The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen

The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen 5 of 5 stars.

Lilly Haswell remembers everything--

whether she wants to, or not. . .

AS LILLY TOILS IN HER FATHER'S APOTHECARY SHOP, preparing herbs and remedies by rote, she is haunted by memories of her mother's disappearance. Villagers whisper the tale, but her father refused to discuss it. All the while, she dreams of the world beyond--of travel and adventure and romance.

When a relative offers to host her in London, Lilly discovers the pleasures and pitfalls of fashionable society and suitors, as well as clues about her mother. But will Lilly find what she is searching for--the truth of the past and a love for the future? (Book blurb)

Lilly is a strong and capable young woman with a grieving heart and a desire for adventure. Having seen her mother leaving the village with a man by boat several years past, Lily jumps at the the opportunity to go to London the moment it is placed before her. Leaving her father and simple-minded brother to take care of the herb shop in the process.

While London was a satisfactory change of pace, Lilian Haswell not only fails to secure a husband after two seasons, she brings scandal after scandal down upon herself, her aunt, and her uncle. But when Lilly finally has leads to her mother's whereabouts and a suitor--a timid young physician--a letter arrives asking her to hurry home that her father is not well. And with that, she picks up and leaves.

The Apothecary's Daughter is an informative and masterfully written historical fiction novel that has the feel of a BBC drama. Its beautifully pieced together scenes, characters, and historical tidbits make it a fascinating read; even more so for someone interested in herbalism. The honest and humble themes of faith running throughout this novel give it that extra touch of sincerity, engraving it forever on my heart.

I truly enjoyed reading about all of the everyday tasks of a 19th century apothecary shop. A well written historical novel has to be able to capture the mundane without making it feel boring, as well as bringing suspense and drama to the specific point in history. Julie Klassen does a wonderful job at this. I soaked up all of the history surrounding the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries and all the changes that happened with the medical hierarchy during that period in time.

As for the characters, all of your favorite sort were there and then some. From the rakish bad boy Roderick Marlow, to the brooding Dr. Graves, and, my favorite,  the sincere and loving Francis, the heroes were wonderful and varied. Mr. Shuttleworth was a fun addition, his eccentricity adding something unique to the cast of characters. The heroines were full of spirit and strength. I loved Mary's wit and resilience. Despite her hardships she showed a great deal of grace and courage. Lilly was a remarkable and lovable character whom I will not soon forget. Her uncomplaining and capable care of her father's patients during his sickness were touching.

The plot is full of twists and turns and surprises that kept me on my toes and flipping the pages. That said, it has a relaxed and flowing feel. Though calamity after calamity might befall the Haswell family, there are many poignant and careful interactions that weave themselves between the "exciting" parts and make it feel completely natural. The resolutions to problems and the reactions to disaster show depth in the characters.

An absolutely beautiful novel in all. If you have any interest in herbalism, or if you're just a fan of historical fiction you should give this book a try. I promise that you will love it!

*To order a copy of The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen from Amazon.com, please click here.

*This post contains an Amazon Affiliates link.

A Temptation of Angels Trailer!

Just a quick post to share with you the trailer for Michelle Zink's upcoming book A Temptation of Angels! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. You can look for my review sometime in April.



Pre-order A Temptation of Angels from Amazon.com by clicking here!

Coming Soon!

March is going to be my month to play "catch-up" in many ways. Firstly, I have a whole LIST of books that I have to write reviews for which I've already read. And secondly, I going to finally dust the cobwebs off this disaster of a blog. I've been clinging to my layout for far too long. On the advice of Nevey, who I should always trust in such matters, I'm going to start making plans for a new look. Despite having no possible idea of what that might be at the moment. And lastly, I'm going to start having more fun around here. Tis a bit dark and dreary and past time I had some more "fun" posts going on. I also want to reconnect with my fellow book bloggers. If any of you would be interested in stopping by my humble abode for a guest post, feel free to email me at: hollywood_here_I_come@live.com You are more than welcome!

Here is an idea of things to come:

Reviews

The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen

So Silver Bright by Lisa Mantchev

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

+Those that I will be reading throughout this month

Other

Cursed One Survival Kit -- Inspired by Crusade and Damned by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Some awesome things leading up to  The Hunger Games movie. Most probably an US&International giveaway, book review, movie review, and maybe some other things I have up my sleeve.

