The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz

 I enjoyed The Plot and its peek into the world of writing, agents, and publishers. Its surprise ending was haunting. When I saw the author had written another book with many of the same characters, I was elated: maybe she would explore what motivated Anna to do what she did. My prayers were answered. This book focuses on Jake's widow, Anna, who has much to account for.

It's two years after bestselling author Jake Finch Bonner's death, and his widow, Anna Williams-Bonner, lives off his royalties while she decides what to do with her life. Anna writes a book at a writer's retreat, drawing on Jake's death for inspiration. The book becomes a bestseller, and the spotlight is now on her. With the notoriety comes scrutiny of her life, and someone out there knows too much. Anna receives an excerpt from a novel written by a person who is long dead, which could upset the success Anna now enjoys. Needing to know who the anonymous person is, Anna begins digging into Jake's past to see if she can find and neutralize the threat.

As I watched Anna wreak destruction in her quest to preserve her identity, I wondered how I could be rooting for her—yet I did. Korelitz does an excellent job of portraying cold-blooded Anna as a victim. The book starts slowly, but once Anna goes on the offensive, it picks up, and the suspense is palpable. I recommend reading The Plot before attempting this second book in the series; both are worthwhile. 

4/5 stars.

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North Woods by Daniel Mason

 

What a fantastic book! Although it took a while to get used to the format, once I did, I was transported to a world of remarkable characters—all housed in a yellow house in the mountains of Western Massachusetts.

Seeking freedom from their Puritan colony, a couple escapes and builds a house in the woods. What follows are the lives and passions of the people who come to inhabit the house over the centuries: a soldier and his twin daughters whose apple orchard is the envy of the community, an escaped enslaved person trying to get to Canada, a landscape artist whose forbidden affair wreaks havoc, a mother trying to deal with her son suffering from schizophrenia, and many more. Each inhabitant leaves their mark on the house, and the house, in turn, sometimes offers more than just shelter.

I love how Mason interconnects inhabitants' lives; the house is also a character. The writing is superb, and the storyline is original and intricate. I found myself reading more slowly toward the end of the book because I didn't want it to end. I haven't read a book this good in a long time. 

5/5 stars.

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The Last Ranger by Peter Heller

 I always enjoy Peter Heller's books. I've read almost all of them, and each has been engaging. Nature plays a big part in his stories, usually along the man versus nature line, and The Last Ranger is no exception.

Ren Hopper is an enforcement ranger in Yellowstone National Park. The highlight of his days usually involves unsnarling traffic jams and trying to keep stupid people from being killed or maimed by wildlife. He enjoys flyfishing in remote parts of the Park on his days off. On one such day, Ren encounters a suspected poacher chasing a bear with his dog. Ren can't prove the poaching or that he meant to kill the bear, but the man is on his radar. When a wildlife biologist studying the wolves in Yellowstone almost dies after being caught in a poacher's trap, Ren begins a full-scale investigation of the man. What he uncovers is both larger in scale and more organized than he thought.

Heller does an excellent job of exploring wolves' ecological impact and the challenges they face, both in nature and in man's presence. He highlights what a treasure our national parks are and how they are also in peril.

This is a wonderfully written novel with well-developed characters and realistic situations. It is suspenseful and well-plotted. Having been lucky enough to grow up near Yellowstone, this book tugged at my heartstrings. I loved the setting and the various storylines. 

5/5 stars.

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The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness

 I loved the first three books in this series*; even the fourth one, which read like a standalone, was good. This book is my least favorite. It had a good story, but it did drag in parts—nothing that a good editor couldn't have fixed.

This story is set a few years after the end of the third book, The Book of Life. The twins are now seven years old, and Mathew and Diana live most of the year in the US, where Diana teaches at Yale and Mathew is continuing his creature DNA research.

