Booksparks 2014 Summer Reading Challenge- Colleen Oakes' Queen of Hearts: The Wonder

My final book review for the Booksparks 2014 Summer Reading Challenge is The Wonder, which is the second  book in Colleen Oakes' Queen of Hearts series. I have to confess that this was the book in the challenge that I was least excited to read. When I saw the cover and read the synopsis, I pushed it into the category of "not my cup of tea". Although, wanting to finish the challenge, I tried to keep an open mind when starting Oakes' novel.

I don't like to read series books out of order and I had not read the first in the series. Since I was anticipating the book to be a chore, I didn't bother reading the first one, I just dove in. Oakes does a good job at filling in the gaps for the reader who may have not read the first book. I felt like she gave me enough of a recap, without being tedious and after a few chapters, I could easily follow along.

Initially there was some confusion over Oakes' reimagining of Lewis Carroll's iconic Wonderland. In Oakes' Wonderland, Dinah is our heroine. This was my initial confusion, as I always thought of Dinah as a cat and not a girl. In this story, Dinah is the rightful Queen of Hearts, who is wanted for treason and is on the run. She must stay alive long enough to figure out a way to reclaim her throne. It took me a bit to suss out the differences in Oakes's Wonderland. For example, the Cheshire Cat, isn't a cat, he is just a devious man. The cards are soldiers. They are men, not actual cards. The only tie with cards, is the name, cards suites symbolize their order in the King's guard. Once I began to understand Oakes' version of Wonderland, I could begin to allow myself to get swept away by the story.

Oakes is a solid writer. Against my preconceived notion, I actually did enjoy the story and much of that owes to Oakes ability as a writer. The subject matter didn't catch my interest, but she managed to draw me in with her storytelling abilities and quick pacing. This is a bloody story that is filled with vivid imagery and loads of creativity.  Let's face it, Wonderland has been done to death and although Oakes had her own spin on the story, I spent most of the book wondering if it wouldn't have been stronger, if Oakes had set the story in her own imagined realm. As far as I can tell with the second book, it didn't actually need to be set in Wonderland. 

I like Oakes as a writer and although my interest in the Queen of Hearts series ends here, I would definitely check out her other books. I think that this series would have appeal to those who love fantasy stories and Lewis Carroll fans. 

Participating in the Booksparks 2014 Summer Reading Challenge has been a lot of fun. I loved the exposure to new authors and the diversity in the offerings. As a reader, I was often placed outside of my comfort zone with reading stories that I would never have otherwise encountered. 

Booksparks 2014 Summer Reading Challenge - Katie Delahanty's In Bloom

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Olivia Bloom has just graduated from college and has moved to Hollywood to pursue her dream of working in the fashion industry. She lands her dream job of working for a lingerie company, but quickly her career aspirations are pushed to the background as her social life explodes when she begins dating mega-rock star, Berkley Dalton. Olivia is immediately thrust into the limelight as the mysterious figure showing up on a celebrity's arm to high profile events. She quickly learns that dating a celebrity can be both exciting and tumultuous. 

Katie Delahanty's debut novel, In Bloom, reminded me of The Princess Diaries or Pretty Woman. It features a strong, likable female lead who is suddenly thrown into a world that is lavish and exciting, so different from her normal life. The fun of In Bloom is following Olivia as she attends amazing parties, social galas and is treated to amazing dates. It's a glimpse into a rich life that so few get to experience. It often feels like an episode of The Bachelor and really, who wouldn't want to go on an amazing date?

Olivia is a ordinary woman who manages to catch the attention of a dream guy. The story is very much a fairytale. I can't imagine a female reader not falling in love with Berkley Dalton. He's utterly charming and romantic. 

The story is filled with Hollywood scandal and tricks of a sneaky publicist, which made me think that Delahanty must have had some real life insight with regards to the entertainment industry. Either way, I loved the cattiness of the story and the trouble that it gave to our heroine, Olivia.

I always enjoy stories set in my hometown and In Bloom is filled with familiar locals and businesses. I read the story while on vacation in Europe and it made me homesick! I got a big kick out the mention of singer/actress, Samantha Shelton, who is a friend of mine from High School.

In Bloom is the perfect summer beach read. Delahanty writes a fast-paced page-turner and I look forward to reading her next novel. 

Booksparks 2014 Summer Reading Challenge - Paul Hoppe's The Curse of Van Gogh

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In The Curse of Van Gogh, Tyler Sears, an art thief who has been recently released from federal prison, is trying to turn his life around, when he is blackmailed into doing one more heist. This last job is grander than any of Sear's previous jobs and involves stealing several of the most valuable paintings from a tightly guarded exhibit in Washington D.C.. Sears has strong misgivings, but as a powerful mobster is threatening the lives of his family, he is compelled to follow through with the crime. 

With author Paul Hoppe's snappy prose and compelling plot, the novel gets off to a strong start. I bought into the premise and I wanted to see how Sears was going to pull off the seemingly impossible heist. Hoppe has a nice way of doling out small bits of information to keep the reader wanting more.

Unfortunately, the story begins to fall apart mid-way through. Hoppe has plotted a lot of action, but I didn't feel like much of it was plausible. For example, Sears is on parole, but he seems to be able to easily travel throughout the United States without really worrying about his parole officer. He has an easy time obtaining a impressive arsenal of high tech weapons and gadgets. A lot happens in the story and some of it happens too easily.

The action is not balanced by character development. I require character development to enjoy a story. There is a good set up for emotion and drama, especially with Sears trying to protect a mentally unstable brother and flighty mother. This could have led to some really wonderful moments in the story, but they were never developed. Instead, Sears is given a fast-tracked romantic relationship which didn't fit with the story. I kept thinking that less would have been more with this story.

I didn't completely dislike Hoppe's debut novel, I was just left feeling like it was a draft, rather than a completed story. I was left wanting more, left seeing potential that wasn't developed. I thought that the reference to the title was interesting. I'm not sure if Hoppe made it up or if the "Van Gogh Curse" is a known thing, but I liked the extra drama that it brought to the heist and I found it to be entertaining.

The Curse of Van Gogh is in the same vein of a Dan Brown novel and would probably appeal to fans of action-thrillers.