ARC Review: The Sisters of Straygarden Place by Hayley Chewins

Title: The Sisters of Straygarden Place
Series: n/a
Author: Hayley Chewins
Source/Format: Publisher (Netgalley); eARC
More Details: Middle Grade; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Candlewick; October 13, 2020

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

A riveting middle-grade fantasy about sibling bonds, enchanted houses, and encroaching wildness, lyrically told in eerily beautiful prose... 

The grass grew taller than the house itself, surrounding it on all sides. It stuffed the keyholes and scraped against the roof. It shook the walls and made paintings shiver... 

Seven years ago, the Ballastian sisters' parents left them in the magical Straygarden Place, a house surrounded by tall silver grass and floating trees. They left behind a warning saying never to leave the house or go into the grass. "Wait for us," the note read. "Sleep darkly." Ever since then, the house itself has taken care of Winnow, Mayhap, and Pavonine--feeding them, clothing them, even keeping them company--while the girls have waited and grown up and played a guessing game: Think of an animal, think of a place. Think of a person, think of a face. Until one day, when the eldest, fourteen-year-old Winnow, does the unthinkable and goes outside into the grass, and everything twelve-year-old Mayhap thought she knew about her home, her family, and even herself starts to unravel. With luscious, vivid prose, poet and author Hayley Chewins transports readers to a house where beloved little dogs crawl into their owners' minds to sleep, sick girls turn silver, and anything can be stolen--even laughter and silence.... 

The Sisters of Straygarden Place was a wonderfully atmospheric story about a trio of sisters and the long-held mysteries of the titular place. Perfect for middle grade readers, it was as magical as it was mysterious, as well as sometimes whimsical and also sometimes dangerous. I had a lot of fun reading this book.

From the start, the premise of an isolated house surrounded by tall, magical grass was one that had my interest. I’m a sucker for house stories, and this was very much a house story. I say that because the house of Straygarden Place had as much personality as the characters in the story. It was clear early on that the warnings about the grass weren’t to be taken lightly. The setting might have been limited due to the early setup, but it really served the mysterious and eerie tone of the story. In that way, Chewins’s did a fantastic job of developing the magical aspects of the story. The magic, for instance, had consequences, and it worked so well with the setting.

Overall I enjoyed the story. It was just good. It was a relatively quick read once I got into it, but that wasn’t hard to do. From page one, Mayhap’s voice (as a character) was distinctive. As the middle sister, she seemed to be caught between what her older and younger siblings needed from her—such as when she tried to protect Pavonine and help Winnow by keeping secrets and bending the truth. Mayhap meant well—as proven by what she said and her actions—and it spoke to the type of character she was.

The rest of the characters were just as great and dynamic as Mayhap. Chewins’s development of the characters was only one of the many highlights of the story. The sisters were really the focus of The Sisters of Straygarden Place—I mean, it’s in the title after all—and it showed.

The Sisters of Straygarden Place was a fantastic story. It was the first book I’ve read by Hayley Chewins and it certainly won’t be the last.

About the author...

Hayley Chewins grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, in a house so full of books that she learnt to read by accident. The second eldest of four daughters, she sang incessantly as a child -- so incessantly, in fact, that she was sent to lessons twice a week in the interests of household peace. Hayley studied classical voice for a year before switching to a degree in English Literature and Italian. She lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, in a house full of art and music and colour, with her husband and a very small poodle. She believes in two things above all else: the magic of love, and the heroism of sisters. Her debut novel, THE TURNAWAY GIRLS, was a Kirkus Best Book and was featured on the Amelia Bloomer List of Best Feminist Books for Young Readers. Her second book, THE SISTERS OF STRAYGARDEN PLACE, is forthcoming from Candlewick Press in September 2020.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Candlewick) via netgalley for this review, thank you!

Music Monday (134): I Don't Know How But They Found Me, Aloe Blacc

 

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: I'm currently listening to music by I Don't Know How But They Found Me. This group is new to me, and I really like their song called Leave Me Alone.

Andrea: I wish I could say I've been listening to music by another artist, but that's just not so. I'm still listening to Aloe Blacc's CD, All Love Everything. Check out Wherever You Go below. Have an amazing week!

What are you listening to this week?

Pencil {October 2020} #1

 

Comments: Last year, in October, I did a series of pencil drawings. I had a lot of fun with it, and I ultimately decided to break out my pencils and give it another go. So every Saturday in October, starting with today, I will be sharing a piece of Halloween themed artwork from my sketchbook. Today’s image is one of my favorites. As I was thinking of what to do this month, I made approximately three versions of this same scene. One drawn in ink, painted with watercolor, and finally in pencil (which was the image I was most satisfied with).

Middle Grade Novels to Read This October

It’s October, a.k.a. one of my favorite times of the year. It also means fall is here, and I have my fingers crossed that cooler weather is on the way. But I digress, let’s talk about some books. So throughout this year and the later part of 2019, I’ve been enjoying a number of middle grade ghost stories. I’ve mentioned them on the blog, but I wanted to put my current favorites onto one post. Adri is joining me today, with recommendations and comments of her own about some of the books on this list.

  

Small Spaces and Dead Voices by Katherine Arden 

Breana: I found these books because I read Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy. I really enjoy the way the author blends spooky elements with issues relevant to the target audience. Plus the story within the story could have been its own book, and the ghosts of the series always appear in surprising ways and places.

Adri: Since I agree with what Breana said, all I’m going to add is: both books are great. They have just the right amount of spookiness and touching friendships.

The Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown 

Adri: I’m still left speechless by The Forgotten Girl. It’s a chilling ghost story that incorporated real life history in the form of segregated cemeteries. I really loved the author’s note at the end, where she detailed her inspiration behind including the cemeteries. It added a timeliness touch to the story.

