Wednesday #Review - Purple Hearts by Michael Grant #YALit #Historical

Series: Front Lines # 3
Format: Hardcover, 576 pages
Release Date: January 30, 2018
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Historical Fiction

The gritty and powerful conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant’s epic alternate history series follows the young women American soldiers as D-day approaches during the final days of World War II.

Courage, sacrifice, and fear have led Rio, Frangie, and Rainy through the front line battles in North Africa and Sicily, and their missions are not over. These soldiers and thousands of Allies must fight their deadliest battle yet—for their country and their lives—as they descend into the freezing water and onto the treacherous sands of Omaha Beach. It is June 6, 1944. D-day has arrived.

None of these women are the same naïve recruits they were when the war started. They are Silver Star recipients and battle-hardened now as they traverse the dangerous bocage country and find their way out of the forests of Hürtgen and the Eifel. Others look to them for guidance and confidence, but this is a war that will leave 60 million dead. Flesh will turn to charcoal. Piles will be made of torn limbs. The women must lead through the devastating concentration camps of Buchenwald and Dachau while attempting to hold on to their own last shreds of belief in humanity.

In this powerful conclusion to the Front Lines series, New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant vividly evokes the gritty, brutal truth of World War II: War is hell.

Purple Hearts is the third and final installment in author Michael Grant's Front Lines Trilogy. Grant weaves three incredibly gripping stories together in each novel, some which actually cross. Though they come from vastly different backgrounds, each girl went from naïve recruit to decorated soldier, and all are battle-hardened fighters in Purple Hearts. Grant has been praised by reviewers, including me, for bringing his tremendous amount of research to life. In this third book, which is broken into four parts, Grant gives an accurate and authentic portrayal of the Allied forces at Omaha Beach through the liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps. If you are still hesitant about reading this series, please don't be. This is a series that features three remarkable young women: Sergeant Rio Richlin (Silver Star, Purple Heart), 2nd Lieutenant Rainy Schulterman (Silver Star) & Army Medic Frangie Marr (Silver Heart, Purple Heart).

*Sergeant Rio Richlin is originally from California. She enlisted with her best friend Corporal Jenou Castain in the US Army. They've been together from their enlistment to boot camp, to North Africa, to Sicily, and now the invasion of Europe and beyond. As the story picks up, Rio made a choice to stay in the war rather than return home where she would be used as a prop to get more young men and women to enlist. She has been given a promotion she never wanted, & a squad that now answers to her. She has definitely earned her accolades with her bravery and her ability to get out of tight situations. Her squad is mostly those she met during boot camp, but there are others who come and go. By the time this story is over, Rio and her squad mates will have participated in the deadliest military campaigns in US history and come face to face with humanity's darkest horrors. Rio will be tested and tested, but can anything happen that will finally shatter Rio's world? 

*Frangie Marr is a black girl from Oklahoma. She, like Rio, choose to enlist in the Army rather than await being selected. After going thru her own basic training trials and joining black only divisions, Frangie became a Medic. A profession that is near and dear to my heart as that is what I was in the Navy. Frangie not only faces racism from her own side, but from the enemy as well. Frangie participates in a particular event that has caused some consternation among historians trying to prove who was responsible for the slaughter of American prisoners of war at German hands. It may have been a rallying cry for American soldiers to march into Germany and finally win the war. Frangie is written as a girl who has a backbone, and doesn't run away from dying patients she is trying to treat. She also finds a particularly adorable romance with a fellow soldier. I've said this before, but it bears repeating. Frangie is just a beautiful character who gets no slack from anyone but stands tall in the face of racism and a brutal war. She faces the same challenges as Rio does but without a gun to fight back. 

*Rainy Schulterman is a Jewish girl from NYC who has her own reason for enlisting in the Military. She wants to KILL Adolf Hitler, the person who will end up killing 6 million Jews, and others over the course of World War II. Rainy has faced some serious challenges over the course of the past two installments. She's been a prisoner of the brutal Nazi's, she's faced challenges from her male superiors who have no clue how to run a war. Rainy is given yet another secretive mission that will find her deep into Vincy France and beyond. Her job is to locate and report back on German movements as the allies are ready to invade Normandy and other places. Rainy is not the character you met in the beginning. She can't be. Not with what she had happen to her. Not with what she saw the Germans due to an entire village. Rainy faces betrayal, becomes an assassin, and later comes face to face with humanity's greatest horror when she and Frangie and Rio discover Hitler's concentration camp.

