She-Warrior

Forest Child by Heather Day Gilbert

Published October 31st, 2016

I don’t usually gravitate towards historical fiction so when the opportunity to read this book came I wasn’t expecting to absolutely love it. But I did. Set in the Era of Leif Erikson, this story is about his brazen half-sister Freydis.

Determined to rise above her rank as the illegitimate "forest child" of Eirik the Red, Freydis launches a second voyage to Vinland to solidify her power and to demand the respect she deserves. She will return home with enough plunder to force her brother, Leif, to sell her the family farm in Greenland.

But nothing can prepare her for the horrors she must confront in Vinland...and nothing can stand in her way when her family is threatened.

In her race to outrun the truths that might destroy her, Freydis ultimately collides with the only enemy she cannot silence—her own heart.

What surprised me the most about this book was the realistic grit of the viking world Gilbert painted. It was refreshing to see a christian novel portray the good, the bad, and the sometimes gruesome. The action was fast paced and tastefully described. I hate when authors make action sequences so complex you have no idea what’s happening. This book definitely didn’t have that problem. The narrative held my attention and was purposeful, there were no filler sentences that didn’t fit.

Freydis as a character intrigued me. I wanted to know more about her as I read, to find out what drove her. At times her pride and malice frustrated me. But then Gilbert would let you see her affection and have you rooting for Freydis once more. The relationship between Freydis and Ref is something that interested me as well. Their marriage was far from perfect and I’m thankful Gilbert portrayed a life-like relationship that was raw and most of the time, strained.

I also enjoyed the setting of this novel and the history I learned as I read. If, like me, you dislike sad or frustrating endings do not fear. This story ended with all ties mended and relationships restored. A story full of action, betrayal, redemption, and girl power to the max. You’ll love Forest Child.

Language: None

Alcohol/drugs: Freydis eats a mushroom that causes hallucinations

Violence: 7

Sexual Content: Nothing that really stands out. A husband and wife lying together is noted throughout the book. Things are said in subtle ways as to make known what happened and nothing is sexualized. Think Bible terminology.

Spiritual Content: While the main character Freydis is not a Christian, Christianity is talked about a lot throughout the book and many of the side characters are Christians. There is a very powerful spiritual redemption at the end on the novel.

Currently Reading: My True Love Gave to Me by Various Authors

Next Post: Review of Glitter By Apprilynne Pike

A Boy and His Horse

Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart

 

           

         Do you remember all those horse movies you would watch as a kid? You know, the ones with stolen horses, wild animals, Native Americans, Cowboys, and an ultimately happy ending where horse and owner live happily ever after? I LIVED on those movies. My favorite was and is Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Some Kind of Courage reminded me of those movies in all the right ways. The whole book exuded nostalgia (do I get brownie points for using those two words in the same sentence?).

“It was such a spectacular adventure full of thrills, surprises, and heart-wrenching moments.

          The main character, Joseph, was excellent and the supporting character, Ah-Kee never stopped impressing me. I enjoyed their unique friendship and all the funny exchanges they had.

Moving on to the next part of this review. I’m going to give you a detailed content review with the same format I usually use at the end of my posts. Then, I’ll let you be the judge.

Language:

              

       There was some language in this book. The “H” word is used five times by some of the gruff men Joseph comes across. Damned is used once and heck or heckuva is used a few times as well. Joseph mentions himself swearing a handful of times even though he knows his mother wouldn’t like him saying things like that.

Alcohol/drugs:

              

       The man who “stole” Joseph’s horse is drunk in one scene. His actions are nothing more than slowed reflexes and a temper. He offers Joseph some alcohol but he refuses.

Violence:

               

      One character breaks his ankle and another’s leg is torn up a bit by a bear. Someone is shot and it is mentioned that they are bleeding out but it doesn’t go onto much more detail than that.

Sexual Content:

              

      None

Spiritual Content:

               

      Joseph’s parents are dead and he references them anytime a moral decision needs to be made. His mother is his main point of moral guidance and has strong advice that lines up with God’s word. He also frequently asks himself what the Lord would want him to do. Joseph always does the right thing even if it scares him. He looks out for others especially his friend Ah-kee, a Chinese immigrant who is looked down upon by society. He shows great strength of character by giving others a second chance even if they don’t deserve one and looking at all peoples as equal.

Currently Reading: Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K Rowling

Next Post: Full review of: Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K Rowling

Mirror, Mirror

Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen

             A fourteen-year-old girl escapes her evil stepmother by running into the woods. She comes upon a cottage of seven dwarfs and lives with them. All is well, until one day an old woman with a basket of shiny red apples asks for Snow White’s help. And, being the naive but kind girl that she is, she helps her. To show her gratitude for Snow White’s help, the old woman gives Snow one of her apples.

 It turns out that the old women is her stepmother and the apple is poisoned. Snow White dies and the dwarfs mourn her death. They hold a ceremony in the woods with all the forest animals Snow had befriended. As she lays dead beneath a glass coffin the prince arrives. She had met him once before and they sang a duet but that was it.

Well, it must have been pretty spectacular duet because he is so grief-stricken he removes the glass lid and kisses her. A dead, fourteen–year-old girl. She miraculously wakes up and they ride off into the sunset.

Now, don’t get me wrong I love Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It’s such a cute movie and the animation is beautiful. But, when you look at the story-line so literally it seems kind of well…stupid. So, when a book entitled Snow in Summer caught my eye I picked it up to see what it was all about.

With her black hair, red lips, and lily-white skin, Summer is as beautiful as her father's garden. And her life in the mountains of West Virginia seems like a fairy tale; her parents sing and dance with her, Cousin Nancy dotes on her, and she is about to get a new baby brother. But when the baby dies soon after he's born, taking Summer's mama with him, Summer's fairy-tale life turns grim. 

Things get even worse when her father marries a woman who brings poisons and magical mirrors into Summer's world. Stepmama puts up a pretty face, but Summer suspects she's up to no good - and is afraid she's powerless to stop her.

This young adult fantasy novel has a hint of historical fiction as it is based during the early twentieth century (the 20’s I think) in Appalachia. I love fantasy novels and so I was eager to see how Snow White was portrayed in this re-telling. Jane Yolen’s portrayal of Snow didn’t make her out be a naive, stupid girl. She was smart, kind, and wanted the right thing to be done. She was respectful towards her stepmother even when her stepmother was nasty to her.

Her character was much more mature and realistic, as was the story. Her decisions were necessary and well thought through. The seven dwarfs were short men who came to America from Germany with their parents when they were kids. I really like this change in the story and enjoyed their German accents in the dialogue. They were each different but not stereotypical at all which made that part of the story so much better.

The stepmother is so well written. She wasn’t the vain woman filled with hatred for Snow that she is often portrayed as. She’s dark, cunning, deceitful, and manipulative. You don’t really realize what she is doing until a good ways through the book which was refreshing. I actually liked her character a lot.  Not because she was a great step mother (because she's not) but because she broke through the stereotypical evil stepmother persona.

This book made the story of a fourteen-year-old girl who goes to live with seven men into a realistic story of a young girl, who has everything ripped away from her and is trying to uncover the evidence of her misery.

Language: None

Alcohol/drugs: Summer is offered beer in one scene but refuses

Violence: 1.5

Sexual Content: None

Spiritual Content: Summer’s aunt goes to a Baptist church and her step-mother takes her to a church where they practice snake handling as a religious ritual taking Mark 16:17-18 and Luke 10:9 literally. Snow can tell something is wrong with the people there and does not agree with their rituals but her step-mother makes her go.