Reader's Review: "You're Not A Real Goth Until You Sack Rome" by Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins

Synopsis from Amazon:

Death was supposed to be an aesthetic, not a plan for the weekend.

Rae Schwarz spends her lunches at the goth table, her evenings with eccentric loved ones, and her daydreams with poetic inspirations. But family secrets have a way of getting out, no matter how long one is sheltered. Some of the things brought to light are a little too bright for Rae's taste, and some have a darkness and a danger she can fall into all too easily.

>>>>>>>>>

My Review:

My! It's been too long since I've gotten to read and review a Cook/Perkins adventure! After the end of the Fair Folk Chronicles, I got into reading a lot of other things, and although they still produced some novels--and especially a short story here and there for Writerpunk Press, which I would read--I just never quite got around to their latest (and last) series together until just now.

This is on purpose, though. It's my 150th "Reader's Review", after all, and I wanted to make it special. Who better to grace this rank than one of the very first authors to ever respond to my tentative message, back when I decided to review indie books on The Upstream Writer?

Anyway, on to the review!!

My only regret was that I happened to start this book at a time when literally everything about my life was pretty stressful, and my opportunities to read were all very short, just when I would be about to fall asleep at the end of the day... many pages of this ebook had to be read and re-read because I would be nodding off in the middle of a paragraph, and would have to go back to the beginning of the chapter to figure out what was going on! As a result, there was a considerable chunk in the middle of the story that ended up rather confusing to me, and I quite literally lost the plot... but I forged ahead anyway, because the brilliant characters compelled me!

I absolutely loved Rae's dynamic, and the way she had basically two camps at her back. One was her "classic goth" crowd--not the "downer goth" variety, with myriad piercings, tattoos and garish skin, but more the "literary goth", with their candid conversations about morbid subjects, the penchant for writers from the Victorian-Gothic era, and of course, skulls on basic black clothing.

But Rae also had another sort of "crowd", one that featured more in the grand scope of adventures: Henny and the Littlethunder family (shades of the family of Menehune from Fair Folk!!) with their homey vibe, deep-running family traditions, and secret magical lore; and Erica, Rae's Viking "champion" friend, who would not hesitate to pitch into battle when the bullies would cause Rae trouble!

This impression of tight-knit camaraderie at the heart of the book was definitely the best thing about the book. Three friends from vastly different backgrounds, upbringings, and with vastly different features and skills--and yet they all accepted one another, and supported each other without hesitation. It took me a while to realize what the actual story had to do with "sacking Rome", as the title says--but I think I've got it by now, and you will too... and I hope when you do, it makes you chuckle as it did for me!

On the whole, I would give You're Not A Real Goth Until You Sack Rome a well-deserved *****4.5 STAR***** rating. It manages to keep its balance through precarious plot twists and complex narrative maneuvers, but only just barely. I wasn't quite pulled all the way in from the very beginning (as I have been, in past works!) but every time I picked it up again, it only took me a couple pages to rekindle that enjoyment I felt over it!

If you've ever experienced the feeling of being ostracized, isolated, excluded, or just plain lonely because of personal tastes or preference choices you've made, don't hesitate to pick up a Gothcraft book--or any other Cook/Perkins book for that matter!--today. You will always find a relatable character to root for in those pages!

Further Reading: (Also By The Author/Urban Fantasy/Brilliant Lore/Compelling Characters)

The Fair Folk Chronicles--Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins
        -Foul is Fair 
        -Street Fair 
        -A Fair Fight
        -All's Fair 

Dawn of Steam Trilogy--Jeffrey Cook
      -First Light
      -Gods of The Sun
      -Rising Suns 

Punk Anthologies--Writerpunk Press Group
      -Sound & Fury: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 1 
      -Once More Unto The Breach: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 2 
      -What We've Unlearned: Classic Literature Goes Punk 

The Therian Way--Kimberly Rogers
       -Leopard's Heart 
       -Wolf's Path 
       -Tiger's Shadow 

Verona: The Complete Mermaid Tales--Pauline Creeden
       -Scales 
       -Submerged 
       -Salt 
       -Surfacing 

Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser
     -Escape From Neverland 
     -Dance Into The Wyrd

The Firebird Fairy Tales--Amy Kuivalainen
       -The Cry of the Firebird 
       -Ashes of the Firebird 
       -Rise of the Firebird 

Talented Series--Amy Hopkins
     -A Drop of Dream 
     -A Dash of Fiend 
     -A Splash of Truth 

Bookish Blog Hop November 2021--Day 1: "A Book About A Bookstore"

Leslie Conzatti (Me!)

I’m pretty sure that my favorite book about a bookstore (or library!) right now is probably the Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman. It’s absolutely delightful! 

