Book Review: Odd & True, by Cat Winters @catwinters

I'm feeling very repetitive, but as I say in all my reviews of Winter's books, I love the way she weaves together a historical setting, intriguing characters, and a smidgen of magic into a remarkable tale.

Odd & True is the story of two sisters in the early 1900s.  They live with their aunt, and Od, the oldest, tells her younger sister, Tru, stories of their mother's supernatural power to ward off demons and ghosts of all kinds. They have a magical box, a special necklace, and a mirror in their window to keep the bad things away.

Tru is crippled from polio and spends most of her time in a wheelchair. We get flashbacks from Od's point-of-view about their childhood.  When Od is 15, she is sent away by Aunt Vik and is never to return.  Tru has no idea why but receives letters from her sister indicating that she has a job reading Tarot cards in the circus.

When Tru is about to turn 15, Od returns and convinces Tru that they need to go on an adventure and hunt monsters around the country.  Tru convinces Od that they need to go find their mother. So their journey begins. They find many other things along the way.

That is such a bland description for a beautiful book. Od and Tru are such vivid, complete characters whose motivations may be unclear, but their hearts are true.  Od is keeping secrets about what really happened when she was away, but all will be revealed. I did find it took a while for Odd & True to really grab me, but it certainly did.

And about that magical power to ward off demons?  Has the power passed to the sisters? Well, I'll let you find out.

I've read four other books by Cat Winters and have given three of them a rating of 5/5.  The other got a 4/5.  Suffice it to say, she's one of my favorite authors. Her books defy categorization.  All of her books contain author's notes at the end that suggest further reading on the historical aspects of the story.  Odd & True actually contains a full bibliography.

If you haven't read Cat Winters, give Od & Tru (or any other of her books) a try.  It's an immersive experience.

Published by Amulet, September 12, 2017
Copy obtained from the library
358 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: Yesternight by Cat Winters

In Yesternight, Cat Winters has once again woven together a compelling tale of the supernatural with the historical.

It's 1925 and Alice is a psychologist who spends her time traveling around giving IQ tests to school children to identify those that need assistance.  But what she finds in Gordon Bay, Oregon, is something quite unexpected.  Janie O'Daire remembers things from a different time and place as if she's lived through these events.  She remembers her sister and a life in Kansas. She remembers drowning.

Being a scientist, Alice cannot believe these stories.  But the child is also a math genius, and as Alice begins to investigate, she can't overlook the facts.  Janie is the reincarnated version of a girl named Violet.  Being a female in a male profession is hard enough for Alice, but investigating a reincarnation is sure to ruin her professionally.  But investigate she does.  She and Alice's father and mother take Alice to Kansas to meet the person who was once her sister.  All of Alice's feelings are confirmed, and she is convinced of Alice's reincarnation.

Alice herself has a somewhat cloudy past and as she begins to believe, she also wonders if some of the weird things she has experienced are because she is also reincarnated.  The rest of the story follows Alice, assisted by Janie's father, as she investigates her own possible past life at a hotel called Yesternight.

Yesternight is well paced and kept my interest, as Winters always does.  The resolution was unexpected and I'm not sure I liked it, but I guess it fit.  Winters is a favorite author of mine, and I've read all of her books. Yesternight isn't my favorite, but I'll still look forward to reading her next creation.

Yesternight is an adult book (she's written for both teens and adults) and contains more sexual references than any of her other novels. I would only recommend this to mature teens.

Published by William Morrow, October 4, 2016
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
400 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The Steep and Thorny Way by Cat Winters @catwinters

Cat Winters has solidified her place on my "must read" list with The Steep and Thorny Way. Billed as a reimagining of Hamlet, the story kept me enthralled.

It's the1920s and Hanalee is out to avenge the death of her father. When the kid who went to prison for hitting Hanalee's father with his car is released, Hanalee comes after him with a pistol. He convinces Hanalee that he's not the murderer. That he was framed. That Hanalee's new stepfather, the doctor, is the real killer.

Hanalee begins to investigate, including a couple of visits with the ghost of her father. Turns out, the story is much more complicated. Hanalee's father is black and her mother is white. The Ku Klux Klan has a strong presence in 1920s Oregon and they do not accept Hanalee or any other person of color.

I don't want to say too much about what happens. The tension mounts, as Hanalee begins to understand the truth about her father's death, and she finds herself in great danger because of it.

Winters writes characters that you can't help but sympathize with. It's easy to think the worst of people, but in some cases that's not the truth. And, of course, sometimes those we trust turn out to be the worst! The Steep and Thorny Way is a multilayered story that I couldn't put down. I wasn't really sure about what happened until it was revealed.

I will recommend this to my students along with Winters' other novels, In the Shadow of Blackbirds, The Cure for Dreaming, and The Uninvited. I gave them all 5/5 ratings.

Published by Amulet, March 8, 2016
eARC obtained from NetGalley
352 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: The Raven's Tale by Cat Winters @catwinters

I thoroughly enjoyed Winters’ delightfully macabre tale of the life of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven’s Tale.

Poe had a difficult upbringing. His mother, an actress, died when Poe was very young, and he was taken in by the Allans. His new mother always loved him, but life with his father became very difficult. The more Poe became interested in writing, the more his father tried to dissuade him. Poe was accepted into the University of Virginia, but because he wouldn’t give up his writing, his father threatened to not allow him to attend, and in the end, made Poe’s short stay at the University almost impossible.

Winters writes the story as if it were written by Poe. She ads a character that is Edgar’s muse, a creepy woman Edgar names Lenore, who he can’t live without. She begins to grow feathers and is evolving into a raven. 😉 His father goes so far as to try to kill her. During his tenure at the University Poe has another muse vying for his attention, a man who wants Poe to stop writing the scary stories about death and write something that would make a name for him.

