortunately, there's a major hurricane forming and heading right towards Key West. Magda decides she's going to stay at Whimbrel and take on the storm. It goes against everything--everyone is being evacuated. But Madga won't leave the estate, and is confident it will survive the hurricane. 

As the storm approaches and hits, it quickly becomes apparent it is a monster hurricane, with relentless rain and winds. It's just not stopping or lessening in intensity. Magda makes a fascinating discovery after the gift shop is damaged--one that could turn the story of Isobel completely around, and change the future of the Whimbrel Estate--and Magda, too. But will she survive the hurricane?

There's more to the story, but I don't want to give it all away--more characters, too. Part thriller, part ghost story, it's also a nail biter as the hurricane just keeps clawing its way onshore, creeping closer and closer to the house. It brings a lot of darkness with it, and it soon becomes a battle of survival for Magda. 

I enjoyed this novel, but it did take me a bit to finish it. I kept putting it down and picking it up. I thought the plot was very interesting, but Madga, darn it--she annoyed me sometimes. Her stubbornness was not admirable in the face of such a terrible storm. The action does build with the introduction of a few other characters, with a twisty turn towards the end. 

Rating: 3/6 for an interesting plot thick with the history of Key West, ghostly happenings, and a hurricane determined to destroy everything in its path. It's definitely human vs. nature. 

Available in hardcover, audio and Kindle ebook. 

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The Bone Cay by Eliza Nellums

The Chill by Scott Carson

This was a book that caught my eye a few months ago. I was a few spots down the holds list at the library when our "quick pick" came in and I decided to snag it. Our quick pick titles are checked out for 10 days; no renewals and no holds. So you've got to get to it and read the book. That wasn't hard to do with The Chill.

Upstate New York. The Chilewaukee "Chill" Reservoir was built over 80 years before , destroying the town of Galesburg and burying it underneath the water. Yet the people of Galesburg didn't go peacefully, and they are ready, after all these years, to bring vengeance down on the city of New York. Except they're all dead. 

Hmm. For 80 plus years, the dam has worked really well. Yet some families who live and work around it are frightened--mostly from stories told by their parents and grandparents. Murder, betrayal, and pacts were made amongst the people of Galesburg, and finally the endless weeks of rain have pushed the capacity of the Chill close to maximum. The ghosts of those who died over the years are working, silently and without stopping, to destroy the dam and extract their revenge. Their plan is to break the dam, forcing the water to flow into other unused areas of the complex water system that runs from Upstate New York to the city. If their plan works, New York City will be dry--without water--and a crisis like no other will be unleashed. All for revenge, all those years ago. 

The story unfolds fairly quickly, with a shocking start, followed by some really weird stuff. Aaron Ellsworth, son of Sheriff Steve Ellsworth, has gotten into a bit of trouble, and his father is ready to send him to rehab. He was the star swimmer of Torrance, practicing in the cold, swift waters of The Chill for years to  perfect his swimming. Now, one last swim to prove to his father he's not a loser sets in motion the story as you, the reader, come into it. 

Aaron swims downstream, and then decides to walk back. He cuts his foot badly, and sees a man on the other side of the water. Asking him for help, he's confused when the man doesn't appear to want to help him. Aaron throws a bottle at him, hits his head, and watches, horrified, as the man falls into the water and is swept downstream. Aaron dives in, and searches frantically for the man, but can't find him. While he's diving, he finds another body--this one with chains attached, wearing a black ball over it's head. Horrified, he returns to shore, calls his father, and waits to be arrested. 

Sheriff Ellsworth arrives; hears Aaron's story, and prepares to deal with his son going to jail--this time for murder. But just as Aaron finishes his story, the man he claims to have killed walks up with no marks on his face. Mick Fleming, an engineer from New York City, is perfectly fine. He has no idea what Aaron is talking about. Mick Fleming's grandfather was the original designer of the dam, and was murdered by the people of Galesburg all those years ago. Mick Fleming knows the dam is in danger of structural failure, and has been frustrated by the lack of response by the powers that be to maintain the dam. But the Mick that drove up to the dam is not the Mick that is facing Aaron and his father. What the heck happened while he was walking around the reservoir?

This book was such a great story! 

I seriously had a hard time putting it down. It's all about respecting Mother Nature; respecting the land, and understanding history. Making choices for the greater good always costs someone dearly. It's most definitely about family legends and duties passed down through the generations, and deciding to break the chain. Is vengeance worth it, when it causes more death and destruction? 

It's also a heck of a good ghost story. 

Rating: 5/6 for a thriller that mixes nature, ghostly revenge, and history. Note to self: always live above the dam. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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The Chill by Scott Carson

Trail of Lightning: The Sixth World, Book One by Rebecca Roanhorse

I've been itching to read a good fantasy novel for a while. My book group meets tomorrow night, and we have chosen to read a book that is either written by a Native American author, or has a Native American theme. I took this as as opportunity to find a fantasy novel with a Native American theme, and found this very creative and well written first in a series by Rebecca Roanhorse. 

Set in the near future, the world as we know it has been destroyed by the Big Water, which pretty much wiped out much of the United States, caused an energy war, and has reborn the Navajo Nation, known as the Dinetah.  

