![The Head of the Saint: Book review]()
YA |
How refreshing is it to find a book that is totally out of your usual genres? One of my Facebook group decided to read a book from Brazil and they chose The Head of the Saint.
As per usual, I did not read the blurb before I picked the book. But I had a vague idea what the book was about based on the discussions the other members had. The Head of the Saint is not like anything I have read before. Was it good or bad then? Read more to know.
About the book
Book Name: The Head of the Saint
Author: Socorro Acioli, Daniel Hahn
Genre: Fiction – Magical Realism, Young adult
Setting: Brazil
The plot
A few days before her death Samuel’s mother asks her fourteen year old son to light candles at the foot of three different saints and then to find his estranged father and his grandmother in the town of Cadeia.
During this ill fated journey Samual finds shelter in what he first assumes as a cave. He later learns that it is the head of an incomplete statue of a famous Brazilian saint and is surprised to hear the prayers of the believers from the town of Cadeia. .
Cadeia is what you can call as a dead town with no prospect for development and many people have migrated away to other towns. The few people who stayed back have lost their faith in their saint and their religion. Samuel realizes he can solve the worries of the patrons by simple interventions and thereby restoring the towns Catholic faith inadvertently.
Did Samuel’s little play help the town or make matters worse for him? Where is the line between human intervention and God’s play? This short tale The Head of the Saint will answer these questions and more.
My initial thoughts
Even though I had a vague idea about the subject, The Head of the Saint was a pleasant surprise. It reads like a folklore and all the characters are intertwined.
Though translated from Portuguese, this story set in Brazil will not deprive you of the native settings.
The Head of the Saint has a lots of religious undertones that we do not find in our typical (read as US/UK-centric ) YA books. The book involves several heavy themes like identity, roots, corruption etc.
Things that worked for me
- The author’s writing helps the novel stay true to the middle grade and Young adult audience despite its themes
- I love reading about other culture and their folklore, The Head of the Saint was a good choice for Brazil.
Things that didn’t work for me
- It does feel chunky and it is apparent that it is a translated work at times but it does not spoil the reading experience.
Bottom-line
The Head of the Saint is a coming of age, if I can call that, story with intense themes that would surprise you. If you are interested in reading folklore from different countries, you can pick The Head of the Saint for Brazil.
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Have you read The Head of the Saint? Do you like books with religious themes? Have you read a YA book with religious themes? Let us talk.
![The Head of the Saint: Book review]()
Thriller |
Who can survive the mighty Amazon jungle – The strongest or the smartest?
What determines your survival – teamwork or the survival of the fittest?
How far would you go to survive and where would you stop and let go?
About the book
Book Name: Feel Me Fall
Author: James Morris
Genre: Fiction – YA, Thriller
Characters: Emily Durant, Vivian, Derek, Molly, Nico, Ryan
Setting: The USA, South America
Disclaimer: Thanks to the Author for the Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
The plot
Six American teenagers are pushed to answer these questions when their flight crashes over the Amazon forest. The lone survivor Emily has PTSD, and her therapist asks her to write about her fateful journey. How the trip, her survival and her truth affects her life forms the rest of the story.
Emily Duran forges her mother’s signature to take the trip of her lifetime to South America with her high schoolmates. The school trip didn’t go as well as it was supposed to and their plane crashes over the Amazon. Now you see why I was hooked? – there are deaths, lots of it.
Emily and five of her classmates are the only survivors of the crash. Fortunately (or was it?) Emily had her best friend Vivian and her boyfriend Nico to fall back on. The teenagers decide to walk away from the wreckage in search of some village. (Why? Who does that?)
Where there are high schoolers, there drama usually ensues, doesn’t it? That is true. The status quo of the survivors changes all of a sudden, thanks to the new environment. The popular ones do not have much to rely on anymore, do they? Lies, deceits and secrets catch up and pit them against each other.
How does the average, crowd-pleasing Emily become the only one who stays alive? Read Feel Me Fall to know more.
My initial thoughts
The story travels between the pages of Emily’s diary and the thrilling past from the tropical forest, making it a fast-paced compulsive read that will impress readers of all ages. I have had the opportunity to beta-read some of the other works of the author, and it took all of me (and failed) not to have a ‘fangirl flail moment‘ when I got the request to review his books. And he did not fail to impress me, despite my expectation being high.
I loved how every character was different from the other and how the author handled the dynamics between them very well. Be it the failing mom-daughter relationship or the more scandalous student-teacher relationship, they made sense and fit into the grand scheme of things (you know, not thrust in, just for the heck of it) and had depth in them.
Things that worked for me
- The author’s writing style is crisp and to the point, without having too many descriptions, yet I could visualize everything that happens in the story.
- The story has its share of unexpected twists, and an unreliable narrator makes it all the better.
Things that didn’t work for me
- The book’s premise might remind you of other survival books but I can assure Feel Me Fall is better, even if you vehemently hate high school drama.
- Spoiler: The story contains a teacher-student relationship, and it is vital to the story and dealt in detail, so if you are not comfortable with this or they turn you off from the book, you might have to skip Feel Me Fall
Bottom-line
If you are on the lookout for a thriller with twists and unexpected turns which would never let you put the book down. Feel Me Fall is the book for you. Be prepared to be shocked and surprised pleasantly with this tight knitted YA.
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Have you read any books by the author? What are your favorite genres? Do you like books with open ends? Let us talk.
