Carries Book Reviews

Title: Trashlands

Author: Alison Stine

Publisher:  MIRA

Publication Date: October 26, 2021

Page Count:  356

My rating: 2 stars

About the book:

From the author of Road Out of Winter, winner of the 2021 Philip K. Dick Award, comes a resonant, visionary novel about the power of art and the sacrifices we are willing to make for the ones we love

A few generations from now, the coastlines of the continent have been redrawn by floods and tides. Global powers have agreed to not produce any new plastics, and what is left has become valuable: garbage is currency.

In the region-wide junkyard that Appalachia has become, Coral is a “plucker,” pulling plastic from the rivers and woods. She’s stuck in Trashlands, a dump named for the strip club at its edge, where the local women dance for an endless loop of strangers and the club’s violent owner rules as unofficial mayor.

Amid the polluted landscape, Coral works desperately to save up enough to rescue her child from the recycling factories, where he is forced to work. In her stolen free hours, she does something that seems impossible in this place: Coral makes art.

When a reporter from a struggling city on the coast arrives in Trashlands, Coral is presented with an opportunity to change her life. But is it possible to choose a future for herself?

Told in shifting perspectives, Trashlands is a beautifully drawn and wildly imaginative tale of a parent’s journey, a story of community and humanity in a changed world.

Trashlands by Alison Stine is a dystopian science fiction fantasy novel. The story is one that is told by changing the point of view between a few characters and is set in a future world in the United States. 

Years from now the landscape of the continents will be changed with the coastlines changing which herded people inland. The global powers around the world agreed to cease in the production of plastic which in turn made it more valuable than ever with it becoming the new currency.

Coral lives among the Trashlands in a place junkyard in Scrappalachia always searching for a way to survive. Coral’s child was stolen from her and taken to the recycling factories to work where only small hands can manage. Coral has never given up hope that she will one day find her child again so when a reporter shows up she sees it at a sign to change her life.

So Trashlands by Alison Stine is mostly getting glowing reviews but I found myself on the outside looking in once again when I read this novel. For me the biggest thing that kept me from becoming engaged in this story was the lack of world building involved. I never found myself understanding the hows and whys to get myself connected to the rather disturbing world inside with ladies at a dystopian strip club putting up with the violence. Since I was in the minority I’d say if this one is on your radar give it a try for yourself. 

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online: 

Goodreads  /   Amazon*

About the author:

*This is an Amazon affiliate link which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. That commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.

So yesterday was a tribute to the old slasher movie character Jason so I thought I couldn’t go without also sharing this one from the Freddy franchise…

Song #16 Dokken – Dream Warriors

Lyrics

I lie awake and dread the lonely nights
I’m not alone
I wonder if these heavy eyes
Can face the unknown
When I close my eyes I realize
You’ll come my way
I’m standing in the night alone
Forever together

With the dream warriors
Don’t want to dream no more
With the dream warriors
And maybe tonight
Maybe tonight you’ll be gone

I feel the touch comin’ over me
I can’t explain
I hear the voices callin’ out
Callin’ my name
It’s the same desire to feel the fire
That’s comin’ your way
I’m standing in the night alone
Forever together

With the dream warriors
Don’t want to dream no more
With the dream warriors
Maybe tonight you’ll be gone
With the dream warriors
Ain’t gonna dream no more
And maybe tonight
Maybe tonight you’ll be gone

Sweet revenge, the bitter end
This time
Break the spell of illusion
Bound together waiting for you

Dream warriors
Don’t want to dream no more
With the dream warriors
Maybe tonight you’ll be gone
With the dream warriors
Ain’t gonna dream no more
With the dream warriors
And maybe tonight
Maybe tonight you’ll be gone
Dream warriors
Maybe tonight you’ll be gone
Dream warriors, forever
Dream warriors
Maybe tonight you’ll be gone
Dream warrior

sSource: LyricFind

Songwriters: George Lynch / Jeff Pilson

Dream Warriors lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc

The Final Decree
Shami Stovall
Publication date: October 12th 2021
Genres: Adult, Fantasy

The Kingdom of Luka is controlled by the decrees of God-King Eliezer. Break one and become a twisted monster or serve forever, loyal to the crown. From the author of Frith Chronicles and Star Marque Rising, comes a new fantasy epic.

When God-King Eliezer utters a decree, it’s the law of the land, no matter how subtle or outrageous. Those who break the decrees suffer the god-king’s curse—their bodies twist into nightmarish monsters of devastation and hunger, forever a blight upon humanity.

The magic knows when a decree is violated, the moment it happens.

There are no exceptions. No loopholes. No escape.

Artemisia, a mysterious girl on the run from God-King Eliezer’s Holy Guard, is cursed and doesn’t know why. Fortunately, she has yet to change into a fell beast, but that isn’t a comfort. She could transform at any moment, and the resulting monster would destroy everything she cares for.

Desperate and fearful, Artemisia finds herself captured by a group of monster hunters led by Rylion Nasos, a man of superhuman strength and skill. When Artemisia displays magic of her own—magic that threatens God-King Eliezer’s rule—an agreement is made to confront the crown, despite the horrors it could unleash.

Cursed be the man who disobeys the god-king’s direct command.

Goodreads / Amazon*

—

EXCERPT:

I stumbled forward, fueled only by hate.

The soldiers of the god-king had taken everything from me, but I would be safe once I crossed the border. Denying them the satisfaction of my death would be my final act of defiance.

The winter winds rushed past, as bitter and cold as my thoughts. I walked the long road through the Kingdom of Luka alone. I was a stranger—a random woman—nothing more than some wraith passing by, devoid of purpose. People regarded me with suspicion, and I hurried along. I tried, at least, until I tripped and fell.

