The Fourth Nephite by Jeffrey S. Savage

The Fourth Nephite
by Jeffrey S. Savage

LDS YA Historical Fantasy
304 pages, paperback
Target Reader: 12+

Deseret Book
978-783027416572
Release Date: August, 2010



From the publisher:

Kaleo Steele is starting to cut seminary and hang out with some new “friends”; in fact, he’s not even sure what he believes anymore. When his seminary teacher finds him at the wrong place at the wrong time, Kaleo is in jeopardy of missing his high school team’s regional football game—a game where college scouts will be coming to see him play. But his seminary teacher realizes that much more than a game is at stake, and sends him on a soul-searching quest.

Guided by Ladan, a mysterious old blind man, Kaleo pushes through a battered wooden door only to find himself in Palmyra, New York, in the fall of 1827. Soon he is caught up in a battle between treasure seekers—led by Allaster Blackburn, a necromancer hired to steal the gold plates—and the young prophet Joseph Smith, who is sworn to keep them safe. In his quest to find a key that will send him back to his own time, Kaleo will have to decide what to believe. Before it’s too late.

Another hit! This fantasy is geared toward LDS boys, but girls will love it as well. The action and suspense was wonderful, the characterization was great. I felt Kaleo, especially, was very believable. When he's caught breaking the rules, he accepts his punishment and although he makes some bad decisions along the way, in the end, he's learned the lessons he needed to learn.

I loved the peek into history and the life of Joseph Smith. The writing was captivating and I was caught up in the story from page one. LDS theology and gospel concepts were blended into the story line in a way that did not overpower the action and forward movement. It was a good mix and done well without being preachy or heavy-handed.

One caution: Some readers will not care for the blending of fantasy with LDS Church history. As a general rule, I do not like that. However, if any book could change my mind about mixing fantasy and religion, it would be this one. I was not at all offended by the way it was handled.

I recommend this book to LDS youth, ages 12+ and to adults who enjoy YA fantasy.

Plot:

Characters:

Ending:

Cover:



Content Ratings

Language:

Violence: Some fist fights, kidnappers, and evil villain who uses magic to get what he wants.

Drugs/Alcohol:

Immorality:

Values/Themes: Making choices and accepting the consequences.

Age Appropriate: .

Writing Mechanics:

*received a free ARC; plan to purchase final publication with my own money.


© 2010 It's a Book Affair

Am I Not a Man by Mark L. Shurtleff

Am I Not a Man: The Dred Scott Story
by Mark L. Shurtleff

Historical
534 pages, hardcover
Target Reader: Adult

Valor Publishing Group
978-1935546009
Release Date: November 3, 2009



From the publisher:

An illiterate slave, Dred Scott trusted in an all-white, slave-owning jury to declare him free. But after briefly experiencing the glory of freedom and manhood, a new state Supreme Court ordered the cold steel of the shackles to be closed again around his wrists and ankles. Falling to his knees, Dred cried, "Ain't I a man?" Dred answered his own question by rising and taking his fight to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dred ultimately lost his epic battle when the Chief Justice declared that a black man was so inferior that he had "no rights a white man was bound to respect."

Dred died not knowing that his undying courage led directly to the election of President Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation.

Download the first two chapters HERE.

I do a lot of work for a private school near me—editing and typesetting their textbooks. I especially love working on their history books. So the story of Dred Scott is not new to me. If you're unfamiliar with the history, this book covers the story of Dred Scott and his fight for freedom.

What is new is this fictionalized account of Dred Scott's life, and the lives of those who helped and supported him. I've always been touched and inspired by this man and his fight for freedom. When Valor Publishing asked if I wanted to be part of their book tour, I gave them a very loud YES!

Written by Mark L. Shurtleff, who obviously researched this book very well, this is the only fictionalization of Scott of this scope and magnitude that I am aware of. (This is a big book at 534 pages!)

I want to say that I enjoyed this book but that might be a little misleading. In places, it's very hard to read because of the brutal mistreatment of Scott and his family, as well as the other slaves. Shurtleff doesn't sugar-coat it at all and it hurt my heart. But I was once again impressed and inspired by the people who faced all odds to do what was right and who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

Shurtleff's treatment the Dred Scott story jumps around a bit and it might be a little hard for some readers to follow. It starts with Scott as an adult, then goes back to his childhood, then back to adult, then back to another time in his past. It also follows the story of the white families who helped him and what led them to be the type of people they were—again jumping from the current story to history and back.

