Book Review: The Hypnotist by M.J. Rose

Book Synopsis:

Haunted by his inability to stop the murder of a beautiful young painter twenty years ago, Lucian Glass keeps his demons at bay through his fascinating work with the FBI's Art Crime Team.  Investigating a crazed collector who's begun destroying prized masterworks, Glass is thrust into a bizarre hostage negotiation that takes him undercover at the Phoenix Foundation - dedicated to the science of past-life study.  There, to maintain his cover, he submits to the treatment of a hypnotist.

Under hypnosis, Glass travels from ancient Greece to nineteenth-century Persia, while the case takes him from New York to Paris and the movie capital of the world.  These journeys will change his very understanding of reality, lead him to question his own sanity and land him at the center of perhaps the most audacious art heist in history: a fifteen-hundred-year-old sculpture the nation of Iran will do anything to recover.

My Review

4 Stars

The Hypnotist, the third novel in author M.J. Rose's Reincarnationist series, is a fast-paced and engaging thriller that will keep readers enthralled right until the end.

While the main focus of the novel is on FBI agent Lucian Glass' attempts to solve a case involving the destruction of a priceless work of stolen art, several other secondary story lines are skillfully woven into the fabric of the narrative.  While at first these story lines, which include a fight between Iran and the Metropolitan Museum of Art over an ancient sculpture, seem to be unrelated, it soon becomes apparent that they are in fact connected in some way to Lucian Glass' case.  M.J. Rose effectively balances these multiple story lines, leaving the reader yearning to discover how they connect rather than leaving them wondering where each story line is headed.  By the close of the novel the various story lines are successfully brought together in an ending that is sure not to disappoint.

Being the third novel in a series, I was initially concerned that I would be missing important background information as I've not yet read the first two books in the series.  This concern proved unfounded.  The Hypnotist can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.  Given my enjoyment of The Hypnotist, however, I will now go back and read the first two novels in the series. 

This novel is recommended for enthusiasts of the thriller genre, especially those who enjoy thrillers with an historical aspect to them.

Note: I received a copy of this novel for review as one of the hosts of The Hypnotist Virtual Book Tour.

You can learn more about the tour, including the tour schedule, by clicking on the following link:

http://hfvirtualbooktours.blogspot.com/2011/10/mj-rose-on-tour-for-hypnotist-november.html 

Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2012

Lately I've been giving some thought to the 2012 reading challenges I'd like to participate in.  Since I failed (bad me!) to read any books for two of the five challenges I committed to for 2011, I figure it's best to commit only to those challenges I actually have a hope of completing in 2012.  

Given the mountainous size of my to be read pile, the Mount TBR Reading Challenge being hosted by My Reader's Block, definitely seems like a challenge that I can not only successfully complete, but also one that will perhaps motivate me to stop buying so many new books and instead focus on those I already own.  

Details on the challenge, which will run from 1 January to 31 December 2012, can be found by clicking here: Mount TBR Reading Challenge 

My goal will be to achieve the Mt. Kilimanjaro level, which means I commit to reading, during 2012,  at least 50 of the books that are sitting on my physical to be read pile as of 31 December 2011.

Mailbox Monday

Another week, another Mailbox Monday.   Mailbox Monday is a weekly travelling meme that is being hosted for the month of November by the creator of the meme, Marcia at Mailbox Monday.

My book purchases have slowed recently, so it's been a few weeks since my last Mailbox Monday post, but this past week saw several new books make their way into my home (all are my own purchases).

All synopses are courtesy of Chapters.indigo.ca

 The Tory Widow by Christine Blevins 

On a bright May day in New York City, Anne Peabody receives an unexpected kiss from a stranger. Bringing news of the repeal of the Stamp Act, Jack Hampton, a member of the Sons of Liberty, abruptly sweeps Anne into his arms, kisses her--and then leaves her to her fate of an arranged marriage...

1775: Nearly ten years have passed and Anne, now the Widow Merrick, continues her late husband's business printing Tory propaganda, not because she believes in the cause, but because she needs the money to survive. When her shop is ransacked by the Sons of Liberty, Anne once again comes face to face with Jack and finds herself drawn to the ardent patriot and his rebel cause.