I hadn’t eaten.

Snow provided little in the way of sustenance. It sated my thirst somewhat, but my gut twisted in agony. It felt like my stomach was consuming my insides, cannibalizing the other

organs to keep me alive. I knew it wasn’t, but my nightmares had been filled with such imagery, and it was all I could dwell on.

I pulled my stolen blanket tightly over my body, unable to stand. With gritted teeth, I continued at a crawl. I should have found shelter and rested, but I was on the edge of town, by the first few houses that lined the road.

When merchants rode by on horses and carts, I glanced up, hoping they would spill something edible. They didn’t, of course—no successful merchant would—and I contemplated my situation with dreaded realization.

I might die here. In some town whose name I didn’t even know.

“That’s a nice blanket.”

The tone put me on edge. It wasn’t a compliment, but an appraisal.

Author Bio:

Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction, with several best-selling novels under her belt. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators.

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The Liars Beneath
Heather L. Powell
Publication date: January 27th 2022
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult

A romantically dark YA thriller set in the backdrop of Iowa’s suspenseful farmlands.

After a tragic accident ends her best friend’s life, 17-year-old Becca Thompson succumbs to grief the only way she knows how: by wallowing in it. She’s a fragment of the person she once was—far too broken to enjoy the summer before her senior year. But when Ben McCain, her best friend’s older brother, returns home, Becca must face her new reality head on.

She isn’t interested in Ben’s games, especially since he abandoned his sister during the months leading up to her death. But when he begs for her help in uncovering the truth about what really happened the night of his sister’s death, Becca finds herself agreeing, hoping to clear up rumors swirling in the wake of her best friend’s accident.

An unhinged ex-boyfriend, secret bucket lists, and garage parties in the place Becca calls home soon lead her to the answers she’s so desperate to unveil. But nobody is being honest, not even Ben. And the closer Becca gets to the truth—and to Ben—the more danger seems to surround her.

Clearing her best friend’s name was all she wanted to do, but Becca is quickly realizing that the truth she craves might be uglier than the lies her best friend kept.

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Author Bio:

Heather Powell is Midwestern-born author with a love of all things spontaneous road trips, TV shows that leave her questioning her morals, and book boyfriends. As a graduate of Black Hawk College, Heather took her degree in early childhood development, tossed it into the garbage, and is now living the dream writing young adult novels sprinkled with suspense and lots of kissing.

She’s currently living out her own version of a happily ever after with her high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband, their three hugely feminist daughters, and two fur babies with bad attitudes. When she’s not being a mom or writing books, you can find her drinking way too many energy drinks or crashing out on her sofa with a romance novel of some sort.

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Title: A Letter from Nana Rose

Author: Kristin Harper

Publisher:  Bookouture

Publication Date: October 25, 2021

Page Count:  263

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

“My darling girls. You were once so happy in this house. Now I’m gone, all I ask is that you spend one last summer here together on Dune Island. And please forgive me, your Nana, for the secret I’m about to tell you…”

Arriving at the honeysuckle-covered beach house inherited from her beloved grandmother, recently heartbroken Jill hopes to convince her two feuding sisters not to sell a place so full of happy childhood memories. But the envelope waiting on the driftwood table changes everything. In her elegant handwriting, Nana Rose promises a new letter will arrive each day of the summer revealing a family secret she took to her grave.

Shaken, Jill anxiously awaits each letter filled with Nana’s bittersweet memories of her own sister who she loved more than anyone—and lost far too young. But why did Nana never speak of this tragic loss to her grandchildren?

Watching the sunset each night and wondering how well they really knew Nana Rose, Jill feels her family is closer than they’ve been in years. And after a chance encounter with blue-eyed tree surgeon Alex, she wonders if Nana believed being back on Dune Island would help Jill find love, too?

But when Nana’s final letter arrives, the revelation about how her sister died is more shocking than Jill ever imagined. Suddenly, despite the chance of happiness with Alex, selling the house seems the only way forward. Will Jill find a way to forge new bonds of sisterhood and save their inheritance, or will Nana Rose’s secret tear them all apart?

An absolutely gorgeous, gripping and heartbreaking read about the importance of family, and how even our loved ones can keep shattering secrets. Perfect for fans of Carolyn Brown, Debbie Macomber and Mary Alice Munroe.

A Letter from Nana Rose by Kristin Harper is a contemporary women’s fiction title that does have a touch of romance blended into the story. This novel tells the story of three sisters that have lost their grandmother and now need to come together to decide what to do with their inheritance.

Jill, Rachel, and Brooke have found memories of their time growing up and that of what they spent with their Nana Rose. When Nana passed she asked that the girls return to Dune Island, Massachusetts to spend time together in her home that they have now inherited before they make the decision of what to do with the home.

As Jill, Rachel, and Brooke are settling in their grandmother’s secluded beach home in Dune Island they are unfortunately just in time for a storm. With a tree falling blocking them in the sisters settle in and begin reading the letters that Nana left for them, a new one arriving every day. With each sister struggling with their own lives they learn secrets of their Nana’s past they never knew existed.

A Letter from Nana Rose by Kristin Harper was a lovely story about family, forgiveness and the strength of all the women involved. I loved getting to know the characters and more about their lives as I waited along with them to hear more of the past that the letters uncovered. The setting was lovely too as I rooted for Jill to convince her sisters to keep the home they all had memories of as I came to adore their grandmother and her home too.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online: 

Goodreads  /   Amazon*

About the author:

*This is an Amazon affiliate link which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. That commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.