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Book Review: The Bone Carver (The Night Weaver, Book 2) by Monique Snyman

cover art for The Bone Carver by Monique Snyman

The Bone Carver (The Night Weaver, Book 2) by Monique Snyman

Vesuvian Press, 2020

ISBN-13 : 978-1645480082

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition ( Bookshop.org   | Amazon.com )

 

The Bone Carver is the sequel to The Night Weaver, a previous Stoker nominee in the YA category. These two factors mean it has a high bar to jump, as the second book in a series usually isn’t able to stand alone.

In The Night Weaver, seventeen-year old Rachel Cleary lives in the isolated New England community of Shadow Grove. She discovers her neighbor across the street, Mrs. Crenshaw, is a guardian protecting the boundary between our world and the fae realm in Shadow Grove. While out with Rachel, Mrs. Crenshaw’s visiting grandson, Dougal, recognizes the Black Annis, a fae creature who feeds on children. With the help of her former boyfriend, Greg, and Dougal, Rachel realizes there is a pattern of children’s disappearances over time that has been covered up by the town council and the sheriff. Complicating this mess is the involvement of a Orion, a drug-dealing fairy prince who has a strange connection with Rachel. She defeats the Night Weaver and saves the children.

The Bone Carver continues Rachel’s story. Reasonably wanting to escape Shadow Grove and go to college, Rachel has studied hard, but unfortunately she has a panic attack during her SATs.  Dougal is now enrolled in school with her, Greg is attempting to make her jealous, Orion has returned to the fae realm, and a creepy new boy, Cam, is following her around. Entering an abandoned part of her high school, she discovers popular girl Mercia, who has epilepsy, having a seizure, and helps her recover. After the seizure is over, Rachel finds a bone carving of Mercia having a seizure.  Later that day, after Mrs. Crenshaw falls and breaks her hip,  Rachel finds another bone carving. Rachel is convinced a “miser fae” called the Bone Carver is causing the accidents. As more people find disturbing bone carvings of themselves, Rachel and Dougal investigate, and find gory evidence of powerful fae magic. They determine that Rachel needs to enter the fae realm to find Orion.

Mercia reveals that she is a witch able to open a dimensional portal to the fae realm, and Rachel goes through, wanders aimlessly, causes a disaster, is kidnapped by Orion’s older brother Nova, the king of the fairies, and finally leaves with Orion to (hopefully) save the day. During her five days in fairyland, things have gotten exponentially worse, with people, including her mother, ending up in the hospital or acting violent or irrational, and the high school in a shambles. Despite her recent desire to flee Shadow Grove, Rachel decides she is willing to die to take the Bone Carver down and save the town.

The Bone Carver is suitably chilling and gruesome and doesn’t stint on body horror. Snyman has a talent for vivid description, as evidenced by Rachel’s visions of the vicious deaths the Bone Carver has inflicted on the girls he’s murdered. The plot around Jenny, Rachel’s mother, was extremely disturbing. There’s a heavy #MeToo, anti-incel message to the book as well, and the scenes between Rachel and Greg, Rachel and Cam, and Rachel and the Bone Carver thoroughly creeped me out.

However, what most impressed me, was the author’s depiction of Mercia. She is a well-developed character: competent, smart, caring, attractive, and popular, and when Greg gets irrational and handsy with Rachel, Mercia has no problem knocking him out. It’s easy to write a character who is living with epilepsy as an invalid or pitiful and in need of rescue, but Mercia is never written that way or treated like one by other characters. Although she comes from a family of witches (and it irritated me that her epilepsy was magically caused) she isn’t effortlessly “magical”, and she isn’t suddenly “cured” at the end of the story. In fact, her seizures aren’t quite under control, and she needs medication to help. As someone living with epilepsy I can tell you that this is a character type I have NEVER seen in any book depicting someone living with epilepsy in any age group or genre, and it was absolutely a pleasure to read this.

Unfortunately, Mercia is one of the few characters that actually did have character development and purpose in the book. Dougal and Mrs. Crenshaw are out of the picture for a majority of the book, Greg is essentially a plot device, and after all the to-do about going to the fae realm and bringing back Orion, I question whether he was useful enough to justify Rachel’s disappearing for five days while everything fell to pieces. There’s a huge reveal at the end of the book, so I assume he’ll be more involved in book three. While a nice addition to the series, though, The Bone Carver really cannot stand alone as a novel, and doesn’t hold together as well as the first book. For its depiction of a character living with epilepsy, however, I highly recommend it.

