Category Archives: Sky Pony Press

February 4, 2019 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Glovemaker by Ann Weisgarber

Title: The Glovemaker by Ann Weisgarber
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Genre: Historical, Mystery
Length: 312 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

In the inhospitable lands of the Utah Territory, during the winter of 1888, thirty-seven-year-old Deborah Tyler waits for her husband, Samuel, to return home from his travels as a wheelwright. It is now the depths of winter, Samuel is weeks overdue, and Deborah is getting worried.

Deborah lives in Junction, a tiny town of seven Mormon families scattered along the floor of a canyon, and she earns her living by tending orchards and making work gloves. Isolated by the red-rock cliffs that surround the town, she and her neighbors live apart from the outside world, even regarded with suspicion by the Mormon faithful who question the depth of their belief.

When a desperate stranger who is pursued by a Federal Marshal shows up on her doorstep seeking refuge, it sets in motion a chain of events that will turn her life upside down. The man, a devout Mormon, is on the run from the US government, which has ruled the practice of polygamy to be a felony. Although Deborah is not devout and doesn’t subscribe to polygamy, she is distrustful of non-Mormons with their long tradition of persecuting believers of her wider faith.

But all is not what it seems, and when the Marshal is critically injured, Deborah and her husband’s best friend, Nels Anderson, are faced with life and death decisions that question their faith, humanity, and both of their futures.

Review:

Set in 1888, The Glovemaker by Ann Weisgarber is an engrossing historical novel that offers a fascinating glimpse of the Mormon faith.

Thirty-seven year old Deborah Tyler is growing increasingly concerned about her missing husband, Samuel. He left months earlier on his annual journey as a wheelwright.  She has not received the usual letters he sends to her but she is reassured by her step-brother-in-law and friend Nels Anderson. Nels’ theory is a rock slide forced Samuel to turn around and take a much longer route home.  Enough time has passed that they believe Samuel will be home any day. However, their lives are upended when Nels and Deborah help a polygamist evade capture by a federal Marshal.  After an altercation leaves the Marshal  fighting for his life, Deborah and Nels do everything they can to protect themselves and their close-knit community from any future harm.  Both remain on edge as they wait for the  Marshal’s traveling partners to  make their way to their enclave. At the same time,  Deborah’s fears for Samuel’s safety intensify as he fails to return home.

Deborah and Samuel adhere to many tenets of their Mormon faith but they decided to join Nels in Junction, Utah due to their dissatisfaction with some elements of their religion.  Joined by a few more families, they still practice their faith but in a more relaxed fashion.  With the exception of one family, the small community does not believe in polygamy. In fact, Nels, Deborah and Samuel provide assistance to polygamists who are fleeing deputies who have warrants for their arrest.

While anxiously awaiting Samuel’s return, Deborah offers assistance to one of these men. She is very uneasy since few deputies pursue polygamists during the winter months.  Sheltering him for one worrisome night, Deborah sends him to Nels who will take him to safety. Apprehensive the snow-covered ground will reveal their assistance, she takes steps to conceal that he was on her premises. Deborah’s fears are realized when the Marshall shows up and confronts her with the evidence that she aided the fugitive.

The situation quickly turns dire when Nels seeks Deborah’s help for the gravely injured Marshall. Despite Nels’ best efforts to protect her, she quickly realizes they are in serious jeopardy.  Although she would rather not help the Marshall, Deborah’s faith will not allow her to abandon him in his time of need.  After her worst fears about his condition are realized, Deborah and Nels do everything they can to protect themselves and the other residents from future repercussions.

Based on true life events, The Glovemaker is a well-written and engaging historical novel. The pacing is a little slow but this adds to the overall tension as the events play out against harsh weather conditions in an extremely isolated area. Deborah and Nels are well-developed characters whose compassion for others could lead to their downfall.  Ann Weisgarber provides a sensitive and nuanced portrayal of a little known time in Mormon history.  A well-researched and thought-provoking novel that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend.

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Filed under Ann Weisgarber, Historical, Rated B, Review, Sky Pony Press, The Glovemaker

December 31, 2018 · 11:56 pm

Review: When the Truth Unravels by RuthAnne Snow

Title: When the Truth Unravels by RuthAnne Snow
Publisher: Sky Pony
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Length: 312 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Paper Towns meets Thirteen Reasons Why­—at prom. A riveting story told through four best friends’ point of view.

Last month, Elin tried to kill herself.

