July Book Reviews
contributed by Brace Books
The following book reviews appeared in the print issue of Ponca City Monthly magazine. Get full access to all online articles, videos, and content by becoming a paid subscriber. We offer free and paid subscription plans. Find rack locations to pick up your free print copy here, or subscribe here to get online access plus exclusive content.
Medusa (The Myth of Monsters, book 1)
by Katherine Marsh
Seventh-grader Ava Baldwin always attempts to keep her anger under control, just as her mother has taught her. One day, though, know-it-all and bully Owen pushes her too far and she loses it—and Owen seems to freeze, becoming completely unresponsive. Owen recovers after an hour or so, but the damage has been done.
The next day Ava’s parents announce that they’ve enrolled Ava and her older brother, Jax, in their mom’s alma mater, the Accademia del Forte, an international boarding school for gifted students in Venice (Italy), and they’ll leave in two days. Once there, Ava and Jax are shocked to discover that the Olympian gods Zeus, Poseidon and Hades established the Accademia to train the descendants of mythological monsters to control their emotions and powers so they can become well-adjusted, contributing members of society.
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t already figured it out, Jax and Ava are descendants of one of the Olympian mythological monsters!
At the Accademia, Ava makes friends with an Empusa (her roommate, Layla), a Chimera (her best friend, Fia) and a Harpy (their friend, Arnold). As the school year progresses, she begins to question the Accademia’s purpose and its staff. Asking questions is seriously discouraged, especially if you’re questioning the truth of what you’re being taught. When Fia is cruelly punished for attempting to expose an injustice at the school, her voice is taken away. Ava and her friends embark on a quest to restore Fia’s voice and in the process give voice to the goddesses who have been silenced by the male Olympians. Their journey reaches from Tartarus to Olympus, and they discover goddesses along the way who go out of their way to help and protect Ava and her friends.
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Reviewed by Lorrie Layton
No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding
by Catherine Mack
Eleanor Dash is the author of the bestselling Vacation Mystery series. The series is loosely based on her own life, since it seems she cannot go on vacation without a murder occurring. Her main character, Cecelia, is modeled after Eleanor, except she has better hair and makes wiser choices. The movie adaptation of When in Rome, Eleanor’s first novel, is currently being filmed.
Emma Wood, Eleanor’s best friend since kindergarten, is playing Cecelia in the film. Fred Winter, Emma’s fiancé, plays Connor, the leading man in the series. (Oh, Connor is also Eleanor’s ex and just happens to be on set as a consultant.) The director of the film attended high school with Eleanor and Emma and happens to hate Eleanor for some reason.
Once the filming wraps, Emma and Fred invite the cast and crew to their wedding on Catalina Island that weekend. Of course, there’s a major storm warning, encouraging everyone to evacuate to the mainland. And, of course, they decide to proceed with the wedding, despite the storm warning. It’s probably just fake weather news, right?
To top it all off, Emma shows Eleanor a threatening note she received, warning that someone will die at the wedding. What can Eleanor possibly do? Well, since she’s a professional mystery writer, she needs to solve this mystery—preferably before the predicted murder occurs.
The wedding guests include a multitude of possible suspects: The producer, Tyler, who once dated Emma and still loves her. The director, Simone, who can’t stand that she’s directing Eleanor’s novel. Additionally, we have the scriptwriter, the put-upon director’s assistant, Eleanor’s on-again boyfriend and Eleanor’s sister/personal assistant.
This novel was lots of fun to read. My favorite part is that Eleanor is the narrator, and she uses footnotes to carry on side conversations with the reader. Definitely two thumbs up!
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Reviewed by Lorrie Layton
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