Even though I studied World War II in college, I didn't know about the massacre at Malmédy that led American soldiers taking a bit of revenge on their enemy. I didn't know about the idiotic American campaign in Hürtgen Forest that was an epic failure with lots of lost lives. I didn't hear about  Oradour-sur-Glane massacre that turns Rainy from a spy, into an assassin. All of these events are true. The author does something curious this time around. He introduces tertiary characters who are sometimes just there for cannon fodder, and sometimes they surprise the crap out of you with their bravery and heroics.

Readers will finally learn who the mystery writer is whose stories has been intermingling between chapters. For me, I was correct in my assumption that it had to be someone close to Rio for this person to know what happened and when. I have never in my life encountered an ending like this book has. I may have mentioned that I wasn't crying, you were in my update. Have you ever in your life seen an author actually write out an obituary for his characters? I haven't. I got chills running up and down my arms. In one way, these characters become more than just names on a page. They become real people who lived real lives.

I may have also mentioned that war is the devil's creation, but men and women are to blame for not speaking up loud enough for the message to be heard. Never again can we allow the atrocities that happened during World War II to happen in our lifetimes. An entire generation fought and died protecting not only our nation, but to prevent the Axis of Evil from ruling the world. Never again can there be a war that encompasses the entire global like it did during World War II. Never again can we allow a race of people to be systematically eliminated (Genocide) without standing up with one voice.  

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Thursday #Review - Silver Stars by Michael Grant #YALit #Historical

Series: Front Lines # 2
Format: Hardcover, 576 pages
Release Date: January 31, 2017
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Edelweiss
Genre: Young Adult / Historical / Fiction

She’s fighting to survive.

The summer of 1943, World War II. The Germans have been bloodied, but Germany is very far from beaten. The North African campaign was only the beginning of the long journey for Frangie, Rainy, Rio, and the millions of other Allies.

Now the American army is moving on to their next target: the Italian island of Sicily. Frangie, Rainy, and Rio now know firsthand what each of them is willing to do to save herself—and the consequences. With their heavy memories of combat, they will find this operation to be even tougher.

Frangie, Rainy, and Rio also know what is at stake. The women are not heroes for fighting alongside their brothers—they are soldiers. But the millions of brave females fighting for their country have become a symbol in the fight for equality. In this war, endless blood has been spilled and millions of lives have been lost, but there could be so much more to gain.

The women won’t conquer Italy alone. But they will brave terrible conditions in an endless siege; they will fight to find themselves on the front lines of World War II; and they will come face-to-face with the brutality of war until they win or die. 

Silver Stars, by author Michael Grant, is the second installment in the Front Lines trilogy. Grant’s brilliant reimagining of World War II with girl soldiers fighting on the front lines is unlike anything in the teen market. Following a recent Pentagon decision to open all jobs in combat units to female service members, (which I fully support FYI) top officers in the army and the marine corps testified that they believe all woman over the age of 18 should be eligible for military service the same as men.

This is a series that features three remarkable young women of different backgrounds, religion, and skin color: Rio Richlin, Rainy Schulterman & Frangie Marr. There is a fourth narrative of a yet to be named character. I believe I have finally guessed who it is. No spoilers! This story picks up in North Africa (1943) where Rio Richlin and her squad has survived the brutal confrontation with Erwin Rommel and his hardened Germany panzer division. But, before I continue, let me actually do a service to the three main characters who are amazing:

*Rio Richlin is a white girl from Gedwell Falls, California. After an incident where her older sister Rachel died while serving in the Navy, she choose to enlist with her best friend Jenou Castain in the US Army. She was underage at the time. Since then, she has been thru boot camp, dealt with the misogyny of her fellow male soldiers, faced life and death situations time and time again, found maybe a bit of romance in the process, and is a character who doesn't seek out glory. It just happens to be her destiny. As for this story, Rio and her squad will travel from North Africa up thru Italy. A journey that will come with surprising twists, and deadly costs to those she has been with since boot camp.

*Frangie Marr is a black girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She, like Rio, choose to enlist in the Army rather than await being selected. After going thru her own basic training trials, Frangie became a Medic. A profession that is near and dear to my heart. Frangie not only faces racism from her own side, but from the enemy as well. She is written as a girl who has a backbone, and doesn't run away from a dying patient she is trying to treat. Frangie is just a beautiful character who gets no slack from anyone but stands tall in the face of racism and a brutal war.

*Rainy Schulterman is a Jewish girl from NYC who has her own reason for enlisting in the Military. She wants to KILL Adolf Hitler, the person who will end up killing 6 million Jews, and others over the course of World War II. Rainy gets the most breaks, but still faces challenges from her male superiors. Rainy is given a life or death mission that goes against every fiber in her being. A mission that will fundamentally change who Rainy is as a person.