She knows she’s lucky that her parents found her in time. Lucky to be going to prom with her three best friends, like any other teen. Like it never happened. And if she has anything to say about it, no one but her best friends will ever know it did.

Jenna, Rosie, and Ket will do anything to keep Elin’s secret—and to make sure it never happens again. That’s why they’re determined to make prom night feel just like it would have if this past spring hadn’t been as eventful. This could be the night that convinces Elin that life can go back to what it was.

Except, at prom, Elin goes missing.

Now it’s up to her friends to find her. But each of the girls has her own demons to face. Ket is being blackmailed by an ex. Rosie is falling in love for the first time. And Jenna . . .

Jenna is falling apart.

And no one, not even her best friends, knows why.

Heart-wrenching and utterly impossible to put down, When the Truth Unravels follows four friends as they confront their greatest hopes and darkest secrets during one life-changing night.

Review:

When the Truth Unravels by RuthAnne Snow is a well-written young adult novel with a socially relevant storyline.

Elin Angstrom, Jenna Sinclair, Rosie Winchester and Ket West-Beauchamp have been close friends for several years. However, ever since Elin attempted suicide, cracks have begun to show in the foundation of their friendship.  Elin’s return to school has been uneasy with rumors swirling about her absence. She is also not divulging the reason for her inexplicable decision to end her life.  Defying her parents, Elin convinces her friends to attend prom with her. The girls go their separate ways soon after their arrival and later in the evening, Jenna, Rosie and Ket are very worried once they realize Elin is missing. They frantically begin searching for their still somewhat emotionally fragile friend, but will their worst fears be realized when they locate her?

Jenna is the sensible, driven teenager in the group. She is an exemplary student and holds prominent positions in several school activities.  Jenna has mutinously planned for her future and her hard work has paid off. However, she has not been quite herself since Elin’s suicide attempt but she refuses to discuss what is wrong. Jenna’s friendship with Elin is also strained yet no one knows why.

Rosie is a little socially awkward but she is at ease with her best friends. She does not like to be the center of attention and she is not comfortable talking to strangers.  When Elin asks all of her friends to go to the prom with her, Rosie reluctantly agrees.  Will Elin come out of her shell and socialize at the before prom party? Will she accept a stranger’s request to dance?

Ket has a bit of a reputation since she not shy about hooking up or making out with guys she is attracted to. She is a loyal friend and this puts her in a very tricky situation with a boy she once dated. Will Ket do whatever takes to protect Elin’s secret? Or will she stand up for herself and refuse to compromise her reputation for a young man who is sexually blackmailing her?

The majority of Elin’s part of the story details her life in the months before she attempts suicide.  Her behavior has drastically changed but no reason is provided for her altered behavior. Savvy readers will most likely piece together what is going on well before the “big reveal” at the novel’s conclusion.

Alternating between the various characters’ points of view, When the Truth Unravels is an engaging young novel.  The differences in the young women’s personalities make it very easy to keep up with the narration shifts. RuthAnne Snow handles sensitive subject matter in a forthright manner that also educates the reader. With a bit of suspense surrounding Elin’s disappearance from the prom, the novel ends with a surprisingly upbeat conclusion with each of the young women reaching unexpected turning points in their lives. An excellent young adult novel that I highly recommend to older teen readers.

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Filed under Contemporary, Rated B, Review, RuthAnne Snow, Sky Pony Press, When the Truth Unravels, Young Adult

September 3, 2018 · 11:57 pm

Review: Ten After Closing by Jessica Bayliss

Title: Ten After Closing by Jessica Bayliss
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Genre: Young Adult, Suspense
Length: 328 pages
Book Rating: C+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

10PM: Closing time at Café Flores. The door should be locked, but it isn’t, Scott Bradley and Winsome Sommervil are about to become hostages.

TEN MINUTES BEFORE CLOSING: Scott’s girlfriend breaks up with him in the café’s basement storeroom because he’s late picking her up for the big end-of-the-year party. Now he can’t go to the party, but he can’t go home, either–not knowing his dad will still be in a drunken rage. Meanwhile, Winny wanted one night to let loose, away from her mother’s crushing expectations. Instead, she’s stranded at the café after her best friend ditches her in a misguided attempt at matchmaking.

TEN MINUTES AFTER CLOSING: The first gunshot is fired. Someone’s dead. And if Winny, Scott, and the rest of the hostages don’t come up with a plan soon, they may not live to see morning.

