Book Review: The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay

The Virgin Cure

by Ami McKay

Source: I picked this book up at a used book sale, having recognized the author (I read The Birth House several years ago and remembered really liking it).

A little history: the idea of the virgin cure was started in 16th century Europe, and it was the belief that "deflowering" a virgin would cure a man of the mysterious diseases of the day (most likely all manner of sexually transmitted diseases).

**WARNING: spoilers ahead**

The setting is Manhattan in 1871. It follows the story of Moth - a young gypsy girl. She remembers her father as a smiling face who one day just walked away and never returned. Her mother, a gypsy fortune-teller, spends the next several years waiting for him to return and barely scraping by. Moth spends her days roaming the streets and dreaming about getting out of her poor neighborhood.

When Moth turns twelve, her mother starts talking about the ads in the paper, of rich ladies looking for young girls as companions, and wouldn't that be a nice way to make a living? Not long after, she sells Moth to a rich lady called Mrs. Wentworth. Her mother wakes Moth up in the middle of the night, throws some things into a pillowcase for her, and hands her off to the rich lady without a second glance.

Moth is taken into the service of Mrs. Wentworth's household. Her life there is strange and abusive. Her duty is to be the lady's companion and servant - to keep her company, entertain her, dress her, and stay with her (reading, singing, etc) until she falls asleep. One of the other servants takes a shine to Moth and wants to help her escape, to go back home. They eventually succeed, but when she goes back to find her mother, her mother has left their apartment, leaving no forwarding address. Moth stays around for a while with a neighbor, but then decides to set off on her own.

She is "discovered" by a well-dressed young lady, who befriends her and tells her about the grand lady she lives with who takes care of young girls. She then takes Moth back with her to Miss Everett's house, to live there with four other girls. This is where she meets Dr. Sadie, a kind female physician who works with Miss Everett to ensure the health and safety of the girls she takes in. Dr. Sadie also feels compelled to save Moth and tries to convince her to leave Miss Everett and come live with her, but Moth has her own plans.

Miss Everett's house is essentially a high-class brothel specializing in clean, young virgins. The girls are given fancy dresses and a lovely home in exchange for entertaining Miss Everett's guests. They undress for the men, and if one decides he fancies one of the girls, he may then proceed to court her - taking her to the opera or theater, giving her expensive gifts, etc, and should he wish to "seal the deal," he will essentially buy the young lady from Miss Everett. Moth spots Mrs. Wentworth's husband among the prospective suitors, and when he shows an interest in her, she decides to use him to take out revenge on  his wife, while also taking advantage of him. Once her end of the deal is taken care of, Moth takes what is owed her and what she has earned (she kept a tally of everything that Miss Everett gave to her and their worth), and finally leaves Miss Everett's house for good.

***

I really liked Moth. She's a unique girl who feels like a little sister to me. I felt angry when she was repeatedly mistreated, pleased at her little pleasures, and happy when she finally found her freedom, even if it meant compromising herself. That was the only part of the book that made me really sad and the part I didn't like. I wished that Moth would have just gone with Dr. Sadie and avoided the whole sex situation. There's also a hint in the end that, while her mother was most likely not a real fortune-teller, Moth herself might actually possess some magic, which will be followed-up in the sequel Witches of New York, which was released last November. I'm really anxious to get my hands on that book now!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Liked More/Less Than I Thought I Would

Hey! It's been a while since I did a Top Ten Tuesday post (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish), so I'm happy to be doing one again!

 

 

This week's prompt is "Books I Loved Less/More Than I Thought I Would" or, alternately,  "Books I Liked Less/More Than Everyone Else." I'm going with a combination of books I liked more/less than I thought I would. I have probably mentioned most of these books at one point or another on the blog, whether in a Top Ten Tuesday post, or a book tag, or a review.... Sadly, the number of books I've read that I actually remember enough about to say anything about them is pretty limited... So I apologize for any repetitiveness!

***

Books I Liked More Than I Thought I Would

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect of this book. My best friend's mom highly recommended it, but my best friend herself said while she liked it, it wasn't a favourite. I had absolutely no preconceived notions about it beforehand, aside from these recommendations and the many, many people online who recommended it. I wanted to read it, but kind of wasn't sure if I'd like it because high school romances aren't really my thing anymore... but it turns out that I loved it! Current favourite love story, actually!

