Tag: contemporary

Mini-Reviews: Ticket, Fatally, Inconvenient

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Freya Sampson, The Lost Ticket

In 1962, twentysomething Frank met a girl on a London bus, and that single encounter changed his life. Unfortunately, he lost the phone number she gave him, and he never saw her again. Sixty years later, Libby has just arrived in London after simultaneously losing her job and her boyfriend. When she meets Frank (on the bus, of course), she’s fascinated by his story and decides to help him find the girl from the bus—posting flyers, placing newspaper ads, inventing a Twitter hashtag, etc. In the course of the search, Libby grows in unexpected ways as she discovers a new purpose and perhaps a new romance. This is a gentle, bittersweet novel about community and the positive ways people can influence each other. There are a lot of tender, effective moments, and Libby is a realistically complex character. Some aspects of the plot, like the romance and Libby’s conflict with her family, get short shrift. But overall, this is a pleasant, escapist, not too saccharine read.

Ande Pliego, You Are Fatally Invited

Six mystery authors are invited to a writers’ retreat at the home of reclusive best-selling author J.R. Alastor. Alastor is a pen name, and no one knows the author’s true identity, but the guests are all eager to meet their host. They don’t know that Mila, the event coordinator acting as Alastor’s proxy, has a grudge against one of them and is planning murder as her revenge. But when someone turns up dead—and it’s not the murder Mila had planned—she and the guests must team up to find the killer(s?) in their midst. This novel is heavily influenced by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, with a dash of the Clue board game thrown in. As such, I was sold on the premise, and ultimately I enjoyed the book. It’s a little gory, and some of the logistical plot elements didn’t quite make sense (but maybe that’s my fault, as I was racing to the end and might have missed some details). But I liked the ending, and I’m pleased with myself for figuring out Alastor’s identity. Recommended if the premise appeals to you.

Loretta Chase, My Inconvenient Duke

Lady Alice Ancaster has decided it’s time to marry. Her brother constantly engages in reckless behavior that could get him killed, and his heir is a terrible cousin who would make Alice’s life miserable. Unfortunately, she’s already in love with the wrong man: Giles, duke of Blackwood, one of her brother’s best friends and partners in crime. Giles has loved Alice for years but knows she’s far too good for him, and he’d rather sow wild oats with his friends than settle down to marriage and respectability. When circumstances push them together, however, their attraction threatens to overcome their better judgment. Much as I love Loretta Chase, I found this book a little disappointing. It’s the third in a series, and the first two books hinted at problems in Alice and Giles’s marriage, which I assumed this book would explore. Instead, this is more of a prequel, starting well before their marriage and the events of books 1 and 2. The story is entertaining and well told, but it’s not the story I was hoping for. It’s still a Chase novel, which means there’s still a lot to enjoy (I do love me some pining, and there’s plenty of it here!), but this one won’t be a keeper for me.

Mini-Reviews: Hunting, Zero, Secret

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Anna Gavalda, Hunting and Gathering

This novel, set in the late ’90s/early aughts, follows four characters struggling to survive in Paris. There’s Camille, literally a starving artist, who’s eking out a living as a cleaning lady; Philibert, a sheltered aristocrat with OCD and no idea how to live in the 21st century; Franck, a talented chef who does nothing but work; and Paulette, Franck’s grandmother, who’s getting too old to live in her house but doesn’t want to move to a nursing home. All four are lonely and at the end of their resources, but as their lives intersect, they find connection and hope. I’ve read this book before and enjoy it every time. I laugh and cry and fall in love with the characters, and there’s an achingly lovely slow-burn romance as well. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows—Paulette’s story is particularly heartbreaking—but overall it’s a warm and uplifting book.

Agatha Christie, Towards Zero

The setup of this Christie novel is an ill-assorted house party in a small coastal town. Nevile Strange and his new wife, Kay, are visiting his former guardian, the rich invalid Lady Tressilian. Awkwardly, Nevile’s first wife, Audrey, happens to be visiting at the same time. The three members of the love triangle all claim to be perfectly fine with this arrangement, but tensions are high. When Lady Tressilian is murdered and it’s clearly an inside job, Superintendent Battle takes a hand in the investigation. This is one of Christie’s more farfetched tales, but it’s still a compelling read! I remembered the murderer’s identity and was entertained by the book’s clever misdirection involving certain clues and alibis. The characterization is on the weaker side—for example, there’s a romance shoehorned in at the end that doesn’t really work—but I still enjoyed rereading this one.

