Hi lovelies! It gives me
great pleasure today to host Christine Hart and her new book, “Secrets from
Myself”! For other stops on her Goddess
Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the
images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end
of this post to enter to win a paperback bundle of Christine’s backlist titles:
Stalked, Best Laid Plans, and Watching July!!
Also, come back daily to interact with Christine and to increase your
chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping
by! Wishing you lots of luck in this
fabulous giveaway!
Please note that this
giveaway is only open to USA and CA residents.
Sorry INTL – please check out other giveaways on this blog!
Secrets from Myself
by Christine Hart
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GENRE: Middle Grade
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BLURB:
Twelve-year-old
Katelyn has always heard voices and had visions. She's long suspected she was
hearing from past lives. But when she runs away from home and hides out with an
old friend in Vancouver, things become more real. She even finds herself
writing the words of someone else in a diary - the words of someone whose fate
was deeply impacted by the Komagata Maru incident.
As
Katelyn learns more about the Komagata Maru and the person communicating with
her, she realizes that she has a task to fulfill that will correct a wrong from
the past.
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EXCERPT TWO:
As
Radhika opens the front door, the warm brightness of their home is
breathtaking. The ceilings are high and I feel instantly out of my league. The
faint smell of cinnamon and cardamom wafts towards us. We remove our shoes, and
head directly to the kitchen, a magazine ready showcase of granite counters and
stainless-steel appliances.
Once
we’re sitting on barstools at the kitchen island and Radhika has poured us some
tea and set out two fruit plates, I decide it’s time to move things along.
“So,
Mrs. Mann, Bryce tells me you found some pictures or papers I can look at for
my history project.”
Radhika’s
face lights up. “I hadn’t forgotten.” She leaves the kitchen and I hear
footfalls on the front stairwell.
“Don’t
worry; the whole point of bringing you over was so you could look at this
stuff. Mom loves her old pictures. But I don’t think she’s got a lot to go on.
My grandfather changed his name at some point after he married my grandmother,”
says Bryce.
Radhika
reappears with two pieces of fragile old paper to show me. The first is a
grainy photograph. The second looks like a postcard. She holds out the
photograph first.
“This
is my grandfather and his father not long after they came to Canada. My
grandfather and his wife owned that shop in the picture. I think it was a
wedding present to get them started here. Very generous back then,” says
Radhika as she looked thoughtfully at the men.
“I’d
say that’s generous for any time. I’d love it if someone bought me a shop.” I
accept the photo from Radhika and cradle it in my hand as I look more closely.
The
two men are smiling. One is middle-aged, the other barely out of his teens.
It’s hard to make out detail in the faces. They’re wearing turbans and long
tunic shirts. The black-and-white image makes colors impossible, but they’re
light gray in the image. A shop sign is partially obscured by the pair; only
the word GOODS shows through. I flip the photo over. The writing on the back is
Hindi.
I
return the precious photo, which Radhika accepts and exchanges for the
postcard. It’s not a postcard, though. It’s a ticket. Under a graphic seal and
a couple of serial numbers it reads:
CANADIAN
PACIFIC RAILWAY CO.
To
the Commander S.S.———————
Please
provide the bearer with Steerage
Accommodation
with food from HONGKONG to
VANCOUVER.
Fare ($50 Gold) has been paid to us.
Under
the text is a PAID stamp with a date I can’t read. The ticket has been
authorized by a name, which is also illegible. And then:
Agents,
Canadian Pacific Railway.
Calcutta
23rd December 1907
B.
Hasan
And
at the bottom, a name! B. Hasan. Sanjay’s last name! Could this be any
relation? Akasha has never actually named Sanjay’s father. If he changed his
name, was this the new name or the old one?
“This
is amazing! This is a real piece of history!” Normally when someone is showing
me old family photos, I have to feign polite interest. Pins and needles are
shooting up my spine and along my arms. I remember myself and hand the card
back to Radhika.
“Did
you get what you need for your project?” Radhika seems eager to return her
keepsakes to a safe place.
“Would
it be all right if I take a photo of each with my phone? Just to keep a copy
without putting your originals in danger.” Radhika smiles and places both items
on the counter long enough for me to click twice with my camera.
“Do
you mind if I borrow some paper to make some notes?” I think better of it. What
if I really was just looking at Sanjay and his father, and touching one of
their actual tickets? Will I have another episode right here if I start
writing?
“Actually,
never mind. I’ll just tap some notes into my phone and email myself.” I smile
nervously. Bryce looks understandably confused.
After
another cup of tea, Radhika and Bryce take me back to Arbutus House.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REVIEW:
I
have to be honest, I got confused and lost several times throughout reading
this book. Between the different tenses
changing throughout the same paragraph, the back and forth between Katelyn’s
writing and Akasha’s story, and there just being so much going on, it got a bit
hectic at times.
Although
this book is listed as Middle Grade, it seems like it would be better suited in
Young Adult as I feel some of the topics and scenes may be on the more mature side.
This
book is about twelve-year-old, Katelyn who possesses psychic abilities that allow
her to connect via diary with another girl, Akasha. Through this diary Katelyn is writing Akasha’s
story in Hindi – a language Katelyn does not know but can suddenly write and
speak. Katelyn is fascinated and curious
to find out how and why this is all happening.
Unfortunately, Katelyn’s mom is extremely concerned that Katelyn is
suffering from a mental or physical disease and has her admitted to the
children’s psychiatric hospital for testing.
I
really liked that the author was able to pull real historic facts into this
book and make it interesting. I
researched the Komagata Maru since I had never heard of it and was surprised to
see so much info on it. It’s always
great when Middle Grade or Young Adult Books that are genre based on paranormal
or mystery or such can also have a true historical background tie-in so not
only is the reader enjoying their book, they’re also learning something too!
I
really wanted to like this book, but I just feel like something was missing or
off. It just felt a bit disconnected or
disjointed in the writing or the story.
Unfortunately,
I found this book at times to be a bit slow paced and easy to put down. It actually took me a few weeks to finally
finish reading.
All
in all, this book has a great storyline, interesting characters, and real
historical facts! I would recommend this
book to YA and older readers. I know
this book is marketed as Middle Grade, and perhaps it would be okay for older
mature middle graders, but I think some of the scenes, themes, topics, writings,
and such are not necessarily appropriate for the younger reader.
Did you find this review helpful?
If so, please, please, please mark it as
helpful on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/RYJJVKW980LQG
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AUTHOR BIO:
Located
on BC’s beautiful West Coast, I write from my suburban Langley home on the
border between peaceful forests and urban streets. I love writing about places and spaces with
rich history and visually fascinating elements as a backdrop for the surreal
and spectacular.
In
addition to my undergraduate degree in writing and literature, my background
also includes corporate communications and design. I am a current member of the
Federation of BC Writers and SF Canada.
When
not writing, I have a habit of breaking stuff and making stuff – in that order
– under the guise of my Etsy alter-ego Sleepless Storyteller. I share my eclectic home and lifestyle with
my husband and our two energetic children.
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CHRISTINE:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon Paperback:
Barnes and Noble:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Christine will be awarding a paperback bundle of
backlist titles: Stalked, Best Laid Plans, and Watching July (US/Canada only)
to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for reading and reviewing!
ReplyDelete