Told from both Winny and Scott’s perspectives, and alternating between the events leading up to and following the hold-up, Ten After Closing is an explosive story of teens wrestling with their own challenges, thrown into circumstances that will test their very limits.

Review:

Written from the main characters’ perspectives and weaving back and forth between two timelines, Ten After Closing by Jessica Bayliss is a suspenseful young adult novel.

Ten minutes after closing, the Flores Cafe should be empty of customers with owners Sylvie and Oscar on the premises to close for the night.  Scott Bradley is not even supposed to be working, but he agreed to cover a co-worker’s shift.  His friend, Winsome “Winny” Sommervil has dropped by the cafe to chat with him.  Two regular customers are still in the cafe when three armed men, which includes Sylvie’s brother Ryan, stop in with the intention of robbing the coffee shop. Within minutes, one of the customers is dead, Oscar has been shot and the rest of the group are now hostages.  With the situation growing more frantic with each passing moment, will the captives figure out a way to escape from their captors?

The alternating chapters move backward in time and detail the events of the day from Winny and Scott’s points of view. This snapshot of their lives provides insight into their home life and struggles they are facing as they try to figure out their respective futures. Winny’s parents are Haitian immigrants who have strong ideas about what path their daughter should take. While at one point Winny shared their plan for her future, she now realizes that she wants a different career. Scott, on the other hand, has quite a few college options but he is torn between which offer he should accept. He is also undecided about a decision he needs to make about a situation at home.

In the present, Ryan and his cohorts make a discovery that ratchets up the tension as they try to figure out how to fix the quandary they are in. Realizing they have few options, they make a fateful decision to go in with guns blazing but they will need the co-operation of their hostages to succeed. In the meantime, Scott, Oscar, Sylvie and Winny are desperately trying to come up with a plan to rescue themselves but will they devise a way to outwit their dangerous captors?

Although the premise of Ten After Closing is unique, the pacing is slow and the storyline is a bit unrealistic. Winny and Scott are interesting characters and their backward moving timelines take some getting used to but overall, this form of storytelling works well. Sylvie and Ryan clearly have a complicated past but the lack of a detailed backstory is frustrating.  The resolution of the hostage situation is action-packed and exciting, but Scott’s decision regarding his home life misses the mark in a huge way. Since this is a young adult novel, it would have been preferable for Jessica Bayliss to use his story arc as a teaching moment to any teenager who might be faced with a similar situation.

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Filed under Contemporary, Jessica Bayliss, Rated C+, Review, Sky Pony Press, Suspense, Ten After Closing

March 4, 2018 · 11:58 pm

Review: Boomerang by Helene Dunbar

Title: Boomerang by Helene Dunbar
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Length: 322 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Michael Sterling disappeared from his Maine town five years ago. Everyone assumed he was kidnapped. The truth is worse–he ran away and found the life he always dreamed of.

But now, at seventeen, he’s Sean Woodhouse. And he’s come “home,” to the last place he wants to be, to claim the small inheritance his grandparents promised him when he graduated high school, all so he can save Trip, the neighbor boy he developed an intense and complicated relationship with while he was away.

Sean has changed, but so has his old town and everyone in it. And knowing who he is and where he belongs is more confusing than ever. As his careful plans begin to crumble, so does everything he’s believed about his idyllic other life.

Review:

In Boomerang by Helene Dunbar, a runaway teenager returns home in order to collect an inheritance to save his best friend.

Five years earlier, twelve year old Michael Sterling felt like he had choice but to run away from home. His alcoholic mother is neglectful and makes her living dancing in a strip club. He stows away in a builder’s truck then reinvents himself as Sean Woodhouse. For the next five years, he lives in seclusion with the Woodhouses where he is homeschooled and befriends neighbor, Trip Marchette. Sean and Trip dream of another life far away from Trip’s abusive uncle but they need Sean’s trust to make their plans come to fruition.  With Trip’s situation becoming more precarious, Sean returns home but unexpected complications  could ruin the future they envision.

Many surprises await Sean once he is back home. He left without fully realizing how his disappearance would be construed by law enforcement, his mom and the rest of the town.  Much has changed in his absence and to his shock, his mom is drastically different. Sean is uncomfortable by his next door neighbor and former friend Jenny Gordon’s expectations.  And underneath all of his uneasiness about being back in town, Sean is worried about Trip and the things that happened between them right before he returned to his mom.