Genevieve Cogman, The Secret Chapter

In this sixth installment of the Invisible Library series, Irene is tasked with acquiring a book from Mr. Nemo, a mysterious Fae collector with a Bond-villain-esque island lair. In exchange, Mr. Nemo wants her to participate in a heist: She’ll work with a crew of dragons (including Kai) and Fae to steal a famous painting from an alt-21st-century Vienna. But tensions are high among the crew, the nascent dragon-Fae-Library treaty notwithstanding, and everyone has a hidden agenda. I love a good heist caper, so I found this book a lot of fun; it doesn’t do anything groundbreaking with the genre, but it both embraces and mocks the various tropes. I’m not sure the book does much to move the series forward, and with just two books remaining, I’m curious about the endgame. Guess I’ll just have to keep reading to find out!

Mini-Reviews: Firebrand, Unhoneymooners, Bummel

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Kristen Britain, Firebrand

Karigan is back in her own time but wounded and grieving after the events of Mirror Sight. Eventually she gets a new mission to distract her: She’ll head to the northern edge of the kingdom in search of allies in the coming war between Sacoridia and Second Empire. Meanwhile, an elemental spirit summoned by Grandmother attacks the royal family and abducts King Zachary. While I didn’t hate Mirror Sight, I’m glad this book takes us back to the series’ familiar setting and characters. I liked that Karigan has realistic human responses (sadness, anger, despair) to all the suffering she’s endured throughout the series. I also really enjoyed getting a bit more of Zachary’s POV than usual! The book is still far too long and has too many characters, and I could have done without some of the more melodramatic bits of violence near the end. But overall I enjoyed this one and will definitely continue with the series.

Christina Lauren, The Unhoneymooners

Olive and Ethan have never gotten along, even though her twin sister is marrying his brother. But when everyone at the wedding gets food poisoning except the two of them, they find themselves in the awkward position of taking their siblings’ places on the (nonrefundable) honeymoon to Hawaii. As they pretend to be married while participating in the various resort activities, Olive is surprised to discover another side to Ethan and finds herself falling for him. But a conflict between their siblings might derail their fledgling romance. This is my first encounter with Christina Lauren, and I enjoyed the book, but given the hype surrounding these authors, I think I was expecting a bit more. The initial conflict between Olive and Ethan felt very contrived and made me dislike Olive for jumping to conclusions. I did like the later conflict involving their siblings, which felt more realistic and gave some real stakes to the story. Overall, it’s a perfectly good read, but it just didn’t grab me.

Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men on the Bummel

In this sequel of sorts to Three Men in a Boat, narrator J. and his friends Harris and George decide to take another trip, this time a bicycle tour of Germany. But of course things start going wrong from the start, and the three men get into a variety of humorous scrapes. Meanwhile, J. often digresses to give his views on issues such as English vs. German education, the Germans’ passion for law and order, and why long descriptions of scenery aren’t necessary in a travelogue. Like its predecessor, this little book is a quick and enjoyable read, full of humor and satire. The book pokes gentle fun at the British traveler abroad, various countries’ attitudes toward foreigners, and the travel genre as a whole. There’s no plot to speak of, just a series of vaguely connected anecdotes. Worth a read if you enjoy this sort of light humor, though I remember liking Three Men in a Boat more.

N.B. According to Google Translate, “Bummel” can mean a stroll, spree, tour, wander, ramble, or saunter. All accurate descriptions of what J., Harris, and George get up to!

Mini-Reviews: Rake, Wildwood, Mistake

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Eva Leigh, My Fake Rake

Lady Grace Wyatt and Sebastian Holloway have been friends for years, as both are socially awkward, scientifically minded nerds. Grace is infatuated with another scientist, but he sees her only as a colleague. So she and Sebastian concoct a plan: He’ll become a stylish, sought-after rake, then publicly flirt with Grace to make her crush jealous. But their plan goes awry when Grace and Sebastian find themselves wildly attracted to each other. I wanted to like this book – it seemed like a silly but fun gender-flipped take on the makeover trope (he takes off his glasses and is suddenly hot!) – but the execution fell flat. The hero and heroine are both anachronistically progressive (at one point, the hero refuses tobacco because it would be culturally appropriating Native American rituals), and their scientific interests try but fail to substitute for actual personalities. Ultimately, the book just wasn’t well-written or fun enough to compensate for these issues, and I don’t plan to try more by Leigh.

