Book Review: Unsinkable by Jenni L. Walsh

Unsinkable by Jenni L. Walsh
Genre: Adult Fiction (Historical)
Date Published: January 9, 2024
Publisher: Harper Muse

The Titanic was only the beginning. What she survived has become legend. What she survived has become legend. Inspired by true stories of survival and resilience, Unsinkable entwines the lives of two women, one from World War 1 and another from World War 2, as they face adversity and take hold of the second chances given to them.

Violet Jessop is Miss Unsinkable.

After her mother becomes too ill to work, the responsibility to provide for the family falls to Violet as the oldest of nine. When the world enters the Great War, she serves as a nurse, helping men who could very well be her brothers. Working as a stewardess and wartime nurse, Violet not only survives a shipwreck but also two sinkings, one on the infamous Titanic. No one can understand why she would return to sea, but something keeps drawing Violet back to the tumultuous waters, where she struggles to put the tragedies of her past behind her and pursue a life and love all her own.

Daphne has survived calamity of her own.

Daphne Chaundanson grows up as an unwanted child after her mother died in a tragedy. She throws herself into education, collecting languages like candy in a desperate attempt to finally earn her father's approval. When the Special Operations Executive invites her to be an agent in France in World War II, her childhood of anonymity and her love of languages make her the perfect fit. She sees it as an opportunity to help the country she loves and live up to her father's expectations. But the dangers of war challenge Daphne in ways she never could have expected, and the secrets from her own past must be faced for her to truly have a future beyond the conflict--if she can survive it.

Inspired by true stories of Violet Jessop and the thirty-nine women of the Special Operations Executive. Two unsinkable women. Two stories of survival, family, and finding one's own happiness. One connection that reshapes both their lives forever.

Unsinkable by Jenni L. Walsh was tricky for me to rate because I found it hard to stay focused. I’m not sure what these two women have to do with one another. Why are their stories told in fluctuating timelines within the same book? I kept waiting for something to link them in a significant way. I think I know one thing that’s a link, but it’s never specified for certain and doesn’t play a big part in the long run. So, I'm just a little confused and never really felt hooked into their lives.

The characters are likable, and they scream girl power. I also love that their stories are being told. This is fiction. Don’t get me wrong, but their stories are based on real people. The author explains it better in the book. The real women these characters are based on must have had so much mental and emotional strength. I couldn’t imagine.

The ARC of Unsinkable by Jenni L. Walsh was kindly provided to me by the publisher through Net Galley for review. The opinions are my own.

Jenni L. Walsh is a USA Today bestselling author of over twelve books. Her passion lies in transporting readers to another world, be it in historical or contemporary settings. She is a proud member of the Tall Poppy writers, a graduate of Villanova University, and lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with her husband, daughter, son, and various pets.

For adults, Jenni has written historical novels Becoming Bonnie, Side by Side, A Betting Woman, The Call of the Wrens, Unsinkable, and the forthcoming Ace, Marvel, Spy. She also writes books for children, including the nonfiction She Dared series and novels Hettie and the London Blitz, I Am Defiance, By the Light of Fireflies, Over and Out, Operation: Happy, and The Bug Bandits. 

To learn more about Jenni L. Walsh and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.

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Book Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games #0) by Suzanne Collins
Genre: Young Adult Fiction (Dystopian)
Date Published: May 19, 2020
Publisher: Scholastic Press

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins is a prequel to the Hunger Games. It took me long enough to read this, but here I am, finally. I did see the movie first, which is not how I like to do things either, but it’s just how it worked this time, since I wanted to see it in the theatre. So, Snow’s a bad dude. We already knew that, but I thought I’d see some redeeming qualities in him before some traumatic event changed him. You know?  Turned him to the dark side or whatever. That’s what I expected anyway. That’s not what I got. He’s always been a self serving jerk. I mean wow. The movie doesn’t even show the extent of it, because you never know what’s going on in his head within the movie like you do in the book. I don’t want to say more, because seeing his true nature from his own mind is actually pretty interesting. I love Lucy Grey. She’s talented, intelligent, likable.. Is she good or bad? Is she using him? Did she ever truly leave the Hunger Games? I don’t know, but I would absolutely LOVE a book from her perspective too. This is a must read for fans, because it explains so much about Snow and the Hunger Games and you take get to see the origins of a lot of things. 

 

Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little Bear and Oswald. She also co-wrote the critically acclaimed Rankin/Bass Christmas special, Santa, Baby! Most recently she was the Head Writer for Scholastic Entertainment’s Clifford’s Puppy Days.

While working on a Kids WB show called Generation O! she met children’s author James Proimos, who talked her into giving children’s books a try.

Thinking one day about Alice in Wonderland, she was struck by how pastoral the setting must seem to kids who, like her own, lived in urban surroundings. In New York City, you’re much more likely to fall down a manhole than a rabbit hole and, if you do, you’re not going to find a tea party. What you might find...? Well, that’s the story of Gregor the Overlander, the first book in her five-part series, The Underland Chronicles. Suzanne also has a rhyming picture book illustrated by Mike Lester entitled When Charlie McButton Lost Power.

She currently lives in Connecticut with her family and a pair of feral kittens they adopted from their backyard.

The books she is most successful for in teenage eyes are The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. These books have won several awards, including the GA Peach Award. 

To learn more about Suzanne Collins and her books, visit her website & Goodreads.

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Book Review: House of Royals by Keary Taylor

House of Royals (House of Royals #1) Keary Taylor
Genre: Young Adult Fiction (Paranormal Romance)
Date Published: June 21, 2015
Publisher: Keary Taylor Book Inc

Every town has its history and skeletons, but Silent Bend, Mississippi’s are darker than most. Ruled from the shadows by the House—the immortal Born and their aging, enslaved Bitten—everyone knows not to go out after dark and that the police will never look into crimes involving blood.

Alivia Ryan didn’t know the man who claims to be her father through a will even existed until she inherits the Conrath plantation. Instead of the sleepy house she expects, she finds a mansion and a staff who look at her with fear in their eyes.

Ian Ward tried to kill Alivia the first time they met, and then insisted he train her to defend herself against the House, who he claims will try to manipulate and take her in for their own political reasons. And the growing attraction between them will threaten their lives—Ian is a sworn enemy of the House.

In Silent Bend, people disappear, the threat of a demented King and the legend of his resurrecting Queen hang over everyone’s heads, and proving loyalty means far more than blood. You’d better watch who you trust in this town…

House of Royals is the first book in the House of Royals series by Keary Taylor. Alivia gets the surprise of her life when a father she never knew leaves her everything. Ian is complicated, but i love him and his personality. He’s what she needs, and vice versa. This was a fun book to read. A lot happened in a small amount of time, and I really enjoyed learning it all with Alivia. She’s a tough cookie. This isn’t going to be easy for her, and I feel like it’s just getting started.

Keary Taylor is the USA TODAY bestselling author of over twenty novels. She grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now splits her time between a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest and Utah, with her husband and their two children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night.

To learn more about Keary Taylor and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, BookBub, YouTube, Pinterest, and Twitter.

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