We Go Together by Abigail de Niverville

 

Summary: The beaches of Grand-Barachois had been Kat’s summer home for years. There, she created her own world with her “summer friends,” full of possibilities and free from expectation. But one summer, everything changed, and she ran from the life she’d created.

Now seventeen and on the brink of attending college, Kat is full of regret. She’s broken a friendship beyond repair, and she’s dated possibly the worst person in the world. Six months after their break-up, he still haunts her nightmares. Confused and scared, she returns to Grand-Barachois to sort out her feelings.

When she arrives, everything is different yet familiar. Some of her friends are right where she left them, while some are nowhere to be found. There are so many things they never got to do, so many words left unsaid.

And then there’s Tristan.

He wasn’t supposed to be there. He was just a guy from Kat’s youth orchestra days. When the two meet again, they become fast friends. Tristan has a few ideas to make this summer the best one yet. Together, they build a master list of all the things Kat and her friends wanted to do but never could. It’s finally time to live their wildest childhood dreams.

But the past won’t let Kat go. And while this may be a summer to remember, there’s so much she wants to forget.

Pages: 251

Release Date: August 10th, 2020

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Review:

 

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of We Go Together for review. We Go Together is a YA contemporary novel that focuses on the main character, Kat, who returns to Grand-Barachois, a beach town where she used to spend every summer before meeting her ex-boyfriend, Aaron. After breaking up with Aaron, she returns to Grand-Barachois to come to terms with her past relationship and pick up the pieces before heading off to college. The story tackles the challenges of finding oneself, moving on from broken friendships, and acknowledging and moving forward after leaving an abusive relationship. I do want to warn that there is mention of sexual assault throughout the novel so if that is a triggering subject, I would proceed with caution or skip the novel entirely. I really did enjoy We Go Together, I think it handled the sensitive topic of sexual assault well and encapsulated a lot of the struggles of growing up and finding oneself. 

I enjoyed seeing the progression of Kat's character throughout the novel. At the beginning of We Go Together, she was continuously struggling with reconciliating with what had happened to her and was trying to figure out how she could redefine who she was after everything that happened. While I have not been a victim of sexual assault, I found myself really relating with Kat when it came to her struggles with high school friendships. I enjoyed seeing her move past some of those unhealthy relationships and allowing herself to enter friendships that gave her as much as she gave them. It was great to see her develop throughout the story and learn how to move forward after everything.   

I found the Grand-Barachois' crew to be a great addition to the story. All of those characters had different personalities and brought something different to the story. I would love to see some of those characters explored further in a novella or spin-off novel. I think they all have interesting stories to tell and I was disappointed that we only saw so much of them, I felt like their stories could have been explored a bit further in We Go Together. I did, however, like the inclusion and representation of sexually diverse characters. Various queer characters were represented throughout the novel and I especially like the addition of a central transgendered character.

We Go Together has some of the quintessential components of a stereotypical summer YA novel, but in all the best ways. While I read We Go Together near the end of summer, it definitely was a nice and reminiscent way to end the summer. The contents of the story were not always easy to read, but I thought that We Go Together was a quick and memorable read. I really enjoyed all the characters and being along for the ride with them. I think it is a powerful and great year-round read, but has a special place in the summer. I would definitely recommend checking out We Go Together if you are looking for a story about moving on from the past, redefining yourself, and creating a new future.    

Winter of the Wolf by Martha Hunt Handler

Summary: A tragic mystery blending sleuthing and spirituality

​An exploration in grief, suicide, spiritualism, and Inuit culture, Winter of the Wolf follows Bean, an empathic and spiritually evolved fifteen-year-old, who is determined to unravel the mystery of her brother Sam’s death. Though all evidence points to a suicide, her heart and intuition compel her to dig deeper. With help from her friend Julie, they retrace Sam’s steps, delve into his Inuit beliefs, and reconnect with their spiritual beliefs to uncover clues beyond material understanding.

Both tragic and heartwarming, this twisting novel draws you into Bean's world as she struggles with grief, navigates high school dramas, and learns to open her heart in order to see the true nature of the people around her. Winter of the Wolf is about seeking the truth—no matter how painful—in order to see the full picture.

