Sarah Parke

I received an email from Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours asking if I was interested in reviewing "The Mourning Ring" by Sarah Parke. In a previous blog post, I mentioned that last year my absolute favorite genre was historical fiction. After reading the description of this particular book, I knew that I had to review it. "The Mourning Ring" was published October 19th 2016 and is available for purchase here.

Sarah Parke is a a new author for me, and upon looking up some info on her, it turns out "The Mourning Ring" is her debut novel. All I can say prior to giving my review: Wow, what a way to start out in the book world!

Most people are familiar with Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre". Personally, I have never read it. I know (knew) little about Charlotte Brontë, however when I received my e-mail asking if I would be interested in reviewing "The Mourning Ring" two things caught my eye. One was of course the cover. It's dark, and it caught my eye. And after a few of the previous books I read, it looked like it would break up the monotony of reading the same genre. Secondly, the book's description. I'll admit when I signed up for the blog tour I didn't read the description. . .I rarely ever do. Upon receiving my copy of the book, I knew without a doubt this book was going to be cherished on my bookshelf.

Stories serve as more than just stories. Stories can make us laugh, make us cry, there can be healing words, as well as hurting words. To Charlotte Brontë, stories were her lifeblood. While she was a child, her older sisters were sent home from school due to an outbreak of typhoid. The girls were kept separate from the family in a sick room to avoid any other outbreaks. Fearless Charlotte would always sneak into the room to tell stories to her sisters, after all, it is the stories that connects Charlotte to her siblings. What she wasn't expecting to find while sneaking into her sister's sick room was her fairy grandfather. Having never met him before, Charlotte is taken aback to find him in the sick room as well. According to her grandfather, he is there to take Charlotte's sisters, Maria and Elizabeth to a place where they will feel better. And with that, Charlotte heard her sisters laugh for the last time. Before leaving entirely, her grandfather gifted her a mourning ring; a traditional ring back in the day, containing strands of hair from a deceased person. This ring will help Charlotte find doors to the other world.

Once Charlotte learns of her fairy heritage it is her mission, along with her remaining siblings, to learn how to harness their power. Luckily for the Brontë siblings, their Aunt is there to help teach them all about fairy magic. Between lessons and writing stories of worlds far away, Charlotte receives a mysterious note regarding the state of peril Angria is in. Now to anyone else, it's a completely normal but urgent note. To Charlotte, and the rest of the Brontë children, it could be laughable. Angria is a land completely made up around the Brontë's dining room table. From people all the way down to government, everything is played out, written down, and figured out. So how could an anonymous stranger seek help for a land that does not exist? Intrigued, Charlotte goes against her better judgment to meet this stranger in a tavern. To her surprise, her family's intricate story is at a table staring her in the face. And the only way to help Angria is for the Brontë siblings to travel there and fix what happened.

How do the siblings get to Angria? How is it possible to go from ideas on paper to a full fledged functioning city? You'll have to read "The Mourning Ring" to find out. . .and trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Lovers of Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, Oz, The Magicians, Inkheart, and others, rejoice! We found another book to fall in love with a land we may never visit. I can't tell you how much I enjoy getting lost in a world. And I can't even BEGIN to tell you how effortlessly and flawless Sarah Parke writes this book. Even now, writing this blog, I can't begin to tell you how absolutely brilliant Parke's own story writing is. There were times I was reading at a rapid pace, slowing down to enjoy a moment in the book, literally, laughing out loud, and smiling like a complete fool whilst reading "The Mourning Ring". I would happily read any new works written by Sarah Parke.

Digging a bit deeper into researching Sarah Parke, I find that she is working a new project. . . still historical, still fiction as she changes the history of Napoleon. You can find some of the sparse (yet exciting) details on her blog.

"The Mourning Ring" is a fast paced read anyone will enjoy. If you need a quick, yet satisfying read, please don't hesitate to pick this up and give this new author a chance. You won't be disappointed.

For this and other reviews, please visit: https://quitterstrip.wordpress.com/… (más)

As a young woman returning from school, 16 year old Charlotte Bronte can't wait to jump back into the make believe world of Glass Town and her favorite activity to share with her siblings, storytelling. Together, the remaining Bronte siblings- Charlotte, Branwell, Anne and Emily have created the alternate world of Glass Town and keep meticulous written records of the events there. However, when a strange sleepwalking occurrence happens, a memory of Charlotte's meeting with her fairy grandfather and the strange gift he gave her resurfaces. The siblings begin to learn about their fairy bloodlines from their Aunt and attempt to learn the magic that has been brewing in their bones. Meanwhile, things are not going well in the city of Angria in the sibling's alternate world. Thanks to Branwell's imagination, there is a new King and a civil war is on the brink. When the former King crosses worlds to ask for Charlotte's aid in retaking the throne, she is more than ready to cross realms and step into the world of their creation.

I have always wanted the chance to step into the worlds from certain books, and I would definitely take the opportunity to visit a world of my own creation and talk to the people there! Aimed at young adults, but an absolute pleasure to read as an adult, The Mourning Ring is a magical and whimsical story that serves as a wonderful introduction into the world of the highly imaginative and revered storytellers themselves, the Bronte's. I was pleased to find out that the four siblings really did create these worlds in their youth and served as a start to the three sister's writing careers. With the addition of the fairy blood, the story was able to be brought into the fantasy world. The adventures in Glass Town were the highlight of the story, rich descriptions of the land, the dress and the characters that the Brontes loved made Glass Town just as real to me. I was excited when each sibling had the chance to interact with the character of their making and had to come to terms with that character's features and flaws. The trouble in Glass Town also parallels Branwell's future true-life troubles, however, in the story the siblings must work together to reinstate their former King Zamora and not become too entangled within the land of their own creation. Overall, a unique look into the early lives of four extraordinary siblings and the creative process that fueled their imaginations.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.… (más)