The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

Much to my frustration, I discovered that reading ebooks while on the train does not work for my head. However, I’m perfectly fine with physical books in the same situation. I don’t know what it is about ebooks that give me a headache in such situations, but as I had six hours on the train ahead of me, I invested in this book to help pass the time.

Information:

Title: The Lifeboat

Author: Charlotte Rogan

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Target Audience: Adult

Genre: Historical fiction

Length: 275 pages

Story: Grace Winter, 22, is both a newlywed and a widow. She is also on trial for her life.

In the summer of 1914, the elegant ocean liner carrying her and her husband Henry across the Atlantic suffers a mysterious explosion. Setting aside his own safety, Henry secures Grace a place in a lifeboat, which the survivors quickly realize is over capacity. For any to live, some must die.

As the castaways battle the elements, and each other, Grace recollects the unorthodox way she and Henry met, and the new life of privilege she thought she'd found. Will she pay any price to keep it?

The Lifeboat is a page-turning novel of hard choices and survival, narrated by a woman as unforgettable and complex as the events she describes.

Thoughts and impressions: This book is a far cry from what I usually read. I knew this at the time of purchase and yet I still found myself inexplicably drawn to the book. Even more confusing is that the synopsis didn’t really sell me but I still wanted to read the book… and I’m so glad that I did!

Obviously, earlier this month (I finished this book April 30^th) I read a couple of books about the Titanic’s sinking. The Lifeboat seemed to be in something close to the same vein when I read the back of the book. This book, however, does not bother itself with the petty mentalities of events on the ship the Empress Alexandra before disaster strikes, except the occasional reference to them throughout the narrative. In fact, we never actually find out what the disaster was, what precipitated the Empress Alexandra’s sinking. This book deals with the aftermath of the disaster – with being stuck on an overcrowded lifeboat riding love in the water, and the drive to survive.

There are a lot of unanswered questions at the end of the book but they are dealt with so skilfully that as the reader I accepted the limits of Grace’s knowledge and it didn’t matter to me that I didn’t get all of the answers I would normally have desired.

The way that the differences between basic human nature from one person to the next were portrayed was simply masterful. From Hardie the seasoned seadog with too many secrets he couldn’t share, to Mary Ann the sheep willing to follow wherever the shepherd leads, to the pastor whose staunch belief in God hides a weakness of character, to Mrs Grant and Hannah whose motivations are never really revealed.

As of the start of the book – when the lifeboat is desperately trying to make its way clear of the sinking wreck of the Empress Alexandra, when the occupants of the already overloaded lifeboat have to turn away other survivors in favour of better assuring their own survival – it is clear that there will eventually be a standoff between Mrs Grant, who appeals to others’ sensibilities, and Hardie, who offends them but ensures their survival where Mrs Grant could not. It is not, however, clear why Mrs Grant desires complete control over the lifeboat and that is one of those bits of knowledge that the reader will never be privy to.

I was completely caught up in this intense struggle for survival against the forces of nature. It reminded me of that line from Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner: “water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink”. The occupants of the lifeboat are slowly dehydrating, slowly starving to death, and yet there is still a pronounced will to survive.

The author did an absolutely amazing job of bringing these events, these weeks in the lifeboat, completely to life for me. My jaw is dropping in awe of this book – it really is that good!

There are of course also the events of the present – of when Grace has survived her ordeal in the lifeboat only to be implicated in a murder and to find herself on trial. This part was just as introspective and just as good. I would have liked to have got to know Mr Reichmann better so as to understand things hinted at in the epilogue better, but that’s only a minor thing.

My only complaint is that some of the more important side characters were not always distinguished enough for me to really realise what was happening to whom, but with an original cast of 39 people in the lifeboat, I suppose that is to be expected. There’s no way the author could possibly have made all 39 of the characters stand out from the others.

The Lifeboat may not be something that I would ordinarily read but I am incredibly glad that I did. It completely transported me.

Style: The story is narrated by the ‘present day’ Grace, so she often interrupts her own narration with little side stories about this, that or the other or hints at events to come. It’s also a fairly formal style, but considering Grace is from the upper classes at the turn of the 20^th century, this is not out of the ordinary and keeps a good feel to the narration.

