General Fiction
Plot/Idea: Developing a fictionalized account of how a woman saved the legacy of Vincent Van Gogh is clever and compelling. The novel is well structured and ably plotted.
Prose: The writing here is solid, clear, and effective. The book is well-researched and the author does a great job providing context.
Originality: As this isn't a topic people will have encountered, it feels like a fresh take on the history of a well-known artist. The way Van Gogh's pieces are included is a nice conceit.
Character/Execution: Jo starts as a bit weak and easily overwhelmed; seeing her gain strength and continue pushing toward something she feels is important helps the reader root for her. Some characters feel a little cliche, but Jo is a well rendered protagonist.
Plot/Idea: Frank Lloyd Wrong is an endearing coming-of-age novel centered on a character forced to navigate his family's unique dynamics long before he's ready to do so.
Prose: Grote's prose is conversational and distinct, with candid, wry humor infused throughout. While the narration itself has a slight tendency to ramble, the tone is age-appropriate and readily engaging, with sparkling phrases on nearly every page.
Originality: Frank Lloyd Wrong deals in familiar themes–particularly the experiences of a young man grappling with adult responsibilities. But the novel comes alive through the uniquely disordered family at the center of the story. Grote brings empathy, humanity, and heart to the storytelling that will stick with readers.
Character/Execution: Grote's characters are the novel's core strength. Christian is presented as an individual torn between childhood and adulthood, while his mother emerges as a caregiver doing her best despite her inherent challenges.
Plot/Idea: This dynamic family drama follows Jason Lahey as he slowly loses his grip after stumbling onto an enigmatic slot machine abandoned in a field. He starts drinking too much, alienating himself from his family, and finds himself mired in past trauma. The storyline is sad but believable.
Prose: Peters writes with polish, though his descriptions tend to be overly ornate. Dialogue is a strength here, as the characters converse in natural, unstudied ways.
Originality: Fortune Falls is primarily character-driven, with a smattering of major events—such as the horrific death of Jason's neighbor and Jason's son's traumatic response—that are firmly grounded within the narrative arc. The slot machine hints at a larger intrigue that sometimes feels excessive for the story's framework.
Character/Execution: Main character Jason is compelling in his downward spiral, and, as his self-sabotage grows, readers will be swept into his difficulties.
Plot/Idea: Star Late Rising is a kaleidoscopic mish-mash of drama, comedy and surrealistic literature. Ron Luce's confidently told story boldly raises pertinent questions about who we are as individuals, as a collective and as a society teetering on the brink of collapse.
Prose: Luce's text is presented as a theatrical play, with excellent attention to detail in the stage directions that help create an imaginative and provocative atmosphere. In addition, the effect of the narrator talking directly to the reader makes the text feel more personal and resonant.
Originality: Star Late Rising is an engaging, genre-bending novel which has a strong focus on drama and theatrical performance. Its interesting and offbeat presentation is its strength, although the format may not be to many readers' tastes.
Character/Execution: The narrator and the three professional actors who make up the cast of Star Late Rising are well orchestrated and engaging. And intriguingly, as a result of the book's unique format, it often feels like the characters are directly in conversation with the audience.
Plot/Idea: Thad Moulton is a world-famous figure skater, desperate to place well in the 1997 World Championships—and earn himself another shot at the Olympics. His road to success is littered with bitter rivalries, new alliances, and unfair outcomes in the sporting world, all skillfully portrayed by Anolic’s impactful writing.
Prose: Anolic evokes the chilly competition and high-stakes atmosphere of professional figure skating with easy, accessible prose. There are moments of slightly stilted dialogue, but overall, Anolic’s writing flows smoothly.
Originality: Anolic highlights the stark contrast between the haves and have-nots of the figure skating world, reflecting the greater socioeconomic dichotomy that exists in society—and its influence on professional competition and success.
Character/Execution: Thad is a well-developed character, as Anolic zeroes in on his burning desire to succeed, even when faced with nearly impossible odds. His blossoming relationship with Emily forms a feel-good backdrop to the story’s competitive face-offs, as does his friendship with Joaquin, whose success comes at a much higher cost than his peers.
Plot/Idea: Where When It Rains is an engrossing character-focused drama with a bold and riveting storyline. Riley's post coma experiences are intensely related, exposing the tortuous landscape of alcohol-fueled hedonism that he finds difficult to extricate himself from.
Prose: Duffy's text benefits from microscopic attention to detail that effectively heightens atmosphere and tension. The tight writing style neatly emphasizes the overpowering world of debauchery that Riley throws himself into following his accident.