It is interesting how when Lenore is around, lines from Poe’s poetry pop into his head. Makes you wonder if this is really how it happened?? The tale is deftly told and kept my interest, and I felt such compassion for Edgar and his troubled life. I haven’t even talked about his doomed love life, which is also a large part of this sad story.

Those who are interested in Poe’s life can’t go wrong with The Raven’s Tale. As you probably are aware, Poe did come to know success and some happiness eventually. Winters adds a helpful Author’s Note that adds to the information given in the book. There’s a bibliography for further reading, as well as copious notes about where every line of poetry in the book came from. Some is written by Winters herself, in the style of Poe, which is excellent. I've read all of Winters' novels and am always impressed. She's a "must read" author for me. The Raven’s Tale would be an excellent addition to any curriculum examining the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

Published by Amulet, April 16, 2019
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
368 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: The Uninvited by Cat Winters @catwinters

I love the way Cat Winters takes an historical time period and immerses her readers in it. The Uninvited is no exception, portraying the influenza epidemic of 1918 in a unique and compelling way.

Ivy has finally recovered from the flu, but her world is still falling apart. There's also the war to consider, and the anti-German sentiment is pervasive in her small Illinois town. She also must live with the curse of the women in her family -- she occasionally sees the ghosts of her loved ones. And without fail, these visions are a prelude to the death of another of her loved ones. Ivy has a vision of her dead grandmother, then finds out her father and brother have brutally murdered a German shopkeeper in retaliation for her brother's death in the war.

Ivy can't take being at home anymore, so she goes and finds lodging in town. But she also feels compelled to visit the brother of the German man who was killed, and try to make up for what her family has done.

She's always been a recluse but now gets involved in rescuing people from the flu, listening to jazz, and building a relationship with the German man.

A couple of things worth mentioning. The Uninvited takes place in Illinois, where I'm from. Several references are made to Collinsville, where a German was murdered during this time just because he was German. I live about ten miles from Collinsville and knew nothing about this true story.

Secondly, this is an adult novel. I didn't realize this, since Winters' other novels have been young adult. At least I thought so. There's nothing explicit in the novel, but there are definitely adult themes, and I would only recommend this to mature teens who have enjoyed her previous stories.

The ending was a surprise. I didn't see that coming. But I liked it and thought it worked well. Given that historical fiction is my favorite genre, I thoroughly enjoyed The Uninvited and highly recommend it.

Published by William Morrow, August 11, 2015
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
368 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters @catwinters

I really enjoy how Cat Winters blends a historical story with serious issues of the time period and adds a bit of magic or something supernatural. In The Cure for Dreaming she explores the suffragette movement of the early 1900s and uses hypnotism.

Olivia has been hypnotized at a Halloween show. Also, earlier on that day, she participated in a demonstration trying to get women the right to vote. Her father, a popular dentist, gets angry with Olivia because he is losing customers because of her behavior. He hires the hypnotist, Henri, to hypnotize Olivia so that she loses her desire for independence and conforms to the norms of the day.

The hypnotism has some unintended consequences, and Henri feels bad. But he needs the money Olivia's father has promised him because his sister is very ill and needs an operation. He promises to undo the damage after he gets paid. But Olivia can't wait. She' been put in danger, since the only thing she can say when she gets angry is "all is well."

Olivia's father wants Henri to hypnotize Olivia in front of a lot of people at a party to show that hypnotism can crush the suffragette movement. She and Henri come up with a plan to convince some people that women should have more rights, while allowing Olivia to escape from her father's grasp. They do become close romantically, but this relationship doesn't take over the story.

I rarely comment on covers, but this cover is perfect. It's beautiful, catches your eye, and is absolutely appropriate for the story. You CAN judge this book by its cover!

The Cure for Dreaming is such a quick read. Probably because I just couldn't put it down. The characters are compelling, and I really rooted for Olivia. I thought she was smart and made good decisions. Henri is a great character too. And the mix of history and the element of hypnotism just sealed the deal. I can't wait to see what Winters comes up with next.

What a great way for teens to learn about life for women in the early 1900s. They will certainly be entertained by this story. Pair this one with A Mad Wicked Folly, which covers the suffragette movement in England. Recommend this well-written story to anyone who is interested in historical fiction.

Published by Amulet Books, October 14, 2014
eARC obtained from NetGalley
368 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 5/5

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Stacking the Shelves - Jackpot!

I got some review books that I'm very excited about this week!

For Review:

The Steep and Thorny Way, by Cat Winters from NetGalley

Cat Winters is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Can't wait to see what she's done with Hamlet

Salt to the Sea, by Ruta Sepetys from NetGalley

Another great author. I've been waiting for approval for a long time!

Zero Day, by Jan Gangsei from NetGalley

From the Library:

Winter, by Marissa Meyer

This one finally got to the library (it was out of stock!) and I grabbed it before anyone else could.

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Stacking the Shelves: Upping the Pace

I'm starting to get back in the swing, reading-wise. I've been able to spend more time reading, like I used to, so I'm happy about that.  I am still way behind reading review books, but I'm doing my best.  I managed to grab a couple more this week.

For Review:

Yesternight, by Cat Winters from Edelweiss

One of my favorite authors! And this cover is gorgeous!  Can't wait.

The German Girl, by Armando Lucas Correa from NetGalley

The blurb compares it to The Nightingale, Schindler's List, and All the Light We Cannot See.  All great books!

Commonwealth, by Ann Patchett

I've read a couple of her books and really enjoy her writing and her stories.

What did you get?  Leave me a link so I can add to my list.  Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to drop by Team Tynga's Reviews, our hosts.

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