Juliet Marillier, Wildwood Dancing

Jena and her four sisters have a happy life as the daughters of a loving and prosperous merchant. Moreover, every full moon they’re able to visit the Other Kingdom, where they dance till dawn at the fairy court. But things change when Jena’s father travels south for his health, leaving the girls virtually alone. Jena’s sister Tati falls in love with a mysterious denizen of the Other Kingdom, and her cousin Cezar tries to take control of her father’s estate and business. Can Jena and her frog companion, Gogu, right these wrongs before it’s too late? I adored this book when I first read it and still liked it a lot this time around. Marillier’s prose is magical, and she creates a believable and immersive world. I really liked the incorporation of fairy tales and folklore, not just “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” but also “The Frog Prince” and vampire legends. I also appreciated the moral complexity of the book’s villain, Cezar, despite the intended YA audience. I prefer Marillier’s adult work, but this is still a very good read.

Sarah Mayberry, Her Best Worst Mistake

Martin is a conservative, buttoned-up corporate lawyer. Violet is a free spirit who wears scandalous outfits and likes breaking the rules. They’ve disliked each other for years but have had to get along because Martin was dating Violet’s best friend, Elizabeth. But when Elizabeth suddenly dumps Martin, Violet feels sorry for him and reaches out – only to discover a shocking sexual chemistry between them. But could that chemistry be the beginning of something more? This is a novella (about 150 pages) that manages to pack in quite a bit of backstory for the two main characters, setting up their opposites-attract dynamic and the conflicts that initially keep them apart. I liked both Martin and Violet and found their journey to love believable, if a bit sudden. There are several steamy scenes near the beginning, but the overall romance is surprisingly sweet. Recommended if you like the premise.

Mini-Reviews: Dials, Misdirected, Mirror

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Agatha Christie, The Seven Dials Mystery

At a lively country house party, the young guests mock their friend Gerry Wade for always sleeping late. They decide to play a prank on him, setting up eight alarm clocks in his room to go off early in the morning—but the joke falls flat when Gerry is found dead the next day, ironically from an overdose of sleeping medication. The death is ruled an accident, but when another of the houseguests is killed shortly thereafter, Gerry’s friends begin to suspect murder. The resulting story is a mashup of thriller and farce that includes sensitive political documents, hijinks at a second house party, and the mysterious Seven Dials society. This novel is a fun romp, with a light tone despite the murders, and Christie puts her own unique spin on the “secret society” trope. I enjoyed rereading the book and seeing just how she pulls off the unexpected conclusion. Not a top-tier Christie, but a good read nonetheless!

Lucy Parker, Misdirected

Hattie Murton is an actress with a major role on the popular (and steamy) historical soap “Leicester Square.” Now she has a problem: Her character is about to embark on a passionate romance with the show’s villain, played by the coldly arrogant Anthony Rafe. She’s not eager to simulate love for the man who treats her and everyone else with cynical disdain, so she’s shocked to feel a genuine spark of attraction during their scripted love scenes—and even more shocked to discover that Anthony might feel the same way. Lucy Parker is an autobuy author for me, so I was hoping to love this book, and I did. Hattie is a sweetheart without being insufferably saccharine, and Anthony is a swoonworthy hero who nevertheless retains his hard edges. His indignation at his growing feelings for Hattie is a delight! Definitely recommended for romance fans if you like the premise.

This book is only available on Audible right now, and it’s narrated by Nicola Coughlan (of “Derry Girls” and “Bridgerton” fame) and Gwilym Lee. I never listen to audiobooks, so I don’t have any basis for comparison, but I think both narrators did a good job, especially Lee. It was hard for me to get into the story at first, and occasionally I got confused about who was speaking, but ultimately the format didn’t prevent me from enjoying the book. Though if it’s ever published in paperback, I will definitely pick up a copy!

Kristen Britain, Mirror Sight

This installment of the Green Rider series is somewhat unusual. At the end of the last book, Karigan was spirited away somewhere; in this book, we learn that she’s traveled 168 years into the future. The Sacoridia she knows has vanished, and the land is now ruled by a tyrannical emperor. Technology has advanced, but magic is virtually unknown and the Green Riders are no more. Karigan is determined to get back to her own time and somehow prevent this future from occurring—but what if she can’t find a way home? I was initially biased against this book, fearing it would be a tedious side adventure with no lasting consequences for the series. But I actually found the book a refreshing change of pace, with an interesting steampunk setting and some new characters for Karigan to interact with. That said, it’s still far too long, and it doesn’t affect the series arc in any real way. My enthusiasm for this series is waning, honestly, but I’m still invested enough that I plan to continue for now.