Originality: Where When It Rains is a compelling and tightly focused drama, lightly peppered with pop culture references. While tales of the surreality, splendors, and agonies of the haze of substance use are familiar, Duffy's text is told in vivid, grimy detail.
Character/Execution: Duffy's intriguing protagonist, Riley, wakes up from a coma with vertigo and is inadvertently pulled into a hedonistic world of drink and drugs. He becomes part of a group of like-minded souls lost to narcotics and waywardness, with Duffy expertly highlighting their lifestyle choices.
Plot/Idea: Meurs takes readers on an adventure to Camp Salvador, where friends gather and unexpected events happen. While it seems at times that not much is happening, the turn of events is a slow burn that makes it worth reading until the end.
Prose: Meurs uses imagery effectively to allow readers to feel like a part of the story's day-to-day action. The camp itself is an important character in the story, possessing its own personality, and the setting is serene, adding a soothing tone to the narrative.
Originality: The area in which the novel takes place is a unique place to use as a setting of a novel, and Meurs's skill with description makes it appear tranquil.
Character/Execution: Characters are witty and adventurous, trying to make the right decisions, and the connection between them is an important element to the novel. Meurs supports this throughout the book, crafting an ensemble cast who is engaging and likable.
Plot/Idea: Two Thousand Miles from Omaha, a follow-up to Two Thousand Miles from Spokane, catches up with Ryan Collins, a young man with a record who struggles to forget his past love through hazy romantic encounters, and by isolating himself in small town America. After receiving an unexpected promotion, though conflicted over the nature of his work, he heads on the road with new coworkers, leading perhaps closer to where he wants to be: if only he knew where that was.
Prose: Goldman's prose is polished, measured, and particularly captures dialogue and character interactions well.
Originality: Largely a character study, Two Thousand Miles from Omaha examines the life of an individual who is unsettled in his life, his career, and filled with regret over the past. Goldman examines familiar themes, but the work provides intriguing dimension when it comes to the protagonist's ethical concerns and friendships.
Character/Execution: Though the novel's pacing can be sluggish, Ryan Collins is a carefully constructed character suffering through quiet conflicts. Additional players throughout the story enhance the novel and also allow Ryan's character to more fully emerge.
Plot/Idea: The author has crafted an engaging plot with much for readers to sink their teeth into. There's a bit of romance, mystery, and intrigue all melded together in this story, enough to please fans of each genre.
Prose: The prose here is a mixed bag. Descriptive passages are frequently evocative and lyrical, but the author also has a tendency to go overboard with detail. Additionally, character dialogue too often serves to deliver exposition rather than deepen character relationships.
Originality: Run for Chapel Hill offers a fresh blend of genres that will keep readers on their toes.
Character/Execution: Despite the sometimes ham-fisted dialogue, the author does a fine job with characterization, particularly Sam and Etta, who emerge as complicated individuals with scarring histories.
Her Side of the Story: A Psychically Channeled Untold Story of Catherine de Medici
by Dominique WrightRating: 7.25
Plot/idea: In Her Side of the Story, Wright weaves historical fiction with a past lives narrative that centers on Catherine de Medici. While the organization can become disorienting–particularly in terms of the melding of past and present–Wright blends well-researched history with effective fictional storytelling, keeping readers glued to the pages.
Prose: Wright's writing is smooth, polished, and at times full of wonder. However, the novel sometimes lacks a sense of urgency and nuance, glossing over potentially darker undertones that readers may expect in a historical, dramatic narrative such as that of Catherine de Medici.
Originality: It's always refreshing to approach historical fact through a fictional lens, and Wright's more modern take on the life of such a prominent and yet understated figure does not disappoint.
Character/Execution: The novel integrates a whole host of intriguing characters. As a result, however, at times the historical significance of Catherine de Medici is muted by other voices vying for attention.
Plot/Idea: Refuge centers around the arrival of 15-year-old Gloria on her uncle Jesse's doorstep seeking help navigating an unexpected pregnancy. VanPatten crafts a poignant story about a nontraditional family that is driven by strong character development.
Prose: VanPatten has a clear, even, and nicely propulsive writing style that swiftly establishes the setting, characters, and circumstances. Still, the prose can sometimes come across as on-the-nose and may benefit from moments of greater subtlety over exposition.
Originality: Refuge offers a compelling and timely portrayal of political and social divides, particularly concerning reproductive health.
Character/Execution: Characters form the backbone of Refuge. Readers will strongly empathize with Jesse, still reeling from the loss of his husband, while Gloria's plight is convincingly and sensitively conveyed.