Like Rio, and Frangie before her, Rainy goes through hell and back. In the end, the three characters become something that every little girl should grow up to be. Amazing young women with skills, desire, determination, and the focus of doing what's right when the world is at war. This series may not appeal to everyone, but as a veteran, as a medic, as a female, it appeals to me. Grant makes no bones about not treating his characters with kid gloves. This is war, my dears. War is fucking brutal and so is the imaginary.

Grant doesn't whitewash this story for political correctness. He isn't afraid to shine the light on racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism just to be politically correct. Why whitewash history or claim it never happen so that people's feelings won't be hurt? Why intentionally alter history or remove things from it that might hurt someone's feelings? History is made of bad things that happened to good people. Why not tell people that there were actual squads of just black soldiers who were not allowed to integrate into white dominated squads until 1948. Frangie can tell you all about her experiences.

I believe this series should be read by everyone, especially young women, because it is very close to being factual in nature. During WWII, 400,000 women served in various capacities from pilots, to nurses. 200 of them died. 4 earned Silver Stars (nurses). The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States. Thus, the name of this book. This is an epic story of war, action, adventure, romance, and friendship. Grant weaves three incredibly gripping stories together in each novel, and now that each girl has transformed into a soldier and have become heroes even if they don't feel that way.

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#Saturday Review - The Tattooed Heart by Michael Grant (Young Adult, Horror) @MichaelGrantBks @KatherineTegen

Series: Messenger of Fear # 2
Format: Hardcover, 400 pages
Release Date: September 22, 2015
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Edelweiss
Genre: Young Adult, Horror

Mara has already witnessed more evil as the Messenger’s apprentice than most people do in their lifetime, but the games continue.

The Messenger leads Mara to the funeral of a Muslim boy named Aimal, who died standing up for his people, and then to an abandoned store, where they discover Graciella, a girl battling addiction. The all-knowing Messenger recognizes that they are victims of heinous crimes. Mara and Messenger will find the wicked—those who act out of selfishness and greed, and others who become violent because of prejudice and hate.

But Mara and Messenger pay a price too. For every person who is offered justice, they will wear a tattoo that symbolizes the heart of the crime. And as Mara delves deeper into her harsh reality, she is suprirsed to realize that part of her is drawn to the sometimes compassionate Messenger. In spite of all the terror she and Messenger inflict, Mara will discover that caring in this world is the hardest part of all.

The second book in New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant’s Messenger of Fear series, The Tattooed Heart combines fantasy with real-world horror stories to create a satisfying conclusion. 

“If you prick a finger with a poisoned thorn, say not that you are innocent when the heart dies.”

The Tattooed Heart is the second and apparent final installment in Michael Grant's Messenger of Fear series. The Tattooed Heart 

continues the story of 16-year old Mara, who has been sentenced to be the apprentice to the Messenger of Fear after surviving her own judgment. Mara was a bad person when she was alive. She had friends and acolytes, but that wasn't enough for her. She ended up driving a fellow student to commit suicide. An act she is still paying for. Mara is now responsible for dolling out justice and punishment to others who have been accused of inhuman acts against others.

She answers the call of Ishtil, Goddess of wickedness and Justice. Mara dreams of loss and alienation. Her life really is a nightmare and not a dream that she can wake up from. She uses dreams to escape her currently reality, especially when she is forced to watch as those who are punished for their actions, are force to play for their very souls. In this reality, the wicked are forced into playing a game where winning is the only real options. If you fail to play the game, you have to face an even more harsher reality in the Shoals. Let's call the Shoals Hell for all intentions of this book. With each judgment, Mara ends up being tattooed reminding her of the horrors she was forced to judge.

"The balance between good and evil, true and false, pain and pleasure, low and loss, hatred and indifference. However you name them, these balances are all that keep the world spinning."

Mara's mentor, who she has feelings for, continues to look for his lost love Ariadne. Messenger has been obsessed in finding her, but he also has to show Mara the ropes so that she can one day take his place. The Tattooed Heart takes Mara and the Messenger from the Middle East, where a young boy named Aimal runs towards terrorists who aim to kill young girls attending school and pays the ultimate price for his heroism. To a school in Iowa where racism drives the actions of two boys that cause a ripple affect elsewhere. But, it also includes the story of a girl name Graciella Jayne who's entire life is such a sad story, that I couldn't help but feel emotionally drained by how society treats those who have been kicked in the face time and time again.

Michael Grant has apparently stated that this is the final book in the series. I am not sure if that is a good thing, or a bad thing since there is definitely room for more story. Mara definitely grows in this book. She becomes more of character who doesn't allow anyone to push her around. She makes choices, and decisions, and travels to the Shoals where she has an encounter with Oriax, who works for Malech and knows what really happened to Ariadne. Oriax has been a thorn in Mara's side hoping to sway her into switching sides. But, Mara has been set on a different path. I think this ending is bitter sweet in several ways. We see Mara's new future, while also seeing that she has lost the only person who has taken the chance to set her on the right path. We see that she has found compassion in a way that I believe was the right and only thing she could have done.