 

Contains: body horror, gore, violence, sexual assault, mentions of self-harm and suicide.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

 

Editor’s note: The Bone Carver (Shadow Grove, Vol. #2) is a nominee on the final ballot for the Bram Stoker Award in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel.

 

Posted on May 7, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: Escape from the Isle of the Lost (Descendants, #4) by Melissa de la Cruz

Escape from the Isle of the Lost (Descendants, #4)  by Melissa de la Cruz

Disney Hyperion, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1368020053

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook

 

Escape from the Isle of the Lost is the last book in Melissa de la Cruz’s media tie-in series to Disney’s Descendants franchise. For those not familiar with Descendants, be warned that this review is packed with all kinds of spoilers. The premise is that in the fairytale kingdom of Auradon, where all the “good” heroes, princesses, and sidekicks from Disney movies live (mostly) with their children in (mostly) harmony and privilege, the villains and their children have been banished to the Isle of the Lost, a barren, isolated place behind a force-field that prevents them from using magic. The Isle of the Lost has pro-Auradon propaganda everywhere, but the buildings are falling apart, the food, clothing, and supplies brought in from Auradon are spoiled, and the villains’ kids are growing up in abusive homes where evil and villainy are celebrated, becoming angry, defiant, deceptive, and mean. With the current king and queen retiring, their teenage son Ben is about to be crowned king, and, believing that it’s unjust to imprison children for their parents’ wrongs, he successfully argues in favor of allowing four kids from the Isle of the Lost to attend school in Auradon. This is the perfect beginning for an enjoyable, dark reimagining of Disney’s fairytale characters. Mal, the daughter of Maleficent, who revels in her wickedness, plans to use the opportunity to free everyone from the Isle of the Lost and help Maleficent take over Auradon. Instead, she finds herself becoming friends with the three other “villain kids” (VK’s) and appreciating the advantages, friendships, and even love that she discovers in Auradon.

Unsure of whether they can ever really belong in Auradon, the VKs have to overcome the messages they’ve received from their parents, and decide to use their powers for good instead of helping their villain parents escape the Isle to conquer Auradon. Jay, son of Jafar, turns out to be a great athlete. Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen from Snow White, channels her obsession with beauty into creating beautiful clothes for friends and classmates. Carlos, son of Cruella de Vil, overcomes shyness and his fear of dogs. Mal, however, finds herself in love with King Ben, and as a VK is unsure of whether she can meet Auradon’s expectations that she be ladylike, or whether she wants to. Running back to the Isle, her friends (and Ben) follow her there. Before they can convince her to return, her childhood enemy, Uma (daughter of Ursula the sea witch) kidnaps Ben and threatens to kill him if Mal can’t bring her the magic she needs to escape the Isle of the Lost. Mal and the other VKs save Ben and keep Uma from taking over Auradon, with Mal accepting that she can do what needs to be done in order to be both the lady and hero that Auradon needs.

That’s where Escape from the Isle of the Lost begins. Ben, Mal, Jay, and Evie are all about to graduate from high school, and the VKs have all discovered that it feels good to be good. That dark reimagining I expected to stick with the series has dissolved on the part of the four kids from the Isle. Auradon’s Council expects Mal to travel to all the kingdoms on a “listening tour” and are dismayed that she wants to include the Isle of the Lost on her itinerary. Ben’s suggestion that students on the Isle of the Lost be allowed to apply to school in Auradon meets with disapproval, and as he’s about to back down, Mal finally convinces him that four new students should be allowed to apply in a general application process (unfairly included in this number is Dizzy, Cinderalla’s step-niece, who was specifically invited to attend school at the end of the last movie. My daughter is a huge fan of Dizzy, so this was a giant disappointment) A failure for the program to catch on (Isle kids don’t really see the appeal of being “good”) causes Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos to visit the Isle in order to promote it, at first unsuccessfully. After promising a huge celebration for the students who are successfully accepted, though, the Isle kids stampede to apply. In the meantime, Uma teams up with Hades to attract Mal into a dangerous undersea battle. Jay, Carlos, and Evie break into the Evil Queen’s castle in hopes of using her magic mirror to find Mal. Before Uma can defeat Mal, Evie dives through the magic mirror and pushes Mal up from the bottom of the ocean and away from Uma, although afterwards none of the VKs can remember what happened.