I'm also going to be getting back involved with some of the book blogger memes. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know!

That's about it. If you haven't been following me on Twitter, you should most definitely do that! I'm a bit addicted these days. 

Blog Tour: Daughter of the Centaurs by Kate Klimo

Daughter of the Centaurs by Kate Klimo 5 of 5 stars.


Sometime in the future.


An earth populated with half-animal, half human creatures.

A girl who may be the last human.


Malora has always wanted to be a master horseman, like her father. To ride and hunt as he does, wheeling about and charging off, bow and arrows strapped to her back--she can't imagine anything better. It is no matter to her that for the People this is considered a man's job, or that she is gently discouraged by her parents at every turn. Malora feels, she knows, that this is what she was meant to do.

But destiny has its own plans for Malora when the People and their horses are taken by bloodthirsty creatures known as the Leatherwings. In an agonizingly short time, only Malora is left--with Sky, the majestic stallion that was the leader of the People's great herd of horses. Together, girl and stallion find a wild herd and forge a new life in the plains.

In a way, Malora is now the mast horsewoman she dreamed of becoming, but she is lonely for conversation and companionship and family. She cannot help hoping in her few quiet moments that there are more People somewhere and that she will find them. And then she meets the centaurs, and her world is opened up yet again. this time into a life she never could imagine. (Book blurb)

Malora Thora-Jayke is a high-spirited and eager young girl, ready to follow in her father's footsteps as a master horseman, but when her father and all of the other men of the village--the only human men left in Malora's world--are massacred by the leatherwings in front of her very eyes, Malora's world comes crashing down around her.

In a bitter twist of fate, Malora is thrust out onto the plains to do what she loves. Tend to her beloved Sky and to the horses they come across during their journey, but soon, Malora wants more. When she and her horses are "captured" by a band of centaurs looking for the Ironbound Furies, Malora get's her first taste of "more" and wants it more than she could ever have imagined.

With the help of her new friend, Orion, son of the great Apex of Mount Heiron, Malora Thora-Jayke leaves behind her old life of survival and struggle for a life of comfort and enlightenment in the great Highlands of the centaurs as Malora Ironbound, last of the People.

Daughter of the Centaurs is a fresh and exciting fantasy filled with new mythology, beautiful characters, and a lovingly and carefully built world that glitters with the creative works of centaur Hands. Kate Klimo's writing is deft and uniquely toned giving the fantastic story an almost everyday feel, as if there were nothing in the world strange about this world full of centaur aristocracy (of sorts?).

When I first started Daughter of the Centaurs, I didn't care for it. The beginning seemed at the same time rushed and too slow. I wasn't fully able to understand the setting of the story or the culture of the People before tragedy struck, and when it did, it seemed to hit with a numbing blow taking Malora's character that much farther from my understanding.

It wasn't until a bit later in the story--not quite midway-- that I began to appreciate the stark beginning and to understand how all the pieces were falling together. What seems like a rather simple and straight-forward story, deepens into something richer and more complex.

Though that isn't to say I didn't enjoy the rest of the story. As soon as the new characters swept onto the page, I was hooked. I loved Orion's rather geeky love of scents, Honus's wonderful insight into the beauties of educations, and even Zephele's frivolous and, slightly, snobbish attitude. There was just such a wonderful cacophony of characters and personalities in this book that I felt surrounded by beautiful centaur friends and delightful (for the most part) little Twani. (Let that last one be a surprise!)

Once the centaurs come into play, the plot moves at a comfortable pace giving just enough excitement and twists to keep me satisfied as I watched Malora's life unfold. There is plenty of humor here in there to put a smile on anyone's face.

However, the intricacy of the world in this book is what really sets it apart and makes, in my mind, Kate Klimo's writing remarkable.

I simply do not think the Daughter of the Centaurs will disappoint anyone who gives it a chance. Fantasy readers and fiction alike will enjoy this unique and wonderful story and be left begging for more. And if you are a horse-lover, all the better! It will likely catch your imaginations even more so than mine.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first encounter with a centaur!

Many thanks to Random House Children's Books for including me in this blog tour. It has been a pleasure!