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#Tuesday Review - Front Lines by Michael Grant (Historical Fiction, Young Adult)

Series: Soldier Girl # 1
Format: E-ARC, 576 pages
Release Date: January 26, 2016
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Source: Edelweiss/Publisher
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult

Perfect for fans of The Book Thief and Code Name Verity, New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant unleashes an epic, genre-bending, and transformative new series that re-imagines World War II with girl soldiers fighting on the front lines.

World War II, 1942. A court decision makes women subject to the draft and eligible for service. The unproven American army is going up against the greatest fighting force ever assembled, the armed forces of Nazi Germany.

Three girls sign up to fight. Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman are average girls, girls with dreams and aspirations, at the start of their lives, at the start of their loves. Each has her own reasons for volunteering: Rio fights to honor her sister; Frangie needs money for her family; Rainy wants to kill Germans. For the first time they leave behind their homes and families—to go to war.

These three daring young women will play their parts in the war to defeat evil and save the human race. As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, they will discover the roles that define them on the front lines. They will fight the greatest war the world has ever known

Front Lines is the first novel in the Soldier Girl series by author Michael Grant. Front Lines is set in an alternative world where women 18 years or older, are given the opportunity to serve alongside men in a war for the first time after a Supreme Court decision opens the door for them. Front Lines focuses on three main characters: Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman. There is a third narrative, but that person has remained a mystery. All we do know is that she is a member of the 119th Division, and saw her own combat action.

*Rio Richlin is a white girl from Gedwell Falls, California. After an incident with her older sister Rachel, she chooses to enlist with her best friend Jenou in the US Army. She gets sent to basic in Georgia where she faces the ugly truth about sexism in our countries military. Thankfully, Rio stands tall in this story, and kicks some major ass while facing difficult odds. She's got a key eye for shooting, which puts her into an elite classification. I adore Rio. I love how strong she becomes over time. I loved how she is written as someone who is strong, yet has enough courage to admit when she is scared to death. Rio does have some romantic interludes in the story. We'll have to wait and see how they play out.

*Frangie Marr is a black girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She, like Rio, chooses to enlist in the Army rather than await being selected. After going thru her own basic training trials, Frangie gets the opportunity to train as a Medic. A profession that is near and dear to my heart. Frangie not only faces racism from her own side, but from the enemy as well. She is written as a girl who has a backbone, and doesn't run away from a dying patient she is trying to treat. Frangie is just a beautiful character who gets no slack from anyone but a certain Sergeant, but stands tall in the face of racism and a brutal war. 

*Rainy Schulterman is a Jewish girl from NYC who has her own reason for enlisting in the Military. She wants to KILL Adolf Hitler, the person who will end up killing 6 million Jews, and others over the course of World War II. Rainy gets the most breaks, but still faces challenges from her male superiors. She's not the best soldier, but she understands intelligence gathering like nobodies business. Rainy is also a character who can fluently speak several key languages which makes her a valuable asset to Army Intelligence.

I have said that Front Lines is one of the best books I've read this year, and yes I know it's still January. However, this book does what others are afraid to do. It takes a whole lot of chances, and uses language that would be considered offensive to anyone who is afraid to see the truth about our countries history and origins. I love that Grant doesn't whitewash this story for political correctness. He isn't afraid to shine the light on racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism just to be politically correct. Why whitewash history or claim it never happen so that people's feelings won't be hurt? If we continue to re-write history, we are just eager for history to repeat itself.

I am all for the Courts and Military opening up the Selective Service and draft to everyone, including young women 18 and over. Why shouldn't women be allowed to serve if they so choose and can pass muster? What right do we have to tell them they're not good enough, or that they are weaker than men? Truth be known, I served for four years in the US Navy, and had it not been for stupid laws, I would have stood shoulder to shoulder with my male colleagues in areas like Beirut. As it was, those four years were probably the best ones of my life.

**History lesson* Approximately 400,000 American women served in World War II. More than 400 lost their lives helping save the world from Germany and Japan. They drove trucks, they flew planes, they entered areas that were previously held for men only. More than 60,000 women served stateside and overseas during World War II as nurses. 67 of them were POW's of the Japanese. More than 150,000 women served in the Women's Army Corps. Thousands served with distinction in black only support groups.

In closing, I will say this, if you've read Code Name Verity and loved it as much as I did, you will need to read this book as well.  I am definitely eager to read the sequel.

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