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

This one's a bit of a cheat. When I first heard about this book, I thought it sounded awesome and I was super excited! Plus Divergent is one of fave series, so I had some pretty high expectations. The doubts started when all those crazy bad reviews went shooting around the internet and I got kind of scared, because I had preordered the book. I don't typically buy new releases, and rarely pay full price for a book, so I was worried that in pre-ordering I would be paying more than the book was worth. I didn't read any of those reviews, but I had heard the gist of the supposed offenses, and tons of people saying they couldn't get past the first few pages, or swearing they would never read it, on principle... But I got my preorder, devoured it pretty quickly, and really enjoyed it! I only wished that it wasn't the first in a series because now I have to wait a super long time to know what happens!

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

I received this book in my OwlCrate box a few months ago, and just read it last month. It sounded interesting, but I wasn't actually that compelled to read it. I had heard lots of good reviews, but for whatever reason I wasn't that intrigued. However, once I read it, I loved it, and I can't wait for the sequel! Here was my review post.

 

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Going way back... I had to read this book in school. Generally speaking, the books we're forced to read in school aren't all that interesting, or maybe it's just because we're forced to read them that makes them less interesting. Anyway, I actually really loved this book. I don't typically re-read books, so the fact that I have re-read this one means it's pretty special, and I really liked the movie that came out a few years ago as well.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

This book... it was highly recommended to me by a family member, and while it did sound interesting, I wasn't expecting to be as impacted by it as I was. Not that I loved it, but it's one of those books that sticks with you, leaves an impression on you. And those books that leave an impression on us, make us feel something, are the ones we recommend the most to others, and recommend it I have done.

 

*BONUS*

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

This was another book I had to read in school, and much like Still Alice, it's not so much about a love of the story, as it is the impact it left on me that makes me say I liked it more than I thought I would. Part haunting, part intriguing, this was probably one of the best books I ever read, merely for the way it makes you think and the impression it leaves. I mean, what are the limits/capabilities of the human brain? What is the inner dialogue of a mentally disabled person actually like, vs what we think it must be like? I think I'm due to read it again, if I can get my hands on it... I have been hesitant to recommend it to others, but I do think it's a good book.

 

Books I Liked Less Than I Thought I Would

Worlds Of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley

I got this book in one of my first OwlCrate boxes, and I was actually really disappointed in it. I thought it sounded great and I was excited to read a historical fiction about the Bronte siblings, but it just fell a bit short for me. Maybe it was the fantasy bit, I'm not sure, but it was just wasn't as good as I had anticipated. I reviewed it here in this post, along with another book.

 

Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott

I didn't like the looks of this book when it came in my OwlCrate, and I waited nearly a year to read it. I didn't even want to then, but I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt because OwlCrate generally makes good recommendations (with the exception of the one above...) But I really didn't enjoy it. It was kind of interesting, and I didn't hate it, but I was expecting to like it more simply because it was recommended by the OwlCrate crew. The theme here is historical fiction, maybe it's just not my genre... Here was my review post.

 

 

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

I'm pretty sure I read The Secret Life of Bees once upon a time, but I can't quite remember... In any case, I was expecting a really compelling story from this author, but it was not what I was hoping for, and I didn't enjoy it all that much. I wrote a review in this post, along with another book.

 

 

Paper Towns by John Green

I was expecting this story to be really interesting. And, to be honest, the adventure, the meat of the book was; it was the ending that fell short for me. It felt very anti-climatic. I was expecting/hoping for a much more interesting and exciting ending. So that kind of ruined the whole book for me, unfortunately. Here was my review post.

 

 

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

There was quite a bit of hype surrounding this book and lots of rave reviews, but it didn't have the same effect on me as it apparently had on others. It wasn't that impactful, I barely remember the story, and I only gave it a 2-star rating on Good Reads - and I'm a pretty easy grader, so I really wasn't that impressed by it.

It's Monday! What are YOU reading? #1

Hey guys! I've decided to join in on this week's It's Monday! What are YOU reading meme, hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

I'll be sharing a "month in review" post next week, so I won't go too in depth, but I was feeling a little bored and decided to jump in on this really quick. :)

So, what I'm currently reading this week...