In this novel, environmentalist and award-winning author, Martha Handler, brings together two important pieces of her life—the death of her best friend’s son and her work as president of the Wolf Conservation Center—to tell an empathetic and powerful story with undeniable messages (Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 238

Expected Release Date: July 7th, 2020 

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Review:

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Winter of the Wolf for review. The novel follows Bean, a 15-year-old girl, as she navigates life following the death of her older brother, Sam. While his death is officially ruled a suicide, she investigates his death because her intuition tells her that his death was not a suicide. Winter of the Wolf addresses grief, spirituality, and mystery in a unique and beautiful story. As someone that is neither spiritual nor religious, I found the underlying spirituality of the story to be extremely interesting and engaging. I truly enjoyed Winter of the Wolf. The characters, plot, and messages of the story were very powerful and made for a great read.

One of my favorite aspects of the story was the relationship that Bean has with her family and best friend, Julia. I think that YA novels can sometimes overshadow relationships between family members and friends for romantic interests, but I felt that Winter of the Wolf captured genuine relationships between all its' characters. I loved that the reader was able to witness the growth of both Bean and her family as well as the rekindling of Bean's friendship with Julia. Although they were all suffering from this tragic loss, they were able to grow as both individuals and as a family to overcome their grief. I enjoyed being able to learn more about each of the characters as they opened up to one another and dealt with their grief.

As I previously mentioned, I really enjoyed the spiritual aspects of Winter of the Wolf. While I have sometimes found the addressing of spirituality in books to be overwhelming or as an afterthought, I thought the incorporation of spirituality in Winter of the Wolf was perfectly balanced and addressed throughout the story. I loved seeing the growth of Bean in terms of her own spiritual beliefs as well as the acceptance and acknowledgement of spirituality by some of her other family members. I thought it was a beautiful component to the story and I enjoyed learning more about the beliefs she, her mother, and Sam had. I thought their beliefs were well incorporated into the story and very crucial in understanding who they were and how they perceived grief and the world.

Winter of the Wolf is a mysterious, spiritual, and powerful book that can easily be read in one sitting. I truly enjoyed it and would highly recommend anyone to pre-order or purchase a copy once it is released on July 7th. While I have mentioned that I am not a spiritual person, I finished the novel after the recent passing of one of my cats and it was nice to see the progression of grief and learn more about beliefs that address death and what comes after it. It has been a rough few days for my family and I, but I found comfort in reading the novel and thinking in a more abstract, spiritual way than I would have otherwise. Winter of the Wolf was the perfect read for me during this time and I am excited to see what Martha Hunt Handler writes next.

Author Interview: G.S. Eli and Patrick Wiley

G.S Eli

Patrick Wiley

G.S. Eli and Patrick Wiley are co-authors of 

The Last of the Magi: The Devouring. 

In the mysterious world of Gypsies there are ancient secrets passed down for centuries by fortune-telling mystics. Mila doesn’t know it yet, but it is his destiny to uncover the darkest secret of them all.

Mila’s adventure begins when he crosses paths with two American teenagers on their senior trip to Berlin. He becomes enamored with kind-hearted Casey who’s piercing blue eyes hide an inner pain. Much to his dismay her studious friend Jack seems to be the object of her affection, and Mila doubts she could ever care for a gypsy like him.

Together they stumble upon a secret chamber buried deep beneath the city of Berlin. There they discover a lost artifact once wielded by the Nazi empire, which carries ancient and evil powers. When these powers are awakened a sinister cult takes notice and dispatches a shadow army to hunt for it. Fleeing certain death, the teens seek to learn the secrets of the strange artifact, before it plunges the world into complete darkness.

The Last of the Magi weaves action and fantasy together with true history and Gypsy spiritualism, leaving the reader to wonder what’s real and what’s not (Via Goodreads.com). 

Casey Marie: Have you always had a passion for writing or is it something you discovered while working on The Last of the Magi: The Devouring?

G.S. Eli: The Roma people are a culture of storytelling, so storytelling comes naturally to me. However, the Roma people are not for the most part a literary people. We have a very oral tradition, which is why The Last of the Magi has a very “camp-fire” style to it.

Patrick Wiley: Writing has always been a passion of mine. I was a very imaginative child and I can’t remember a time when I was not coming up with ideas for characters and stories. Once I’d learned to read and write I started putting these ideas down on paper. I even won a YARK award in second grade.



CM: What inspired both of you to work together on The Last of the Magi?

G: My inspiration was to utilize 1000 years of beautiful folktales of the Roma people to create a Roma hero. I chose to work with Patrick because of our previous collaborations together, his ability to tell a story and his passion for history and adventure.