Mini-Reviews: Lake, Simple, Beg

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John Bude, The Lake District Murder

At an isolated garage in the Lake District, a man is found dead inside a car, with an apparatus indicating that he deliberately killed himself by asphyxiation. But Inspector Meredith notices a few things that aren’t consistent with suicide and soon comes to believe the man was murdered. As Meredith investigates, he also uncovers shady business dealings at the garage and searches for the connection between them and the murder. I love a good Golden Age mystery, but this one was often frustrating for me. The plot doesn’t really present a puzzle for readers to solve; rather, the story plods along with what feels like a minute-by-minute account of Meredith’s investigation. I think Bude was trying to make the point that detective work is often dull routine, not dramatic and glamorous—but that doesn’t make it fun to read about the dull routine! Overall, fans of police procedurals might enjoy this one more than I did, but I found it a slog.

Pamela Morsi, Simple Jess

Althea Winsloe is a young widow with a three-year-old son and a good farm property. Her small, tight-knit community is pressuring her to marry again, but she has no desire to give up her freedom or her farm. Still, she needs a man to help her work the land, so she hires Jesse Best, known to everyone as “Simple Jess” because he has an intellectual disability. As Althea gets to know Jesse, she realizes that despite his limitations, he’s very knowledgeable about farming and hunting – as well as being kind, loyal, and handsome. I think this is a book that might be polarizing; Morsi boldly chooses to tell some of the story from Jesse’s POV, and while I think she portrays him with sensitivity and kindness, it’s certainly a fine line to walk. I was rooting for him from the start, and I also liked the various secondary characters who populate Althea and Jesse’s community. Overall, I really liked this one and appreciated the unique premise, but I don’t think it’s a book for everyone.

Sarah Adams, Beg, Borrow, or Steal

This is Adams’s third book set in Rome, Kentucky, and the heroine is the oldest Walker sister, Emily. She’s the one who (seemingly) has it all together, who helps her family with terrifying competence and no hesitation. But lately she’s been feeling lonely and dissatisfied—that is, until her longtime nemesis, Jack Bennett, moves back to town. Emily and Jack have always argued, but now their fights are feeling more flirty than genuinely aggressive. They’ll have to overcome some baggage, however, before they can move past their bickering and truly trust each other. I enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope and think this book does it well. I’m also a fan of prickly heroines who are outwardly competent but inwardly struggling, so Emily particularly appealed to me. Toward the end, I think things got a bit too syrupy-sweet (all the men in this series are annoyingly perfect), but I enjoyed the book and will definitely read the next one when it comes out!

Mini-Reviews: Miles, Plot, Country

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Jenny Colgan, 500 Miles from You

Lissa and Cormac are both home care nurses, she in London and he in the tiny town of Kirrinfief, Scotland. When Lissa is traumatized by an on-the-job tragedy, her boss forces her into a swap: She’ll go to Kirrinfief for three months, where she’ll theoretically have enough peace and quiet to begin healing, and Cormac will take her place in London. At first, both Lissa and Cormac have trouble adjusting to their new surroundings, but gradually they grow and change in unexpected ways. I’ve read a few books by Colgan and found them sweet, uplifting comfort reads. This book definitely has more darkness in it: Lissa’s trauma is described in detail, and many of the patients she and Cormac treat suffer horribly. But the novel retains a gentle feel and warm sense of community, especially in Kirrinfief. Scottish life is a bit too idealized, and the novel seemed to end rather abruptly, but I did enjoy it overall and will continue to read more by Colgan.

Genevieve Cogman, The Lost Plot

In this fourth installment of the Invisible Library series, Irene and Kai are unwillingly roped into political intrigue among the dragons, which puts the Library’s careful neutrality between dragons and Fae in jeopardy. To protect the Library, Irene and Kai travel to an alternate version of Prohibition-era New York City, where they have to evade mobsters and police as well as dragons. This fourth installment of the Invisible Library series is a fun read, consistent with previous books in the series. I enjoyed the new setting with its gangsters and speakeasies, and Irene continues to subtly grow and change as she realizes the Library isn’t always her highest priority. I missed Vale in this book, but it looks like he’ll be more prominent in book 5, which I plan to read next month.