In addition to the drama on the Isle of the Lost, there are the events and decisions that go along with senior year and graduation.  Jay’s athletic ability has drawn the attention of three prestigious schools who want him on their team; Evie makes enough money from selling designs to her classmates to buy a house and open a fashion line; and Carlos, now with a girlfriend and dog, seems to have become a creative, caring, leader and support for his friends. Mal’s character, disappointingly, seems to have faded as she works to become the “Lady Mal” that the Auradon Council expects as King Ben’s girlfriend. The VKs prank the school, participate in a senior scavenger hunt, say goodbye to good friends, and go through the graduation ceremony.  The book closes with the reader’s knowledge that next year will bring four new VKs to Auradon, with Evie and Carlos to mentor them.

Descendants is a transmedia franchise, and it’s hard to evaluate the book outside of its context. De La Cruz’s books have each preceded (or followed) a movie musical, with the movie Descendants 3 set to appear at the end of July. While the idea behind the series has a lot of promise, the potential conflicts that could rise between VKs and the students of Auradon Prep have sort of fizzled as Mal, Jay, Evie, and Carlos have adjusted to living by the rules in Auradon. In the last movie, Mal used magic to cover up her insecurity and discomfort at trying to fit into the role she was being expected to fill. Now, she’s no longer using magic or rebelling, instead allowing herself to be molded into what the Auradon Council wants. Forgetting what it was like to be on the Isle of the Lost, she tries to sell the kids there on the benefits of being “good”. While other characters have grown and changed for the better, everything that was appealing in Mal has sort of drifted away in the wake of being the king’s girlfriend. Dizzy and her friend Celia (daughter of Dr. Facilier) both get some attention, but their characters don’t get developed as much as I hoped they would. Mal’s nemesis, Uma, who stole the last book and the last movie, gets a little attention, but she isn’t as dynamic or successful a character. Hades is introduced and given a fair amount of backstory and character development, but his contribution to the story is minor. I am sure some of these issues will get more attention in the upcoming movie, but there are an awful lot of loose ends. Evie and Carlos are the ones who really shine in this book.

There is an opportunity in the Descendants franchise that de la Cruz didn’t touch on, that I hope Disney hasn’t missed in the upcoming movie, and that is the opportunity for social justice to take center stage. Mal has proximity to the most powerful people in Auradon because of her relationship to King Ben, even though neither of them has really taken a major stand that the Council disagrees with. If her VK friends stand in solidarity to support allowing the Isle kids in who want to come to school in Auradon, what position would she take? If Ben opposes her, would she back down or support the VKs?  I can’t think of a more relevant moment to bring in the idea of letting imprisoned children go free rather than punishing them for the actions of their parents.

Cameron Boyce, the actor who played Carlos, died last week from SUDEP– sudden death by epileptic seizure. I suppose it’s possible for the Descendants franchise to continue with a new cast, but it’s certainly possible that this is the end of any new material. I hope we get to see what the VKs can really accomplish as they move forward, because it is our last chance to see the original four characters in action, and I really want to see what the resourcefulness, creativity, and determination of Isle kids can lead to when combined with the motivation to really do good instead of just “being good”.  If the movie continues to present Mal in the same “follow the rules, do what you’re told” model that appears in the book, I will be very disappointed.

Some of the relationships may be a little advanced for elementary-aged kids, but nothing goes further than a kiss. The first of these books came out when my daughter was just finishing third grade, and she has followed the Descendants franchise ever since.  If, like her, you are a fan of the franchise who has kept up to date (or know one), you will want to read this. If you haven’t read the previous books and seen the movies, you’ll feel, for lack of a better word, lost. Appropriate for grades 4 and up.

Recommended with reservations.

Posted on July 14, 2019 by , Reply

Booklist: Invisible Disabilities in Horror for YA Readers

Disability is one way that monsters are created in the horror genre. Monstrosity is usually expressed visually, though, especially in the classic texts– think The Phantom of the Opera, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mr. Hyde of Jekyll and Hyde fame. Or if we don’t actually see the disfigurement, many monsters, from the Phantom of the Opera to Michael Myers, are masked.  Physically marking a character is a way of representing that person as the “other”; abnormal in some way, which is disturbing to those who see themselves as “normal”. It is a problematic representation of disability in literature, and I think we see it more strongly in the horror genre because for so many people it is disturbing and scary to face anyone who isn’t like them. Mary Shelley’s description of Frankenstein’s monster and his friendship with the little blind girl is a perfect example of how dependent we are on sight as a cue to decide who is a monster and who is not.

