Historical – Currant7 Recommends

February 25, 2023February 8, 2023

Book Review | Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman

Disclosure: I received this complimentary copy from the author and/or publisher and voluntarily left an honest review. A positive review is not required. Also, I may earn a commission on some affiliate links below, whose fees support independent bookshops. I hope you will consider purchasing a copy at one of the local bookstores listed below.

Published on: January 17, 2022
Published by: Harper Perennial
Type: standalone
Genre: Ancient Historical Fiction, Ancient World Historical Romance
Author: Susan Stokes-Chapman
Book Length: 413 pages
Read: January 22, 2023
Shelved: February 08, 2023
Rating: 4 / 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

Steeped in mystery and rich in imagination, an exhilarating historical novel set in Georgian London where discovering a mysterious ancient Greek vase sets conspiracies, revelations, and romance in motion.

London, 1799. Dora Blake, an aspiring jewelry artist, lives with her odious uncle atop her late parents’ once-famed shop of antiquities. After a mysterious Greek vase is delivered, her uncle begins to act suspiciously, keeping the vase locked in the store’s basement, away from prying eyes–including Dora’s. Intrigued by her uncle’s peculiar behavior, Dora turns to young, ambitious antiquarian scholar Edward Lawrence who eagerly agrees to help. Edward believes the ancient vase is the key that will unlock his academic future; Dora sees it as a chance to establish her own name.

But what Edward discovers about the vase has Dora questioning everything she has believed about her life, her family, and the world as she knows it. As Dora uncovers the truth, she comes to understand that some doors are locked, and some mysteries are buried for a reason, while others are closer to the surface than they appear.

A story of myth and mystery, secrets and deception, fate and hope, Pandora is an enchanting work of historical fiction as captivating and evocative as The Song of Achilles, The Essex Serpent, and The Miniaturist.

**More research on the book can be found on the author’s page here.

Review

POV: third person

Main characters: Pandora Blake and Edward Lawrence

Trigger Warning: death of a beloved animal, parents, and sibling, child abuse, domestic violence/abuse

Pandora (Dora for short) is an orphaned girl whose uncle (Hezekiah) took her under his care and continued with their family business of selling antiques. She aspires to continue with the antique shop and add her jewelry design drawings to the business. Little does she know that her uncle had other things in mind when a precious cargo arrived at their shop one fateful day that would affect Dora and the people around her.

The world-building was sufficient and suitable. The places, people, and clothing depicted the 1780s well. There was enough research on antiquities and the society that governs them.

The characters were relatable, and the connection between Dora and Edward (Lawrence) – their shared trauma and thus their attraction was subtle but fitted perfectly.

This book is more character-driven than a plot one. Things moved more because each character’s actions later constituted dire consequences – i.e., Uncle Hezekiah’s injury and bad luck.

Overall, I found Pandora slower than expected, but I understood the reason for this much better after everything. There were many clues and hints sprinkled throughout the book that later culminated in an ending I did not see coming. Granted that it seems so “lucky” for Dora, BUT I get it. The twists and revelations were executed well at the end. Sometimes, bad things do come back to “bite back” the evil ones. I appreciate how much research the author did to create the story, and it made me love the book a lot more! (Please read through the author’s notes at the end of the book, and you will see why.)

Recommended for its:

myths and mythology reimagination
mystery and intrigue

RATING BREAKDOWN:-
Character: ★★★★
Atmosphere: ★★★
Writing: ★★★★
Plot: ★★★★
Intrigue: ★★★★
Logic: ★★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★
OVERALL: 3.8 ~ 4 stars ★★★★

“Herein lies the fate of the worlds.”
Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman

About the Author

© Paul Stringer (www.paulstringer.co.uk)

It’s the age-old tale, isn’t it? Insular, bookish, ‘fell into writing.’ It’s cliché, but that was me down to a tee. As a child, I could very happily – and often would – lose myself in a book and was caught many times by teachers looking out a window daydreaming, feeling far more at home in my imagination than anywhere else. Inevitable, then, I turned out to be a writer in later life! I grew up in the historic Georgian city of Lichfield (where my love of the era began) before moving on to spend four years in the coastal town of Aberystwyth, graduating with a BA in Education & English Literature and an MA in Creative Writing.