With his friendship with Jenny on shaky ground, Sean unexpectedly finds companionship with Emery Whitman and her twin brother Rory. Unfortunately for him, Emery knows more about his past than he is comfortable with. Despite his apprehension about what she will do with this knowledge, Sean is drawn to her. His feelings for her are conflicted since he has yet to make sense of his relationship with Trip. Sean and Trip were extremely close friends but there is much more to their relationship than just friendship. This conflict over the true nature of what he shared with Trip is tangled up in his desire to keep his promise to save him from his uncle. Needless to say, Sean is struggling on many fronts as he reintegrates to his former life with his mom while desperately clinging to the one he is reluctant to leave behind.

Boomerang is a captivating young adult novel that is heartfelt and engaging. Sean is an extremely sympathetic protagonist whose struggles are realistic and thought-provoking. The secondary characters are colorful and well-developed. The storyline is multi-layered and quite poignant.  Helene Dunbar keeps readers on the edge of the seats about how Sean’s story will work out right up until the novel’s heartwarming conclusion. An outstanding young adult will appeal to readers of all ages.

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Filed under Boomerang, Contemporary, Helene Dunbar, Rated B+, Review, Sky Pony Press, Young Adult

November 20, 2017 · 11:57 pm

Review: The Temptation of Adam by Dave Connis

Title: The Temptation of Adam by Dave Connis
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Adam Hawthorne is fine.

Yeah, his mother left, his older sister went with her, and his dad would rather read Nicholas Sparks novels than talk to him. And yeah, he spends his nights watching self-curated porn video playlists.

But Adam is fine.

When a family friend discovers Adam’s porn addiction, he’s forced to join an addiction support group: the self-proclaimed Knights of Vice. He goes because he has to, but the honesty of the Knights starts to slip past his defenses. Combine that with his sister’s out-of-the-blue return and the attention of a girl he meets in an AA meeting, and all the work Adam has put into being fine begins to unravel.

Now Adam has to face the causes and effects of his addiction, before he loses his new friends, his prodigal sister, and his almost semi-sort-of girlfriend.

Review:

The Temptation of Adam is a young adult novel about addiction. While pornography addiction takes center stage,  Dave Connis also touches on other types of addictions as well.

Sixteen year old Adam Hawthorne’s expulsion from school from an undisclosed infraction sets him on the path for treatment for his addiction to porn. A benevolent teacher, Mr. Gratcher, intercedes on his behalf with his school principal and as a result, Adam must spend one on one time with his teacher in addition to attending meetings similar to AA. He also must join Mr. Gratcher and three other young men, Elliot, Trey and Mark in Knights of Vice meetings.  Like so many people who have addictions, Adam is not only completely in denial about his dependence on porn, but he is also quite unaware of the reason he relies so heavily on it.  With a well-rounded group of people supporting him, (including his romantic interest,  Dez Coulter, and  his older sister, Abby), will Adam finally open his eyes to the truths that Mr. Cratcher is attempting to show him?

Adam is a highly intelligent young man who was blindsided by his parents’ divorce. Now referring to his absent mother as “The Woman”, he lives with his dad who is physically present, but emotionally checked out. Adam adores Abby, but since she lives with The Woman, they are not as close as they were prior to the divorce.  Since he is deeply in denial about his addiction to porn, Adam refuses to accept responsibility for the incident that resulted in his suspension. He is extremely resistant to  Mr. Cratcher’s attempts to help him but with the threat of permanent expulsion from school hanging over him, he has no choice but to continue attending meetings and spending mornings with his teacher.

Adam’s realization that he is addicted to porn occurs at a realistic pace. He gradually beings to understand the reasons why he turned to porn and  despite this self-awareness, he is often powerless to fight his addiction. His romance with Dez also offers him a new perspective on his destructive behavior and  provides him with an added incentive to try to conquer his demons.  Unlike the young men Adam meets, Dez is a bit of a stereotype and it is rather difficult to take her addiction to addictions seriously.

The Temptation of Adam is an engrossing and insightful young adult novel about porn addiction. Adam is well-rounded character who is genuinely likeable and easy to relate to despite his flaws. The storyline is well-developed and Dave Connis’s handling of various addictions is exemplary as is his realistic depiction of recovery. All in all, a well-written novel that will appeal to readers of all ages.

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Filed under Contemporary, Dave Connis, Rated B, Review, Romance, Sky Pony Press, The Temptation of Adam, Young Adult

April 26, 2017 · 11:57 pm

Review: Cold Summer by Gwen Cole

Title: Cold Summer by Gwen Cole
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Young Adult, Time Travel
Length: 334 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Today, he’s a high school dropout with no future.