Final verdict: I am so very, very glad that I gave in to the temptation to read this book. It’s one of the best books I’ve read so far this year! 5 stars

Extra notes: I think there was some more mild language. No sex.

Sneak Peek: Gabriel by M.A. Abraham

The blurb:

Deep in the Elven woods there lives many races of Elves. You are about to embark on a journey through the Elven Empires; there are nine of them.

We will not be visiting all nine of them in this series.  We will start first with the Light Elves and the reunification of their peoples. Book One of the Elven Chronicles – Gabriel.

In Gabriel we will meet many of the hierarchy in that realm. Here is a taste of the upcoming book Gabriel.

He has returned from the wars a hero to his people, savior of their Empire and honored as such, but his world is empty, despite the peace he has won for his people.  There is no light where he lives, no soft touch to comfort him, to push away the darkness of his memories.  He lives only to serve his King and the world he lives in.  He is the High Lord General Gabriel Eagle Claw, Commander of the Combined Elven forces   Sent into the outside world to bring their people home he travels with his troop to the valley where he has been told they await his coming.  There he is to find the Life Mate to the King and bring her safely to his side, but there is more, for there is a mystery he must solve and claim for his own.  She who will bring light and love to his soul, she is his Eden.  His one and only, his true Life Mate, his love and he vows he will bind her to him forever.

She is like a forest creature, wild and free.  Warrior trained along side her brothers. She guards the life and spirit of the forests that surround them, as well as those who live in the valley with them.  She also guards a secret, for she is more than just a simple Elven maiden tending to the care of the elements they live in.  Within her lives the talent to communicate with the very trees she treats, they tell her tales, stories, tidings of things that have passed.  To them she is their guardian.  To them she is Tratchar, she who heals their ills, beloved of the Sentinels and their salvation.  Beautiful and proud she is no man’s possession, nor shall she be, this she is determined she will never be.

“Catch,” the warning comes just in time to alert the General Gabriel to attention and warrior that he is he is quick to react just as the young Elven maiden is knocked from the tree that he has chosen to stand under, catching her as she falls.  When blue eyes meet silver each know they have met their Life Mate, but such things as not as quickly accepted as they are recognized.  He would have order in his ranks, she must be free to mark her own trail, he would bind her, tie her, control her.  She would test his patience and will to the limit, and challenge his rights to own what she would not give freely.

As he brings those he has been ordered to collect home a new world unravels for the Elves that neither has expected.  As the King claims his bride, Eden hears a different voice, for the GREAT GUARDIAN has recognized her for what she is.  TRATCHAR.  A title that has been lost in time and is said only to live in legend.  None have lived in the living memory of those who dwell in the Empire.  Embraced by the forest that surrounds her, revered by the inhabitants, Eden seeks no more than to regain the peace she knew in the valley, while Gabriel wishes no more than to hold her tight to his side.

Brought together through trickery, separated through duty, Gabriel and Eden find that their worlds have changed, for both are recognizing more and more that the bond that will make them complete will not be denied.  It is forever in her character to fight that which she cannot battle, and Gabriel will use whatever means in his arsenal of tricks to complete their bond and hold her to his side, until no longer able or willing to deny the love that haunts her, she becomes his in body, mind and soul.  It is a coming together that binds not only one, but both, as the words they share in bonding declares.  “You are mine, I am yours.  Together, we are one.”

The Sneak Peek:

Eden gave her mother the directions needed to meet up with the main body of Elves traveling towards their home territory then she melted into the forest.  It was not something her mother had approved of, but she had learned many years ago to accept.  Eden had always gone her own way and operated on a set of laws exclusive to her own world.  She offended nobody, never failed to be polite, was a hard worker, but tended to keep to herself if given the option.  She was not noted for diplomacy or mixing well with others that she was not familiar with.

That was why Eden was perched high in a towering Oak when her group of Elven women rode into the main encampment to rejoin their families and friends.  She watched as her mother and sister were reunited and noted how they were afforded special attention.  She listened in to the reports that were given to what appeared to be the commanders of the forces.  She frowned as she heard her name tossed about in all the tales relayed of their rescue and recover, and heaved a silent sigh of resignation.  She had told everyone to leave her name out of the telling, no one had listened to her it seemed.  A sudden gust of wind made the branch she was on sway and she adjusted her hold on the tree.

