Booth by Jason Pellegrini

Title: Booth
Author: Jason Pellegrini
Genre:  Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi

I purchased this book from the author's website and chose to do an honest and unbiased review.  Jason Pellegrini neither requested nor is associated with this review.

Goodreads Description:

At dawn, on the day of his execution, Joseph Bateman finds himself reflecting on his life, one filled with poor decisions and evil people. Even his lifelong best friend played a pivotal role in earning Joseph his seat on death row.
A phenomenon occurs as the electricity meant to kill Joseph is sent through him, and his essence is ripped from the body he has known his entire life and thrown into a new one. Only the body he now inhabits isn’t new at all; it is the body of a person who lived over a hundred years before Joseph’s birth.
Now living in an unfamiliar era of history and trapped inside a foreign body, Joseph learns he has been sent back for a reason: to earn redemption for his damned soul and to find a sense of peace he has never known. All he needs to do to get there is to prevent one of history’s most infamous murders.

Here's What I Thought:

Booth was a very quick read for me.  I started it on Sunday and finished by Friday.  All in all, it probably took me about six hours total. That's fairly impressive for me seeing as how that adulting thing called "work" kept getting in the way.

Before continuing with this review, as a psych nurse, I feel a duty to issue a disclaimer that this book may contain triggers for those who have suffered from domestic violence and/or rape as it is not only mentioned, but goes into detail at times.  

True to the description, the story starts just before dawn on the morning of Joseph Bateman's execution.  However, it does not immediately go into his quest for redemption, but rather into a time of reflection. Over the next two-thirds of the book, I watched young Joey Beans turn into the hate-filled man that would walk to the electric chair.  My heart broke for him as he listened to his mother being beaten and raped on a nightly basis.  I was appalled by the horrible excuse of a human being Hank Bateman was.  I sympathized with Emily Bateman, as I have seen women in real life who walk the in the same shoes she wore.  I felt emotions resurface when reading about the sad ending to Liz Bateman's life, as I lost a cousin at a young age to an accident.

Mr. Pellegrini painted Joseph's childhood in such a way that, even though I have lived a relatively happy, perfect life, I could still identify with Joseph.  This was probably the most important thing to me.  When a character lives a life so different from my own, it's important that I can still find that connection. A spark.  

He was able to do it again with the introduction of Alex.  Alex is the tomboy, spitfire best-friend that eventually becomes Joseph's greatest love and ultimately focuses his hate (unintentionally) on blacks.  Alex was molded by her father at a young age that black people were lesser than her.  She knew that it wasn't right but, ultimately she was not able to rise above it and instead brought Joseph down. Joseph struggles with the idea of racism and if he is even racist at all throughout his youth with his best-friend.

It was a combination of his hate and his love of Alex, that Joseph kills a black man after he raped Alex on her way home from a friend's.  During his trial, Joseph makes it clear that he would have done it regardless if the man was black.  The judge choose to treat it as a hate crime and thus sentence him to death, giving him his chance at redemption.  

He then falls through time and is now in the body of John Wilkes Booth.  He also meets J, a man he has seen briefly 2 times before in his own times.  He learns that souls are reincarnated and their future lives can have a punishment inflicted based on their previous lives' actions.  He learns that he is on the path f redemption that only a few get to take and even fewer are successful.  At this point, everything Doctor Who has taught me started sending off warning bells.  Abraham Lincoln's assassination has to be a fixed point in time... What about the paradox it would create if Booth did not assassinate Lincoln.  If Booth did not assassinate Lincoln, Joseph's soul would not be punished by being forced to live the life he did and, therefore, would not need to go back in time to stop Booth from killing Lincoln.  If Joseph does not go back in time, Booth kills Lincoln... Paradox.

As the next several chapters unfold, Mr. Pellegrini very tastefully works around that by arranging circumstances so that, while Booth is not the one to pull the trigger, the world believes he is.  But wait... So this raises the question of whether or not Booth's movements in the next 12 days happen due to chance and circumstance or because Joseph already knows what they are and follows them because he knows what happens... Time travel=wibbly-wobbly (yes, yes, yes, I know I am a Doctor Who nerd.)

Also, what about the butterfly effect? Yes, unfortunately, it rears it's ugly head... As much as I would like to go into more detail, I feel that I should not. I don't want to spoil it! But with the butterfly effect now in full swing, he learns that his time as Booth was just another step along the path of his true redemption.  Its the choices he makes after what should be his "happily ever after" that will decide his true fate.

