Unicorn Hunting: Blog Tour and Review #UnicornHuntingTour @CaffeineTours

 

 Synopsis

Caught between her family’s expectations and her own conscience, reluctant unicorn hunter Caoilinn “Cal” Valderan questions the morals of slaying these mystical creatures, and finds herself in a position where she must choose between them and humanity… In this coming of age story, Cal must not only defend her principles and values, but also figure out her crush on the girl next door, as she finds herself caught in a battle between light and darkness, but she must find answers to what others dare not even to question.

 

                                       

GENRE:  Young Adult, Fantasy

PUBLICATION DATA: March 19, 2016

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

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FAVORITE QUOTE

 "I'm proud to be seen with someone who fought bravely"

This quote represents my feeling that veterans of all combat, just or unjust, deserve respect. 

                                                                 

                                                               REVIEW

I love Caffeine Book Tours.  The last one I did was the most viewed post in the entire history of this blog.  That post can be found here.  I was hoping to be approved for another Caffeine Book Tour, and was delighted when it turned out to be Unicorn Hunting by A. R. Hellbender.  I've been hankering for a new approach to legendary unicorns.  So I was glad to receive an advance reader's copy from the author and Caffeine Book Tours.

Stories of unicorns are clothed in the symbolism of the sacred.  There is the whiteness of unicorns signifying purity and the association of unicorns with virgins which reminds those religiously inclined of the Virgin Mary.   

A.R. Hellbender strips away this spiritual facade and imagines what it would be like if unicorns were a real species in a world where magic exists.  What is the origin of unicorns? How do they reproduce? What significance would unicorns have for humans?  How would humans treat them? Is hunting a unicorn any different from hunting any other animal species?  Unicorn Hunting seeks to answer these questions from the perspective of a young unicorn hunter.

In my world the name "Cal" is short for Calvin.  So I began this book struggling with cognitive dissonance because the protagonist Cal is female.  Since I was reading a novel that  overthrows stereotypes about unicorns, cognitive dissonance was good for me.  It made me feel off balance so that I would be more receptive to the unusual. 

The thoughtful world building, character growth and development of relationships made Unicorn Hunting a singular epic fantasy for me.  

                                       A. R. Hellbender

A.R. Hellbender is the author of Unicorn Hunting and Unicorn Revenge. She lives in Washington with two cats, three dogs and a gecko.

                                                    

                                  

  For additional information:

 https://caffeinebooktours.wordpress.com/2020/10/06/unicorn-hunting-tour

 

                                                 

 

The Book of Two Ways: A Jodi Picoult Novel About A Female Protagonist In A Mid-Life Crisis

I read Jodi Picoult for two reasons.  One is that I've felt poisoned by deeply noir novels filled with unlikable characters and need to read about an inspiring protagonist.  That's why I read the Jodi Picoult novella  Larger Than Life.  See my review here.   The other reason why I read Jodi Picoult is because I want to see how she handles a particular theme.   

The central concept of  The Book of Two Ways sounded compelling.  I expected that Jodi Picoult would approach it in a way that would be dramatic, and draw me in to the lives of the characters.   She is an author who writes about significant ideas in the context of fiction about people who readers can identify with.  At least, that has always been my experience through my years of reading Picoult.  It's why she's been a favorite.   I was saving The Book of Two Ways for a time when I wanted to get away from genre fiction. So I  excavated the Net Galley copy of Picoult's latest book from my Kindle's contents with anticipation.

 

                                      

Our protagonist Dawn McDowell Edelstein had once been on track to become an archaeologist when fate upended her life.  She left archaeology behind, got married and became a death doula. I've linked to a USA Today article about what death doulas do.  A pivotal event happens and Dawn feels the need to re-examine her life.  The plot summary says that this event was surviving a plane crash, but actually Dawn was impelled toward the journey that re-connected her with her past by something else that happened earlier.  Revealing the entire plot sequence would, of course, be a major spoiler.  I would never do that in a review. 