"Uncle," she heard a voice call to another who had been standing close to the tree.  "Catch."

Eden heard the sound of something speeding through the foliage, then felt the limb she was on vibrate.  A moment later she gave a slight yelp as she flew through the air to land heavily in the arms of the Elven commander.  Blue eyes met silver for a split second, followed by a gasp, almost as if of recognition.  Then, before anyone had a chance to recover from the shock, she flipped backwards out of his arms, onto the ground, and sped off.

"Stop right there."  Eden's almost captor snapped out, expecting her to come to an immediate halt.  She kept on going.  He wasted precious moments deciding whether to give chase personally, as he was tempted to do, or to order her capture.  He was quick to bark out the order for her retrieval.  It; however, was easier said than done.  Eden was nowhere to be seen.

A few hours later the pursuers returned empty handed to report their failure.  "We lost her General Gabriel."

It was not news either of the trackers wanted to report.  Gabriel tossed them a nasty look and growled.  "How and where."

"Just outside of the camp, we double tracked, we checked the trees, top and bottom.  It is as if she just disappeared."

Gabriel suppressed the urge to scream his frustration.  Up to this point everything had gone smooth. There had been no glitches to the gatherings at all, and suddenly some slip of a girl threatened to throw off the whole mission!  Not while he was in command.

"Marious," Gabriel yelled, bringing the younger Elf running.

"You bellowed uncle?"  Marious' attitude was enough to set Gabriel off.  He was amused and willing to show it, something he knew would aggravate the great General.  Gabriel was never one to put up with familiarity from his troops.  Marious hardly cared, the war was over, and he was not one of his uncle's troops.  He was a diplomat, when he chose to be, or his King ordered it.

"We are missing an Elf."

"Anyone in particular uncle?"

"You should know," Gabriel growled.  "You were the one that shot her out of the tree."

"Oh, that one," Marious laughed.  "What is the matter uncle, finding it impossible to hang onto a simple Elven maiden?  I was sure that you would have appreciated my gift better than that."

"Oh nephew but I do."  Gabriel sounded just as sweet, then added in a snarl.  "So much so that I am sending you after her with a dozen trackers to find her again."

"Me?"

"Yes you," Gabriel snipped.  "I thought it out carefully and I believe that if you could find her without any problem before, you should have no problem doing it again.  Go."

The author:

I have been writing books since before I became a teenager. Most are still hidden in the closet. I used to make up my own stories as a child, everyone used to act them out while we were playing outside. As a teenager someone issued me a challenge. I told her that her stories stunk, she told me to do better.

My job growing up was to play guardian to my little brother, keep him safe. That meant I ended up getting into more fights than enough – makes sense now that I write about warriors.

My family will try to tell you that I’m not innocent, I have a personality that keeps them on their toes. Over my lifetime and theirs I have earn several nicknames – The Godmother, The Evil Christmas Elf (comes from making my nieces wrap their own Christmas presents), Mistress of Ambush. My favorite response to them when they try to get me into trouble is just to look at them with a wide doe eyed expression and say “Moi?????”

I have a seal point Siamese cat named Snoop, named after my favorite cartoon character and hobby. I have a “healthy” but small collection of Snoopy memorabilia. He is a character alright; never met a cat who can talk back like he does. He expects daily dosages of adoration on his schedule when he wants it – not when it’s convenient for me and he HATES snow.

I come from a very large family (mostly brothers) and I could outrun the whole works of them (I’m the shortest!). It was called survival.

This book has been in the making for a long time now. Over a half a year to write it, about the same amount of time to edit it, and probably about the same amount of time to get the art work and website! I have learned you can’t control the timelines of other people – Murphy likes to step in.

So for now I am setting up good luck charms everywhere… didn’t know I had that many stuffed Snoopy’s. *Fingers, legs, toes, eyes and anything else I can crossed*


Buy the book:
Smashwords
Amazon US
Amazon UK

The rest of the blog blitz:

Follow Friday - 04/05/12

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison can read. Each week participants are given a prompt. This week's is:   

Q: What is one thing you wish you could tell your favorite author?