Plot/Idea: Wreck and Return offers a fascinating look inside the life of a volunteer EMT. Griffin Ambrose and his coworkers see a lot while they are on the job: everything from funny to tragic to macabre. Despite the richness of the set-up and circumstances, the novel would benefit from additional plot development and a more pronounced through-line.
Prose: The novel's prose is effective in telling the story, without any particular stylistic flourishes. The author convincingly conveys the individual characters' opinions and perspectives, often espousing their short-sighted and bigoted ideology.
Originality: Wreck and Return has an interesting, novel concept, especially in terms of a main character who embarks on something new later in life. Griffin is flawed but not irredeemable, making him a highly relatable character readers will root for.
Character/Execution: Griffin Ambrose appropriately drives the story. Readers will feel deeply for him as he grapples with painful past mistakes and finds the courage to afford himself a second chance. Additional characters in the novel are somewhat uneven in their development; the world of the novel would be much richer if the cast of supporting characters had more dimension.
Plot/Idea: Anna's Shadow is a powerful historical romance novel that is simultaneously sentimental and inspiring. Set in Verona, the book centers on Sofia as she endeavours to help a star-crossed elderly gentleman in an intriguing and adventurous tale which spans several time periods.
Prose: McCarthy's text is sweeping and rich in romantic detail. Her vivid use of language brings her characters' personalities into focus as she neatly balances the different strands of the plot.
Originality: Although not startlingly original, the novel is assured and will undoubtedly appeal to devotees of stirring and enthralling love stories.
Character/Execution: McCarthy's well formed characters, such as Sofia Rossi and Luke Miller, are consistently compelling, their intimate individual stories forming a stirring and enticing backdrop for the plot to develop. The relationship between Luke and Uwe in particular will have readers gripped and awestruck from start to finish.
Plot/Idea: What Once Was Promised is a sprawling novel about a group of Italian immigrants to the U.S. who struggle to make a life for themselves and avoid the worst of the Italian mafia in Boston.
Prose: Trubiano's prose is polished and evocative as it details the central character's journey beginning with his departure from Italy to his life in America. The author capably establishes the historical era and conveys the complexities of the immigrant experience, though some passages are weighed down by longwinded description.
Originality: Trubiano writes convincingly about the rise of immigrant communities in Boston. Though the novel has familiar beats relating to universal challenges of finding one's footing in a new nation, the work's focus on the Italian mafia contributes intrigue and tension.
Character/Execution: What Once Was Promised has a wide cast of characters and establishes the main players effectively. While Trubiano creates a realistic picture of immigrant life in mid 20th century Boston, lengthy passages of exposition can sometimes result in a drier reading experience than the circumstances deserve.
Plot/Idea: Rekindled Love is a wistful novel that reflects on first love and how powerful memories color the present. The novel offers an intriguing setup as the author juxtaposes the protagonist's recollections with his children's underwater explorations.
Prose: The prose is clear and straightforward, if occasionally bland. The carefully detailed descriptions of Anders's everyday life lose their interest when accompanied with very little plot-propelling action.
Originality: Bjerregaard Jessen does an admirable job of blending the present day events with the protagonist's past, though the character development comes across as secondary to the novel's unique conceptual framework.
Character/Execution: While the focus on a man reflecting on a youthful love affair is potentially intriguing, the ordinariness of Anders's relationship with Cecilie weighs down this story. What's missing is a real spark of interest about their relationship.
Plot/Idea: The story of the conflict between the Long Fang Band, headed by Chebi, and the First Sons of Man, headed by Chamo, is compelling, with ample details of prehistoric conditions—both of the complexities of surviving and thriving as a group, the melding of cultures, and the perils of intergroup struggles for territory and dominance. The novel's climax is well-grounded in the characters' personal clashes against the larger story of early human development.
Prose: Long Fang Band's biggest challenge is in the amount of exposition required to illuminate its prehistoric world. From details on hunting patterns to cave dwellings to other minutiae of daily life, Root delivers interesting particulars to bring the setting to life, though the sheer volume of information impedes narrative flow at times. The story's descriptions are rich, and Root reaches a nice balance of penetrating and florid prose.
Originality: This is a timely view into primitive humanity, and, in light of recent discoveries of early Neanderthal/Homo Sapiens interaction, it provides a heart-driven perspective of our historical origins.
Character/Execution: The character development shines, with beautifully drawn portraits of complex relationships, both familial and tribal. Main characters, particularly Chebi, Una, Amo, and Chamo, become fully realized, characterized by dynamic emotions and intricate interplay.
