Slow Growth Equals Strong Roots by Mary Marantz

 

There are a lot of books out there about feeling not enough, about feeling burnt out, stressed out, and always needing to perform. Yet the truth in Marantz's word, the compassion and strength of her voice that can only be shaped through experience, and the kind grace in her message all make Slow Growth equals Strong Roots worthy of a second look.

Although this isn't Marantz's first book it was my first introduction to her work. I found her writing to be personable, earnest, and down to earth. At one point Marantz writes about how oversaturated the market feels on every topic and yet there is still room for a voice to share their message and their dreams with truth. While there wasn't a lot of new material in this book, Marantz has a way of owning her experiences, her highs and lows, with a humility and companiable way that her message stands out for the crowd. 

The book itself is quite giftable I mean I'm a sucker for a shiny cover and a sewn in bookmark. But I also appreciated the artistry in the book's compilation. The use of Marantz's photography further weaving in her story. The contrast and comparison they added to support the words helped make this book very visually appealing.

The message was laid out quite well and I was surprised to see that Marantz has accompanying material online like a quiz to see which characters represented in the book "The Woman Who Is Always Performing, The High Wire Tightrope Walker, The Contortionist, The Masquerader, and The Illusionist" may fit your experience best. I personally found the different personas a helpful take as well as Marantz's explanation that she had struggled with each one at different stages or in different experiences. 

I will definitely be recommending this to some of the people in my circle as a summer read.

4 out of 5 stars

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.

When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer

 

Libby is trapped in a world on the brink of WWI attempting to fend off her mother's attempt to use her as a social pawn and dreaming of delving into things that matter, until she goes to sleep and wakes up in Colonial Williamsburg running her late father's print shop as the colonies and England move closer to war.

Honestly, this is one of the most unique premises I've encountered in awhile.
One consciousness, two bodies, two time periods, two entirely separate lives. 
Each day is lived as any other until midnight strikes, the traveler sleeps and wakes in their alternate life loosing no time in one while living the other. This cycle then continues until their 21st birthday when they must choose one life leaving the other and all it holds behind forever.

In a lot of ways this felt like two historical novels in one. I really enjoyed how Meyer was able to capture the details and rhythms of both colonial America and early 20th century America. More importantly, I was captured by Libby and how thoroughly Meyer captured her heart and duty in both lives and the tension she held as her birthday approached.
Meyer's ability to capture Libby's growth and grieving really anchored the story as well as highlighting the premises uniqueness attributes. Libby's reality of saying goodbye to a life that would think her dead and gone while she stayed anchored in the other added different layers to her relationships that really gave the plot an extra layer of interest. 

I appreciated the implied lore of time travelling running through family lines as well with Libby's Williamsburg mother also being a traveler, mentoring Libby in how to navigate the unique challenges of the life they'd been given. 
I also found it interesting that, given how unique the time travelling premise was, the travelers we meet throughout the book are all people of faith despite their situation. I'm not exactly sure what genre this type of time travelling falls under (it doesn't quite feel sci-fi, yet it's so grounded in historical fantasy doesn't feel accurate either.) but it was encouraging to have a faith based story that wasn't afraid to incorporate more fantastical elements.

The only downsides were in it's conclusion. Considering how well written and engaging each timeline was, everything felt almost too neatly wrapped up with Libby, Reggie, and Henry in the end. I mean I know this is historical fiction/ time travel book and stretches beyond the fantastic but for so many paths to converge into a perfect path just seemed a little too shiny as much as I wanted happiness for Libby.

As a fan of historical fiction, this was like getting two engaging stories in one and despite my mixed feelings over the conclusion I would easily read another one of Meyer's characters journey through time

4 out of 5 stars

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.

When The Meadow Blooms by Ann H. Gabhart

 

Ann Gabhart is one of my go to comfort writers. 

The way she captures the beauty of country life balancing its joys and hardships, her characters, and her gentle weaving of plot made her a quick and solid go-to. So, I was intrigued to see her taking some new turns with her latest When The Meadow Blooms

While I usually would say Gabhart's novels are character driven, this one feels far more thematic and plot driven. While the story focuses almost exclusively on the Meadows family and their neighbours, the story really centered on the idea of moving forward after hardship and loss as well as the mystery of Anneliese. While it was different than I anticipated I enjoyed how Gabhart's patient pacing fit the narrative both in the slow unravelling of the mystery as well as in the honesty of time it can take to recover from trauma.
I also appreciated how Gabhart used unique elements like Stanley and Josephine to help move the plot forward. It's those little touches that just help the book to stand apart with charm.

Because of the plot centering vs. character centering I did have a harder time connecting to an individual character. Rose's recovering from the sanatorium, Dirk recovery from the fire and Anneliese, Calla and Sienna's recovery from the orphanage all were treasure troves of character development and I do wish there had been space for more of a dive into how they were processing the rich tapestry of experiences Gabhart set in motion.

As with all of Gabhart's novels I've read, there is a strong faith component to this book with Rose and Calla praying throughout the book and relying on their faith to help them navigate life. Dirk also has a faith narrative as he wrestles with how faith can be possible given life's experiences providing a strong contrast to the girls.

Fans of Gabhart will find lots to love about Meadow land farm and the stories it holds. 

4 out of 5 stars.

The Master Craftsman by Kelli Stuart

 

A missing Faberge egg and a global treasure hunt across the centuries was more than enough to draw me into Stuart's new historical fiction The Master Craftsman. However, when I got into the pages I found more of a mixed bag than I anticipated.

The highlight of this book, for me, were the historical plot sections. Stuart takes a fascinating premise in her idea of an unknown missing egg and weaves together the social and personal events that might lead someone like Faberge to create such an item.

While I am familiar with the Faberge eggs I was less familiar with Faberge himself and, well recognizing creative license, appreciated the approach took exploring the possible mindset of the craftsman watching the events unfold that led to the ends of the Romanovs. The development is believable and the fascination of the eggs was enough to make me rabbit trail through old history books again. Stuart really shows their research well weaving in well known landmarks, historical events, and establishing the timeline of the Romanovs fall.

It was the modern sections that fell flatter for me. 

Ava has real promise as a lead and honestly if Ava and Zak got their own treasure hunting series I would read the next installment without question. 

But I felt the modern sections relied too heavily on stereotypes. The commentary on Xander's appearance felt so over the top I never was able to take the character seriously which made the climax less impactful. The possible love triangle felt out of place given Nick's illness and really left Zak as an underutilized character which was a shame given his potential.

I think Stuart really captures the pacing and excitement of a global treasure hunt it just fell flatter on the emotional/relational plots which Stuart had set up with such potential. Another surprising element, in my opinion, was the lack of any memorable faith elements in the plot. I'm honestly scratching my head looking back to recall any mentions of faith, God, or pray in a significant manner as I normally would expect from a Revell novel but it seems notable absent in this plot. Regular Revell readers may want to note that if it's a significant factor in the books they pick.

Overall, this book feels insufficient as a stand alone and I truly hope it's just the beginning of Ava's adventures.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.