As shots ring out at Lexington and war erupts, Anne is faced with a life-altering decision: sit back and watch her world torn apart, or stand and fight for both her country's independence and her own.

The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe. 


It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer and to his other victims lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Not so very long ago, Eragon-Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider-was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the much-anticipated, astonishing conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle

The Very Picture of You by Isabel Wolff

                                                  Thirty-five-year-old Ella Graham is a portrait painter whose career is taking off. At a fundraising event, Ella's half-sister, Chloe, makes the winning bid in an auction for an Ella Graham portrait commission. The portrait will be of her fiancé, Nate, as a surprise engagement present for him. There's just one problem-Ella can't stand Nate, and painting him is the last thing she wants to do.

But as they spend time together in the studio, Ella finds her feelings towards Nate are changing, and she begins to realize-to her horror-that she is not simply warming to him but is falling in love. Chloe, newly promoted at work and busy reining in her mother's overly enthusiastic wedding planning, is completely unaware that the two people she cares most about are falling for each other.

To make things worse, after being out of the picture for thirty years, Ella's father, John, contacts her out of the blue-and Ella wants nothing to do with him. But then she makes a startling discovery about her parents' relationship that turns everything she has known about family and loyalty on its head. Desperate to protect Chloe from heartbreak, but anguished by her growing love for Nate, Ella can't imagine tearing her family apart by revealing her true feelings. But will the wedding tear her apart instead?

What books did you get this week?

My Interview at Historical Editorial

If anyone is interested in my thoughts on reading and reviewing historical fiction, Jenny Q over at Historical Editorial (you may also know her from her blog, Let Them Read Books) is currently featuring me as part of her Reviewer Spotlight.   To check out my interview click here. 

A big thank you to Jenny for featuring me!

Waiting on Wednesday

It's time for Waiting on Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine that spotlights books we are eagerly anticipating the release of.

This week I'm waiting for:

The Sister Queens by Sophie Perinot

Release Date: 6 March 2012

Raised together at the 13^th Century court of their father, Raymond Berenger, Count of Provence, Marguerite and Eleanor are separated by royal marriages—but never truly parted.

Patient, perfect, reticent, and used to being first, Marguerite becomes Queen of France. Her husband, Louis IX, is considered the greatest monarch of his age. But he is also a religious zealot who denies himself all pleasure—including the love and companionship his wife so desperately craves. Can Marguerite find enough of her sister’s boldness to grasp her chance for happiness in the guise of forbidden love?

Passionate, strong-willed, and stubborn, Eleanor becomes Queen of England. Her husband, Henry III, is neither as young nor as dashing as Marguerite’s. But she quickly discovers he is a very good man…and a very bad king. His failures are bitter disappointments for Eleanor, who has worked to best her elder sister since childhood. Can Eleanor stop competing with her sister and value what she has, or will she let it slip away?

Synopsis from Sophieperinot.com

 

Book Review: Three Maids For A Crown by Ella March Chase

In the second novel from Ella March Chase, we meet sixteen-year-old Jane Grey, a quiet and obedient young lady destined to become the shortest reigning English monarch. Her beautiful middle sister Katherine Grey charms all the right people--until loyalties shift. And finally Lady Mary Grey, a dwarf with a twisted spine whose goal is simply to protect people she loves--but at a terrible cost.

In an age in which begetting sons was all that mattered and queens rose and fell on the sex of their child, these three girls with royal Tudor blood lived under the dangerous whims of parents with a passion for gambling. The stakes they would wager: their daughters' lives against rampant ambition.

