Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Winter in Montreal can be very cold and snowy indeed, and Agnes Aubert is desperate to find a new place for her cat shelter.  The old shelter sustained a great deal of damage when some out-of-control magicians (are there any other kind?) staged a duel in the streets.  It’s said that one of them might even have been the Witch King himself, the notorious Havelock Renard, already wanted for nearly causing the end of the world a few years back.

It really doesn’t matter who was involved. The results speak for themselves.  The cat shelter had already been struggling; people tend to see cats as vermin, not pets, and while her sister helps as she can, Agnes has to carry most of the load.  Agnes is also still grieving for her late husband, Robin, who helped found the shelter. Now they’re almost out of money and have to find a place to stay before winter sets in in earnest.

But Agnes is on a mission to find them all a safe place to stay. She finally finds someon who is willing to rent a space to her at a surprisingly—perhaps suspiciously-- reasonable rate. It isn’t long before Agnes begins to wonder if illegal magic is going on, but as long as she can care for the cats and help them be adopted into loving homes she will turn a blind eye.

Which Agnes is able to do until the shop comes under attack from a witch who believes Havelock Renard himself is on the premises. That’s bad enough but what’s worse is that she may be right.

Despite the admonition not to judge a book by its cover, I totally chose this book because of the delightful artwork that adorns the front. I was not disappointed.  It accurately portrays the feel of the book, the 1920s time period, and the charming contents.  Agnes is a no-nonsense, highly organized woman whose courage and determination have seen her through many trials.  Her sister Elise is much more glib and silver-tongued, but intent on seeing Agnes safe and settled.  Havelock is abrupt and darkly handsome, or Agnes thinks he would be if he weren’t such a scoundrel.

He is also allergic to cats.

I thoroughly enjoyed the vividly realized setting of the book.  I could almost smell the baked goods from the oven, feel the cold wind and snow down my neck, and enjoy the sights in the shops along the street. 

Then there were the cats: the haughty and sometimes malicious Your Majesty, a regal long-haired tuxedo who only tolerates Agnes; the somewhat addlepated Banshee who silently yowls; and dear old Thoreau, an elderly cat who endeared himself to Agnes and to me.

This is a light but fun tale of magic mixed with adventure, danger, spells, and most of all, felines. Please forgive me but I have to say it:  this book was like catnip to me.

A Child in the Forest by Winifred Foley

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Winifred Foley, called Poll, was born in 1914 to a miner and his wife, the fourth of eight children. They lived in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, a small, hardscrabble but close-knit community. Foley tells the story with deep affection and love, but doesn’t shy away from some of the hard realities of life.  The children are often hungry, though the parents provide as best they can. Some of her fondest memories seem to revolve around unexpected food treats, such as an extra slice of bread with butter.

While her mam is practical but loving, it’s her dad who brings a love of reading and a sense of fun.  Mam keeps the family on course, but even she can be counted on to occasionally splurge on a sweet while on a shopping trip.   

The story is told with both the wonder and acceptance of a child.  The family doesn’t have a lot of material goods, but they make do with help from neighbors, most of whom are in the same straits.  The children do attend school, but only until they are old enough to work. For girls, that means when they turn fourteen, they will be going away to work as servants in more affluent and often urban households.

The book actually came about as a result of a request on the BBC for memoirs of working class people.  Foley sent in her manuscript, which was turned into a radio serial starting in 1973.  The book followed in 1974, beautifully illustrated by Tricia Newell. I have to admit, it was the illustrations that caught my eye; they capture the beauty of the natural world and give the book a sweeter feel. The artwork is enchanting.

One thing I loved is that in the latter part of the book when Poll goes into service, she's never cowed by her employers.  She is eager and a hard worker, but she will stand up for herself if need be. At one point, she changes jobs in part because her new employer will allow her to come in by the front door instead of always having to go to the servants' entrance. 

While the word “authentic” gets tossed about a lot these days, I really can’t think of a better word to describe this book.  I think that all comes down to Foley herself, who gave us such an honest account. The characters are vividly portrayed; so much so that I found myself wanting to know what happened to them after the book ends.

Fortunately, Foley went on to write several more books, including some novels.  She passed away in 2009, leaving behind quite a literary legacy for her readers.

The Mystic’s Accomplice by Mary Miley

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Maddy Pastore’s life is upended when her husband, Tommy, is shot and killed.  Tommy worked as a deliveryman for the Outfit—the term for the Chicago gang run by Johnny Torrio and his young associate, Alphonse Capone. In 1924, a lot of men were working for some gang or other, often running alcohol, but it hadn’t seemed quite real.  Now Maddy finds herself with a baby and in desperate need of a job.  The only thing she finds is working for self-proclaimed medium “Madam Carlotta” who tries to connect clients with a deceased love ones.  Madam Carlotta’s connections to the spirit world can sometimes be a bit finicky, so she had Maddy do a bit of investigation about her clients prior to the séance… where Maddy sometimes pretends to be a client as well.

During one of her investigations, Maddy becomes suspicious about the circumstances of a death.  Soon it appears she may be on the trail of a murderer, but can she prove it before he kills again?

I picked this up because I was intrigued by the setting: Chicago during Prohibition.  The author has done a good bit of research, bringing in such things as Jane Addams’ Hull House, along with some historical events.  The author has an afterword in which she explains which characters and situations are fictional and which are based on fact, offering suggested resources to readers who want to follow up. 