My debut novel Pandora was published in the UK in January 2022 and became an instant #1 Sunday Times bestseller in hardback. A loose reinterpretation of the Greek myth Pandora’s Box set in Georgian London tells the story of aspiring jewelry artist Dora Blake and her encounter with an ancient vase that her tyrannical uncle is desperately keen to keep a secret. The novel was previously shortlisted for the 2020 Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize and longlisted for the Bath Novel Award that same year.

I live in North West Wales, endlessly pestered by a pair of very beautiful (and very naughty) British Shorthair cats named Byron and Brontë while I work on my next novel.

January 14, 2022June 21, 2022

Review | She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor 1) by Shelley Parker-Chan

Disclosure: All views expressed are only my honest opinion. Also, if you follow the Bookshop.org links, I may earn a commission from them, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Published on: 20 July 2021
Published by: Tor Books
Type: duology
Genre: Alternate History Science Fiction, Asian Myth & Legend, Historical Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Historical Drama
Author: Shelley Parker-Chan
Book Length: 416 pages
Read: 23 December 2021
Shelved: 05 January 2022
Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

She Who Became the Sun reimagines the rise to power of the Ming Dynasty’s founding emperor.

To possess the Mandate of Heaven, the female monk Zhu will do anything

“I refuse to be nothing…”

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness…

In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

When a bandit attacks orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother’s identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.

After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother’s abandoned greatness.

Character Pronunciation Guide
Content warnings

Review

Artworks (top to bottom, left to right): Image from the site https://shelleyparkerchan.com/, Fan-art by https://mossillustra.tumblr.com/ and https://twitter.com/_senqin

A rebel with no future learns to seize the future that she wants and deserves.
A warrior who loses his lineage learns to exact his revenge, and justice befell him.
Sacrifices. Honor. Pride. Love.

She Who Became The Sun is an intriguing and mesmerizing take on Asian fantasy history and how far a person will go for survival. A gender-bending, role-reversal protagonist realizes that her limitation is only up to how far her imagination, creativity, and ingenuity can take her. This book is, as advertised, “historical fantasy reimagining of the rise to power of Zhu Yuanzhang,” and I was “so IN” with this!

The book is from a multi-POV of various characters, executed well but may get overwhelming for a reader to absorb if read straight*. The story revolved around the “unintentional conflict” between Ouyang and Zhu Chongba/Zhu – fighting for control/power and becoming Emperor. Although both main characters only meet a handful of times in the book, they seem to consume each other’s thoughts due to pride, mission, and intentions.
* With a busy holiday schedule, reading gaps were often for this book, which is NOT my usual reading sprints. So, I made side notes on each character, which I refer to, which helped me remember and jump back to the book quickly.

I will admit this took me some time to finish. Not because there were other books that I needed to finish earlier than this, but because the pacing is slower with documentation type speed mixed with meaningful conversations inserted. There were moments when the author dragged a particular moment then rushed the ending of that scene, like the battle for Jiankang, wherein concerns were discussed at length (costing many lives), then written it abruptly with minimal details and a quick resolution.

Even with this, I love how the story is very character-led. Each step is from Zhu and Ouyang, seizing their futures with passion and conviction. There may be impossible moments, BUT both characters focus and draw strength to garner their “light” within. It is how humans push through and psych themselves to be resilient in the toughest of times. This part resonates with me, and thus I got deeply invested in these characters after further character exploration. I love how either character changed their fates, controlling their outcomes through sheer determination and wit!

The ending brought about many unexpected twists. Both main characters had to deal with the “obvious,” wherein they are more alike than they realized, even on opposing sides. They are connected beyond the physical realm and have their fates intertwined from the very start. Once Ouyang and Zhus’ connection and fates aligned, their prophecies and predictions became a reality. The last few chapters’ pacing is faster as all the “important pieces” resulted in unexpected consequences.

Although this is a duology, the closure provided in Book 1 is sufficient that it doesn’t count as a “cliffhanger” for me; but instead, it came out as “what’s next.” I like books like this where I am looking forward to the next saga but not overly restless for the sequel. Don’t get me wrong – I cannot wait to see the next book!