Synopsis from Chapters.indigo.ca

My Review

4 Stars

Ella March Chase's Three Maids for a Crown focuses on the lives of England's Grey sisters - Jane, Katherine and Mary - whose descent from Henry VII and Elizabeth of York put them in direct line for the English throne.  When it is apparent young Edward VI is suffering from an illness from which he will not recover, Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, and John Dudley, the powerful Duke of Northumberland and Lord Protector of England, plot to have Suffolk's daughter Jane named heir to the throne in place of Edward's sisters Mary and Elizabeth.   This plotting sets into motion a series of events that will have profound implications for each of the Grey sisters, the most significant of which is Edward VI's naming of Jane as his heir.  Upon the young King's death, Jane becomes England's Queen, a title she holds for only nine-days and results in her execution for treason early in the reign of her successor, Mary Tudor.   It also impacts the life of Katherine, who, upon Jane's death, is seen as a possible contender to first Mary's, and then Elizabeth's, throne.  While I'm somewhat Tudored out at the moment, I gave this novel a try because the primary characters - the Grey sisters - are rarely featured prominently in Tudor fiction and, while I was already familiar with the story of Lady Jane Grey, I knew very little about her sisters and their lives after Jane's death.   

Alternating between the voices of Jane, Katherine and Mary, March Chase successfully brings each of these women to life, vividly describing their hopes and dreams, and their struggles and hardships.  Multiple narration is not an easy technique to get right, but March Chase skillfully moves between  narrative voices without interrupting the flow of the story.  The author also seamlessly weaves the important political/historical context of the times into this novel.  As a result, the book is both entertaining and educational.   Being unfamiliar with the fates of Katherine and Mary before reading this novel, I was especially surprised by the awful treatment of Katherine by Elizabeth I.  While some historical liberties have been taken, these are addressed in the Author's Note, and do not detract in any way from the educational aspect of this novel.  

I highly recommend this novel to historical fiction fans, especially those interested in the Tudor period.

Note: The novel comes from my own personal collection.  

Book Review: The Crown in the Heather by N. Gemini Sasson

In 1290, Scotland is without a king. Two families-the Bruce's and the Balliol's-vie for the throne.

Robert the Bruce is in love with Elizabeth de Burgh, the daughter of an adherent of the ruthless Longshanks, King of England. In order to marry her and not give up his chances of someday becoming King of Scots, Robert must abandon his rebel ways and bide his time as Longshanks' vassal.

But Edward, Longshanks' heir, doesn't trust the opportunistic Scotsman and vows to one day destroy him. While quietly plotting his rebellion, Robert is betrayed by one of his own and must flee Longshanks' vengeance.

Aided by the unlikely brilliance of the soft-spoken young nobleman, James Douglas, Robert battles for his throne. Victory, though, is never certain and Robert soon learns that keeping his crown may mean giving up that which he loves most-his beloved Elizabeth. 

Synopsis courtesy of amazon.com

My Review

3.5 Stars

The Crown in the Heather is the first novel in N. Gemini Sasson's Bruce trilogy, a series of novels chronicling Robert the Bruce's rise to the Scottish throne and Scotland's fight for independence.  Told from the perspectives of Robert the Bruce, James Douglas (a young Scottish nobleman) and Prince Edward of Caernavon, son and heir of King Edward I of England, the novel brings to life a period and place not commonly subjects of historical fiction. 

This novel is well-written and the overall story engaging.  In addition, the descriptive prose helps to create a solid sense of time and place.  Nevertheless, the novel does have a few weaknesses, the most significant of which are Gemini Sasson's use of multiple narrators and her characterization of Robert the Bruce.  Although I don't generally have an issue with multiple narrators, the shifts in narration were jarring rather than smooth, interrupting the flow of the story.  As for the characterization of Robert the Bruce, the main protagonist of the novel, the reader doesn't get a strong sense of what drove him to become a rebel and seek Scotland's throne. 

My final issue with the novel, which I don't consider a weakness as it is a matter of personal preference, relates to the book's lack of historical complexity.   While I felt the history presented in the novel to be interesting, it was a little too simple for my tastes -- Scottish politics during this period were quite complex, but this novel makes it seem as if this wasn't so.   In her author's note, Gemini Sasson does acknowledge that things were more complex than she has presented.   

Despite my misgivings, I enjoyed the novel and look forward to reading the remainder of the trilogy.   This novel should appeal to fans of historical fiction.

Note: This novel comes from my own personal collection.