The story of Joseph Bateman's soul comes full circle and the ending was very satisfying, however not without a very emotional rollercoaster ride. Ultimately, all my concerns about the time travel did get resolved.  With all that being said, there were a couple things that I did not care for...

First, in the beginning, the number of times all of the characters' full names repeated themselves astounded me. Joseph Bateman. Liz Bateman. Hank Bateman. Emily Bateman. Alexandra Casings. Bill Casing. Again, and again, and again.  I get it.  I did not forget their names in the last three paragraphs.  I found this really distracting and more than slightly irritating.  But, obviously, I was able to get past it.

The second thing I didn't like was that, even in the end, Joseph is unable to figure out how J is.  I figured it out in a few paragraphs. He couldn't figure it out even after years.  It's not a huge deal, but still... Seriously? He couldn't figure it out? Ok, that rant is over.  

Overall I loved this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who asks. I already promised to borrow it to two of my coworkers.  They better not dog-ear the pages...

Oh, one more thing. Mr. Pellegrini, if you are reading this, you should really get your books in the Nook store.  Not everyone has a Kindle.  I've tried, and I just can't bring myself to cross over to the dark side of Amazon. 😆😅

                                     

Any Thoughts?

I would love to hear what you think! I get kind of rambly (yes, I probably made that word up, lol), so I am sure you are not surprised to hear that I could talk about this book a lot more.  Comment. Email. Whichever works best for you!

About The Author:

Jason Pellegrini is a Long Island native. He currently resides in Levittown, New York. His works include Booth, and The Replacement.

Links:

http://www.jasonpellegrinibooks.com/

JPellegrini1983

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Title:  The Diviners
Author:  Libba Bray
Genre:  Fantasy/Mystery/Historical/YA

Goodreads Description:

 Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.
Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

Here's What I Thought:
This book took me a while to read, but that was due to life in general and not the book. The book starts off with an unnamed girl's birthday party where she brought out a Ouija board as a joke to liven up her party.  That is when Naughty John is introduced and he speaks of the Whore of Babylon.  The scene wasn't terrifying by any means, but it was definitely creepy.  After the party goers summon Naughty John, we find that there is an observer outside the window.  The wind.  You follow the wind through the city and into an old mansion that was once elegant and beautiful.  The wind feels the evil presence that now inhabits the house come back to life.  The wind wants to warn the people of the coming evil. But, it's just the wind, and no one listens to the wind.

This was one of the best personifications I have ever read.  For just that moment, the wind was a sentient being. It's thoughts as it was going through the old house felt as real as my own.  It's fear was almost palpable.  I wanted to draw special attention to this scene for this exact reason.  Not very many authors carry out a personification for several paragraphs, and even fewer can do such a beautiful job.  It was one of my favorite scenes.

From there, the story is told from the perspective of Evie, Theta, Henry, Sam, Jericho, Mabel, and Memphis.  Evie has the ability to read objects and see the owner's secrets.  Theta has a mysterious past with a dark secret that makes her different. Henry does not fit into the social norms of the Roarin' 20s. Sam is probably the best pick-pocket of all time due to his own unique abilities.  Jericho has a secret that he is afraid to reveal out of fear of what his friends will think.  Mabel is a normal girl with Socialist parents that are too consumed with organizing protest to pay attention to their only daughter.  Finally, Memphis was a healer who failed when it mattered most.

In a world of speakeasies, bootleggers, and flappers, a horrible string of murders has been taking place and they seem to be occult related.  Ms. Bray takes the reader on an adventure through Manhattan and down to Coney Island and even to the backwoods of upstate New York.  The story is filled with twists and turns that kept me guessing. The mystery of the murders, as well as the mysteries around the characters themselves, are unraveled a little at a time.  At the same time, a bigger mystery is beginning to unfold.  There are hints of a storm coming.  Things are happening.  The spirits are becoming restless.  The Diviners will be needed.

Ms. Bray kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire book. There were plenty of light moments to offset the dark ones.  It's technically a YA book, but murder mystery fans of all ages would find this book enjoyable.  It is obvious from the writing, that she had logged a lot of hours of research in order to create this beautiful, dark world. My only complaint is that I wish Henry and Mabel would have gotten a little more attention.