Within her she felt a glorious, swelling sense of the future, and all its possiblities. A brief in her fate that shone brighter and brighter until the darkest cracks of herself were split open by light, until there was nothing left inside her but that radiance that was pure desire. She didn’t want greatness. She wanted the world. The breath she took felt like joy.
— She Who Became The Sun, Shelley Parker-Chan

In summary, although She Who Became The Sun was a challenging read for me than some other retelling fantasy book I’ve encountered, I thoroughly enjoyed the retelling and characters. I admit that it wasn’t a full-on fascinating read until 2/3rds of the way – but I believe this is just because of the reading gaps. Once I could continue for a more extended read, I enjoyed the journey better.

I appreciate the author’s writing style, storytelling, especially the portrayal of the characters as a whole – ambition, motivations, and turn of events at the end. The characters were deeply explored and made me think even after finishing the book.

I commend the author for exploring many controversial topics that is current and relevant. This book will test the reader’s boundaries on tradition and start breaking gender borders, questioning hierarchical patriarchy, and challenging archaic stereotyping. To avoid spoilers, I can say that the book will not have exact answers to readers at the end, aside from the obvious. It will resolve the premise of the book, but it’s the “what comes next” for Ouyang and Zhu at the end that will make readers anticipate Book 2.

PROS: resilience, patriotism, familial duties and responsibilities, self-determination, focused character development, world-building, and passion

CONS: slower pace can seem documentary-like (good and bad in this), not a CON but saddened about the eradication of a lineage

Tropes: historical retelling, strong protagonists, non-binary heroes, broken heroes

About the Author

Shelley Parker-Chan is an Asian-Australian former diplomat and international development adviser who spent nearly a decade working on human rights, gender equality, and LGBT rights in Southeast Asia. Her MA in International Relations focused on war crimes and restorative justice processes for victims of atrocities.

Named after the Romantic poet, Parker-Chan grew up in a book-filled household on a diet of Greek myths, Arthurian legend, and Chinese tales of suffering and tragic romance. Although her childhood dream was to be a warrior-monk, or perhaps a fighter pilot, she settled for a black belt in taekwondo and the mildly adventuresome life of an itinerant ex-pat. Her favorite activity in any new country is visiting the supermarket. Her special travel skill is being able to cook almost any kind of food in an electric rice cooker. While she would have preferred to be six feet tall and burly, she takes some consolation from being short enough to sleep comfortably in even the most budget long-distance bus seat. She has flown on an unfortunately large number of the world’s least safe airlines but still finds even Lion Air preferable to any form of boat travel.

In 2017 she was awarded an Otherwise (Tiptree) Fellowship for using speculative narrative to expand our understanding of gender. She Who Became the Sun is her first novel.

After having lived in eight different places (in three countries) in the past ten years, Parker-Chan has returned for now to placid Melbourne, Australia, where she lives with her family.

April 8, 2021April 5, 2021

Book Review: Murder at the Met (Penelope Harris Mysteries #2) by E. W. Cooper

Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Published on: 08 April 2021
Published by: Ink Dog Press
Type: HEA, standalone, series
Genre: Adult, Historical Series, Amateur Sleuth, Mystery/Suspense
Author: E.K. Cooper
Read: 01 April 2021
Shelved:04 April 2021
Rating: 5/ 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Get it here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookbub | Goodreads

Synopsis:

November 1928, New York City. No one can keep a secret like high society – especially when that secret is murder.

There are two things Penelope Harris would rather do than get involved with another murder—sing opera and flirt with Thom Lund. When two tickets ensure Penelope and Thom get some precious time together at the Metropolitan opera, neither believes another murder will interrupt their romantic evening.

Fate has a different plan. Before the night is over a failed manufacturing tycoon is found dead at the bottom of a staircase, his poisoned and dying daughter nearby. Is it an accident? Suicide? Or murder? When a fellow soprano pleads for help, Penelope just can’t help her inquisitive nature.

As Penelope pulls back the cover on a diabolical crime, Lund rushes to complete the investigation of a suicide on the Gold Coast of Long Island. What they find will uncover the sordid underbelly of high society and put Penelope on the wrong side of her own gun.

Review

Murder at the Met is the second installment of the Penelope Harris Mystery. The title is a dead giveaway of what the story is about – a suspicious murder at the Metropolitan Opera (Met), wherein our two heroes, Penelope and Lund, were present. Although the title gives the main plot, there are still many complex “moving” clues and goings-on that make this story a captivating and thrilling one.

