The Ascendance Trilogy

I LOVED the Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielson! The series takes place in a kingdom called Carthya. The king and queen have two sons, but one of them is killed by pirates. When rumors start going around the kingdom that the royal family has been murdered, a regent from the kingdom collects four boys from different orphanages who resemble the younger prince in hopes to pass him off as the royal and have him crowned king. The regent, Connor, is convinced that by so doing this, it will prevent war throughout the kingdom in order to obtain the throne. Sage is one of the boys collected from Connor, but he has no interest in learning table manners, how to waltz, and the history of Carthya. However, running away may be even more dangerous than lying to get the crown.

This series is full of mystery and intrigue. It is adventurous, as well as a coming of age novel. I could not put the book down, it had me nervous with anticipation until the very end. I would HIGHLY recommend this series!

Heaven Help Us

This month's book for book club was 'Heaven Help Us' by Kari J. Rich. This is a collection of memoirs written by a woman who lives in Cache Valley and writes for the Herald Journal (our local newspaper). While some of her stories had me laughing out loud, others made me kind of cringe. While I thoroughly enjoyed her tales of Thanksgiving woes, trying to get to church on time, and stories of how Girls Camp really is, there were also some things that were either TMI or just kind of boring. For instance, an entire chapter does not need to be dedicated to you detailing your workouts at the gym... snooze fest. Also, lusting after the 16 year old grocery boy..... ewwwww. And while I am a sarcastic person myself, sometimes her writing was a little too sarcastic and came off as just plain mean. For example: when she is berating the poor nurses at the hospital and answering them in snarky rude ways. We understand that you are worried about your sick kid and are frustrated, but those poor nurses have long shifts and have to deal with unpleasant people all day long. Maybe I have worked too many retail jobs, but on this one, I thought she could cut them some slack, they really are just doing the best they can. I guess this book was okay. There are some funny moments in it, but I probably wouldn't read it again. I guess you will just have to check it out and decide for yourself.

Strands of Bronze and Gold

'Strands of Bronze and Gold' by Jane Nickerson is about young, orphaned Sophia, who leaves her home and siblings in Boston to live with her extremely wealthy godfather in Mississippi. At first Sophia is beyond thrilled to live with her godfather in his mansion, accept his lavish gifts, and bask in his wealth. She came from a family of poverty, and her vanity is more than willing to accept this new and exciting lifestyle. Some things seem amiss to Sophia, but she doesn't let herself look too closely into her godfather's past that includes four wives, three of whom are dead. She is uncomfortable with the slaves that work on the plantation, and wishes there was something she could do for them, but keeping her godfather happy and his temper under control is vital for Sophia to get the money from him that her siblings so desperately need. She is walking a tight-wire and is hesitant to ask him too many questions or push him too far. She thinks she is good at handling her godfather and his unusual moods, but when she starts discovering some secrets of the house, she has to choose between playing her godfather's games to help her siblings, or living a happy full life.

This page turning mystery novel was good and I enjoyed it very much. It definitely kept me up late at night and I just had to find out what happened next. I would recommend it if you like mystery and historical fiction.