Howard Shapiro (2)

This was an interesting story, with great accompanying illustrations, and I enjoyed the recommended listening scattered throughout the story. Nina comes to the city hoping to making it big as a musician, and quickly finds herself drawn into trying to track down and fight Nazis. WWII might be over, but the fight is still going on behind the scenes. Of course, things are rarely as they seem, and Shapiro does an excellent job of building tension while moving the plot along smoothly. Chan's illustrations really help bring the story to life, and add extra depth to the story. Curious to see where the rest of the trilogy goes!… (more)

* I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book. *

Queen of Kenosha is set in early 60s New York, where Nina Overstreet has come from her small town of Kenosha to pursue her dream of being a professional musician. At a gig, Nina encounters the mysterious Nick, who eventually recruits her to be part of a covert anti-Nazi operation. Initially attracted by Nick's ideals, and by the very welcome money, she soon starts to question the group's methods and comes to be seen as a liability by her colleagues.

Shapiro's plot is a good one. I thought I had it figured out pretty early, but some surprises in the ending proved me wrong. There's certainly enough intrigue going on to keep me coming back for more, but I did think there were a few aspects of the book that were less successful. Nina's conveniently advanced ability in karate is a very unlikely skill for a US small town girl in the 60s, especially one who says that music has dominated her life. When would she have had the time to learn this? I also thought the art work was a bit lacking. Some of the expressions on Nina's face at times looked, frankly, a bit dopey and out of character. The cover art shows Nina as having black hair when she has brown hair in the book, an obvious glitch that should have been easily spotted and corrected. Still, these nit-picks won't stop me from reading the second volume when it comes along.… (more)

As a Ice Hockey follower for over 25 years, when I saw this book I just knew I had to review it for my British friends intersted in the game. I know for a fact that the young adults will love it.

Its full of grit and determination and apparently the third in a trilogy of a series. The illustrations are fantastic, I wish I had accepted the offer of having the actual book sent to me instead of the file if I am honest. This is a book that has a great storyline which teenagers will really love

Thank you so much Howard and the publishers and netgalley for the opportunity to review xx… (more)

As a Ice Hockey follower for over 25 years, when I saw this book I just knew I had to review it for my British friends intersted in the game. I know for a fact that the young adults will love it.

Its full of grit and determination and apparently the third in a trilogy of a series. The illustrations are fantastic, I wish I had accepted the offer of having the actual book sent to me instead of the file if I am honest. This is a book that has a great storyline which teenagers will really love

Thank you so much Howard and the publishers and netgalley for the opportunity to review xx… (more)