Book Review: A Madness Unmade (Deathly Inheritance Duology, #1) by E.K. Larson-Burnett

A Madness Unmade by Erin K. Larson-Burnett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Gothically-vibed coming-of-age fantasy story.

A Madness Unmade is the first book in author E.K. Larson-Burnett’s compelling gothically-vibed Deathly Inheritance Duology, the tale of Laurel Persephone Rumbroom, the last Guardian of Underhallow, the only remaining sanctuary for ghosts who have yet to move on to their next situation. Orphaned as a young teen and left in the care of the ghosts who inhabit her home, Laurel’s 18th birthday arrives, and along with it, so do her dormant, untapped magical abilities and the responsibility to safeguard the ghostly residents of Underhallow, a duty she knew nothing about up to this point.

Laurel is an engaging and sympathetic character right from the start as one learns of her tragic and lonely backstory: her mother was gone from her life at an early age, orphaned upon the death of her father when she was only 13 and left in the care of the other residents (all of whom are dead) in her stately but crumbling home, Underhallow. Ghosts have been raising this child.

Besides not leaving the house for the past five years (when her father passed), Laurel initially appears to be doing pretty well until you realize she’s not the child she seems to be, but going on 18 years old. Her birthday brings with it the revelation that the ghosts ultimately depend upon her for their continued existence, and she has absolutely no clue how to go about fulfilling her responsibilities to them as a Guardian and preventing the dissolution of Underhallow as the last Earthly sanctuary left for these revenant spirits to go.

The story opens as Laurel comes to realize that her difficulties in learning and retaining the information her tutor, Master Godwin, has been trying to impart for the past five years are due to more than her disinterest. The author’s descriptions and handling of Laurel’s issues with ADD, anxiety, and grief are well done, and those facing similar struggles will relate. The added impact of her burgeoning magical abilities is dramatic and frightening. Thankfully, she finds support from an unexpected ally.

Laurel interacts with her ghostly caretakers as if they are human, as they can talk, touch, and move physical objects, unlike traditionally portrayed spirits. A number play critical roles in her life and fulfill duties similar to those they performed when living. There are some big personalities among the unalive who guide and assist Laurel, and their antics also serve to lighten the building tension. Laurel, too, displays a lot of empathy for the feelings of the undeparted, many of whom carry the circumstances of their death with them into this afterlife.

There are questions about Laurel’s father’s death and the regular delivery of small mysterious packages to puzzle out as well as becoming the Guardian, so Laurel turns to the only sources she has to solve them, the ghosts. Still, this first book of the duology concludes with some things yet unanswered, and I look forward to the answers in the next book.

I recommend A MADNESS UNMADE to readers of young adult fantasy and coming-of-age stories, especially those with an interest in characters struggling with mental health issues.

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Pop-Up Blog-Hop & Giveaway: "So Sorry for Your Loss" by Dina Gachman

 

“SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS”

by

Dina Gachman

Grief & Bereavement / Love & Loss / Parenting & Relationships

Publisher: Union Square & Co.

Page Count: 240 pages

Publication Date: April 11, 2023

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A heartfelt exploration about what it means to process grief, by a bestselling author and journalist whose experience with two devastating losses inspired her to bring comfort and understanding to others.

Since losing her mother to cancer in 2018 and her sister to alcoholism less than three years later, author and journalist Dina Gachman has dedicated herself to understanding what it means to grieve, healing after loss, and the ways we stay connected to those we miss. Through a mix of personal storytelling, reporting, and insight from experts and even moments of humor, Gachman gives readers a fresh take on grief and bereavement—whether the loss is a family member, beloved pet, or a romantic relationship. No one wants to join the grief club, since membership comes with zero perks, but So Sorry for Your Loss will make that initiation just a little less painful.

In the spirit of Elizabeth Kubler Ross books like On Grief and Grieving, or C.S. Lewis’s A Grief Observed, So Sorry for Your Loss is the perfect gift for someone who is grieving. With her blend of personal experiences, expert advice, and just a little bit of humor, Gachman has provided a compassionate and compelling resource for anyone looking for grief books.

PRAISE FOR SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS:

Gachman perceptively puts words to the uncomfortable realities of loss…and deconstructs its social myths, helping readers feel less alone. Those facing loss will find solace here.” —Publishers Weekly

“So Sorry for Your Loss is a monument to the work of remembering and a testament to the immutable love of family and the grief that forever changes us.” —Lauren Hough, New York Times bestselling author of Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing

“So Sorry for Your Loss is a meditation on loss that reminds us how to go on living.” —Deirdre Fagan, author of Find a Place for Me and The Grief Eaters

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Interview with Dina Gachman 

 You’re a Texan; how has being a Texan influenced your writing?

As a journalist, I love telling stories set in Texas and about the culture and people in the state. With the book, I guess my Texas roots come through in my point of view, and in the lessons I was raised with like “kill ‘em with kindness” or “don’t be a hateful Hannah,” which both found their way into the book. Do people say “don’t be a hateful Hannah” outside the state? I have no idea, but I know my mom and grandmother said it, and now it’s in my book.

Where did your love of books and writing come from?