Dear Trudi Canavan,

Why? Why??? 

Yours,

Rea

---

Actually I know why, but that didn't stop the devastating grief at the time of reading!

How about you? Leave me a comment with a link to your post and I'll be sure to pop on over as time allows! 

Happy hopping and have a great weekend!

Get A Taste: The Lifeboat

Tara of Basically Books and I often read very different books but sometimes find interesting new books to potentially add to the ever-growing monsters that our TBR piles have morphed into. However, we know that we do not have 100% the same taste and we wanted another way of getting a look at these books...

Do you ever feel like getting a bit of a taster for a book you’ve been thinking of reading but aren’t fully sold on yet? Do you feel like sharing a taster for your current read with the world? Well, here’s your chance.

Each week the random number generator will pick a number between 1 and 100 for books with pages or 1 and 25% for ebooks. We figured that these numbers would keep us out of spoiler territory. Open your book to the specified place and pick a paragraph. Share it with the world!

The numbers for this week are:

Page 46 for books

6% for ebooks

My book:

Hannah, who seemed to have made fast friends with Mrs Grant or perhaps had known her from before, was gazing at me in an odd way, and I reflexively put a hand to my hair and started to worry about how I looked. Hannah had gray eyes and long hair that twisted into thick locks when it blew in the wind. She had put a filmy piece of cloth around her shoulders, and it flapped lightly in the breeze the way the wings of a bird might flap if it were really a goddess disguised as a bird.
This is actually page 47 as page 46 is blank in my copy but I really wanted to share this book. I finished it a couple of days ago and adored it. The review will be up on Saturday.

Do you want to join in too? Here’s how:

Step 1: Copy and paste the Get A Taste image.

Step 2: Copy and paste our intro or write your own but it must link back to both of our blogs.

Step 3: Find the designated page for the week.

Step 4: Type out a paragraph or so from your book.

Step 5: Post it and share it!

We would appreciate it if you'd leave a comment letting us know where we can find your post. We'll be sure to pop on by and leave a comment!

Thanks and have fun!

Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi

I received this book from NetGalley courtesy of the publisher.

Information:

Title: Tomorrow Land

Author: Mari Mancusi

Publisher: NLA Digital

Target Audience: YA

Genre: Dystopia (zombies)

Length: 281 pages

Story: Can true love survive the end of the world?

Imagine finding your first love, only to be ripped apart by the apocalypse. Peyton Anderson will never forget the day she was forced to make a choice--between her family--and Chris Parker, the boy she'd given her heart. Now, four years later, as she steps from the fallout shelter and into a dead and broken world, he's the only thing on her mind.

All Chris "Chase" Parker wanted was to take Peyton away and keep her safe from harm. But he waited for hours in the rain on judgment day and she never showed--breaking his heart without ever telling him why.

Now the two of them have been thrown together once again, reluctant chaperones to a group of orphan children in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead still walk...and feed. As they begin their pilgramage to the last human outpost on Earth, can they find a way to let go of old hurts and find the love they lost--all while attempting to save what's left of the human race?

Thoughts and impressions: This book uses a sort of duel narration. There are two storylines that follow the characters: one as their society starts to break apart due to a plague that transforms some of the sufferers into zombies; and the other is four years later after society has completely broken down  with only a handful of survivors left… and the zombies, of course. Though it was certainly interesting to observe the factors that led to the downfall of the current society (the book is set about 25 years from now) – something that I often bemoan in other books because I find myself wanting to know why and how things changed to become what they are – in this particular set up I was always far more interested in the storyline set in the ‘now’. Sometimes I toyed with the idea of skipping chapters set in the ‘then’ but in the end I didn’t give in to temptation.

Why was this the case? Well, I suspect that this was because a) the events in the ‘now’ posed more of a threat than those in the ‘then’. Plus, there were enough hints in the ‘now’ narrative that I was able to draw a fairly clear picture of what was to come in the ‘then’ storyline well before events reached that point.