A North and South Celebration!

Melanie over at Melanie's Musings is hosting an awesome blog party in honor of North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell! The blog party will extend from tomorrow, February 13th to February 24th. It's bound to be lots of fun, and yours truly will be participating in a surprise post that will bring you a little closer to the wonderful heroine Margaret Hale.

If you're a fan of the book or the BBC period drama, I'm sure you'll be just as excited as I am! If you haven't been formally introduced to Margaret and Thornton, stop by anyway! I'm sure you'll love them as I do.

AHHHHH!!!!! + Contest Winners!

Hey, guys. So, so sorry I've been AWOL on you this long. I've been dealing with family illness among other things lately, and this time I am not going to promise that things will be better and I'll be here more, because--quite frankly--I've learned not to make assumptions regarding even the near future.

All that said, I'm glad to be writing to you all today. I've missed the book blogging world so much. I've missed READING for that matter. There are actually a couple of books I need to write a review on that I've finished over these past weeks, and I plan to jump on that as soon as possible.

The first wonderful announcement I would like to make is the winner of the copy of Unleashed. That beautiful book goes to the very lucky Carrie!! Congratulations! I'll email you right now.

Onto other business. I have found the coolest site in the world! It's called Listia. It has tons of free... well everything! Tons of YA books, all kinds of seeds for gardening (including hard to find herbs!), clothing, you name it. You earn credits and then spend them on things. Shipping is free most of the time too. Click here to check it out and sign up!


So... Who else watched the Season Premier of Downton Abbey Sunday night?? I did, and teared up more than once. It was so good. The Matthew/Mary scenes killed me. And who would have thought we'd see Thomas humbled? What did you all think about the start of this amazing show? Let me know!

Blog Tour: Unleashed by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie + GIVEAWAY!!

Wolf Springs Chronicles: Unleashed by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie 5 of 5 stars.

Katelyn McBride's life changed in an instant when her mother died. Uprooted from her California home, Katelyn was shipped to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, to her only living relative, her grandfather. And now she has to start over in Wolf Springs, a tiny village in the Ozark Mountains.

Like any small town, Wolf Springs has secrets. But the secrets hidden here are more sinister than Katelyn could ever imagine. It's a town with a history that reaches back centuries, spans continents, and conceals terrifying truths.

And Katelyn McBride is about to change everything.

Broken families, ageless grudges, forced alliances, and love that blooms in the darkest night--welcome to Wolf Springs. (Book Blurb)

Katelyn wants to fly. Her dreams of becoming a performing in the Cirque Du Soleil are crushed when her ballerina mother is killed in a housefire, and Katelyn is sent to live with the grandfather  who has kept his distance from her since the tragic shooting death of her father. 

Miserable with no way to train for the life she wants to create and grieving still for both of her parents, Katelyn must find a way to kep herself going in this frightening new world that she cannot seem to make herself understand. Someone in this small Victorianesque village is hiding something; something deadly.

Heart-wrenching loss, terrible lies, and firey passion. Unleashed is a romance and a thriller. A perfect combination of horror, suspense, and humor. The writing is that wonderful down-to-earth style I've come to associate with Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie, and the plot is wonderfully paced and surprising. 

I adored the main character, Katelyn, because of her personality and the way she thinks. She was as well-rounded a character as you could hope to find. I couldn't help but think that she's not exactly the type of girl whose going to stand up for herself in every situation even if she is a fighter. That does fit the story pretty nicely, though. 

On the other hand, Katelyn's friend Cordelia is temperamental and not afraid of anything--excluding her family. At the same time I couldn't completely like Cordelia. It's not that she's not a well thought out character, but that she just isn't a likeable character. Though she is sympathetic.

And as far as our heroes go in this story... I'm rooting for grandpa! haha While I like Trick, I feel like he's hiding something, and Justin kind of gives me the creeps...

Overall, Unleashed is a remarkable edge of your seat first installment to a series that I have a feeling will be wonderful. But I must warn you-- the ending is so abrupt it will leave your reeling for days after you finish it.

Giveaway!


Enter your name and email in the comments (Don't forget a shout-out to Nancy and Debbie!) below to be entered for a chance to win a copy of Unleashed


Must be a US Resident to enter.