Staff from the Marathon County Public Library are partnering with City Pages to provide monthly book reviews. This week, library staff reviewed fiction for a variety of reading levels, from adults, to youth to young adults — something for just about everyone this May. But don’t take our word for it, here’s what the local pro-readers have to say:
Adult fiction
While the story of a young woman at a dragon academy isn’t new, “To Shape a Dragon’s Breath” by Moniquill Blackgoose still emerges as an excitingly fresh tale set in an original alternate-history North America: “North Markesland.” Norsemen take the historical role of Romans, but the Indigenous people of the New World have still been attacked and dehumanized in tragically familiar ways. They’re also excluded from the prestigious dragon academies that enforce traditional (and often brutal) methods of training the pedigreed dragons that privileged children are allowed to keep.
Into this world the Indigenous main character Anequs arrives, discovering and hatching a wild dragon egg and becoming a Nampeshiweisit. The reader is swept into her fight to maintain her connection to her people and their ancestral knowledge while learning things like Anglereckoning, etiquette and dragon care from the Anglish colonizers of Lindmarden (New England). The author brilliantly blends history, natural science, linguistics, Native tradition and modern fantasy elements to create a captivating world that has me excitedly looking for the sequel. Five/five stars!
Review by Jailin Peterson, MCPL library specialist.
Young adult fiction
Paranormal possession has never been quite this enjoyable... In “The Corruption of Hollis Brown” by K. Ancrum, the titular Hollis Brown is a smart-mouthed teen trying to survive in a decaying small town. When he meets a strange boy in the forest, he makes a deal that results in the boy, Walt, taking over his body. Amid exorcisms by well-intentioned friends, Hollis and Walt form a close bond as they share one body and mind, exposing vulnerabilities that they’ve never shown to anyone else. However, Walt has unfinished business and secrets from his past that are about to haunt the pair further.
There are so many reasons to love this book! Themes of acceptance and friendship permeate the novel, and Walt and Hollis are both fully fleshed out characters, which adds depth to their relationship as they accept every part of each other. The blunt writing style adds to the urgency of the mystery of Walt’s past, and the small-town setting is eerily familiar and nostalgic. The pacing and plot are fast-moving, especially with short (often page-long) chapters, but things do not move so rapidly that emotions get lost; chapters are often devoted to emotional moments rather than pure action scenes, adding a layer of poignancy. “The Corruption of Hollis Brown” is a story of queer love, friendship, and the perseverance of a tight-knit community that will linger long after the last page is turned. Five/five stars!
Review by Sawyer Schmitz, Marathon County Public Library.
Youth, middle school
“Isle of Ever” by Jen Calonita is a perfect summer time read. This magical-realistic adventure story is set in the Long Island coastal village of Greenport. Benny, who currently lives with her mother in present day Boston, is approached by a lawyer and he lets Benny and his mother know that she has the chance to inherit her grandmother’s estate. With the help of two local kids she needs to solve the riddles in less than two weeks before the next blood orange moon, which has a connection to the mysterious island.
This novel is recommended for middle-schoolers who like scavenger hunt stories with some fantasy thrown in as well. The follow-up book, “The Curse Breaker” is out now — and also on order at the library! Five/five stars.
Review by Murray Johnson, MCPL Wausau branch.
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