Well, last week I decided to participate in OwlCrate's new OwlCrate-a-thon reading challenge. They started a new YouTube channel last week (if you haven't check it out yet, you definitely should, right now!), and with it they started this new reading challenge. This month's challenge was to get caught up on at least three OwlCrate books we haven't read yet: one contemporary, one fantasy, and the one we've had the longest.

So, as part of that challenge, this week I will be finishing up P.S. I Like You by Kasie West (my contemporary pick...) It took me quite a few chapters to get into the book, but now I've only got about five chapters left and I'm dying to finish it!! I stayed up last night too late reading it. And though it was very frustrating, I just couldn't let myself stay up any longer, what with work today and all (ugh!). But I'm hoping to get it finished during my breaks today! I had hoped I would finish it over the weekend, but I had an impromptu shopping adventure on Saturday that took up most of the day. Oh well!

I'm also still participating in an online book club which plans to read the Anne of Green Gables series over the course of the year. I'm desperately behind in reading this month's Anne of Avonlea, but getting P.S. I Like You out of the way today should give me a chance to get caught up a bit, but there is still no way I'll be finishing it before the end of the month. :(

And last but not least, I am listening to All the Light We Cannot See, which I borrowed from the library. It's due back this week, and I think I should be able to finish it. I have about a 40 minute commute, each way, to work and back, so I get a solid hour of "reading" in every day. I think I had it confused with The Light Between Oceans, so it hasn't quite been what I thought it was, but it's really good.

Anyway, it's Monday and that's what I'm reading. How about you?

Book Review: Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott

I received my copy of this book in my second OwlCrate box, in December 2015. I started my subscription the month before and wasn't sure if I would continue because November's box didn't interest me that much. December's box was once again somewhat disappointing to me - while I appreciated some of the items, this book did not interest me in the least. I had not touched it for nearly a year, but I decided I needed to give it a chance, especially considering that the other OwlCrate books I've read have not necessarily been favourites, but certainly weren't disappointments. So, even though I still didn't really want to read it, I picked it up because I wanted to get it over with, and I had a certain amount of faith that OwlCrate would not let me down.

 

***WARNING: Spoilers ahead!***

 

Da Vinci's Tiger

by L.M. Elliott

For fans of rich and complex historical novels like Girl with a Pearl Earring or Code Name Verity, Laura Malone Elliott delivers the stunning tale of real-life Renaissance woman Ginevra de' Benci, the inspiration for one of Leonardo da Vinci's earliest masterpieces.

The young and beautiful daughter of a wealthy family, Ginevra longs to share her poetry and participate in the artistic ferment of Renaissance Florence but is trapped in an arranged marriage in a society dictated by men. The arrival of the charismatic Venetian ambassador, Bernardo Bembo, introduces Ginevra to a dazzling circle of patrons, artists, and philosophers. Bembo chooses Ginevra as his Platonic muse and commissions a portrait of her by a young Leonardo da Vinci. Posing for the brilliant painter inspires an intimate connection between them, one Ginevra only begins to understand. In a rich and vivid world of exquisite art with a dangerous underbelly of deadly political feuds, Ginevra faces many challenges to discover her voice and artistic companionship—and to find love.

I might have found the story more interesting if there had been an actual romance between Ginevra and Leonardo, not just her feelings and imaginings and his more-or-less rejection of her.

 

This one ended up being a quick read for me, it only took me a few days, but that was largely due to an unexpected snow day and me wanting to cross it off my list, and not so much a reflection of the book's intrigue.

 

While I was invested enough to continue reading, I was not terribly interested in the story. I do sometimes enjoy historical fiction, but it is definitely not my go-to genre. This particular time period/location (Florence, Italy in the 1400's) does not interest me, nor do I have any particular interest in classical art or poetry. The last 5 pages of the Afterword detailing the historical facts leading to the story's concept, were much more interesting and educational than the story itself. Perhaps it should have been a Foreword... maybe knowing the facts ahead would have made the fiction more interesting to me.