Just like any book, there is a romance that begins to form.  As of this first book, the romance is just lightly sprinkled through, rather than upfront and center-stage.  I really like this.  I don't mind romance, but I really don't care to read a romance novel.  I just hope that the future books continue to keep it as a loose story arch and it doesn't overtake the story like other authors have done with romances.

The Diviners is the first book in the series and, even with so many questions answered, I still have many, many questions that remain.  I cannot WAIT to read the second book, Lair of Dreams.  However, that must wait as I have other book commitments that I must attend to first.  I highly recommend anyone looking for a murder mystery filled with suspense to pick this one up today.

Any Thoughts?
Have you read The Diviners? Let's chat! I would love to hear what your favorite moments are! Are you more of a Sam fan or a Jericho fan?  Leave your comments below.

About The Author:

What is it about writing an author bio that gives me that deer-in-headlights feeling? It's not exactly like I'm going to say "I was born in Alabama…" and somebody's going to jump up and snarl, "Oh yeah? Prove it!" At least I hope not.

I think what gets me feeling itchy is all that emphasis on the facts of a life, while all the juicy, relevant, human oddity stuff gets left on the cutting room floor. I could tell you the facts–I lived in Texas for most of my life; I live in New York City with my husband and six-year-old son now; I have freckles and a lopsided smile; I'm allergic to penicillin.

But that doesn't really give you much insight into me. That doesn't tell you that I stuck a bead up my nose while watching TV when I was four and thought I'd have to go to the ER and have it cut out. Or that I once sang a punk version of "Que Sera Sera" onstage in New York City. Or that I made everyone call me "Bert" in ninth grade for no reason that I can think of. See what I mean?

God is in the details. So with that in mind, here is my bio. Sort of.


TEN THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME by Libba Bray

1. I lived in Texas until I was 26 years old, then I moved to New York City with $600.00 in my shoe ('cause muggers won't take it out of your shoe, y'know . . . riiiiight . . .) and a punchbowl (my grandmother's gift) under my arm. I ended up using the punchbowl box as an end table for two years.

2. My dad was a Presbyterian minister. Yes, I am one of those dreaded P.K.s–Preacher's Kids. Be afraid. Be very afraid . . .

3. The first story I ever wrote, in Mrs. McBee's 6th grade English class, was about a girl whose family is kidnapped and held hostage by a murderous lot of bank robbers who intend to kill the whole family–including the dog–until the 12-year-old heroine foils the plot and saves the day. It included colored pencil illustrations of manly-looking, bearded criminals smoking, and, oblivious to the fact that The Beatles had already sort of laid claim to the title, I called my novel, HELP. My mom still has a copy. And when I do something she doesn't like, she threatens to find it.

4. My favorite word is "redemption." I like both its meaning and the sound. My least favorite word is "maybe." "Maybe" is almost always a "no" drawn out in cruel fashion.

5. My three worst habits are overeating, self-doubt, and the frequent use of the "f" word.

6. The three things I like best about myself are my sense of humor, my ability to listen, and my imagination.

7. I have an artificial left eye. I lost my real eye in a car accident when I was eighteen. In fact, I had to have my entire face rebuilt because I smashed it up pretty good. It took six years and thirteen surgeries. However, I did have the pleasure of freezing a plastic eyeball in an ice cube, putting it in a friend's drink, ("Eyeball in your highball?") and watching him freak completely. Okay, so maybe that's not going down on my good karma record. But it sure was fun.

8. In 7th grade, my three best friends and I dressed up as KISS and walked around our neighborhood on Halloween. Man, we were such dorks.

9. I once spent New Year's Eve in a wetsuit. I'd gone to the party in a black dress that was a little too tight (too many holiday cookies) and when I went to sit down, the dress ripped up the back completely. Can we all say, mortified? The problem was, my friends were moving out of their house–everything was packed and on a truck–and there was nothing I could put on . . . but a wetsuit that they still had tacked to the wall. I spent the rest of the party maneuvering through throngs of people feeling like a giant squid.

10. I got married in Florence, Italy. My husband and I were in love but totally broke, so we eloped and got married in Italy, where he was going on a business trip. We had to pull a guy off the street to be our witness. It was incredibly romantic.

Links:
http://libbabray.com/
libbabray