ARC Review: The Hag Rider by Thomas Fenske

The Hag Rider

You all know I’m a fan of Thomas Fenske‘s books, and have been ever since he contacted me to review his first book, The Fever, in 2015. I’ve consistently given them four-star ratings and positive reviews – excellent writing, superior storytelling, consistency in delivery. I know I won’t go wrong in picking up one of his books. I was SO excited to get an advanced reader copy of his newest, The Hag Rider, which is set to come out June 1 (I’ll let you know when it’s available for pre-order!). Friends, I REALLY REALLY REALLY like this one, and you should all read it!

So, I hear Thomas Fenske and think Texas, paranormal activity, a little bit of danger…and they’re all present, against the little-known (at least to me, raised on the East Coast) backdrop of the Civil War in Texas. The Hag Rider is the fictional memoir of a 15 year old Confederate cavalryman in Texas, who joins the fight to serve Texas, despite his youth and discomfort with slavery. He is protected through his ordeal by an old slave woman and witch, Vanita, whose presence follows him thousands of miles through the Confederacy and the Union.

As usual, Fenske manages to touch on important and heavy issues, things that get to the truths of human existence, without getting preachy. Being the Civil War, there’s a lot in The Hag Rider about racism and slavery and Fenske just makes it seem obvious that they’re wrong, just by presenting authentic human interactions. Jack’s relationship with the slave Moze, a father figure to him who cemented much of Jack’s sense of morality, is fundamental to the story and Jack reflects on and uses Moze’s wisdom to guide his actions throughout the book; these are some of my favorite parts.

Another thing I love about this book is the history. A historian by training, Fenske sticks to facts and brings them to life. I had the opportunity to learn about the Civil War in Texas, which I’ve never known much about. But beyond that, the history is brought to life; the writing is realistic and engaging, and I never found myself wondering whether details were historically accurate. Mostly, though, I love that he could bring the sentiments of the times to life, and how he offers plausible motivations. His characters are real people with nuanced views, and I root for Jack the whole time even though he’s a Confederate… I find it very interesting the way Jack justifies fighting for injustice:

“Vanita told me I was going to be fighting to free the slaves. She said she’d seen it because the South wasn’t ever going to win this war, but it was necessary because slavery was never going to end without a fight.” (179)

I can’t forget the witch aspect here. The books is a blend of history and the paranormal. I don’t believe in witches, but I do believe in God, his angels, and the Saints, so the idea of a supernatural being protecting Jack so he can fulfill his part in a fight for justice, as roundabout as it seems, is something I just get. It makes sense to me.

This book is the whole package: entertainment, history, existential truths. With a witch!

Five stars!

Indie Author Spotlight: Daley Downing – and a new release

Indie Author SpotlightWelcome to week three of Indie Author Spotlight by The Edifying Word! Today I’m talking to a new-to-me author of fantasy and speculative fiction, Daley Downing. I just purchased and started reading her new release and first-ever e-book, I is for Invisible, M is for Moth: Eight Stories of Magic and Adventure, and I’m enjoying it. Maybe I’ll even have finished it by the time this post goes live!

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So, Daley Downing is the first author I’m featuring without having read one of her books in its entirety. I usually wouldn’t do such a thing – what if I read them and don’t like them? Eek! But I feel totally fine with it after chatting on Twitter (@invisiblemoth1) and checking out her blog, which is spectacularly well written! I enjoy her insights and normal-human-mom conversations, and I am intrigued to learn more about her experiences living with Autism. I hope you enjoy getting to know Daley as much as I have, and give her books a go!

So, you just released your first e-book last week! Do you have other published books, or upcoming projects?

I did; my other books are available only in hard copy at the moment. The newest book is a collection of short stories, and I have a fantasy/speculative fiction series. They’re currently available in paperback from Barnes and Noble, and I’m working on e-books and sales with other distributors. My next project is a standalone novel in my Order of the Twelve Tribes universe, called Fire And Wind.

I like to ask authors why they write and I feel like I get a lot of variation on the same theme: they have to. I suspect you’re not going to let me down.

I am not. I write because I think I would explode if I didn’t. I feel like I’e been writing since before the dawn of time. Seriously, even as a youngster, I was always interested in storytelling and creating my own spin.

We’ve talked a lot recently about this crisis homeschooling nonsense and I appreciate your support for going easy on ourselves! I know things are challenging in a completely different way now, but before COVID-19, how did you fit writing into parenting? 

I carve out time for writing. I have two special needs children, and my spouse works long hours, so most of the time it’s just me. I also was working two part-time jobs to help make ends meet.

Do you have a favorite genre to read, or favorite books we should check out?

My favorite to read is fantasy, but also sometimes historical fiction. High-ranking titles include Mort and Thud! by Terry Pratchett, Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman, and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater.

What do you want readers to know about you or your work?

My little fantasy series is important to me, so I write it just how I want to – I don’t go in for publishing trends or “bandwagon” topics. There are lots of heavy things going on in the world, and while I grasp and appreciate other authors tackling them, I prefer to inject some humor and lightheartedness into my work. Yes, I address serious stuff, too, but it’s not the only focus for me – art needs to be beautiful and caring and inspiring as well.

Please take a look at Daley Downing’s blog and look for her books at Barnes and Noble! 

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Would you like to be featured, too? Please contact me at kristin@theedifyingword.com!

The Quick Queen of Quincy and her Quacking Quackeroo: Board Books I Still Love After 8 Years

My son is 18 months old and just now starting to let us read him an entire board book in one sitting. Up until a week or two ago we got…maybe a page? And he’s known to tear apart paper books (there’s one waiting on the counter to be fixed right now)… So today while I was reading him the same books over and over, I started thinking about how we’ve had most of them since my oldest (now eight) was a baby, and how I definitely have my favorites. There are some I just don’t get tired of reading, and others…I’m not sure why we still have. So I thought I’d share my favorite board books that we have at our home, in no particular order:

Dr. Seuss's ABC (Beginner Books(R)) by [Dr. Seuss]

Dr. Seuss’s ABC – Some of you may recognize this one from the title of this post. I have loved this book for eight years now, and could probably recite it to you. We now have two copies, which is good because the first has been well-chewed (ew). And yes, I know the board book is not the full text of the original book. I’m offended by other shortened versions, but this one I like.

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear (Child's Play Library)

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood – I LOVE this book. I fondly remember my now three-year-old saying, “BOOM BOOM BOOM” when we got that page. So fun!

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown – A good friend sent this to us when my oldest was a baby, saying, “It’s way better than Goodnight Moon.” While Goodnight Moon will always be one of my childhood favorites, I have to agree. and I love that it’s illustrated by Felicia Bond (think If You Give a Mouse a Cookie). My oldest always had to count the bantam hen’s eggs. It does tell you to, after all… “Count them. There are ten.”

Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea – Friends gifted this to us, and it’s lots of fun. Dinosaur can defeat all challenges (even talking grownups!), but he loses to bedtime. Oh, and be prepared to say, “Roar.” A LOT.

Crankenstein by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Dan Santat – We all know kids can go from perfectly fine to MEEHHHHRRR in an instant, about seemingly nothing. Meet “Crankenstein,” the monster those kids turn into. We’ve been affectionately calling our kids Crankenstein since we got this book.

We have SO MANY board books that I have to be forgetting some that I love, but these are the ones that came to mind today while I was reading on the floor. On the rare occasions that I get to choose what we’re reading, these top the list!

What board books do you or your kids love?