The school year is over, and the family is preparing to spend the summer in England when a letter arrives from the Congregation, notifying Mathew and Diana that it is time for the twins' magical abilities to be tested. At the same time, Diana receives a message from her great-aunt, Gwyneth Proctor, telling her that she must come to the Proctor family home of Ravenswood. Once at Ravenswood, Diana learns it is time to develop her higher magic skills, with Aunt Gwyneth as her tutor.

This story is good because it explores an area of magic viewed as dangerous in the previous books. Diana and Mathew must come to terms with the fact that Diana is an even more powerful witch than they previously believed. Overall, I did like the book, but I found the pacing uneven and got bogged down in places. 

3.5/5 stars.

* The previous books in the series, in order, are A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, The Book of Life, and Time's Convert.

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The Sirens by Emilia Hart

 

I enjoyed Hart's first book, Weyward, because of its strong female characters and their connection to nature. The Sirens also features both of these themes and a compelling story. I was instantly engaged in the novel and stayed that way throughout.

The story covers three time periods and two sets of women who share an odd malady: their reaction to the ocean. All suffer an affliction when coming in contact with water, yet they are all drawn to the sea.

In 2019, Lucy, a sleepwalker, awakens to herself trying to strangle her ex-lover. She flees to her sister Jess's house on the Australian coast. Upon arriving, Lucy finds the house unlocked, but no Jess. As the days pass, Lucy becomes aware of the disappearance of eight men over the years on a stretch of coast near Jess's house. With her attraction to the ocean increasing, Lucy tries to find Jess and solve the mystery of the disappearances.

Flashback to 1999. Sixteen-year-old Jess is an odd duck in her small town when her art teacher offers to tutor the budding artist. It becomes apparent that his interest is not just in her drawings, and Jess is also attracted to him.

Both Lucy and Jess are vivid dreamers. Unbeknownst to each other, they dream about twin sisters on a prisoner transport ship in the 1800s. Strangely, these sisters also suffer from the same reaction to water as Jess and Lucy.

Hart does an excellent job of tying together each timeline. The writing is terrific, and the pacing and plotting are good. I loved discovering why the four women have a love/hate relationship with the ocean and their relationship with each other. I saw a twist toward the end coming, but for the most part, I was surprised at how the story unfolded. I highly recommend this book. 

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is April 1, 2025.

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The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve

Time travel is one of my favorite genres. I have my favorite authors, standalone books, and time travel series. I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the genre, so although I was intrigued by this book, I was not prepared to be blown away by The Memory Collectors--but I was. This book is an interesting take that still has me wondering what I'd do if I were in a similar situation as the four characters in this book.

In 2028, Aeon Expeditions develops technology that allows people to spend an hour in their past without changing the future. The company says a person cannot travel to a specific point in time, but four strangers find themselves together four days before August 25, 2025--a date that changed each of their lives. Something goes wrong, and the four find themselves trapped in the past. As their lives intersect, they realize that if they work together, they may be able to change the events of that fateful day.

I read this book in record time. It was thought-provoking, and while it was a bit overly sentimental toward the end, it was still an excellent story. I was caught in the characters' lives and rooted for them to change the events of that August day. Alternating between each character's POV, the author did an excellent job of weaving the lives together and tying the story together. If you want a different take on time travel without the usual hard science that accompanies it, I highly recommend this book. 

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is May 20, 2025.

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Elphie by Gregory Maguire

 

I loved the previous books in this series and was eagerly looking forward to this one. Maybe my expectations were too high, or I wasn't in the right mood, but this latest addition to the Wicked series let me down. Whatever the reason, I had a difficult time staying engaged with it.

Readers of this series are familiar with Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, but how did she become the person we are familiar with? This book focuses on Elphaba's childhood, her relationships with her siblings and parents, and the situations she encountered early in life. Maguire explains Elphie's backstory, which should have been enlightening, but I struggled with it. At times, the writing was disjointed and hard to follow. I put the book down several times, hoping it would get better; it didn't. 

2/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is March 25, 2025.

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