P: George and I’s first project together was a screenplay he’d been developing since before he met me. Through George I learned about his Roma culture and became very sympathetic to their plight. I believe strongly in his vision for better Roma representation in the media. George actually had an interesting way of pitching The Last of the Magi to me. One day he started telling me that there was a series of novels about Roma that was about to get a movie deal. I was disappointed because telling stories about Roma was our niche and it seemed someone had beaten us to the punch. He laid out a rough plotline of what would become The Last of the Magi. I said it sounded like a great story and asked when it would come out. That’s when he revealed that the series didn’t actually exist yet, but that it was actually a story he wanted us to write it together. I was immediately on board.



CS: What is something you hope that readers will take away from The Last of the Magi?

G: A better understanding and respect for the Roma people.

P: I feel the same way. The Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe, yet people know almost nothing about them.



CM: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

G: Write something every day, even if it’s crap. Keep moving forward, a paragraph, a page something. Put something to paper every day.

P: Know your subject matter, especially when it comes to a culture different from your own. Do research. If possible, collaborate with a person who has lived experience in that culture.



CM: How did you both create the characters of The Last of the Magi? Did you know you wanted to write them a certain way or did you end up discovering their personalities while you both were working on the story?

G: A lot of the characters in The Last of the Magi are based on real people in my life. For example, Nasta and Sabina are based on my Grandmother Susie and Aunt Rosie. In addition, some characters have ingredients from more than one person I know.

P: The character I had the most influence in creating was Deborah. I came up with her backstory and appearance, as well as her skills, toughness and to-the-point professionalism. George helped further flesh her out her personality, adding her family and personal relationships, vulnerabilities, and wry sense of humor.



CM: What character from The Last of the Magi are you the most similar to and why?

G: Mila was me when I was younger; hopeful and determined, but today it’s Nasta, wise, disciplined and focused.

P: George actually based the character of Jack on me, so we have a lot in common. I was always a history buff, I fenced in high school, and I lived in an old surplus-store army jacket, which I actually still have.



CM: If you had any supernatural power or ability, what would you want to be able to do and why?

G: I’d like the old, Jedi mind-trick, it would make life so much easier.

P: I always overthink questions like this. My first thought was also mind control. I’d want to use it for good, like by ending wars or making terrorists and criminals turn themselves in. Then again who knows what the greater consequences would be…



CM: If you were also on the run like the characters of The Last of the Magi, who are two people you would want to be on the with run with and why?

G: A CIA agent, because they’d know their way around the world and how to blend in and Sarah Silverman because she’ll make me laugh along the way.

P: My cousin and her husband. They’re both Captains in the army. She’s an EOD tech and he’s a Ranger. In addition to their many useful skills they’re both wonderful people and would be fun to spend time with.



CM: How do you think the characters of The Last of the Magi would be handling social distancing/quarantine right not?

G: Casey would be handling it very well because she’d be immune to the virus.
P: Plus, she’s rich.

G: Jack would probably be figuring out a way to get immunization.
P: If I’m any indication, he’d be researching the pandemic on a daily basis and then using that knowledge to counter misinformation online. 

G: Mila would handle it well because Roma are resourceful and use to international crises.
P: There’s another reason he’d handle it well but it’s a spoiler. Read the book and you’ll know what I mean.



CM: What character from the Last of the Magi would you want to be in quarantine with and why?

G: Definitely Sabina, good cook, smart, great stories and she’ll take care of you if you get sick.

P: Jack. I’d have a sparring partner for kickboxing, and he’d be a big help for some of the archaeological papers I want to write.



CM: Aside from The Last of the Magi, do you have any other books/series you are currently working on or planning?

G: I’m working on The Soul Trained, a self-help book about exercising your soul based on Roma spirituality. I’m using some of these principles in a podcast of the same name https://www.buzzsprout.com/909574

P: I actually have a script for a novel called Dwarves of Northri that I’m shopping around. I’m also working on a new series tentatively titled “The Annales of Aeternia”. It’s a gritty take on fantasy in the vein of “A Song of Ice and Fire” and takes inspiration from Roman history.



CM: Can you tease anything about the next book in The Last of the Magi series? 

G: You will learn more about the Biblical disciples. 

P: It’s going to be darker and will greatly expand the mythos we’ve created.

• ARC Review: The Devouring (The Last of the Magi #1) by G.S. Eli and Patrick Wiley

ARC Review: The Devouring (The Last of the Magi #1) by G.S. Eli and Patrick Wiley

Summary: In the mysterious world of Gypsies there are ancient secrets passed down for centuries by fortune-telling mystics. Mila doesn’t know it yet, but it is his destiny to uncover the darkest secret of them all.

