Taste the Books: Review Morsels #70 Abigail Rose-Marie, E.G. Young, Chelsea Iversen

Intro

Hello beauties!

Welcome again to my own brand of mini reviews! I never thought I'd do minis, until I recapped a few of my long reviews in some digest post in 2014, and then guest-posted some shorties for a blogging event in 2015. And Karen from For What It's Worth started praising my short recs/recaps 😊. Just to be clear,  I'm STILL writing long reviews too - but for anthologies, shorter books or books that I didn't enjoy/don't have enough to say about, I decided to stick to minis, and I took to writing them also for novels that I can do justice to in a less wordy fashion, in order to ease my reviewing burden. In addition to that, I sometimes write minis for books I don't want/don't have the time to review in full at the moment, but plan on rereading and writing "proper" reviews for later. Lastly, just be warned - this feature is VERY random!

Note: all the mini blurbs (in italics) are of my own creation.

White Rabbit by Abigail Rose-Marie (ARC Review)

★★★★

In a house that once belonged to Sylvia Plath, a neurodivergent 11 y.o. girl trying to cope with her father's absence and her mother's withdrawal clings to rituals and to the writer's alleged ghost, until a family member accompanies her on an eye-opening pilgrimage.

***

First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Union Square & Co for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

If you enjoy stream-of-consciousness and coming-of-age narratives with a literary edge, this is an exquisite example of the genres (or their intersection). Mind you - White Rabbit is a quiet story wrapped in an often lyrical prose, but it's a dark one in many respects, though I can't spell the triggers out for you because they would totally spoil the plot and its reveals (don't worry about the protagonist though - she's safe, at least physically). The author tackles grief, trauma and mental health, and takes young Penelope on a journey (both literal and figurative) of discovery and acceptation, at the end of which she isn't magically "cured" or transformed, but at least given a chance to heal. Both Penelope's trauma and her neurodivergence are handled with care and respect, and Sylvia Plath's ghost is a lot more than a gimmick or your average imaginary friend - I can't elaborate because I would spoil your reading experience, but what I can say is that the author brings the ghost's parable - along with the protagonist's - to a satisfying and moving conclusion. Granted, Penelope sounds a lot older than her age sometimes (and I don't think she's got any business remembering the Clinton-Lewinsky's scandal), and at least one of the big reveals can be foreseen early on, which impacted my rating; but I found this story to be compelling, emotive and unlike everything I've ever read. No small feat...

Note: as a rule, I review every book that I rate 4 stars and above in full, unless it's a novella or an anthology. But I didn't want to go in too deep about this one to avoid spoilers, and it felt easy to summarise its contents (and my opinions) in a few sentences, so I took the mini-review route.

A (Dead) Thing Like Me by E.G. Young (ARC Review)

★★★★

A ghost girl who can't talk and doesn't remember her past befriends a 17 y.o. girl mired in grief and guilt and tries to become a real person again - but something's out to get her, and even her new friend's life is at stake.

***

Rated 4.5 really.

First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on Edelweiss. Thanks to Holiday House for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

Emotional and imaginative, this book reminded me once again why I love YA so much, and how many variations of the afterlife subgenre there can be (trust me, I've read a ton). While the story is a slow burn and it took me a while to get used to Hot Dog's inner monologue (keep in mind that she doesn't even know who she is, or who she used to be at least), I ended up being so captivated that I tore through most of the book in one sitting. A(D)TLM is a simple, yet ultimately poignant tale of grief, guilt, found family (not all of the people variety 😂), friendship (both human and messy, and selfless and capable of transcending planes of existence), longing to be seen/need to belong, and art. The worldbuilding is exquisite, and the little "comfort bottles" that Hot Dog uses to capture moments of joy she's experienced (to be released when she, or someone else, needs them) are a creative - if bittersweet - touch (not to mention, her dress is basically a living thing, and I loved it). The story isn't heavy on the horror in the gory sense (though you might tread with care if drowning, claustrophobic spaces, crabs that enter a character's mouth, and snakes...well, one tiny snake...are triggers for you), but that doesn't mean it isn't dark, though tempered by moments of levity/humour and ultimately heartwarming (mind you, a tad heartbreaking too, as all the best stories are wont to be). Bonus points for the writing style, that manages to be lyrical in its simplicity. Bottom line: if troubled teens and amnesiac ghosts are even remotely your thing, don't let this one pass you by.

Note: as a rule, I review every book that I rate 4 stars and above in full, unless it's a novella or an anthology. But I didn't want to go in too deep about this one to avoid spoilers, and it felt easy to summarise its contents (and my opinions) in a few sentences, so I took the mini-review route.

The Whisper by Chelsea Iversen (ARC Review)

★★★★

Three friends who practiced magic together as teens reunite after 15 years to find out how one of them really died - and maybe fix their own lives and rekindle their bond in the process.

***

Rated 4.5 really.

First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way

This book is everything I hoped it would be. Told in two timelines and POVs (Quinn's, the victim, in the past, and the other three girls' from her coven in the present) and building on a common trope that never fails to feel exciting (estranged childhood friends reuniting to investigate the death of an old pal, but make it supernatural in some capacity), The Whisper is both a psychological thriller and an intimate portrait of three women whose lives have been shaped by trauma and grief, and who come back together to finally find closure and make peace with their past. The story blends sentient nature, magic, messy/fractured sisterhood, small-town secrets, abuse, pain, guilt, justice and forgiveness in a way that feels both raw and spellbinding. The pace is leisurely at first, which gives you plenty of time to get to know the characters (both their teen and adult versions), and the author dispenses a series of small clues that slowly morph into small twists...until the final, shocking one(s). Admittedly, from a certain point on, the killer's identity isn't hard to figure out, and I didn't buy into one character's zen attitude when suspected of the crime by a loved one - but the journey to get there (and beyond) was totally worth it. Come for the magic (and its different manifestations, and its twists you won't see coming), stay for the flawed, so very human characters rebuilding themselves and stumbling back to each other.

Note: as a rule, I review every book that I rate 4 stars and above in full, unless it's a novella or an anthology. But I didn't want to go in too deep about this one to avoid spoilers, and it felt easy to summarise its contents (and my opinions) in a few sentences, so I took the mini-review route.

So, have you read/are you planning to read any of the above? And if you have, what do you think of them? Do you post mini reviews? Do you like to read them?