 

In any case, I did not hate the book, but I certainly wouldn't re-read it, nor do I think I would recommend it. I gave it 2 stars on Goodreads (which is an "it was ok").

Book Review: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

 Three Dark Crowns

by Kendare Blake

When kingdom come, there will be one.

In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown.

How to introduce this book? I'll admit, when I first got it in my September 2016 OwlCrate box, I wasn't that interested in it. The synopsis really just didn't grab me. The cover is simple and lovely, but doesn't appeal to my personal tastes. But out of the 3 other OwlCrate books I've read, I haven't yet been too disappointed, so I figured I would like it if I could get past my mental block, just go in blind.

Anyway, as part of my goal to read the rest of the 2016 OwlCrate books this year, I decided to pick another OC book to read after Flawed (I was still working on Anne of Green Gables at the time, as well), and settled on this one. I was going to try to read the books in the chronological order I received them in, but the mental block is much stronger for some of those first books...

Once I got through the first few chapters of Three Dark Queens, after we meet the three sisters and get a sense of what the world is like, I was definitely into it. I wouldn't say I was hooked, but definitely intrigued enough to keep going. About halfway through, a romantic twist happened that really piqued my interest, and then I really was hooked. By the time I got to the twist ending, I was just incredibly disappointed about this being the first of a series and that I would have to wait to find out what happens next.

I did find the world/timeline a bit confusing, so I hope there is a more extensive explanation of this in future books. Obviously, the island where the sisters live is hidden from normal mortals, except for those potential king-consorts and their families. Based on what Junior tells Arsinoe about "the mainland," my imagination tells me that the island is probably close to England, and that the story takes place several hundred years ago, perhaps about the time of the witch hunts, so sometime in the 1600's?

I liked that we saw each sister's village/house and how they were treated in those houses; whether they were loved or hated, raised with words or hands, and how their powers/abilities (or lack thereof) were dealt with.

I liked the other characters as well: friends and love interests. Although Katherine's love interest's actions near the end of the book really confused me. If I may speculate, I think (hope?) that one of the friends may end up as Queen, rather than one of the sisters.

Progress Report - January 2017

I just felt like doing a little update on my reading progress, seeing as January has now come and gone.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the year, I've set myself a Goodreads goal of 35, but will aim to reach 40.

So far, I have finished six books: Flawed by Cecelia Ahern (review here), The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister (the book I got for Christmas!), Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery (which is part of an online book club reading challenge), Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (review here), Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott (review here), and Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (review here).

For February, I'd like to finally finish The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George - the book is nothing like what I imagined it would be, and I've had such a hard time getting over that. If I can't finish it in February, I think I will officially DNF that sucker and get it out of my life!

Aside from that, I will most likely tackle another OwlCrate book or two, as well as some of my more recent acquisitions, because there have been so many lately!! I'm almost embarrassed, but then I remember that I am far from the only one!

I do have quite a collection of books that I, honestly, will probably never read. I tend to pick up interesting looking/sounding used books everywhere (yard sales, rummage sales, used bookstores, thrift stores, hand-me-downs from relatives, dollar stores, etc. The supply is nearly endless!). However, the books I tend to pick up in loads like that tend not to be books that I will read. If I had nothing else to read, I suspect they would fit the bill and could be quite captivating, but there are just so many books, and not enough time! In my reading, I tend to lean more towards books that are more popular/well-known, or classical novels (to say I did), etc. In my foraging, I do occasionally find books that are on my wishlist, or by authors I recognize, but for the most part, those thrifty finds are usually just random books that have either a charming cover/title or a very intriguing synopsis. It seems that the prettier the cover and longer the title, the more likely I will be to buy the book; but the more well-known it is, the likelier I am of reading it.

Anyway, all that to say that I think I may need to attempt another purge of my book collection. The last time I tried I went through 3 bins and got rid of maybe 5 books. I am a collector by nature, it's difficult for me to leave interesting things behind at a store (I want it, therefore I need it!), and often even more difficult to let go of said things once they are in my possession. It probably comes from some underlying need/desire, but that's far too deep and philosophical for this post.

Suffice it to say that I will try again soon to purge my book collection, and I may be giving away (used) books on my bookstagram account or in the OwlCrate Society Facebook group, so keep an eye out!