Some readers have found it difficult to sympathize with Dawn.  I have not been in Dawn's life situation, and don't know for certain how I would react if I were.  I have compassion for Dawn, and believe that her decisions were understandable. Yet she hurt people who didn't deserve to be hurt.  Readers will need to decide whether Dawn should be forgiven. 

There are two men in Dawn's life, the archaeologist Wyatt Armstrong and her husband physicist Brian Edelstein.   Both men are flawed in different ways.  At various points, I wondered why she would have become involved with either one of them.  On the other hand, they each have their strengths.  All men are imperfect human beings, and Dawn certainly isn't a paragon herself. 

Dawn's daughter Meret, who we meet at age fifteen, is probably the most relatable character.   In her case, adolescent angst is very much justified.  She needed a dependable mother, not one who was going through a mid-life crisis. In our society, men are more easily forgiven for their mid-life crises even when they have children.  Mothers are viewed as being too crucial to families.  They are harshly judged as child abandoners. It's fortunate that Meret turns out to be much more mature and resilient than the typical teen.  I feel that husband Brian deserves the credit for that.   He was the one who imbued her with the internal resources that allowed her to navigate challenging circumstances. 

As always, Jodi Picoult has written a novel that focuses on the impact of a particular predicament on a family.  The Book of Two Ways may not be her best book, but it was a worthy one, if only because I learned about the experience of being a death doula.   Readers who are interested in ancient Egypt may also find it worthwhile.

                                 

 

                                 

Eli's Promise: A Dual Period Historical Thriller Dealing With The Decades Long Pursuit of a Nazi Collaborator

I began reading Eli's Promise Ronald H. Balson  on September 16th, but had to put it aside to deal with a blog tour review that needed to be posted on September 20th and other pressing review commitments.  When I finally got back to it, September was almost gone. I finished it on September 30.  I was intended to be an advance reviewer, but Eli's Promise was released on September 22nd.  So I apologize for my lateness.  I received my copy from the publisher via Net Galley well in advance.

This is the third book that I've read by Ronald H. Balson. The first two were Karolina's Twins and The Girl From Berlin which are part of the Liam Taggart and Catherine Lockhart  legal thriller series.  I reviewed them both on Flying High Reviews. It's a blog devoted to strong female protagonists. You can find those Balson books reviewed here  and here.

 Eli's Promise is a stand alone dealing with the life of Eli Rosen during WWII and the 1960's. There are some wonderful female characters in this book, but the primary focus is on a male protagonist.  That's why I decided to post my review on Shomeret: Masked Reviewer where I review any book that interests me.  

                               

I have a family that was badly impacted by the Holocaust and I took a course on the Holocaust at Jewish Theological Seminary.  This isn't just a historical topic for me. I am reluctant to read any books dealing with the Holocaust, but I agreed to read this one in September when I shouldn't have. There was another book that I was committed to read  in September that also contained  the liberation of a camp after WWII. The other book was reviewed on Flying High Reviews.  Between that novel's Holocaust content and Eli's Promise, I felt emotionally overwhelmed.

When I continued to read Eli's Promise at the end of the month, I experienced nausea.  This is a sign that it's well-written.  I felt what the characters were going through. I am also under stress in my personal life, and I was saying to myself  "I don't need this," but I did commit to read it, so I finished the book.  To say that these aren't ideal conditions for me to write a review would be an understatement.  I am telling you this, so you understand my context when I say I wish I hadn't read Eli's Promise.

The villain of Eli's Promise is pursued by Eli since he and his family were betrayed by the villain during the Holocaust. Then the narrative is taken up again in the 1960's. At that point Eli was in law enforcement, but this was a very personal case for him.  

There are two women that I want to mention in this review.  They are Eli's wife, Esther, who wanted to leave Poland in 1939.  Unfortunately, Eli wasn't as prescient as she was.  The other was Mimi, a  U.S. journalist in the 1960's.  She agreed to cooperate with law enforcement after her best friend was killed, and risked her own life in the process.  If it weren't for Mimi's courage, the case couldn't have been resolved, yet she did get an exclusive story out of it.

I do recommend this book to those who need to be educated about the Holocaust, and readers who want to be immersed in an intense dual period historical thriller.