Wanderling by Hannah Stahlhut

Wanderling by Hannah Stahlhut
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wanderling is an exciting YA novel about a seventeen year-old woman, Adala, and her younger brother, Shem. They live in the city of Gerstadt, in the empire of Bolgir. This is a society that has reached a time when people sail the sea under wind power and fight battles with knives, swords, and bows and arrows. They are a privileged society, but a brutal one, banishing anyone found guilty of a crime to the surrounding desert and never allowing them or their descendants to return. The banished people have formed into tribes which compete for the meager resources in the desert.

Adala and her brother are forced to leave their home for a village of banished people when Shem's unique skills are revealed. Shem is kidnapped and Adala follows him. The plot is about Adala's efforts to protect her brother, but also about her relationships and dreams. She is a trained, efficient warrior, but also an emotional teenager.

The land of Gerstadt and the people who reside there are carefully described with each detail having purpose and fitting into the plot like pieces of a puzzle. This is the first volume of a series (Spirit Seeker), so there are unanswered questions leading readers toward book 2. Yet Wanderling still stands on its own. It is a well-written, exciting novel with a carefully woven plot.

Steve Lindahl - author of Motherless Soul, White Horse Regressions, Hopatcong Vision Quest, and Under a Warped Cross.


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The Baker's Husband by Jeannie Sharpe

The Baker's Husband is a mystery/romance. The mystery surrounds Chloe Livingston's husband, who has been gone for two year, since an accident where his car was totaled but he wasn't found. The romance involves Mitchell Terrison, a detective who is in charge of finding Chloe's missing husband. Although two years is a long time and Chloe finds she is attracted to Mitchell, her feelings are complicated by her belief in the sanctity of marriage and the fact that despite numerous problems, Chloe loved her husband.

The most fascinating part of this book, is Mitchell's dilemma. He's competing with the man he's trying to find, who may or may not be dead. I was reminded of Rebecca by Dame Daphne du Maurier, although in The Baker's Husband the story is about a potentially dead man rather than a dead woman.

Another aspect I found interesting in the book was Chloe's religious beliefs. She's a Christian who prays often, both in public and in private. I like the way Jeannie Sharpe handled this aspect of Chloe's personality. Of course Chloe prayed for miracles, but more often she prayed for strength. And the plot followed a logical path rather than one altered by divine intervention.

The book reads quickly and the dialogue is especially well constructed. This is a good read for anyone who likes a unique romance.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul, White Horse Regressions, Hopatcong Vision Quest, and Under a Warped Cross.