The Pierced Heart

A Novel

Lynn Shepherd

Third time’s a charm?  After three books, I am beginning to have a feel for the author’s writing style.  I enjoyed this book most in the Charles Maddox series, so far.  Weaving a new tale using famous literary figures and novels adds interest, especially when Lynn Shepherd uses such iconic and well known stories.  I enjoy the re-branding and how she is able to weave her own mysteries into the mix. 

I had to come to terms with the fact that I will not “get” all the literary allusions she places in her books.  If I stopped reading to fact –check and search for the back story of every reference that went over my head, I would never have finished the book.  It didn’t make me enjoy the story any less, I’m just not sure I would have enjoyed it more had I understood all the references.

I recall reading Dracula in college, and how much moodier and darker the tale was than the watered down and cleaned up versions I had been exposed to in movies and television.  The feel of The Pierced Heart keeps the moody, dark roots and adds a scientific twist.  Blood letting and cupping was common practice and medical experiments were often gruesome and painful to those being experimented on in those days.  Tying the subjects together was clever.

The character development of Charles is continuing at a glacial pace.  I feel I know more about the secondary characters and their motivations than I do about the main character. 

Finally, the last chapter… without giving too much away, I found myself with these phrases running through my head:

It’s a small world!

Well, isn’t that convenient?

And others along those lines.  I understand that this is fiction, and the need to move the story to a satisfying conclusion is extremely tempting, but this may have gone just a little too far.   Would I recommend this book?  Yes.  Will I read the next book in the series?  Yes.  That is what counts in my… ahem… book.

Maddy Kettle Book 1: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch

Eric Orchard

I received this book, pre-publication, from Net Galley for an unbiased review.

I have to say, I loved the illustrations and how this had the feel of a graphic novel.  I wish there would have been a little more discussion of what the cloudscape was.  The concept was interesting, but only mentioned in passing.  My daughter loved the pictures, and spent an inordinate amount of time looking at the illustrations which were used to fill in the blanks of the spartan dialog.

The story was charming, the characters likeable.  My only complaint is that the introduction of new characters was rather abrupt, and my daughter was left confused.  As the first book in what I assume will be a series, the ending left us wondering what would happen to Maddy and her friends.  I would recommend the book to mid-grade readers, especially as an introduction to graphic novels.

The Capture (Guardians of Ga'Hoole #1)

by Kathryn Lasky

As the Mom of a seven year old girl, I struggle to find "appropriate" books for us to read together.  She reads her own books, geared toward her reading level, but we always try to have a book that I read to her on the our plate.  These books are typically for older kids, but I feel exposing her to  ideas and words beyond  her reading level can only do her good!  My struggle is... I am tired of princesses and fairies!  She would never admit to it, but I have a sneaking suspicion she is tired of them too.

The Capture is the perfect compromise.  A book about kids (owlets) facing extreme danger and trying to solve a mystery with no help from adults (grown up owls).  If fits in with my daughters need for identifiable characters and an exciting story line.  I worried, at times, when I was reading this book to her, that she didn't really understand what was happening.  I would finish the chapter and ask her if she still liked the book.  Almost every night.  

Her answer was always, YES!  She asked questions about the characters, wondered what certain words were, and became righteously angry at a few plot points.   Soren and Gylfie became friends to her.  What more could I ask?  Well, I could actually ask for a book that I, as an adult, would enjoy at the same time.  Is that so hard?  From the choices I have seen out there, apparently it is.  But The Capture, pun intended, captured my interest and made me want to read each night.  We are looking forward to the next book, which I hope will enthrall my daughter as much as this one has.

The Solitary House
Lynn Shepherd

What struck me first when I read this book, was the similarity in opening scenes to Anne Perry's Callander Square.  To be fair, I've been a bit of a Victorian Mystery bender, so the parallel may not have been noticeable to anyone else.  Dead, buried babies are not something you aren't likely to forget, though.

I actually enjoyed the fact that there was no romance in this novel.  The flirting and falling in love can be distracting!  Lynn Shepherd spent a lot of time describing the seedier, dirtier parts of London.  I found this to be both interesting, and off-putting.  Having studied history in a previous life, I know that the living conditions for the majority of the world at this point were less than ideal.  I also know that the author used the descriptions to illustrate the difference between the classes.  I had the feeling that some of the descriptions were used as fillers, without a purpose behind them.  Shock value can be used, but if it is over used, it loses it's power.

The mystery in the novel kept my interest.  What were these men hiding?  What brought them together?  The answer to those questions at the end of the book actually surprised me.  That's not easy to do!  Without giving anything away, knowing where the babies discussed in the opening scene came from closed the case satisfyingly.  I wish I had gotten to know the main character, Charles, a little better along the way, though.  We get snippets of information, but not a true understanding of personality or motivations.

All in all, I enjoyed the book.  Would I recommend it to my bibliophile friends?  Probably not.  It's not really book club material, but I don't need every book I read to be so.  I would recommend the book to those who like a Victorian mystery.  I hope to become better acquainted with Charles Maddox in the next few books.