Lost Lake House, by Elisabeth Grace Foley // New Release

(this is easily my favorite cover of 2016 thus far.)

Summary

The Twelve Dancing Princesses meets the heady glamor and danger of the Jazz Age

All Dorothy Perkins wants is to have a good time. She’s wild about dancing, and can’t understand or accept her father’s strictness in forbidding it. Night after night she sneaks out to the Lost Lake House, a glamorous island nightclub rumored to be the front for more than just music and dancing…in spite of an increasingly uneasy feeling that she may be getting into something more than she can handle.

Marshall Kendrick knows the truth behind the Lost Lake House—and bitterly hates his job there. But fear and obligation have him trapped. When a twist of circumstances throws Dorothy and Marshall together one night, it may offer them both a chance at escaping the tangled web of fear and deceit each has woven…if only they are brave enough to take it.

Novella, approximately 26,000 words.

My Thoughts

I don’t even know where to start with all the reasons why this book made me flail excitedly like a deranged penguin.

Let’s take it one at a time, shall we?

1). The writing has such vividry. It’s awash with vintage-movie glamour and lovely description and unexpected snappy bits of conversation that I loved. This is only the second novella of Foley’s that I’ve read, but I can safely say that she knows how to create the right atmosphere in a book and it’s wonderful.

And did I mention the descrip?

“On cloudy nights like this the lake and sky and island all melted into a uniform invisible black, so the blazing golden windows of the Lost Lake House seemed suspended in the middle of the lake like a floating fairy palace.”

2). You know a book is good when you have only two (extended) scenes where the main characters are actually together and you approve of them as a couple instantly. Dorothy and Marshall hit the perfect balance of a realistic friendship and attraction between two young people. The level of blunt honesty and bringing-out-the-best-in-each-other and chivalry and banter makes me happy. And how adorable and squee-worthy was it when Marshall gave Dorothy his sweater so she wouldn’t catch her death of cold?

3). Father/Daughter relationships in stories are my favorite. This particular one twisted my emotions every which way and I loved it so. *rewards Story with chocolate chips*

4). Dorothy is, hands down, one of the most relatable characters I’ve encountered in awhile. She is girlish and worries about things like shoes and friends and is so reminiscent of my own sixteen-year-old self more than four years ago. I remember clearly that frantic feeling of “I must taste life now” and being afraid that it would end up just leaving me behind without having properly participated in it. Her mad, unquenchable longing for something she loves (dancing) resonated with me deeply. As did her emotions halfway through the book of feeling trapped in a vicious cycle and not having the courage to break out of it. That hit me hard because, in essence, she was caught in both an addiction (which I would liken her desperate hunger for dancing to) and her own web of fear and lies. I’ve been in that position before as a sixteen-year-old girl and the memories Lost Lake House awoke were unsettling, but I know it helped me connect with the story and especially with Dorothy on a deeper level than I had before. It’s what made Dorothy’s choice and the book’s ending even more moving and beautiful to me than I anticipated. (Actually, I would go so far as to say that if you know someone who struggled/struggles with an addiction of some sort this book is one they should read.)

Lost Lake House is not shallow by any means, neither is it oppressively heavy. Rather it tells its story in a simply, beguiling way that makes an impact without ever going unnervingly dark. The book tugged me in with its magical essence and glamour, slowly wound me up into a state of unease and discomfort as the secrets behind Lost Lake House are revealed and Dorothy begins to feel her trapped position, and then the apprehension and anticipation (plus my sympathy for the poor girl) kept me glued to the plages until the world began to turn right-side up again and I reached The End with a lump on my throat and the best feeling of contentment only a bookworm can understand.

Lost Lake House was satisfying, folks. I can’t wait to read it again, and this time I will go slowly and savor it like I would a cup of particularly well-brewed mint tea.

*I received a free ARC from the author in exchange for a honest review

Books I Long to Dig into this Spring // Top Ten Tuesday

It’s beginning to be deliciously warm in my corner of the world. Well, I say warm, but in reality it’s like Spring has whisked back the curtains and waltzed out in a blaze of finery. I feel so alive, folkies! Everything is awash with that fresh, clean, wild feel of the world waking up again, and it has affected me unexpectedly. I want to read and read and read… more so than usual that is.

I want to devour ALL THE BOOKS.

I’d been planning on sharing my TBR for this Spring and then, lo and behold, I found it is the prompt for today’s Top Ten Tuesday. Never ignore a coincidence, humans. Unless you’re busy, in which case, always ignore a coincidence. (extra chocolate chips if you know what I just quoted.)

Shall we talk books then?

(from left to right)

— Red Rising. Basically I’ve been wild to read it ever since Suzannah Rowntree shared her persuasive review.