Gods and heroes of the Dinetah are real, and so are monsters. Maggie is a monsterslayer. She's young, beyond tough, and has a huge ax to grind. And you can't blame her one bit for it. Surviving a horrific night of torture and the death of her beloved grandmother, her clan powers are ignited: she is one who kills. The power rushes into her, she sees just how she will kill and she does it with skill, strength, and some supernatural power. She's also feared, alone, and nursing a broken angry heart from her mentor and lover, Neizghani-a God himself. 

Maggie is called on to hunt down and rescue a little girl snatched from her home by a monster. This begins Maggie's journey to find out who is creating these monsters, and why. Visiting Tah, her medicine man "grandfather", she meets Kai Arviso, who is Tah's actual grandson, and someone who has clan powers of his own. What they are...well, you'll have to read to find out. Together Kai and Maggie venture out into a hostile land to stop the monsters from terrorizing and killing across Dinetah, and stop whomever or whatever is creating them. 

There's much more to this, of course. But I have to leave you plenty to discover on your own. I read this in stops and starts, and I wish I'd read it in bigger chunks and a shorter amount of time. I enjoyed it-it's pretty dark. The world is not a good place. I kept hearing the end music from Terminator in my head, as Sarah Connor is driving towards the mountains and the growing storm. Da da dada da. Da da dada da.  I found the Navajo culture and mythology fascinating, and the idea that clan powers are real and something that is handed down through the generations, and a gift to be honored, no matter what form it takes. 

I will read the second in the series, since book one leaves you wanting answers. Book two is Storm of Locusts, and more adventures for Maggie Hoskie await. I like Maggie. She's so tough, but inside there's an insecure young girl who wants peace and love, and is afraid she's not worthy of either of them. She both embraces her clan powers, and loathes them.  I'm really hoping her further adventures with Kai will lead her to a better place. 

Rating:  4/6 for a new series that centers on the Navajo people, a post-apocalyptic world where fuel and water are in short supply, and gods and monsters are very, very real. If you like mythology, you'll like this series. 

Available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audio.

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Trail of Lightning: The Sixth World, Book One by Rebecca Roanhorse

Winter Sisters by Robin Oliveira

It feels like I haven't read a solid historical novel for a long time.  I'm pretty sure it's only been a few months, but as I was reading Winter Sisters I said out loud to myself "I am so happy reading this novel!".  I have no shame in admitting I talk to myself, especially when reading.  

I read My Name is Mary Sutter years ago, and loved it. Civil War novels always have a huge pull for me, and Mary Sutter is such a compelling character it's hard not to love her.  When I saw this was a sequel of sorts to Mary Sutter, I just had to read it.  

It's 1879, Albany, New York.  Mary, now Dr. Mary Stipp, lives and works with her husband Dr. William Stipp, along with her mother Amelia and niece Elizabeth.  They have a successful clinic run out of their spacious home, and have a good life in Albany.  The Civil War has not left them, however, and they are forever changed by what they witnessed as doctors treating soldiers.  But life is pretty good, and they are happy.  Close family friends the O'Donnell's have two lovely little girls, Emma and Claire. 

A bizarre, horrific blizzard descends upon the city, catching everyone unawares, and through terrible circumstances, Bonnie and David O'Donnell are killed during the blizzard.  The two girls, stuck at school, survive the blizzard with their schoolmates, but are left behind on the school steps once the blizzard ends and everyone goes home.  They disappear into thin air.  

The Stipps, frantic about the O'Donnell family, discover the sad news about Bonnie and David, and are very concerned when the girls don't turn up anywhere. Mary and family go to the police, and take it upon themselves to search everywhere they can think of to find the girls.  The police aren't very helpful, claiming the girls are probably dead.  Six long weeks go by, with no sign of the girls.  The melting snow and ice in the Hudson River causes a massive flood in Albany, and in a night of chaos, the girls are found and brought to the Stipps.  Where were they, and what happened to them?

What happened to Emma and Claire sets off a huge newspaper war in Albany; a magnifying glass is put to Mary's practice and her decision to give healthcare to prostitutes; and Elizabeth's new romance with the son of a prominent lumber baron is put into jeopardy.  Traumatized by their ordeal, both girls are in danger of never recovering, especially when some folks don't believe their tale.  

While it is a fact that women didn't have very many rights or privileges in 1879, it still got me pretty steamed to read about some of the nasty rumors and treatment of Mary, Emma, and Claire.  Albany-a city that looks shiny and bright, but has an underbelly that runs on corruption, bribes, and prostitution. Men have all the power, money, and, sadly the law on their side.  

I so enjoyed this book.  Robin Oliveira is a solid writer, and her attention to historical detail makes the book so interesting, but never bogged down.  Of course the medical aspect was a big draw for me, and I definitely had a hard time putting the book down in the last half.  As a matter of fact, I stayed up way past my bedtime last night to finish the last few pages, I was so anxious to find out what happened.  

A huge thank you to Viking/Penguin for a review copy.  

This novel will be on sale Tuesday, February 27th in the U.S. in hardcover, ebook, and audio. You do not have to read My Name is Mary Sutter to read this novel.  

Rating:  5/6 for a novel that addresses female sexuality, abuse, the power of men, money, and the strength of family at a time when women didn't have many options.  Mary is a great example of a brilliant, respectful woman who still is treated with distrust and ridicule even after proving herself over and over.  A powerful statement on the ability of rumor and false news to damage lives. 

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Winter Sisters by Robin Oliveira