A great book

Absolutely devastating. Great world building, as always with Suzanne Collins. But wow, I didn't think these could get any more heartbreaking.

This is a haunting tale about the few remaining remnants of a family after a mass murder. But a mass murder committed by Whom? And way do they remain so secluded only to embrace the presence of an obscure relative? This story wonderfully raised more questions than it answers.

This book delivers the type of ending all readers long for; something unexpected. And even from about midway into the book, you know something is coming, but there aren’t obvious clues. This author dies an excellent job on her maiden novel. Can’t wait to see what she sends us in her next one.

In what I think of as a "Cozy Mystery", an elderly couple is murdered by their nephew for, predictably, money. There is also a major town celebration, which really has very little to do with the plot. Not going to be a great real for real mystery fans.

I would say that the central part of this book is solid and enjoyable, but some of the peripheral stuff I could do without, including names of many people who have little or nothing to do with the story. And maybe it is just me, but I found the ridiculousness of the names, virtually all of them, to detract from the serious central plot. There is a god story in here, but you just have to wait for it to rise to the top.

So here is a perfect example of why I prefer not to know too much about a book before I read it, because this is a western. It’s not a genre I would normally select, but this one was very enjoyable. On the surface, it’s a simple story about a man looking for gold, but it’s also the story of fear, loneliness, and hope. It’s about making tough choices and doing the right think. I look forward to reading something else by this author.

This is an interesting look at friendship and how It both changes and endures over time. It’s also an examination of how friends enrich each other’s lives, even in the face of conflict. I love how the starting point of the book is when the 2 women are young and how they reunited after many years. A good read for everyone.

This book follows the 2 daughters of the man who was responsible for people seated on the throne of England in the 1400's. It follows the 2 girls through their lives and does a beautiful job of following their changing view of the position of Queen from their childhood until their death. It is a wonderful, albeit at times a grim, look at the life of powerful women during that time period.

A wonderful book