The mystery is fairly obvious early on, so if you’re a mystery fan you may find the book comes up short.  I was more intrigued by the setting and the way that the author handles the whole Madam Carlotta situation.  Maddy isn’t a scam artist.  She worries about her part in researching the clients, but rationalizes that Madam Carlotta doesn’t charge, just accepts donations.  The medium isn’t out to fleece clients, and actually seems to believe that she does have psychic gifts. 

While this wasn’t an edge of the seat read, I did enjoy it.  The setting was very well done and I especially enjoyed the “slice of life” scenes such as when Maddy visits a speakeasy.  I liked the characters and appreciated how Maddy dealt with the many changes in her life. She still has an appealing innocence about her.

I’m going to be reading the next in the series to see what happens to Maddy and her friends.

Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray

           

Reviewed by Christy

After battling a sleeping sickness in the Lair of Dreams, the Diviners are back in the third installment of Libba Bray’s Diviners series. Picking up shortly after the previous novel, the Diviners (a group of young people with special powers) are now facing a ghost epidemic that’s haunting New York City.

            It’s the late 1920s and New York City’s love for all things Diviners is dwindling. Sweetheart Seer Evie has her own radio show where she “reads” guests’ objects to find out their secrets. Once a fan favorite, Evie’s star is dimming in the shadow of another radio host: evangelical Sara Snow. In an attempt to get some of her shine back, Evie announces she and her friends will be traveling to Ward’s Island – home of a very haunted mental hospital – to publicly forgive a man who previously attacked her. She also sets up a hotline for anyone in NYC calling about ghost sightings that the Diviners can investigate, like a Jazz Age Ghostbusters. A barrier between worlds has been torn and with more and more apparitions spilling out, it’s up to the Diviners to figure out how to fix it.

            While this novel didn’t grab me as quickly as the previous novel did, it was still very compelling in its own right. As with the other installments, there are a handful of little plots going on at once but it never feels overcrowded or convoluted. There are so many characters with diverse backgrounds and personalities, that I imagine it’d be difficult to not be able to connect with at least one of them. While each book has its own storyline, I am partial to the overarching menace known as the King of Crows – a tall man in a stovepipe hat who wears a coat of inky black feathers. He stalks dreams and seems to control the ghosts who haunt the city.

            Before the Devil Breaks You is a lot of fun but, like the other Diviners books, it also heavily touches on issues still relevant today – especially racism and xenophobia – despite taking place some 90 years ago. With three books in the series and each book over 500 pages long, I could see why it could be intimidating for someone to pick up. But I would highly recommend these books to almost anyone, even those who think a series can’t keep them interested. Each book is just as engaging as the last, and even though the fourth book still has no title or release date, I don’t expect my interest to wane in the meantime.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Reviewed by Christy Herndon  

     Flappers! Speakeasies! Jazz! A murderous dead man hell-bent on bringing on the Apocalypse! The Diviners by Libba Bray is a nice little something different in the Young Adult genre. Although, yes, fantasy YA seems to be the biggest trend at the moment, the summary for Bray’s book caught my eye more than most. Maybe because it combined my teenage-interest of the 1920s and my forever-interest of the supernatural. Either way this book had my name all over it.

    The book centers on Evie O’Neill – the quintessential 1920s vamp. After getting into repeated trouble in her hometown, Evie is shipped off to New York City to spend time with her uncle Will, curator of the the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult (or as it’s more commonly known around town: the Museum of the Creepy Crawlies). Pretending to be devastated at this news, Evie can hardly contain her excitement at the chance to be in the Big City where she can drink, dance, and generally be her fabulous flapper self. Soon after she arrives, however, strange murders begin happening. The murderer’s MO points to something occult-related so Will (and consequently Evie) are brought in to help the investigation. But something even more sinister than serial murders is taking place, and it’ll be up to Evie to help stop it before it’s too late.

    The very first thing I noticed about this book was how atmospheric it was. It does a wonderful job of introducing Evie and her almost dizzying approach to life in the Roaring ‘20s. Writing an historical fiction is not easy, I’m sure, but to do so in a way where the reader feels like she’s smack dab in the center of it all must be even more difficult. But Bray seems to do it effortlessly. This goes for the creepy sections as well. On one page we’re feeling the giddy after effects of Evie’s move to the Big Apple and the next we’re in a dark basement with a terrible sense of foreboding. It’s enough to give you whiplash! (But fun whiplash!)

    I also enjoyed that the protagonist wasn’t necessarily a “Good Girl”. I’ve noticed in many YA books female protagonists are generally well-behaved and quiet, and their only apparent faults are their clumsy feet. This is not the case with Evie. She’s rowdy and sarcastic and, although she has a good heart, she can sometimes be selfish and unwittingly hurt her friends. It was quite nice to have such a three dimensional character.

    I do have a few nitpicks, however. While I enjoy slow burn stories there were times where I felt it was just a little too slow. Not enough to turn me off, just enough to notice. However, the major thing I disliked was the hinting at an ever present YA trope: the Love Triangle. While it’s not fully fleshed out in this first novel, I’m sure it’ll be explored further on in the series. I just don’t see the point. I’m sure most people like a little romance thrown in for fun (including myself) but why must it be a triangle? There are plenty of other things going on in this novel to capture a reader’s attention. It’s a tired concept in general but it has exploded in recent Young Adult fiction.

    That being said, I loved this book. I highly recommend The Diviners to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction, horror, crime novels, or young adult fiction. It’s got a little something for everyone.