— Winter. Oh, the irony of having this on a Spring TBR list! I’ve already started it and I can’t wait to find out what happens to Cinder & Co. (Thorne and Cress are the cutest and I will never stop saying that.)

— Storm Siren. Gifted to me by the sweet Schuyler, I’ve saving this elemental delicacy of the fantasy genre for my roadtrip in May. It’ll be my first time reading it. EEEP.

— Dreamtreaders. My youngest sister is head-over-heels in love with this book and begs me to read it at every opportunity (I’m holding out to see if she’ll resort to bribes. Kidding. Ish). Since Youngest Sister has good taste in books it should be ’mazing.

— Jane Eyre. A re-read of this is loooong overdue, methinks.

— Illuminae. The villain is an AI, people (I thought of it first. *wail*). Plus, sci-fi… and it just sounds all-around smashing.

— Storming. I blame Schuyler for this one too. I read her review and was caught, hook-line-and-sinker. Buy this one, I will.

—  All the Sherlock Holmes of ever. I need to re-acquaint myself with the awesome once more. I miss Holmes and Watson and the fascination of a baffling case and the thrill of the unexpected twists. *hugs all the books*

— Unwind. Because DYSTOPIA. MORAL DILEMMAS. LOVABLE CHARACTERS.

Will I be alive after I finish all these or will I be an emotional wreck? We shall see, my friends. We shall see.

What’s on your Spring TBR?

The Bells of Paradise, by Suzannah Rowntree // New release!

 

(can we all just take a minute to revel in the prettiness of this cover? O.O)

Summary

Only a madman would go into Faerie of his own accord.

The one thing John the blacksmith loves more than his peaceful, hardworking life in Middleton Dale is the tailor’s free-spirited daughter Janet. But unlike John, Janet dreams of adventure beyond the Dale. And when her dreams lead her into Faerie to be captured by a dangerous witch, John realises he must dare the perilous realm of the Lordly Folk to free his bride.
A poignant and profound retelling of the Grimms’ fairytale Jorinda and Joringel, set in the fantastical realms of Elizabethan folklore.

My Thoughts

I know I’ve said this before but Suzannah Rowntree’s writing is like decadent cake. And it only gets better with each book.

Pendragon’s Heir was delicious; The Bells of Paradise made for a delightful treat on an afternoon relaxing, like a sleepy kitten, in a patch of warm sunlight.

First of all, Suzannah Rowntree has a knack of making her fairytale re-writes feel, not so much like retellings, but like original fairytales themselves. The world of Bells is vivid and full and never too involved or overwhelming. I loved every glimpse of Faerie and the sense of otherness and fey just around the corner.

“Here were strange and preposterous marvels: mice the size of goats being sold, saddled, and bridled by little brown men, a lady in a gabled hood carrying a tiny lion like a lap-dog…”

Secondly, the hero of the story is refreshingly unique in that he isn’t some ardent youth off on a quest or a prince bored with his lot in life; instead John is a simple blacksmith, content with his world and his people until events upset the equilibrium of his life. I like that he is a reluctant hero–he would never even consider himself a hero, actually–and his journey throughout the story felt so real and near to my heart, despite the fact that I’m much more similar to Janet’s character. We only spend roughly an hour’s time with John (about as long as it takes to read the novella), but it feels like so much more, and he’s already one of my favorite male protagonists of 2016. The literary world needs more Johns, methinks.

Thirdly, the story of Bells itself is well-worth devouring. Again, it isn’t even that long, but there’s so much depth and richness to it. I love it when a book gives me chills, whether it’s from a character epiphany or a slice of gorgeous description or a bit of skillful plotting. In particular, every now and again a book will give me a fleeting glimpse of Sehnsucht, a tiny glimmering of the world beyond the tapestry, as Montgomery sums up so well:

“It had always seemed to Emily, that she was very, very near to a world of wonderful beauty. Between it and herself hung only a thin curtain; she could never draw the curtain aside–but sometimes, just for a moment, a wind fluttered it and then it was as if she caught a glimpse of the enchanting realm beyond–only a glimpse–and heard a note of unearthly music.”

 ~ Emily of New Moon, by L.M. Montgomery

A book that does that for me is a book I will treasure. The Bells of Paradise actually brought me close to tears from the dance of joy and beauty and fire that I could just barely see beyond the surface of the story. I had a similar experience recently with Golden Daughter and let me tell you, people, it’s not something you forget quickly.

So, if you love fairy tales or delicious writing or humble heroes or even just want a quick read to while away an afternoon, by all means pick up The Bells of Paradise. You will be glad you did, my friends.

*I received a free ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.