In true, fantasy-literature-loving fashion, the series centers around the premise that the stories that are fictional in one reality, are the reality of another “alternate dimension.” If, then, the “fictional tales” from one reality end up in the reality in which they are “historical documents”, it is then possible for characters from the story to show up in the wrong reality, or it gives them the ability to alter what they perceive to be their reality. To keep this from happening, the Invisible Library tasks its Librarians with recovering these alternate-reality versions of stories, and file them away in this extra-dimensional Library where they can do no harm.

Of course, that means there are two other factions that complicate things: The Fae, who thrive on chaos and natural unpredictability, so long as they hold the power--and the Dragons, who value stability and order, and so would much rather they held sway over the realities. The lore is fantastic, the imagery is absolutely spellbinding, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, dragons, fairy stories, or all of the above!

Kriti @ Armed with A Book

One of the sweetest books I have read about a bookstore was The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin. Through this book I finally got a glimpse into the workings of being a bookseller and bookshop owner. And it sure is a lot of work! 

Sarah moves to Paris to give her friend a break – it’s a bookshop exchange! Having never left her little town of Ashford, this is the first time Sarah is venturing out of her comfort zone of romance novels. However, even though it is a ‘little bookshop’, it is actually a massive building that houses decades of books and history. Sarah faces a number of challenges throughout the book, personal and professional. This book is set in Paris which is known to be the city of lost souls and through The Little Bookshop on the Seine, we learn about many of the lost souls that call this city home. Though the bookshop staff are initially resistant to her, partly because of how Sophie manages them herself, eventually Sarah makes friends with them and learns about why they moved to the city and their reasons for working for the bookshop. I really liked that aspect of that book.

Read my full review on the blog and find this book on Goodreads.

Jo Linsdell @ www.JoLinsdell.com

I’ve read several books that feature bookshops. One that comes to mind is Confessions of a Curious Bookseller by Elizabeth Green. 

“Without question, Fawn Birchill knows that her used bookstore is the heart of West Philadelphia, a cornerstone of culture for a community that, for the past twenty years, has found the quirkiness absolutely charming. When an amicable young indie bookseller invades her block, Fawn is convinced that his cushy couches, impressive selection, coffee bar, and knowledgeable staff are a neighborhood blight. Misguided yet blindly resilient, Fawn readies for battle.

But as she wages her war, Fawn is forced to reflect on a few unavoidable truths: the tribulations of online dating, a strained relationship with her family, and a devoted if not always law-abiding intern—not to mention what to do about a pen pal with whom she hasn’t been entirely honest and the litany of repairs her aging store requires.

Through emails, journal entries, combative online reviews, texts, and tweets, Fawn plans her next move. Now it’s time for her to dig deep and use every trick at her disposal if she’s to reclaim her beloved business—and her life.” 

Read my full review here.

Vidya Tiru @LadyInReadWrites

The moment I saw this prompt, a whole list of titles leapt at me! However, Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan was at the top of that list. It is definitely the book I first think of when someone asks me for a book about bookstores. 

There is a certain uniqueness it has - with the right touch of the old and it's definitely high-tech vibes, the hometown Bay Area settings along with allowing me (the reader) to armchair-travel in time and place through its pages, and well, the bookstore itself, of course!! 

I mention this book many times over on my blog, like in this post about Books I Would Watch on the Screen or another one about Top Ten Bookish Settings I Would Love to Visit. These are just two of the half-a-dozen occurrences but I have never actually reviewed it!  Well, I am not sure I might ever get to it and maybe I will just ask my teens to write a joint review for me now that my younger one has gotten to it! 

As for the other books in the list, here are a couple for which I did write reviews. One is a sweet children’s book called The Bookshop Girl by Sylvia Bishop and the other is a sweet contemporary romance titled The Little Bookshop of Love Stories by Jaimie Admans. 

Robin Loves Reading @ www.robinlovesreading.com

I have read several books about bookstores this year, but the most notable is The Bookseller of Dachau, written by Shari J. Ryan. This happens to be one of my favorite books of 2021. The premise is that a woman named Grace discovered that she inherited a bookstore in Dachau from a grandmother she never knew. She travels to Germany and learns the most incredibly sad story of her grandparents, Matilda and Hans, and how Matilda hid Hans from the Germans during WWII for as long as she could. The story took very sad turns but ended up becoming one of hope. This book really touched me.

Another five star book that I read about a bookstore was The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak. Autumn spent summer after summer helping her mother at her bookstore until one day her husband went missing. She missed a summer at the bookshop, but the next year she went with her two teens and they had a wonderful time, despite Autumn's heart being in limbo about her missing husband. She does find love, but not without its challenges. The side story was about Autumn's seventeen-year-old daughter and the serious issues the teen was facing. This story really made me feel for all of the characters involved.

How about you? Do you have a favorite book that features a bookstore? Tell us about it in the comments! And check out the upcoming topics below! Tomorrow's post will be hosted on https://www.JoLinsdell.com. Be sure to check it out!