Ms. Hen reviews The Book of Living Secrets

 

The Book of Living Secrets

Madeleine Roux

Quill Tree Books

2022

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because it was recommended to her online. She read about it, and loved the premise: it's about two girls who are swept magically into their favorite book. When Ms. Hen received this, she adored the cover right away. That might be her favorite part of the book.

This novel is about two friends, Connie and Adele, high school students in Boston. They are into the occult and otherworldly things, and their favorite book is called MOIRA, which is a bodice-ripper set in Victorian Boston. Adele wants to go to a store called The Witch's Eye Emporium to do a spell with the owner on the night of the Sadie Hawkins dance instead of attending the dance.

The spell is done, and the girls go into the book, but in different chapters. Connie gets thrust into the book in the middle, and Adele near the part of the solstice party at Moira's house. The girls have to find each other, and have a difficult time doing so. The book they land into is different from the one they read, however. It's darker, and minor characters are more prominent, such as the Penny Farthings, who are a band of criminals. A monster is in the bay, and the older people are drawn into it. Connie and Adele have to try to save everyone.

When Ms. Hen read about this novel, she was excited, but as she read it, the book became more ridiculous, and silly. She understands that it's supposed to be fantasy, but to her, it didn't make any sense. She thinks that even with fantasy, there has to be some believability to it. 

Ms. Hen didn't believe this novel, and it's difficult for her to explain that. Fiction is all made-up, but she has read other novels that she has been drawn into and the world of the piece had been created authentically. Not this novel, however.

Ms. Hen wanted this to be one of her great Halloween reads, but it wasn't. She still searches for new Halloween books to entertain her, and she'll search high and low, even when All Hallow's Eve is over, because she likes to be scared, and she dreams of worlds that she has never seen but wants to someday.

Ms. Hen reviews The Bloody Chamber

 

The Bloody Chamber 

Angela Carter

Penguin Books

1979

Ms. Hen had learned about this book when she read THE DOLL'S ALPHABET earlier this year, and she didn't read it right away, either because it wasn't available at the library, or she wanted to wait for Halloween. It was available just in time for the season! Ms. Hen couldn't wait to devour this.

This collection of short stories are all rewritten fairy tales, with a feminist, and sometimes morbid sexual twist to each one. Two different versions of "Beauty and the Beast," live in these pages, and they are both perverse and lovely. A very short rewrite of "Snow White," is here, too, and it's brief, grotesque and breathtaking. One of Ms. Hen's favorite stories is "Puss-In-Boots," a reimagining of the children's tale, an X-rated version with the little cat misbehaving, and assisting his master in his dastardly deeds.

This short collection is deceiving, because it looks very small, but all the stories are dense with imagery, and lush language. Ms. Hen understands why critics compared THE DOLL'S ALPHABET to this book, because the stories are bizarre, and unexpectedly feminist and strange. It also reminds Ms. Hen of another book she read recently, BOY, SNOW, BIRD, the reimagined Snow White novel.

THE BLOODY CHAMBER is not for the faint of heart. Beware! Anyone who reads this collection might be disgusted, and could possibly pass out from horror. It is not for the squeamish, or the faint of heart. If you are like Ms. Hen, and enjoy the darker, disturbing side of life, you will love this book! If not, read something else. Ms. Hen says Happy Halloween, and keep on reading. You can find her in the haunted house, scaring everyone away.

Ms. Hen reviews An Arrow to the Moon

 

An Arrow to the Moon

Emily X. R. Pan

Hatchett Book Group

2022

Ms. Hen picked this book up at a Little Free Library near where she lives. She knew nothing about this book, but she read the back, and learned that it is a young adult fantasy, and a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, which is the type of book she loves. The novel is also based on Chinese mythology.

Ms. Hen learned that this novel is based on the myth of Chang'e, the Chinese goddess of the moon. This is a well-known legend, but Ms. Hen had never heard of it. The astronauts in Apollo 11 landing on the moon mentioned her before they landed, and the lunar probes from China were named after Chang'e. When Ms. Hen finished this book, she watched the Netflix film, OVER THE MOON, which was based on the same myth. The film is a musical, and Ms. Hen thought it was like a Disney movie, and at times is psychedelic.

AN ARROW TO THE MOON is about Luna and Hunter, two high school students, and how they meet and fall in love, and the problems that surround them. Their families don't like each other because their fathers competed for the same professorship at the university in their town, and Luna's father got the job. A crack appears in the town when Luna and Hunter meet at a party. She doesn't want to like him, because she knows her parents don't approve, but they can't help being drawn together.

Magical things happen. Hunter's asthma is cured when he breathes Luna's breath, fireflies appear in the winter, and Hunter's brother, Cody, finds a book that has writing that changes ever time he opens it. Luna doesn't want to do what her parents want, and Hunter's family is on the run, because they owe money, and are in hiding. Like Romeo and Juliet, Luna and Hunter are star-crossed lovers.

Ms. Hen thinks this novel reminds her of other young adult fantasy, such as the Harry Potter series, but one of the things that make it different is the characters are Asian, which makes it more diverse. Issues that face Asian children are addressed in this novel, such as overbearing parents who plan their children's futures for them.

This novel is also based on mythology, but it's taken from that, and is not the identical story, which Ms. Hen thinks is charming. Ms. Hen thinks that all these stories are around somewhere, and are waiting to be found and retold again in new, unique ways.

Ms. Hen likes this novel. It's difficult for her to imagine what it's like to be a teenager these days, but this novel doesn't seem to take place in any point of time. Technology is almost nonexistent here, which Ms. Hen admires. Ms. Hen recommends this novel if you want to believe in magic, but are willing to face sadness.