Nobody's Secret by Michaela MacColl

Title: Nobody's Secret
Author: Michaela MacColl
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: April 23, 2013

Summary (taken from Amazon):

One day, fifteen-year-old Emily Dickinson meets a mysterious, handsome young man. Surprisingly, he doesn't seem to know who she or her family is. And even more surprisingly, he playfully refuses to divulge his name. Emily enjoys her secret flirtation with Mr. "Nobody" until he turns up dead in her family's pond. She's stricken with guilt. Only Emily can discover who this enigmatic stranger was before he's condemned to be buried in an anonymous grave. Her investigation takes her deep into town secrets, blossoming romance, and deadly danger. Exquisitely written and meticulously researched, this novel celebrates Emily Dickinson's intellect and spunk in a page-turner of a book that will excite fans of mystery, romance, and poetry alike.

 

Review:

 

Reading books about real historical figures always gets me curious about them and I end up looking them up online to find out more about them. So that’s exactly what I did with Emily Dickenson. MacColl’s version of a young Emily Dickinson is an intelligent young woman with a thirst for life and knowledge. Not content with staying at home and doing housework all day, Emily would much rather spend her time outdoors and writing poetry. After reading up on Emily Dickinson online, I could see why she wouldn’t like doing chores all day and I could picture her with a hidden notebook in her dress for jotting down snippets of poetry.

Emily’s two encounters with Mr. Nobody leave such a strong impression on her that when he is found in her family’s pond; dead under mysterious circumstances, it nags at Emily as she knows that there must be more to his death. Emily’s younger sister, Vinnie, is described by Emily herself as the pretty sister, who is more studious in her chores and also more popular at school. At first it led me to think that she was going to be the “Lydia Bennett” type but boy was I wrong. Its great to see sisters get along. She ends up being Emily confidant and helps Emily in solving the mystery of Mr. Nobodys death.

On the cover there is a heading along the top that says “A NOVEL OF INTRIGUE AND ROMANCE” and well I certainly found there to be intrigue, it was lacking in the romance department. That aside, I could tell that Nobody’s Secret is a very well researched book with a mystery that will keep you guessing and hopefully readers will be able to learn more about one of the great American poets.

Rating 4 Stars

* Review copy provided by Raincoast Books

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Title: Sabriel (Abhorsen, #1)
Author: Garth Nix
First Published: 1996
Publisher: HarperTrophy

Summary (taken from Amazon):

Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him. She soon finds companions in Mogget, a cat whose aloof manner barely conceals its malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories. As the three travel deep into the Old Kingdom, threats mount on all sides. And every step brings them closer to a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death—and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own destiny.

With Sabriel, the first installment in the Abhorsen trilogy, Garth Nix exploded onto the fantasy scene as a rising star, in a novel that takes readers to a world where the line between the living and the dead isn't always clear—and sometimes disappears altogether.

Review:

This is a fantasy series and takes place in a world that is divided by a Wall. On one side you have The Old Kingdom, which is a place where there is magic, necromancers, and the undead. On the other side is Ancelstierre, which is a separate country where magic does not work…I would say the technology there is akin to the early 1900s. Sabriel is a strong heroine who is on a quest to find her father, a necromancer also called the Abhorsen, as she knows something terrible has befallen him. As the story progresses, it becomes obvious that Sabriel is being hunted by an evil force from Death. On the way she encounters, Mogget, a magical talking cat and Touchstone, a man with a mysterious past.

I first read these books many years ago from my school library (this was around the time of the Harry Potter craze) and have always wanted to reread it at some point. Having first read this so many years ago I did not remember any of the story but I knew it would be good because I remember really liking it the first time I read it. This is one older YA series that does not get old with time.

Rating 5 Stars

Stacking the Shelves (Apr 6)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga of Tynga's Reviews where we share the new books and goodies we got throughout the week.

So I didn't get any books this week but I went shopping and got the best t-shirts ever. I've been wanting to get these Out of Print t-shirts for a while now but since I'm in Canada I didn't want to pay the shipping fee and possible duties. So I did some googling and found a clothing store in Vancouver that sold them too. I love these and I even want to go back and get some more. I feel like I'll be wearing these everyday from now on too. LOL.