fiction Archives

Witchlings

The Trauma of Growing Up and Fighting Monsters Author: Claribel A. Ortega Twelve-year-old Seven Salazar is on the path to all her dreams. Tonight, at the Black Moon Ceremony, in front of the entire town and by the side of her best friend, she will become a full-fledged witch and be sorted into House Hyacinth with her friend. At least, that’s what she hopes. There is a nagging feeling of doubt, but she pushes that down, smiles, dons her best dress, and prepares for the magical moment. Only, it doesn’t come. Seven isn’t sorted into a coven with her best friend. [...]

Frances Carden2023-07-14T12:47:25-07:00July 9th, 2023|Tags: fantasy, fiction, middle grade, read, reading, reviews, ya|

Daughter of Rome

A Look Into the Secrets of Priscilla and Aquila Author: Tessa Afshar Priscilla has a secret and a deep regret. She also knows someone else’s secret, and that could be deadly. As the years have passed, she has found peace, even acceptance in a synagogue. It’s not the religion of her people, but somehow it seems right, it draws her. And so, she remains, an outsider, but still an integral and beloved member of the community. Meanwhile, Aquila has his own sorrows and a devastating past, but the work of a follower of Jesus is never done, and so he continues [...]

Frances Carden2023-07-04T15:33:57-07:00July 4th, 2023|Tags: book review, Christian, fiction, historical, read, reading|

China Room, The

Love, Duty, Betrayal, and Society Author: Sunjeev Sahota It’s 1929 – Punjab, India. There is political unrest, but for Mehar, a young bride living with her husband’s family on a rural farm, all that is very far away. She is married into a family with three brothers. She lives with the other two wives, and during their hardworking days and stifling, hopeful nights, the women wonder which of the brothers is their husband, which of the men it is who occasionally comes for them in the dark. Mehar knows, though, and she has fallen in love with the man she thinks [...]

Frances Carden2023-05-27T19:41:54-07:00May 27th, 2023|Tags: book review, botm, fiction, historical fiction, read, reading|