Review: The Revenant by Sonia Gensler

THE REVENANT by Sonia Gensler

Pub. Date: June 2011
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Format: Hardcover , 336pp
Age Range: 12
Source: Publisher (ARC)

When Willie arrives in Indian Territory, she knows only one thing: no one can find out who she really is. To escape a home she doesn't belong in anymore, she assumes the name of a former classmate and accepts a teaching job at the Cherokee Female Seminary.

Nothing prepares her for what she finds there. Her pupils are the daughters of the Cherokee elite—educated and more wealthy than she, and the school is cloaked in mystery. A student drowned in the river last year, and the girls whisper that she was killed by a jealous lover. Willie's room is the very room the dead girl slept in. The students say her spirit haunts it.

Willie doesn't believe in ghosts, but when strange things start happening at the school, she isn't sure anymore. She's also not sure what to make of a boy from the nearby boys' school who has taken an interest in her—his past is cloaked in secrets. Soon, even she has to admit that the
revenant may be trying to tell her something. . . .

Based on Indian Territory during the late 1800's, THE REVENANT brings mystery and ghostly suspense to the forefront. The setting is unique but has the familiar school setting of clique's and local gossip. The strange incidents shrouded in mystery kept me turning the pages to see what dark secrets would be uncovered behind the walls of the Seminary.

Willie, although brash and full of misconceptions at times, is finding out all about the Cherokee culture first hand. Their belief in spirits or ghosts is shrugged off by Willie as idiocy. Soon, Willie has no choice to rethink the tales surrounding the death of a student whom maybe haunting the school - especially after constant sleepless nights consisting of strange sounds and violent incidents involving students. There were quite a few things I enjoyed about this book. First, Willie's defiance to start a new life under the pretense of lies was enough to keep me wondering if her scam would be exposed. Her fondness for Eli Sevenstar also provided a spark of forbidden romance that kept me wanting more. Finally, the secrets surrounding the haunting death of a student was enough to keep me turning the pages.

THE REVENANT is spooky and entertaining read! This book is another ghostly page turner that you can sink your teeth into. With its lush setting and historical intrigue, I recommend this book to fans of historical fiction who wouldn’t mind a dose of paranormal on the side.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

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Sensational 7 Q & A with Sonia Gensler (Author of The Revenant)!

Have you ever wanted to know what it would be like to hang out with your favorite author(s)? In an attempt to get a better understanding of authors, my Sensational Seven Q & A takes a closer or more personal look at these authors to give you a glimpse of the personalities behind the writing of your favorite books.

“Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the book; a personality which, by birth and quality, is pledged to the doctrines there set forth, and which exists to see and state things so, and not otherwise.” By Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sonia Gensler grew up in a small Tennessee town and spent her early adulthood collecting impractical degrees from various Midwestern universities. A former high school English teacher, she now writes full time in Oklahoma. So far, her husband and cat are putting up with this. The Revenant is her debut novel.

THE REVENANT is in stores today!

If you were given a chance to travel back in time, what year or place would you go / Why?

I am obsessed with the Victorian era but wouldn't wish to go back too early because I happen to like running water and flushing toilets. :) Maybe turn-of-the-century Oxford or Cambridge? I'd love to be the daughter of a college dean with free access to the college grounds. Or maybe I would go back to 1896 and attend the Cherokee Female Seminary (the setting of THE REVENANT). Not only did the school have running water and flushing toilets (heh), but it was a sophisticated institution intended to rival the elite female academies of the east. And since I'm 1/64 Cherokee, I would have qualified for admission based on blood quantum. Not sure I would have passed the admission examinations, however...

Describe your novel in seven words or less?

19th-century identity thief encounters vengeful ghost

Please share with us about your favorite book and fictional crush to date?

I have to break this into Adult and YA:

Favorite adult book: (this changes often) Possession by A.S. Byatt. 20th century academics fall in love while researching 19th century poets who secretly fell in love! *swoon*

Favorite adult book fictional crush: John Thornton from North and South. He's a brooding/grumpy mill owner who goes all googly over the new girl in town, Margaret Hale. And then he angsts mightily when she spurns him. I love the man pain!

Favorite YA book: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. A thoroughly gripping novel that broke my heart in the most satisfying way.

Favorite YA fictional crush: Peeta from the Hunger Games trilogy. He's strong and stoic, but also very sweet. *sigh*

It occurs to me that three of these books are set in England. Can you tell I'm an Anglophile?

If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be / Why?

I'm pretty sure I would choose Harriet Vane from the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. She's a sharp lady and very tough, and she happens to write bestselling mystery novels. Though she's just fine on her own, she does eventually succumb to the charms of Peter Wimsey (another of my fictional crushes).

It's a tough gig being a teen (I did it once, you know), but if I could be a character in a YA novel, I would choose Anna from Anna and the French Kiss for the Paris setting and that delicious English boy named Etienne.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play thelead role as you/ Why?

Okay, if you allowed a spectacular piece of miscasting, I would want Eva Green to play me, because she's amazingly beautiful in a strong, intellectual way, and she's French. For those very reasons, however, it would be dreadfully unrealistic and moviegoers would protest, if they even went to the film in the first place!

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be – please explain?

My husband suggested Ghosts and Other Captive Souls, which sounds awesome and sorta works because I'm obsessed with ghosts and hauntings (both in the literal and metaphorical sense). I, on the other hand, might choose The Girl Who Wrote Ghosts But Never Wished to Meet One because even though I'm obsessed with hauntings, I'm a big chicken when it comes to anything spooky happening in real life. Or maybe The Girl Who Spent Way Too Much Time in Her Own Head. That would work, too.

How would you describe yourself/life in seven words?

Reader, writer, tea drinker, traveler, total neurotic

Bonus:

**Is there any additional info you would like to share with your readers about what’s next for you and your books?**

THE REVENANT is a stand-alone novel, but there's more ghostly/gothic goodness coming your way from me and Knopf/Random House -- you can count on it! Stay-tuned to my website for more details: http://www.soniagensler.com/.


Thanks for stopping by Sonia!

For more information about Sonia Gensler and her books, please visit her website here.

Monday Madness (82): The Revenant by Sonia Gensler

What is Monday Madness?

It’s the phenomenon affecting all book lovers as we count down the hours in hopes of getting our hands on highly anticipated books on release day. So, come join me throughout the week where I will be featuring Author Interviews, Reviews, Guest Posts, and Contests for great books.

THE REVENANT by Sonia Gensler

Pub. Date: June 2011
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Format: Hardcover , 336pp
Age Range: 12

When Willie arrives in Indian Territory, she knows only one thing: no one can find out who she really is. To escape a home she doesn't belong in anymore, she assumes the name of a former classmate and accepts a teaching job at the Cherokee Female Seminary.

Nothing prepares her for what she finds there. Her pupils are the daughters of the Cherokee elite—educated and more wealthy than she, and the school is cloaked in mystery. A student drowned in the river last year, and the girls whisper that she was killed by a jealous lover. Willie's room is the very room the dead girl slept in. The students say her spirit haunts it.

Willie doesn't believe in ghosts, but when strange things start happening at the school, she isn't sure anymore. She's also not sure what to make of a boy from the nearby boys' school who has taken an interest in her—his past is cloaked in secrets. Soon, even she has to admit that the revenant may be trying to tell her something. . . .

Order THE REVENANT