Mila’s adventure begins when he crosses paths with two American teenagers on their senior trip to Berlin. He becomes enamored with kind-hearted Casey who’s piercing blue eyes hide an inner pain. Much to his dismay her studious friend Jack seems to be the object of her affection, and Mila doubts she could ever care for a gypsy like him.

Together they stumble upon a secret chamber buried deep beneath the city of Berlin. There they discover a lost artifact once wielded by the Nazi empire, which carries ancient and evil powers. When these powers are awakened a sinister cult takes notice and dispatches a shadow army to hunt for it. Fleeing certain death, the teens seek to learn the secrets of the strange artifact, before it plunges the world into complete darkness.

The Last of the Magi weaves action and fantasy together with true history and Gypsy spiritualism, leaving the reader to wonder what’s real and what’s not (Via Goodreads.com).

Pages: 448

Release Date: April 24th, 2020

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Review: 

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Last of the Magi: The Devouring this month and I absolutely loved it. Due to my college schedule, I am usually unable to read much for pleasure during the semester, but The Devouring was an exception and totally worth it. It follows Mila, a Romani teenager living in Berlin, who ends up meeting two Americans, Casey and Jack, and after the trio find an ancient artifact once used by Nazis, the teens are hunted by modern-day Neo-Nazis that are looking for the artifact. It was an extremely enthralling story that constantly had me on the edge of my seat. The Devouring was a past-paced adventure, fantasy, and magical realism novel that I would highly recommend reading.

I have never read a book before featuring a Romani character so I really enjoyed learning more about their culture, society, and beliefs. It was a really unique perspective to gain and I hope to gain more of an insight into their community by reading more books and stories featuring Roma characters and history in the future. Something that the book made me realize is that, while I have studied the Holocaust in College, I have never learned much about the experience of Roma communities during the Holocaust. My limited education of the Holocaust in high school taught me about some of the different groups that were targeted and persecuted by the Nazi regime, such as Jews, Roma and Sinti, Jehovah's Witnesses, Homosexuals, etc., but my College Holocaust education pertaining to some of those groups was seriously lacking. I have learned about the experience of the Holocaust from the perspective of some Jewish communities, Poles, and Homosexuals, but my education has not been inclusive to all groups persecuted. That is something I had not necessarily thought about previously, but I plan to seek out information to learn more about the experience of other groups persecuted, such as the Roma, during the Holocaust and afterwards. The persecution of these groups did not necessarily end after the Holocaust and I hope to learn more about their current experiences as well.

I really enjoyed the novel's writing. The story was written in a very concise and easy-to-read manner that I appreciated. I feel that sometimes fantasy-based stories can be written in overly complicated and rather embellished language, but The Devouring was written in a very understandable and engaging way. There were backstories, people, and objects incorporated into the story that the reader might not have known about previously, but the writing style allowed them to be easily incorporated and explained in the plot line without taking away from the narrative. The story also features multiple character's perspectives. The perspectives alternated by chapter, but the writing style allowed each character to have their own distinct and unique voice. The inclusion of various perspectives could have hindered the flow of the story, but the different perspectives easily overlapped and flowed with each other. The various perspectives allowed for the creation of mystery and intrigue pertaining to certain characters and it really allowed for more depth to be created within the story.  

While the story had fantasy elements, I loved that it was more of a magical realist story. I can sometimes get bogged down in all of the details of a fantasy world, but The Devouring was set in our world, just with fantastical elements. It made the story so much more engaging and intricate because it allowed the authors to expand upon our world and incorporate Roma stories and beliefs into it. I liked having a prior understanding of the world, but being able to see it in a new and unique way. 

Featured throughout the story were beautiful illustrations that captured some of the main locations and important objects of the story. I had not been expecting illustrations throughout the novel; however, they were absolutely gorgeous and added more detail to the story. While the descriptions within the book were very detailed and painted an image in my head, the illustrations allowed the story to come alive even more vividly for me. I loved admiring the illustrations throughout the story and appreciated getting a better sense of what the main locations and objects looked like.

The Devouring has something for everyone. It is a page-turning adventure story with fantastical elements and a hint of romance. The story and its character's kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last page and I am extremely excited for the sequel. Throughout The Devouring, I was able to see so many different layers being built into the story and I am excited to see where the story will go next. I really loved the story, adventure, and fantastical elements that the authors were able to create and develop. If you are interested in an engaging adventure and fantasy story, I would highly recommend checking out The Devouring.