Nicola Mar

As a woman, and as a mom I found this to be a difficult read but I suppose that speaks in favor of how realistic this story feels. Santa is the tale of a teen girl who is bullied both in person and over the internet, attacked, assaulted, raped and shamed to the point that she would rather die than live another day this way. It could have easily been taken from the headlines and was in fact inspired by such headlines. Schools claim a zero tolerance policy and yet they apply such policies to little boys who chew pop tarts into inappropriate shapes while they do little to nothing about the torment millions of students face daily in their halls.… (mais)

I was given a copy of “A Red Tale” by the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That in no way changes my opinion of this book.

I have always been drawn to fantasy novels, especially one that involves past lives or time travel. “A Red Tale” fit that bill exactly, and the beautiful cover is what initially caught my attention and drew me in. The author definitely took her time to be able to describe everything so well, you could almost smell the ocean, feel the breeze, and hear the conversations between the animals.

The book is written through the eyes of Stasia/Nina, and you get to learn about her life on the island of St. Michael as well as underwater in Surritz. There, you meet dragons and all sorts of various animals. And Nina’s love for Abe was unconditional and eternal. Even if it meant dying to be with him again, she was willing to make that sacrifice. It is not until the very end does Stasia/Nina realize that not everything, and everyone, is what it appears to be. She is connected to Abe (from Surritz) more then she realizes, and Billy and Toro (dragons), haven’t quite been so truthful while she has been on a quest to figure things out between the two places.

All in all, a wonderful read for all age groups. I am going to read it a second time now, since I know what I know, it will all make sense from early on in the book.… (mais)