Tomorrow, he’s a soldier in World War II.

Kale Jackson has spent years trying to control his time-traveling ability but hasn’t had much luck. One day he lives in 1945, fighting in the war as a sharpshooter and helplessly watching soldiers—friends—die. Then the next day, he’s back in the present, where WWII has bled into his modern life in the form of PTSD, straining his relationship with his father and the few friends he has left. Every day it becomes harder to hide his battle wounds, both physical and mental, from the past.

When the ex-girl-next-door, Harper, moves back to town, thoughts of what could be if only he had a normal life begin to haunt him. Harper reminds him of the person he was before the PTSD, which helps anchor him to the present. With practice, maybe Kale could remain in the present permanently and never step foot on a battlefield again. Maybe he can have the normal life he craves.

But then Harper finds Kale’s name in a historical article—and he’s listed as a casualty of the war. Is Kale’s death inevitable? Does this mean that, one of these days, when Kale travels to the past, he may not come back?

Kale knows now that he must learn to control his time-traveling ability to save himself and his chance at a life with Harper. Otherwise, he’ll be killed in a time where he doesn’t belong by a bullet that was never meant for him.

Review:

In Cold Summer by Gwen Cole, a teen’s time-traveling ability endangers his life and puts him at odds with his family.

Kale Jackson began time-traveling at seven years of age and recently his “trips” have begun to occur with alarming frequency. His recent travels take him back in time to World War II where his skills as a marksman put him in harm’s way. Kale’s brother Bryce and sister Libby have always been  his staunch supporters, but with Bryce ignoring him as he prepares to leave for college and Libby spending the summer with their mother, Kale has little reason to remain in the present. Adding to his stress is his increasingly fractured relationship with his father, who makes no effort to hide skepticism for his son’s inexplicable disappearances.

Until six years ago, Harper Croft spent her summers with her Uncle Jasper. She, Kale and Libby were inseparable during her visits but in recent years, she is only in touch with Libby. Now moving in with her Uncle Jasper permanently due to her mother’s recent move, Harper is looking forward to renewing these friendships.  Although she is aware of Kale’s disappearances, she has no idea why he periodically vanishes. Despite her alarm over his unhealthy appearance and his apparent unhappiness, Harper keeps her promise she made to him long ago. But when she discovers shocking information about his visits back to World War II, will Harper convince to Kale to try to figure out how to control his unusual ability?

In theory, time travel sounds like an exciting adventure, but as Kale knows all too well, not everyone is willing to believe he travels into the past. Although his siblings and best friend Miles never doubt his stories about his adventures, he has given up trying to convince his father he is telling the truth.  Kale is quickly sinking into despondency when he thinks about his future since his unexplainable absences caused problems with school and extracurricular activities. With everything in the present turning into a unhappy mess,  Kale is only slightly troubled by his frequent trips back to World War II.  At the same, the situation with his dad is spiraling out of control but Kale stubbornly refuses to provide him with irrefutable proof he is telling the truth.  Will he make the same mistake when his relationship with Harper turns romantic?

Harper knows she made the right decision to move in with her Uncle Jasper but she cannot help but wish things were different between her and her emotionally (and now physically) absent mother.  Making the best of her new circumstances, she tries to be understanding about Kale’s frequent absences but she is fairly assertive as she tries to persuade him to try fix his relationship with his father. With her concern over his health growing with each of his trips back to World War II, she eventually forces him to tell her the truth about what is going on with him. Once their friendship deepens into romance, will Harper convince Kale to figure out why his travels have become more frequent? And when she learns the truth about what happens to him during World War II, will Kale try to change the outcome?

Cold Summer is a very clever and enjoyable young adult novel with an interesting premise. Gwen Cole does a fantastic job with the time travel element of the story while at the same time gently delivering an important message to her readers. Although flawed, the characters are appealing and sympathetic. The storyline is engaging and quite interesting. The glimpses of Kale’s wartime experiences  provide insight into  both his need to go back in time to help comrades in arms and his struggles with PTSD in the present. All in all, a riveting young adult novel that I absolutely loved and highly recommend to readers of all ages.

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Filed under Cold Summer, Contemporary, Gwen Cole, Historical, Historical (40s), Rated B, Review, Sky Pony Press, Time Travel, Young Adult