Neverseen (Keeper of the Lost Cities #4) by Shannon Messenger

★★★★½

*** Warning: This review contains spoilers!! ***

I really enjoyed this installment! Sophie and the gang are now working with the Black Swan, so it's a pretty satisfying beginning. The first half of the book focused on Prentice, then the spotlight turned to Exillium, but there was a flow to the events, and there was a clear story arc involving the gnomes that tied it all together for the conclusion. There were lots of surprising revelations, plus a couple major events at the very end, one very poignant, the other a twist to set up the next book.

Ultimately, my rating is short of 5 stars because of some developments that seemed just too easy, or too simplistic. For example, Exillium's harsh practices were long-standing, yet Sophie was able to effect a full 180-degree change simply by telling two Councillors the truth? Did the Councillors really not know? Was there literally no oversight at Exillium?! Also, the whole idea that the Black Swan, and Della, would let 7 kids walk into Ravagog with only Alvar as a guide was a bit much, too. The Black Swan went out of their way to be secretive, but suddenly they needed Alvar's ogre knowledge, and they brought him on board, welcomed him to their hideout, assigned him a very important task without asking him to swear fealty first, and completely disregarded how Alvar used to argue with Alden against the Black Swan! Tam and Linh were equally unvetted, but at least they had nothing to lose, and good reason to help the gnomes.

Dear Friend: Letters of Encouragement, Humor, and Love for Women with Breast Cancer by Gina L. Mulligan

★★★★

A lovely collection of short letters to encourage and support women who have breast cancer. (Though men can and do get breast cancer, many of the letters assume the reader is a woman, as the book's subtitle indicates.)

A friend gave me this book when I was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, and it was just what I needed to feel supported. It makes a perfect gift.

Most of the letters are written by women, some of whom are fellow survivors. There are a few letters here and there from men and children. I was impressed to find that letters from teenagers showed remarkable wisdom. In my reading, for every letter that did not quite resonate with me, there was at least one other that said exactly the words I needed to hear/read.

It's probably best not to read this book cover-to-cover in one sitting; instead, keep it nearby and pick it up whenever you need a little comfort.  

Overall extremely uplifting, but with a twinge of bittersweetness with the realization that complete strangers were able to provide more meaningful support than some of my own friends and family. Then again, these letters must have been carefully curated out of thousands to include only the most powerful and heartfelt words.

It's worth noting that all the letters in this book are printed as they were originally handwritten. I loved the beautiful pages of colorful stationery and doodles, and I enjoyed each letter-writer's unique penmanship. It occurs to me that maybe a younger generation of survivors might not appreciate the handwriting as much, since many schools no longer teach cursive.

The Land (Logans #1) by Mildred D. Taylor

★★★★★

A worthy prequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, The Land is an equally important and just as engrossing must-read book.

Taking place soon after the Civil War, The Land presents the reality of post-Civil War racism and white supremacy. This book is middle grade, though it does have some mature ideas along the lines of how the main character's married white father took his black mother to be "his colored woman". 

Mildred D. Taylor has an unparalled talent for both storytelling and character creation. Each richly-developed character offered a complex perspective to the story. There's Paul-Edward, the main character, whose black mama was owned by his white daddy before the Civil War, and who struggled greatly in his coming-of-age years to understand his own identity and his place in society. There's Hammond, George, and Robert, Paul-Edward's white half-brothers, who themselves needed to make decisions about being white while still staying loyal to family, regardless of race. There's Paul-Edward's white father, who does his best to raise and treat all his children equally while still maintaining a "respectable" place in a racist society, and also while having to teach Paul-Edward the reality of his place and position as a person of color. And there's Mitchell, the black boy whose family lives and works on Paul-Edward's father's land, who is at first resentful of Paul-Edward's half-whiteness, but then eventually comes to understand Paul-Edward. It is clear that every character in this book has their own story, and we are only seeing them as their lives intersect with Paul-Edward's.

Paul-Edward and Mitchell form a life-long bond of brotherhood, a friendship that defines trust and loyalty in the deepest meanings of those words.

Along the way, Paul-Edward deals with fair-minded white people who treat him respectfully and give us readers faith that those who lived in this time period had reason to hope for a better future. Of course, Paul-Edward also deals with his share of mean and double-crossing white supremacists. All the while, he works earnestly and tirelessly and keeps his eyes on the prize, which is the land he intends to buy, so that he may finally have something of his own.

Fans of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry may appreciate, as I did, seeing a good-hearted young Wade Jamison, who grows up to be an ally to the Logan family and the black community.