The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla

 

On Sunday, I finished reading The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla. This realistic fiction novel is about Maudie, a 13-year-old girl who is autistic. Although she lives with her mom and new stepdad, Ron, in Texas for most of the year, she is excited to be spending another summer with her dad, who lives in a cabin that he built himself in Molinas, California. As they're coming back from breakfast at Rosie's Diner, Maudie and her dad have to evacuate to an emergency shelter due to a wildfire. After speaking with her mom, Maudie's dad decides that they will go to Conwy, a small beach town in southern California where he grew up. The first morning, when she goes to the beach and watches a surfer, Etta, she decides that she wants to learn how to surf. She even gets the idea to enter the beginner's competition at the Surf Bash, which takes place at the end of the summer, to win a $1000 prize after reading a poster. While making new friends and learning to surf from Etta, a secret weighs heavily on her. She wants to tell her dad about Ron's harsh treatment of her, but her mom made her promise to never tell anyone. As the Surf Bash approaches, she must find the courage to reveal the truth before it's too late.

As I read this book, I thought it was wonderful. I loved rooting for Maudie and admired her courage to try surfing and even enter a competition despite the fact that it was something that she had never done before. Although she does face challenges because she is autistic, she has the determination to work through her issues. I absolutely adored her relationship with her dad and thought she would be happier if she lived with him as the story went on. His situation with losing his home and having to find work because of the wildfire isn't ideal, but it was clear how much he cared about Maudie and understood her needs. On the other hand, Maudie's mom was so disappointing. I know the reasons for why she would chose to stay with someone like Ron (security, wealth), but it broke my heart that she would pick him over her own daughter because he was truly awful when he would take his anger out on Maudie to the point of being abusive. Maudie deserved better than that, and by the end of the book, I was really hoping she wouldn't have to go back to Texas with her mom and Ron. I also enjoyed all the friendships Maudie made while in Conwy. Etta was a great surfing coach and it was nice that Maudie had so many people, like Max, Begonia, Naldo, and Dr. Shakti, looking out for her, while her dad worked. I like that she befriended Paddi, Dr. Shakti's daughter who goes to a school for kids with special needs, as well. Even though Paddi is a little younger than Maudie, both of the girls are neurodivergent (Paddie has ADHD), so they were able to find plenty of common ground. The climax of the story was incredibly intense, so the ending felt like a huge sigh of relief, but I was also very happy for Maudie at the same time. Although this book is mostly prose, there is verse scattered throughout. The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn is an outstanding example of how those with disabilities are vulnerable to becoming victims of abuse and anyone should read it.

Flame in the Mist Series by Renée Ahdieh

 

Last week, I finished reading the Flame in the Mist duology by Renée Ahdieh. This fantasy series, set during Feudal Japan, is about Hattori Mariko, the seventeen-year-old daughter of a prominent samurai. In the first book, on her way to the imperial city of Inako to marry Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor and his consort, she is attacked in Jukai forest. She believes that the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits, is responsible, so she disguises herself as a boy to infiltrate their ranks and find out who exactly wanted her murdered. As she earns the trust of their leader, Takeda Ranmaru, and his second-in-command and best friend, Ōkami, she begins to question her suspicions and preconceived notions about the Black Clan. She is also increasingly drawn to Ōkami as they spend more time together. Meanwhile, Mariko's twin brother, Kenshin, is searching for her. In the second book, Smoke in the Sun, Mariko and Ōkami have both been captured and taken to Heian Castle by Raiden and his younger brother, Roku, who is the new emperor. As her wedding to Raiden approaches, Mariko pretends to be a dutiful bride-to-be while she tries to come up with a scheme to rescue Ōkami, who is being tortured by Raiden and Roku. With Roku increasingly paranoid about maintaining power and eliminating traitors, a mysterious sickness spreads across the empire, threatening its safety if nothing is done to stop it.

There are also two short stories in this series. Ōkami focuses on Ōkami's thoughts during the journey to Heian Castle. Although he could free himself and escape, he is unsure if he would be able to save Mariko and doesn't want to risk the emperor having his men killed. Yumi is about Yumi, a maiko that Takeda Ranmaru and Ōkami introduced to Mariko in Hanami. After she receives news of the Black Clan being discovered and Ōkami's capture, she decides that she must start making her own decisions and take meaningful action, even if it means going against her brother's desire to protect her.

Flame in the Mist was another spectacular series by Renée Ahdieh, and I feel like she really excels in writing duologies. After reading Flame in the Mist, I enjoyed how the two short stories helped set the stage for Smoke in the Sun. It felt vital to gain more insight into Ōkami's and Yumi's motivations for their decisions leading into the plot of the second book. I also liked how the books reminded me of Mulan. Mariko is brave and strong, like Mulan, and her character development was amazing as she began to recognize her privilege during her time with the Black Clan. Most of all, though, I loved her enemies-to-lovers romance with Ōkami. I can't say much more without spoiling key events of the story, but the prologue, "The Beginning," was a great tease as the catalyst for the story and I figured that the boy in the chapter had to be important to Mariko's story. There were so many side characters that I liked from the moment I met them, like Takeda Ranmaru, Yoshi (the cook), and Haruki (the metalsmith), and Yumi, but I was most surprised by Raiden and how he grew in the second book because originally I didn't want to like him. I definitely did not expect the ending, but it was satisfying after all the twists and turns that kept me on my toes. I'm still wondering about a couple of minor things, but they don't take away from my enjoyment of the series. All in all, this duology is an outstanding choice for fans of fantasy, adventure, and romance.