 

What about the disabilities that aren’t immediately visible? Yes, those do very much exist, and shape personality. Putting aside the curse of paranormal abilities, like the”Typhoid Mary” powers Jenny Morton displays in Jenny Pox, disabilities and disorders that can’t be seen do appear in horror, especially as victims. What’s really neat to see is when a character with an invisible disability flips that trope over.  But honestly, as someone who has epilepsy, I can tell you that ANY recognition of my disability that appears in fiction, no matter how problematic, has always been welcome (even when I hate the depiction) because it means I’ve been seen. And it meant even more to me when I was a teen, because there really was absolutely nothing at all. Here are five books you could hand to a teen dealing with an invisible disability.

  A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

This is not technically a YA novel, but it is told from the point of view of a young woman, with extensive flashbacks to her childhood, and the central character is a teen dealing with… we don’t know exactly what. Teenaged Marjorie might be possessed, or she might be developing schizophrenia. It is actually possible to meet someone with schizophrenia and not know that’s the case. And as far as I remember, schizophrenia is not mentioned outright, even though Marjorie is under the care of a psychiatrist at the beginning of the story. This is actually one of the more visual depictions of an invisible disability, as Marjorie’s actions also suggest that she might be possessed, which lands her family on a reality television show.

  A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

This is the first book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy. It’s almost an trope for a British girl who grows up in India in the late 1800s to be sent to England for further education after her mother dies, usually at a boarding school, and that’s what happens to Gemma, who is also clairvoyant. She and her friends discover an entrace to magical realms where they can have their hearts’ desires– darker than it sounds. One of Gemma’s friends, Pippa, has epilepsy, and during a seizure travels to the magical realms. Pippa must keep her epilepsy a secret, so she won’t be discovered to be “damaged goods” before she can be married. Gemma follows her, but Pippa has found true love there and refuses to return to a life of illness. Pippa’s story brought tears to my eyes. I found Bray’s straightforward descriptions of Pippa’s seizures to be accurate, although you should never put a wooden spoon in anyone’s mouth.

 The Dark Between by Sonia Gensler

I’ve just finished this one, and I really recommend it. It also takes place near the turn of the 20th century, when spiritualism was in vogue. Three teenagers brought together by coincidence turn out to have more in common than they expected come across some mysterious murders that might have something to do with electrical experiments to enhance the brain with psychic powers. Kate, the youngest, is an impoverished orphan who loses her job as a “spirit guide” for a medium when the medium is exposed by a skeptic. Asher is an American teen at loose ends, traveling alone, who is considering attending Cambridge. Elsie is a dreamy, beautiful girl who has been sent away by her parents, whose mind is clouded by drugs she takes to control her epilepsy. Elsie’s seizures began after she was struck by lightning, and she can see visions of the dead during them. The attitudes Elsie has faced and expects to face after the secret of her epilepsy is exposed, and her drugged feelings, make her a more sympathetic character than you would expect, as she is not especially thoughtful or rational. Elsie is no Beth March, shy and pure; she’s drawn as a complex character, a real girl with burgeoning sexuality and intense emotions who makes bad decisions that make you want to smack her. Score one for Sonia Gensler in her development of a character with epilepsy who has more than one dimension.
 Dark Muse by David Simms

Muddy, Poe, Otis, and Corey are The Accidentals, a band of misfits. All four love music, and all four have problems they have to face. Muddy is dyslexic, Poe is legally blind and has a difficult home situation, Otis has brittle bones, and Corey has a checkered past and is a year behind in school. When Muddy’s older brother Zack, a troubled and gifted guitarist, disappears at “the crossroads”, Muddy and the rest of The Accidentals decide to cross over to an alternate reality where music has real power, and find him. Author David Simms has worked with many special education students, and draws realistic, sympathetic portraits of his characters. It’s cool to see ordinary, music-loving kids with disabilities as the heroes of the story.

 

 Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann

Sixteen year old Kendall has obsessive compulsive disorder. She’s been able to function in a carefully constructed world, and that begins to disintegrate when a girl disappears, and then, shortly after that, her boyfriend. Did Kendall have something to do with the disappearances? Or will her obsessiveness lead her to become a victim? Kendall is a very sympathetic character struggling with a difficult situation that is complicated by her obsessive compulsive disorder.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on July 4, 2015 by , Reply
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