It's also a tad confusing because many of the characters were named after family members, which was common for that time in our history. There's not much the author could do about that, but I wish a timeline and family trees had been included at the back of the book to help us keep the characters and events straight. (Perhaps in a future printing?)

The writing itself varies from fascinating, when Shurtleff is actually telling the story and creating a scene, to a little long-winded when we're getting a review of history. Some scenes seemed to be inserted into the book simply to give us the history of the time, and these drag a bit. However, the scenes focusing on Dred are captivatingly wonderful and realistic, and the descriptive language is often quite beautiful and touching.

Even with the slower spots and the sometimes confusing timelines, I recommend this uniquely American story to everyone. It's an important leg of our journey toward equal rights for all men and women. I believe that everyone over the age of 14 should be very familiar with the Dred Scott case and Am I Not a Man is a good way to bring that history to life.

Plot: Some parts are absolutely wonderful! Some of it is slow and feels like a history lesson.

Characters: Most of the characters, especially Dred and his family are wonderful, as are those who help him. However, some of the characters seem to be inserted merely for their ability to rehearse history.

Cover:



Content Ratings

Language: Some swearing, typical for that time period or historically accurate from various recorded accounts of the events.

Violence: This is a volatile time in American history and racial tension ran high. The mistreatment of slaves is horrendous and accurately described.

Drugs/Alcohol: Some drinking, as per historical accounts.

Immorality: Some immorality, as per historical accounts.

Values/Themes: A strong voice against slavery, prejudice and injustice.

Age Appropriate: For adults.

Writing Mechanics: Inconsistent. As mentioned before, when it's good, it's very, very good. When it's not, it's...not.

*ARC provided for review by publisher.


© 2010 It's a Book Affair

Illuminations of the Heart by Joyce DiPastena

Illuminations of the Heart
by Joyce DiPastena

Historical Romance
425 pages, softcover
Target Reader: Adult

Walnut Springs Press
978-1935217268
Release Date: June 22, 2009



From the Publisher:

Her heart is lost in that first embrace, her world shaken to its foundations. There is just one problem: her name is not Clothilde. It is Siriol de Calendri.

Trained in the art of illumination in the far-off city of Venice, she is directed by her late brother's will to the county of Poitou in France, where she enters the guardianship of her brother's friend, Sir Triston de Brielle. Once in Poitou, Siri hopes to find employment in an illuminator's shop—until Triston unexpectedly snatches her heart away with a kiss.

Triston is a man of quiet honor and courage, but the guilt he carries for the death of his late wife, Clothilde, has left him numb and hesitant to love again. Worse yet, Siri bears an uncanny resemblance to his lost love. Or does she? Her merry laughter and twinkling eyes are very different from his late wife's shy smiles and quiet ways. Yet when he gazes into Siri's face, all he sees is Clothilde.

Then Triston's past returns to threaten them both. Will his tragic life with Clothilde be repeated with Siri? Trapped between the rivalry of the king's sons on the one hand and a neighbor out for vengeance on the other, Triston realizes it would be safer to send Siri away. But how can he bear to lose her again?

Siri is determined not to be cast off and not to live in another woman's shadow. She has illuminated many a priceless book with pen and paint. But can her own vibrant spirit illuminate the darkness in Triston's soul and make his heart beat for her alone?

I first met Joyce DiPastena when her book, Loyalty's Web, was up for a Whitney Award in 2007. I like to read all the Whitney Finalists, and I thoroughly enjoyed Loyalty's Web—even though it was a romance. Medieval romances don't bother me as much as modern-day romances. In fact, I kind of like them.

So when Joyce asked if I'd like review her newest book, Illuminations of the Heart, I jumped at it. I started reading it as soon as it arrived from her publisher, Walnut Springs Press.

This is one hefty book. At 425 pages, it's a longer read than I usually enjoy in a romance, and sometimes I thought the personal issues could have been resolved a little faster, but overall, I hardly noticed the length of the book because I was caught up in the story line and the historical aspects.