Breana: The Forgotten Girl is one of my favorite ghost stories. Brown did an excellent job with the supernatural elements of the story, and I enjoyed the perspective of the main character. The ghost was in-your-face scary at times. Not because she was evil, but because of the gradual escalation of her actions. All around, it’s a fantastic story.

Ghost Squad by Clairbel A. Ortega 

Breana: Ghost Squad had the fun quirkiness of Ghostbusters combined with a cast of lovable characters. The ghosts took on both a haunting and a cherished role in this story, which was one of my favorite aspects of the book.

Adri: I finally got around to reading Ghost Squad after Breana, and I couldn’t put it down. I agree. It is a fun story. I loved the relationship she had with her dad and family spirits. Her adventures with Syd and eventually Babette and the cats were all the more enjoyable because of the magical elements.

The Sisters of Straygarden Place by Hayley Chewins 

Breana: I read this book as an ARC. While there were no ghosts in the story, The Sisters of Straygarden Place needed to be on this list for a myriad of reasons. The atmospheric storytelling had a spooky and downright eerie quality to it, and the setting was as mysterious and dangerous as the characters.

Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradley 

Adri: I’ve already reviewed this book with Andrea. There’s not much else I can say about it other than that I enjoyed it immensely. The mystery drew me in. There was a good balance of eerie and lighthearted moments. I said it in the review and I’ll say it again here: it was definitely a page-turner.

We hope this trend of middle-grade ghost stories continues well into the future. So that’s it for today. What ghost or spooky stories have you been reading lately?

ARC Review: Deception By Gaslight by Kate Belli

Title: Deception by Gaslight
Series: A Gilded Gotham Mystery #1
Author: Kate Belli
Source/Format: Publisher (Netgalley); eARC
More Details: Historical; Mystery
Publisher/Publication Date: Crooked Lane Books; October 6, 2020

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Glittering Gilded-Age New York holds its lavish charms--and a litany of deadly sins--as intrepid reporter Genevieve Stewart uncovers a trail of corruption and murder. 

As a chill sets in on New York City in the winter of 1888, a jewel thief dubbed the "Robin Hood of the Lower East Side" has been stealing from the city's wealthiest and giving to the poor. Genevieve Stewart--a young woman whose family is part of Mrs. Astor's famed 400 but who has forged a life of her own as a reporter--decides to chase the story, but gets more than she bargained for: a murder victim sprawled in a dark alley in the dangerous Five Points neighborhood. A handsome neighborhood tough comes to her rescue--but when she encounters the same man at a glamorous ball a few nights later, she realizes he's society scion Daniel McCaffrey. Could this be her Robin Hood? When two more murders rock the Knickerbocker world, it becomes apparent that something much more sinister is afoot than a few stolen diamond necklaces. Genevieve is determined to prove that Daniel is Robin Hood--but she's loath to believe he is a killer as well. From the glittering lights of Fifth Avenue to the sordid back alleys of Five Points, the truth is just one murder away.

It’s been some time since I last picked up a historical mystery, and Deception by Gaslight immediately got my interest. It was set in late 1800’s New York. It was a story steeped in old money, a mysterious and escalating string of thefts, and what it had to do with a person (thief) who goes by the moniker of Robin Hood. It was an interesting mixture of aspects, and  overall the story was a good one.

From the first page, I was drawn into the story by Belli’s writing, which created strong and distinctive voices for both of the novel’s main characters—Genevieve and Daniel. I liked the mystery portion of Deception by Gaslight the best. Since Genevieve knew—and was acquainted with or moved in some of the same social circles—as many of the people who had items stolen from them, it presented a personal tie to the case that increased the sense of tension early in the story.

For the most part, I liked Genevieve’s character. She was a reporter who was chasing what she hoped was her next big story, and I admired the kind of ambition she had. Her friends were also entertaining characters, and I enjoyed every time they appeared on page. Daniel was a very complex character. As the enigmatic recipient of a fortune (under mysterious means), he had a number of secrets. He was a well-meaning person, and overall I thought his characterization was great. I also enjoyed the scenes he had with Genevieve. The two worked well together, and some of my favorite scenes were when they were acting as a team.

Although, there were times when it seemed like the clues were almost too obvious, yet the characters didn’t realize it till much later. It was a little frustrating, because otherwise this was a very capable group of characters. However, that didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the story, and it was more of a pet peeve of my mine. When the story picked up towards the latter half of the book, all the revelations kept me turning the pages. The end left off in an open-ended place, and it definitely left room for another story. (I have a number of questions about that last scene, but I just have to wait until the next book comes out.)

Deception by Gaslight is a promising beginning to a new series. If you’ve read any of the Veronica Speedwell books by Deanna Raybourn, then you might want to consider giving this one a try.

About the Author....

Kate Belli writes historical mystery, historical romance, suspense and women’s fiction. Fascinated by history from an early age, she earned a PhD in American art and has variously worked as an antiques appraiser, a museum curator and a college professor. Kate has lived all over, from Florence, Italy, to Brooklyn, New York, to the Deep South, to a cottage next to Monet’s gardens in Northern France. Today she lives and works in a small, Civil War-era college town in Pennsylvania with her husband and son. When not writing, Kate satisfies her wanderlust by traveling with her family as often as possible, touring museums and sampling local food. She is also an avid runner, having completed several marathons, and a yoga teacher. Kate loves hiking, camping, and cooking, and firmly believes red wine and strong coffee qualify as their own food groups....

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Crooked Lane Books) via Netgalley, thank you!