Penelope Harris comes into the book as the new voice teacher for the Metropolitan Opera. She needs to find work soon after her experience in Book 1 that marred her with gossip, and no one was interested in getting her to sing or teach. A sold-out show at the Met brought Penelope to meet up with a man from her past that would finally make his intentions known. Too bad, it had to be amidst the chaos of a murder investigation, poisoning, and robbery in the mix.

Thom Lund is a private financial detective who was also at the wrong place. He was at the Met for a performance when he bumped into an old friend from Book 1 and someone from who Lund thought he got over. His visit was a cover to speak to a potential client, but it all snowballed into another case that got him involved more directly as one of the four thousand possible suspects in the murder that evening. This complication dampers his current caseload at needs his full attention.

Before I start this review, I want to reassure readers who might wonder if reading Book 1 is necessary to appreciate Book 2, that no – you do not need to read the first book to enjoy the storyline, scenes, and characters. Readers can dive into Book 2 immediately and catch up with the details since the author provided some pertinent information to help “fill in” Penelope, Lund’s background story, and their pasts.

Without giving away too much, Murder at the Met brings Lund and Penelope’s sleuthing prowess that will bring readers “on the edge of their seats” from the start until the last chapter. Written from multiple characters’ POVs, I suggest readers take time reading it and repeat it if need be to not miss on details. There is a whole bunch of characters/suspects to rule out.

I adore the book’s historical feel, and the opera world’s inside politics of the opera world. The book takes readers back to the 1920s, as the author described each scene in vivid detail from the clothing, the food, the people, and the socio-economic situation in the story. The writing is logical yet ominous at the same time, which builds the air of uncertainty from the start.

Readers – be mindful and read carefully so as not to miss out on important clues. There were many small details to be taken into account that might not be significant at first until the end.

I love how the author expertly wove the scenes like a movie – very cinematographic style with words. It fits the suspense theme with “hidden” thoughts well hidden. Just when readers think they got the case solved, the author places a “wrench” into our theories, washing it away like the ocean washing away our sand fort, and we start from scratch.

I enjoyed the “slow-burning” attraction between Penelope and Lund. They worked well as partners helping give insight and details that were critical investigation and given other “angles.” They remind me of Sherlock and Watson but in a guy-girl setting. They have a slow-burning attraction that makes the book even more interesting as they sort out their feelings internally while simultaneously solving crimes.

As the book’s mysteries unfold, many family secrets related and unrelated to the murder surface as the investigations dig deeper. There are a lot of shocking truths, revelations, and an ending that will leave readers bewildered. The players all have their set of ideas, personae, and façades that are a treat when shown to “the privileged few.” More sinister things happened that even extended to a supposedly “unrelated” case that Lund was working on. Who knew that all of the things happening within the Met are interrelated to all the characters.

In summary, Murder at a Met is a fascinating, fantastic read. It will keep readers in their seats and devour the book immediately – wanting to find out the who, what, why, and where. Things are NOT what they seem on the surface, and readers need to dig a lot deeper to find out the “uglies” in the story. The ending was a sad yet complex one as the truth unfolded uncontrollably. The techniques reminded me of memorable A&E mysteries (i.e. Agatha Christie or Miss Marple, etc.) that I loved and missed so much. I love how the author got enthralled in the mystery and suspense. That is how I know a good book is all about – when it makes me revisit and rethink the details, plot days after finishing it.

This book is a keeper!

About the Author:

E.W. Cooper, author of the Penelope Harris Mysteries, was ecstatic to learn her debut in the series, The Jade Tiger, was the 2020 Booklife Prize Finalist in Mystery/Thriller. A lifelong fan of classic mysteries and Grand Opera, Ms. Cooper is hard at work on the second book in the Penelope Harris Mystery series, Murder at the Met (April 2021). She lives quietly with her partner, children, three dogs, and one cat in a very noisy house in South Texas.

To learn more about Penelope Harris Mysteries (and the author) go to http://www.ewcooper.com and snoop around.

GIVEAWAY ALERT

In celebration of the release of Murder at the Met, a giveaway is being run!
Up for grabs is a $25 Amazon gift card and an ebook copy of Murder at the Met!
This Blitz-wide giveaway is open internationally so head-on to Rafflecopter here to join.
Good luck!