I don’t remember a time that I didn’t love books, writing, and just letting my imagination run wild. I’ve never wanted to be anything but a writer, except for a brief period when I wanted to be an archeologist—but that was because of a book I read in fifth grade called Motel of the Mysteries, where the main character is a bumbling amateur archeologist. My parents, and especially my mom, nurtured my love of books and writing. They introduced me to my two favorite books of all time when I was in high school—my mom gave me Toni Morrison’s Beloved and my dad urged me to read Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove. Both of those books will forever be dear to me. I had never read anything as unique and piercing as Beloved, and I had never fallen in love with characters like McMurtry’s. I cried reading the last page of both those books, mainly because I was so devastated that the experience of reading them for the first time was coming to an end.

What kinds of writing do you do?

Besides writing my own books I do a lot of ghostwriting with celebrities, so that gives me freedom to write stories I care about and pitch ideas to magazines that I’m excited about. The ghostwriting is almost like my base salary, and then I can spend the rest of my time finding interesting stories to tell. I spent so many years waiting tables, writing blog posts for lamp stores, and copyediting tech news to make money, and it took a very long time to get to a place where I could actually say I’m a full-time writer. I hope I never take that for granted. I write for publications I love, like Texas Monthly, Texas Highways, the New York Times, and Teen Vogue, and I get to discover interesting subcultures, like women who race lawn mowers, or profile people like a “yucca whisperer” in West Texas. I love it. As a freelance journalist, you have to be constantly curious, and Texas has an endless supply of people and places to become curious about. 

What does your writing spot look like?

I have an office at home with a big, beautiful wood desk that my husband made for me in the garage. On the desk I have a lamp that my mom gave me years ago, with a letter that said she hoped I would write beautiful things under that lamplight, so how could I ever part with such a gift? Next to the lamp I have a framed photo of my sister Jackie. My mom and sister are gone, but those two things on my desk make me feel like they’re close. The office is full of books and photos and flowers that I love, and I face a big window that looks outside at some rose bushes and a big yucca. If my dog is getting too needy, I’ll leave my desk and sit on the couch and write so he can snuggle with me. Both spots are pretty magical.

Dina Gachman is a Pulitzer Center Grantee and a frequent contributor to the New York Times, Vox, Texas Monthly, and more. She’s a New York Times bestselling ghostwriter and the author of Brokenomics: 50 Ways to Live the Dream on a Dime. She lives near Austin, Texas, with her husband and son. Photo credit Jessica Comiskey.

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So Sorry for Your Loss

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Children's Book Review:Cookie Monsters (Valentine Middle School, #2) by Erika J. Kendrick

Cookie Monsters by Erika J. Kendrick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Within its exciting cookie sales campaign plot, Cookie Monsters also delivers a warm and wonderful story of recovery after the loss of a loved one.

It’s World Scout cookie season again, and Brooklyn Ace, Valentine Middle School’s leading cookie seller last year, has big plans to win the top spot this time around. Last year, she came in a close second to a high school senior who has since graduated and no longer poses a threat. However, this year’s campaign is going to be fundamentally different anyway; Brooklyn’s biggest supporter in her quest for sales domination was her mother, whom she recently lost to cancer. Brooklyn wants to honor her mother by dedicating the campaign to her memory.

But right away, there’s an unforeseen hitch in her successful campaign when the new girl at school, Piper Parker, announces her intention to take the cookie queen crown for herself. Soon, it becomes apparent that Piper will do whatever it takes, and no matter what, so she can win!

Cookie Monsters is a warm and poignant story about a twelve-year-old’s struggle with grief and its toll on her mental well-being, as well as an exciting and tense battle to sell the most cookies. Brooklyn is cool, popular, wholesome, and very much a regular pre-teen. From the outside, she appears to be coping well with her mother’s death but inside, she is drowning in pent-up emotions. She is surrounded by a supportive circle of girlfriends and has a loving father and grandmother at home, who are also dealing with their own grief. But as the results of Brooklyn’s loss visibly begin to affect her ability to function, she reaches out and accepts professional help and makes progress on dealing with her feelings. The story also reveals that her friends are dealing with their own difficulties, and Brooklyn is able to share her experiences and help get them on a path to communicating their needs with their own families.

The story is also about a very competitive race to sell the most cookies. Brooklyn’s nemesis, Piper Parker, pulls a couple of rabbits out of her hat, using her father’s business resources and wealth and promising incentives (bribes) to their fellow students to buy her cookies rather than Brooklyn’s. Although Brooklyn cries foul at all of Piper’s strategies, and some were definitely shady moves, frankly, Piper just had a better sales plan and executed it better than Brooklyn did (which Brooklyn slowly comes to recognize.)

Brooklyn’s scout squad is a wonderful mix of different personalities, each with their own strengths that they bring to their friendship and the campaign. Young readers will surely relate to one or more of these great characters and the individual issues they are facing in their lives. I enjoyed this group of girls so much.

The writing and pace of the story are absolutely flawless. I was completely drawn into the story and emotionally invested; I teared up a couple of times while reading, especially when she was making a breakthrough with her therapist. I know I’ll be thinking about Brooklyn’s tale for quite a while; I was that affected. Cookie Monsters would make an excellent read-aloud selection.

With its important messages nestled within an exciting cookie campaign plot, I recommend COOKIE MONSTERS to young readers who have experienced their own loss of someone close to them.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author or publisher through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.


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