Fiona Hill, The Country Gentleman

Anne Guilfoyle is celebrated as one of the cleverest ladies in London, and she relishes her position and status. But when her fortune is lost due to a bad investment, she’s forced to move to a country manor she’s inherited from a distant relative—and by the terms of the will, she must reside there for 10 months every year. Anne resents the change in her circumstances and views her country neighbors—especially the owner of the closest estate, Henry Highet—as ignorant bumpkins. But as she acclimates to her new life, she grows to appreciate country living, and Highet, more. I’m always on the hunt for well-written, steamless historical romances, and this one definitely fits the bill! Anne is somewhat hard to like at first, as she’s very condescending, but she grows sufficiently throughout the book. I also really liked Anne’s companion and the secondary love story featuring her. Overall, this was a very pleasant surprise, and I’m eager to try more by Fiona Hill.

Mini-Reviews: Christmas, Paupers, Garden

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Rupert Latimer, Murder after Christmas

A Christmas house party turns deadly when the guest of honor, Sir Willoughby Keene-Cotton, is found dead on Boxing Day. Uncle Willie was very rich, so plenty of people had a motive to kill him—except that, based on the specific legal circumstances surrounding his demise, it was unclear who would inherit his fortune. Similarly, he died by poisoning—but apparently nothing he ate in the hours before his death could have contained the poison. The increasingly bewildered police must sift through piles of red herrings before they can even verify that a murder has been committed, let alone by whom. This breezy vintage mystery multiplies motives and clues so that it’s nearly impossible to separate the important information from the surrounding camouflage. And that’s what makes it such a fun read—that, and the whimsical characters who needlessly obstruct the investigation. I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it as a good vintage holiday read.

Sheri Cobb South, Of Paupers and Peers

James Weatherly, a poor village curate, is shocked when a London solicitor informs him that he’s the new Duke of Montford. He travels to Montford immediately to claim his title, only to be attacked by thieves and lose his memory in the process. Miss Margaret Darrington finds him at the side of the road and assumes he’s Mr. Fanshawe, the tutor she hired for her teenage brother. James has no reason to doubt her identification and takes up his new tutorial position. But complications ensue when James seems smitten by Margaret’s beautiful sister, Amanda, who must marry a wealthy man — and when Margaret begins to fall for James herself. This is a sweet and steamless Regency romance that I very much enjoyed, despite the fact that it’s not particularly original. I liked that, while there are various moments of mistaken identity, they’re not drawn out too long and are solved promptly with intelligent communication. I’d definitely recommend this to fans of traditional Regencies, and I’ll seek out more by Sheri Cobb South.

Sarah Addison Allen, Garden Spells

In the small town of Bascom, North Carolina, magic is an understood and largely unspoken fact of life. Everyone knows, for instance, that the Waverley family’s garden produces plants that can influence your mood, and that if you eat the apples from their tree, you’ll have a vision of the biggest event in your life. Claire Waverley has embraced her family’s legacy and uses the magic plants in her catering business, while her estranged sister, Sydney, never liked being a Waverley and couldn’t wait to leave town. But when Sydney unexpectedly returns with a five-year-old daughter in tow, Claire’s carefully cultivated life begins to change. I really enjoy Allen’s books, which are tales of family, romance, and female friendship overlaid with a patina of magic. Claire and Sydney’s relationship is the heart of this novel, and I loved how they slowly grew closer despite years of misunderstandings. Recommended if you like books about small towns and the bonds between women.

Mini-Reviews: Bookishly, Arabella, Goodbye

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Mia Page, Bookishly Ever After

Lexi Austen loves her job as the owner of Pemberley Books in Washington, DC. But lately it’s been harder and harder to make ends meet, thanks in part to a rival bookstore that’s begun encroaching on her turf. She concocts a scheme to distract the other bookstore’s owner, Sam Dickens, by making him fall in love with her, using techniques inspired by Jane Austen novels. But as Lexi gets closer to Sam, she soon finds it’s her own heart that’s in danger. I’ve been on kind of a disappointing streak with contemporary romances lately; this one was just okay. Lexi’s plan is obviously ridiculous, but I almost wish she’d gone a bit farther with it; that would have at least made the story a bit more unique. I did enjoy the DC setting, as I live pretty close, and the book mentions several real businesses and neighborhoods. But overall, I was underwhelmed by this one.