At the start of novel, especially in the first chapter as the scene was originally being set, there were a few things that didn’t strike me as being in the story’s best interests:

- First off, there was a fairly heavy reliance on pop culture from our time, such as references to Twilight (which I consider especially dangerous to use in a story as you audience will either lap up your reference, or be annoyed by it. I’m in the latter group. Plus, Edward’s described as a brooding hero… he gave me the creeps!), Ghostbusters, etc.

- Secondly, the teen culture there is based on the government having made sex illegal to any who haven’t received an injection making them immune to AIDS. I don’t believe for a moment that this is even remotely possible. Sex is an innate drive within almost all humans. Over the centuries there have been many attempts to control sexual encounters between humans and they have all failed.

On top of this, the romance was so angsty that it got frustrating rather than endearing. A lot of the interactions in the ‘now’ between Peyton and Chase were based on mutual misunderstandings that added layers to the wall of angst built up between them. The sort of thing where Peyton claims Chase is avoiding her and moping then Chase claims that Peyton is avoiding him by surrounding herself with the children. There was the whole reason behind Chase’s addiction to painkillers as well, which the reader discovers at the very end of the story, that I found incredibly short-sighted to say Chase had lived for four years in a world falling apart, had witnessed more death than any teen ever should… and yet his excuse for seeking relief in painkillers was incredibly flimsy. Just my opinion, of course.

What’s more, to say that they were two nineteen-year-olds travelling with a pack of children in a zombie-infested landscape, their trip from North Carolina to Florida was extremely uneventful. They only had a couple of periodic run ins with zombies – usually serving to advance the angst-ridden romance rather than furthering the plot; and none of the kids ever kicked up a big fuss or even made things difficult in smaller, more annoying ways. To say they were between the ages of about 6 and 15, all eight of the children were well-behaved cherubs rather than normal children. Only a couple of them are really featured while the others are relegated to the background fuzz of not having distinct characters. Not to mention, when they’re first introduced, Peyton observes that there are as many ethnicities as there are children… and yet three of the eight are triplets – how does that work out?

I felt quite sorry for Peyton, for what she was going through. Her father had used her to fit his own visions, leaving her entirely within his power. But at the same time, I always felt that she could have made things a lot easier on herself had she just opened her mouth and shared some of her secrets rather than yo-yoing between keeping Chase at arm’s length and plastering herself up against him.

When I was reading the book, I was fairly interested in finding out what was going on and getting to the bottom of the mystery presented and I have to take this into account. I actually liked the plot when it was being drowned out by the breakdown of communication between the two main characters. This won’t be the book for everyone, though, and if you don’t like post-apocalyptic angst-driven teenage romances then this won’t be the book for you.

Style: I did have some issues with the style but they were personal preference. When Chris was first introduced as Chase, though, there were a couple of times when the wrong name was used for no discernible reason.

Final verdict: This is one of those books where I was invested in it enough as I was reading it but afterwards its faults were magnified. I feel it’s one I’d probably rate 2.5 but as I don’t do halves I’ll round up to 3 stars.

Extra notes: There is some bad language present. Sex is not.

Weigh in Wednesday 1

Weigh in Wednesday is a meme started by Lauren over at Epilogue. Each week participants weigh in on a certain topic and give their opinions.

This week:

E-book Vs. Print Book

My answer: 

It's only recently that I've started reading ebooks with a vengence. I like to keep a happy medium between the number of books I read and the number of print books that I read.

Ebooks are good for introducing me to authors I never would have discovered otherwise. They're also much more concise and they can be carted around in my handbag very easily.

Physical books are great for that feeling for turning the pages and the musty smell of the paper. If I don't read a physical book for too long I start to yearn for that feeling of the pages beneath my fingers. Also, I find that hardbacks are the best looking books - it's just a shame that they're so much harder to read due to their bulk!

Gate to Kandrith by Nicole Luiken

Though I always claim fantasy to be my true love when it comes to genres, it’s been a while now since I last read a pure fantasy set in a secondary world. Because of this and the promised romance aspect of this novel, I found myself highly anticipating my foray into Kandrith!