For me to really recommend a historical romance like Illuminations, it absolutely must meet certain criteria:

• A believable, self-assured, strong-spirited heroine, who is likely to take matters into her own hands—Siri definitely fits the bill.
  
  
• A hero/love interest that is compelling for reasons other than his good looks—it took a while for me to warm up to Triston, but he won me over.
  
  
• A plot line that is more than just falling in love—there's some mystery, mistaken identity, some politics. Plenty more than just two people trying to get together.
  
  
• Well-written, well-researched and historically accurate—this was amazing. I felt like I was actually there.
  
• Some twists and turns that I didn't see coming—I'm not going to tell you what they were because that would ruin the fun. But it was great to be surprised.
  
  
• I must get lost in the story and forget what time it is in my real-life—uhm, yes. I was late for a doctor's appointment because of this book.
  
  
• Clean—no details from the bedroom—I could recommend this to my mother and my daughters with no hesitation.

Illuminations of the Heart met all my criteria—and more. I give it a 4 out of 5 for a romance.


Plot:

Characters:

Ending:

Cover:



Content Ratings

Language:

Violence: Some threatening situations but not much violence.

Drugs/Alcohol:

Immorality:

Values/Themes:

Age Appropriate:

Writing Mechanics:

*I received a review copy from the publisher.


© 2010 It's a Book Affair

Eyes Like Mine by Julie Wright

Eyes Like Mine
by Julie Wright

LDS YA Speculative/Historical
288 pages, softcover
Target reader: 14+

Covenant
978-1-59811-625-0
Release date: July 28, 2009



From the publisher:

A story of family that transcends time William has been missing for two days. And even though the rest of the wagon company has decided they must continue on to Zion, Constance Brown refuses to go any further until she finds her husband. All she can think about is the last time she saw him — he lovingly touched her face and then sang their baby girl to sleep. Will that memory be all Constance has to hold on to?

In a future time and place, Liz King is a teenager struggling with her identity in the modern world. The embarrassment she feels because of her parents’ divorce and her family’s new-found financial problems turns to bitterness.

Through an inexplicable twist of fate, Constance and Liz are brought face to face. Liz recognizes Constance’s name from her mother’s endless lectures on their family history, and she also recognizes her eyes — they are exactly like her own. Were these distant relatives brought together in order to help each other?

Will Constance be able to return to her own life and find William, and will Liz be able to keep from telling Constance how her story ends? In this irresistible novel filled with gripping adventure and heartfelt emotion, two young women from drastically different times and settings learn that the challenges life holds for them are not so different after all.

Read an excerpt.

Eyes Like Mine is one of those stories that's difficult to categorize. It's definitely for young adults, but adult women will like it too. Most of it is set in current time and deals with current issues—like divorce, infidelity, teen drama— so that makes it general or realistic fiction. Except it's not very realistic because there's a time-traveling relative involved. That makes it speculative. There are also several scenes that happen in the past, which makes it historical. And for good measure, there's some romance thrown in.

Whatever we call it, it was a pretty good read. I thought the characterization of Liz and Constance was very good. They became very real to me. Garrett, the love interest, was also pretty good. Liz's parents and siblings weren't as well developed as I'd like to see.

The plot was good. Liz's teen angst and drama drives a lot of the story. I liked the juxtaposition of two personalities—Liz and Constance—from two eras in time, and how values, thoughts and behaviors are somewhat shaped by our culture.

I also liked the very strong message that families are forever. Families are more than just the nuclear unit we see them as today. They stretch backward and forward in time.

The time traveling may be a stretch in believability for some readers, but it didn't bother me.

For me, this book was 3.75 stars—so close to a 4.0 that I'm going ahead and rounding it up. I think those who like clean stories and aren't offended by the mix of time travel and LDS theology should enjoy this book.


Plot:

Characters:

Ending:

Cover:



Content Ratings

Language: No swearing.

Violence: Liz's horse is hit by a car. That was a little hard.

Drugs/Alcohol:

Immorality: Liz's father was unfaithful, causing a divorce.

Values/Themes: An LDS book with themes on faith, trust, genealogy and family.

Age Appropriate: Teens and adult women should like this book.

Writing Mechanics: A little glitchy in spots, but dead on in others. Some head-hopping and abrupt POV changes.


© 2010 It's a Book Affair