Georgette Heyer, Arabella

Arabella, a vicar’s daughter of no fortune, is eager to embark on her first London Season and hopefully marry a well-to-do man. En route, a carriage accident forces her to beg the help of Robert Beaumaris, one of the ton’s most eligible bachelors. When Arabella overhears Beaumaris complaining that she’s undoubtedly trying to trap him into marriage, she indignantly tells him she’s an heiress and has no need to marry for money. But when the rumor of her alleged fortune reaches London society, Arabella finds she needs Beaumaris’s help after all. This was one of my first Heyers, and it was a pleasure to revisit, although I found myself irritated that Beaumaris had so much more power and knowledge of the situation than Arabella did. But the romance is sweet nonetheless, and a mutt named Ulysses provides some fun comedy. Not a top-tier Heyer for me, but still a very good read!

Betty Neels, No Need to Say Goodbye

Louise Payne is a 26-year-old hospital nurse with three younger siblings to care for, and her salary barely allows them to make ends meet. A lucky inheritance from a distant relative provides the family with a country cottage to live in, where Louise finds that her near neighbor is Dr. Arlo van der Linden, with whom she worked in the London hospital. They were never particularly close before, but now Arlo is being friendly and helpful, even giving Louise a new job. Could he be interested in Louise’s pretty sister, Zoë? And if so, can Louise hide the fact that she’s fallen for Arlo herself? This was a quick read with a soothing, timeless atmosphere – I think it was published in the late ’80s or early ’90s but could have taken place much earlier. It’s a sweet though somewhat one-sided romance; Arlo is pretty high-handed, and we don’ know what’s going on in his mind till the very end of the book. I’ve got one more Neels novel on my shelves, and I’ll save it for the next time I want a quick read that doesn’t require any mental energy.

Mini-Reviews: Viscount’s, Christmas, Deerskin

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Louise Allen, The Viscount’s Betrothal

Decima Ross, a spinster at age 27, is sure no man could ever fall in love with her because of her exceptional height. After her brother’s latest insensitive attempt to push her into the arms of an unwilling bachelor, Decima flees, but a snowstorm forces her to seek shelter with Adam, Viscount Grantham. Snowed in with only two servants, Decima and Adam soon grow close; but when they meet again in London, Adam is betrothed to another (beautiful and petite) lady. I’ve really enjoyed some of Allen’s other Regency historicals, but this one was disappointing: anachronistic behavior and dialogue, and characters behaving stupidly for the sake of the plot. I’ll continue to read more by Allen, but this is not one of her best.

Julianna Keyes, It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Eve and Will are rival writers at the same travel blog, and they’ve both been assigned to cover Noelville, Vermont, during the run-up to Christmas. The problem is, neither one of them is a fan of the holiday season. But as they experience the marvels of the Christmas-themed town—including a nutcracker museum, cookie decorating classes, a moonlit sleigh ride, and more—they’re slowly won over despite themselves, and they also discover a surprising mutual attraction. I enjoyed this little Christmas novella, which feels like a self-aware Hallmark movie. Eve and Will’s snarking about the over-the-top Noelville traditions is the best part of the book, and they have a lot of fun banter. I felt like the romance was missing a scene or two; there’s never really a point at which they express their feelings for each other. But I’d recommend this one if you’re looking for a fun, bite-sized holiday treat.

Robin McKinley, Deerskin

Lissar, the daughter of a beloved king and queen of a prosperous kingdom, has a seemingly charmed life. But apart from her fleethound, Ash, she doesn’t have many friends and tends to be isolated and overlooked. When Lissar is 17, a traumatic event forces her to run away from home, and after a long period of healing, she finds herself in a new kingdom with a job in the royal kennels. As she slowly wins respect and love from those around her, she starts to hope for a better life—until the ghosts of her past trauma come back to haunt her. This book is a retelling of the Perrault fairytale “Donkeyskin,” which I’m not familiar with. But the dark thing that happens to Lissar is truly dark, so proceed with caution. Otherwise, McKinley’s books always seem to have weird pacing—lots of setup and a very short climax—but I don’t mind because she’s such a great writer that she just carries you along. This isn’t one of my top favorites by her, but it’s still well worth reading.