March 2024 Book Round Up
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Reading Roundup for March
Walking On Hidden Wings - Rachel Scott McDaniel
Targeted age: Adult
Clean: Mostly
Christian: Yes
My Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Description
"Geneva Ashcroft Hayes's marriage to a newspaper mogul might have been arranged, but the New York socialite is devastated when her husband's plane crashes a few short months after their nuptials. When the authorities suspect murder, Geneva sets out on a wild mission to find his killer--and to prove it wasn’t her!
When mysterious notes surface pointing to Geneva's guilt in his death, they only strengthen her resolve. She has little to go on except for a detective friend's cryptic list of locations connected to her dead spouse. When the friend also disappears, she trades her sparkling gowns for coveralls and pilot goggles.
Armed with a new name and career as a wingwalker and barnstormer, she travels from town to town in hopes of unearthing clues and locating her missing friend. But Geneva discovers that her past may not belong to her . . . what she once believed as truth may be nothing more than lies and deception.”
I received this book as an ARC from the author (huge thank you!) in exchange for my review.
First, this story was really different from most historical novels I’ve read over the last year. I loved the addition of a female pilot and planes. It made this story really stand out from my normal read. This book had me questioning every character and motive. Several times, I thought I found who the murderer was, only to be surprised in the end! The writing was very well done and it definitely kept me engaged.
Content Warnings:
Talk of murder (not graphic)
Talk of intimacy between a married couple, more than a handful of times. While it’s not descriptive, I would caution young readers
Overall, this was a great historical fiction book, and I recommend this one!
A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure - Angela Bell
Targeted age: Adult (suitable for older teens)
Spice: Clean
Christian: Yes
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is Angela Bell’s debut novel and it’s a great one! If you like steampunk, cool inventions, animals, and historical love stories, this is the book for you!
From the cover…
"London, England, 1860
When Clara's ex-fiancé begins to spread rumors that her family suffers from hereditary insanity, it's all she can do to protect them from his desperate schemes, society's prejudice, and a lifetime in an asylum. Then Clara's Grandfather Drosselmeyer brings on an apprentice with a mechanical leg, and all pretense of normalcy takes wing.
Theodore Kingsley, a shame-chased vagabond haunted by the war, wants a fresh start far from Kingsley Court and the disappointed father who declared him dead. Upon returning to England, Theodore meets clockmaker Drosselmeyer, who hires him as an apprentice, much to Clara's dismay. When Drosselmeyer spontaneously disappears in his secret flying owl machine, he leaves behind a note for Clara, beseeching her to make her dreams of adventure a reality by joining him on a merry scavenger hunt across Europe. Together, Clara and Theodore set off to follow Drosselmeyer's trail of clues, but they will have to stay one step ahead of a villain who wants the flying machine for himself--at any cost.”
No content warnings.
Powerless - Lauren Roberts
Targeted age: YA, but with caution
Clean:
Christian: No
My Rating: 3/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I know this is a beloved book right now, but I have major thoughts and warnings for parents. There were certain scenes that even I felt uncomfortable reading as an adult, and this is billed as “young adult” (ages 12-18). I’m only giving it three stars for a decent plot line, most of which was plagiarized from The Hunger Games (and the second book sounds a lot like major parts of Divergent). This book is the first in a trilogy, book 2 comes out later this year. I haven’t decided if I’m going to buy it.
I feel like I went back in time 15 years and was reading The Hunger Games again. The Hunger Games is still one of my all-time favorite book series, so I could instantly see the parallels. Imagine that all the kids in the Games had super powers and there is a King rather than a president…that is essentially the plot of Powerless.
I would caution teen readers. I personally would never let my teens read this one. Powerless is an adult novel with the characters being teens, however they do not act like teens. Honestly, why not just make them in their 20’s? It’s unrealistic that an 18 year old girl could do even a fraction of what this main character did.
I also feel it gives an overinflated view of how teen boys act. It’s unrealistic and gives girls the idea that men are super romantic like this boy is. That’s really bothersome to me.
Warnings:
Language. My biggest gripe is the language in this book (aside from the fact that this feels way too much like The Hunger Games)
Two girls slow dance together at a ball (not specified if they are friends or not)
Major sexual tension between the two characters. They never even kiss in this book, but there’s a lot of moments where they are touching each other and it’s explained in a -lot- of detail. Did not seem PG-13, more like adult-level.
Talk of suicide
Obviously, quite a bit of violence
Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder
Targeted age: All agess (elementary reading level)
Christian: Yes
My Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Believe it or not, when I was a young girl, I disliked history. I refused to read any classic books or anything that wasn’t modern. It never held my interest. Fast forward 30 years, and 95% of my books are all historical novels. Give me all the classics! Give me history!
Because of my dislike of history, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I have never read the Little House on the Prairie series. I started watching the show a few weeks ago, and I love it so much that I picked up the books to read.
Most people know what Little House is about in general; late 1800’s American family moving west and all their adventures in life. It centers around Laura Ingalls, the author herself. Laura is around 6-7 years old in this first book, and she lives in a cabin in the woods with her Ma, Pa, and two sisters.
All around, this is such a cute and interesting book. My son also really liked this book, he read it two years ago. This is the first book in the series, so we hear from a very young Laura. She describes her life in the Big Woods, how Ma makes things in her kitchen (this was my favorite part of the book!), going to a store for the first time, dances, cooking, sewing, and more. I just loved it.
I highly recommend this one, and I’ll be purchasing the rest of the series. This would be a great book as a read aloud, and as a supplement to American History. I learned so much about how early American women made different foods in the kitchen, and that was really fascinating to me.
Dreamkeeper Saga Book 4
Targeted age: Middle grade
Christian: Yes
Warnings: None
My Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Dreamkeeper’s Saga has released the next book in the series! We were so excited when this was delivered. Crossway sent this book as a surprise to us. My 13 year old son read the book in one DAY. He’s read all 4 books in the series now.
If your kids like The Wingfeather Saga, Lord of the Rings, The Green Ember series, and Narnia, they’ll like this one, too. It has the same kind of vibe going on.
From Amazon, “In Book 4 of the Dream Keeper Saga, Lily Embarks on a Global Quest to Save the World from Its Nightmares. Lily is excited to reunite with her family after her latest quest in the Somnium Realm, but when she reaches home, she discovers that evil nightmares have invaded the waking world. With the help of her parents, magical friends, and a team of displaced guardians of the Realm, she races to rescue the earth from destruction. Traveling by time machine to the Great Wall of China, Tanzania, and the mountains of Peru, they work together to save the world from fear. As their efforts falter and the threat looms ever darker, Lily pleads for Pax to reach into the waking world to help . . . but can he?
Book 4 of the Dream Keeper Saga is a fast-paced adventure that helps kids and their families discuss biblical themes of sin, salvation, and trust in God”
Book review from my 13 year old below!
"The Dreamkeeper Saga: The Quest for the Guardians has a very strong, overall theme of loyalty and the value of friendship and life. Lily, the main character, struggles to obey her dad and Pax, but her dad tries to keep her away from the Realm to protect her. This book has a very Christian theme all throughout the book.
I liked this book because of the suspense in every chapter, the theme of perseverance, and the way the author shows the value of life. Again, it has a very ardent Christian worldview.