Information:

Title: Gate to Kandrith

Author: Nicole Luiken

Series: Kandrith #1

Publisher: Carina Press

Target Audience: Adult

Genre: Fantasy / romance

Length: 364 pages

Story: Sarathena Remillus, daughter of the newly elected Primus of the Republic of Temboria, has been given a mission: discover the secret of slave magic. Anxious to escape the corruption and treachery of the capital, Sara welcomes the chance to finally prove herself far away in Kandrith, the tiny nation of former slaves.

Accompanying her on the journey is Lance, a Kandrithan to whom Sara owes her life. Lance despises the nobility, and is determined to resist his desire for Sara, despite her attempts to entice him into divulging the secret of his magic.

Soon their travels become fraught with peril, and Sara discovers she's fallen victim to the ultimate betrayal. To end a war between two nations, she will have to make the ultimate sacrifice...

Thoughts and impressions: I have to admit that the first few pages didn’t really capture my attention very well. Some time passed between me experimenting with getting a taste of the first pages and settling down to read the rest of the book. I’m not sure why it failed to really draw me in as it was a fairly strong opening passage. It could have been to do with all the fantasy-world name dropping. I much prefer when authors go to the lengths of inventing some form of religious system for their world that bears little-to-no resemblance to any religious system in our world. This is the case here but I found that being introduced to all the names and roles of the political system as well as all of the names and roles of the religious systems right off the bat served more as a wedge between me and the book than anything else. I liked and appreciated both of them, don’t get me wrong, but I think I was just inundated with too much societal information in one go rather than being introduced to it in easy steps.

Sara is the daughter of the political leader of her land. She is to be the Child of Peace, destined to live in the neighbouring land of Kandrith, meant to keep her father from breaking the tenuous political pact that exists between the two countries. But Sara has been sent as a spy, meant to uncover the truth behind slave magic and hand its secrets over to her father. She’s travelling with the son of the current King of Kandrith – a man she’d met previously while in the throes of a drug-induced lustful stupor… and the first man she’s found herself attracted to in a long time. Of course, the attraction is mutual despite Lance’s dislike of Sara’s basic culture: one that permits her to be the owner of others’ lives – to have slaves. They call Kandrith Slaveland for a reason and, as a former slave to a particularly vicious owner, Lance has every right to shun Sara’s culture.

This book raises a number of interesting questions about slavers and slave-keeping. Can someone own slaves and also have a good moral code? Is a slave-owner inherently evil even if they treat their slaves well? How much in our lives do we take for granted – so much so that we’re blinded to what stares us in the face?

Once I’d actually got into the swing of things, I was enthralled by the book – though there were occasionally certain events that left me pondering just how believable they really were. I was easily able to overlook them as they added whole dimensions to the story and the relationships between the characters, but they did niggle at me from time to time.

I actually really enjoyed all of the various characters in the book. Other than Sara and Lance, my particular favourite was Juren. He was conniving and not very nice but he had his good sides as well. Right as of his initial introduction, he made me think of Ashur from the Spartacus series.

They’re both fairly similar characters: driven with a barbed tongue; full of sugar-coated insults and ready to slide a knife into anyone’s back! Granted, I think Juren eventually proved himself to be the bigger man than Ashur, but once the image was there, it stuck.

A lot of the story takes place journeying from one place to the next but it’s not just a physical journey over land, it’s also an emotional journey of self-discovery. Sara has to learn a lot before she can really, truly be worthy of Lance’s love. There’s give and take in everything, especially Lance’s healing magic, and really Sara has to get to the point where she’s willing to sacrifice something important to her in order to help others around her, just as Lance did. She does eventually commit a sacrifice of such magnitude that I really can’t wait for the sequel next year to see where she and Lance will go from here.

Sara’s realistions – her happiness, her distress, the way she came to terms with certain truths in such a way that allowed her to become a better person – all endeared her to me so that she became a character I could feel close to despite the yawning chasms between us. I hope they find some way of getting back what she sacrificed in the interests of others.

Style: Good but there was a tendency to use names more often than was strictly necessary, which I found distracting.

Final verdict: A very good fantasy romance! It was missing that je ne sais quoi which would have pushed it into a top rating, but it was still one that I really enjoyed. 4 stars

Extra notes: If there was any bad language in the story, it didn’t stick out to me at all. Sex is present.