Sandra L. Rostirolla

For a novel that tries to bring to life the difficulty people face in mantaining "mental health" when everything goes wrong for them, this one is much better written than most. Sam, Ben, Abby, and their parents could almost be drawn from life, even though the author specifically says that her family's story of mental problems was different. Early teen readers can probably relate to Sam...though it may put some of them off reading the book if they're warned that, fairly early in the book, Sam loses his right hand.

Almost everything that happens in this story needs a content warning. At the beginning, Sam's family farm has had several low-yield years; Sam's mother worries, when Sam's father leaves taking his gun, that he's thinking about suicide rather than hunting. It turns out later that she's projecting her own feelings onto her husband. In a country renowned for the high median level of alcohol tolerance, Sam's mother appears to be alcohol intolerant. Sam doesn't realize at first that that's why Ben has become so disagreeable...having noticed how much more he resembles his mother's brother-in-law than he does the man he and Sam have always called father. Sam is trying to ease little Abby around the rough edges their elders all seem to have developed when he falls into the moving machinery and wakes up in a hospital. When Ben commits suicide and his girlfriend turns up pregnant, and Sam starts to understand what was on Ben's mind, their mother doesn't *only* attempt suicide. Her part-time job for years has involved sitting with a patient who's hoarded a suicide kit of three pills, and one evening when Sam's father is out she mixes the pills into the "cordials" she serves herself, Sam, and Abby, but luckily one pill is only enough to make an adult ill, and Sam and Abby are feeling too sad to drink theirs. And Sam's girlfriend, though in no danger of being pregnant, reveals that she's a cutter.

What's not to like, if you're prepared to like a story that presents so much distress, is that the story ends where a better story about these characters might begin. They're still only talking about their emotions. I'd like to see them move through their emotions and take some action to change those facts of their real live that are subject to change. There are many good, true stories about people who've moved past the "monsters" of emotional misery and had inspirational lives, but although no biography of Abraham Lincoln, Marie Curie, or dozens of other famous people could leave out the horrors of their early lives, nobody else seems even to have tried to integrate tortured childhood, early struggles, and success story like Maya Angelou.… (altro)

So, Cecilia also talks about war. It's talks about a previous war and what happened to the citizens after the war. It's a dystopian story with fantasy and prophesies in it. It's has a lot of parallelism to real life. Also, it has a bedtime story or a children's fairy tale in it. It's not about a bear, but it's about The Flower Princess and a Wolf. I really like how this story actually is about a prophesy. And for it to be not lost or forgotten, it was cleverly turned into a harmless fairy tale that could be passed on onward, without the danger of anyone being persecuted because what can a fairy tale do?

Yes, the title is the name of the most important character in this story--Cecilia. She grew up in a village in the forest with 70 other people. She has 2 older brothers--Eideard and Rabbie. They were living peacefully and happily in their own community in this little part of the forest when suddenly a group of black horsemen came to their village and killed everyone. They took the young men, including Cecilia's brothers. Cecilia ran and evaded the leader of the murderers but lost everything that she cared about. She's the only one left standing. What to do now? How can she go on?

I love how Cecilia's character developed in the story. She started out as a very protected girl who doesn't know anything of the realities outside of their little corner of the forest. She knew death because her father died but the tragedy that has befallen her entire village was worth the grief and suffering of a hundred people. It's more than her young heart can bear. She lost everything she ever holds dear. Her home, her family, and her friends. How she found her purpose and what she needs to do to fulfill that did not come easy. She had a lot of doubts. What can a teenager do against an army and powerful enemies? But she was not alone. She found help just as what was prophesied.

The host of other characters in this story was very unexpected. It's a totally good combination and very well thought out. A lot of surprises there in terms of how one character was actually connected to another. Characters that will definitely take their own space in your heart, if you will let them. There are a lot of very memorable and adorable characters here that will surely melt your heart. Very unassuming, yet very instrumental in making the whole story work. I admit, the story is mostly about Cecilia but it doesn't just revolve around her. The other supporting characters were given enough to make them also stand on their own.

The romance angle was very unexpected. I certainly did not foresee that it was going to take that turn. But it was very very good. A guy having a change of heart because of a girl he met, does not get old. In real life, every girl wants to tame a bad boy, right? So, having included that element in the story which wasn't really obvious at first, was very nice. I did see that eventually Amalardh might fall for Cecilia because that's what happens when two people are thrown together in one place, right? When two people share the same experiences, especially difficult ones will definitely turn to each other. So, I expected that but I didn't expect that there was more. That's another good thing there.

All other elements of the story were done with great care. A lot of unexpected turns and surprises that will surely make your heart stop beating for a moment. I really enjoyed those moments. You will become a believer in Cecilia and root for her to be what she is destined to be. And as I am a great fan of heroines, this story just hit the right spot. Heroines and underdogs. The young, looked down and underestimated. All neatly packaged in this book. I want a sequel for this story. And that ending, OMG! My heart literally stopped for about 2 seconds there. I definitely could not accept if it hard turned sideways. I would definitely file a protest. I would surely be sour for the rest of the month.

So, short of singing Cecilia by The Vamps loudly, I pretty much finished this book in one reading. I couldn't put it down. I'm sure, you wouldn't. You could not just leave Cecilia and her friends. You would want to be with them each step of the way. You wouldn't want to miss the adventure after learning of all the plans, because it's as if you were part of the planning team. You're part of the inner circle of rebels. You can't turn back now. It would be against everything you believe that's right and just in the world.

So, I give this book 5/5 trees of life.

Thank you Sandra Rostirolla for giving me an opportunity to read this story. It's a fantasy but it's really relevant in this modern world. We may not have prophesies or Flower Princesses or Wolf Knights to defend and save us, but we do have five-headed dragons. This dragon comes in any forms and it can be anything to anyone. This beast is our fears, our worries, our doubts, and our insecurities. Let us not let it devour us but rather fight it to the death with all our strength. We have all our own demons and it can't be defeated unless we do something. It would take a lot, just like Cecilia. She has to bury her whole village for 2 weeks. But no task is beyond a very strong and dedicated heart. Like Cecilia, we can be that Goddess of Light. Let our goodness, compassion, creativity, and kindness shine forth. We all have it in us.

How does one replace a lost heart?

The truth of man is that he does what he does based only on what he knows, and what he knows is warped by experiences, convoluted by fears, and deformed by perspective.
- Sandra Rostirolla, Cecilia -… (altro)