Editor’s note: This review and roundup appears in several Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia newspapers and magazines, including at https://cullmantimes.com/2025/03/11/review-a-sip-of-spring-fiction-with-a-bit-of-history-for-flavor/

A sip of spring fiction, with a bit of history for flavor

By Tom Mayer

On the cusp of the 80th anniversary of the atrocities ending with World War II’s VJ Day, comes an important reminder in the form of cinematic storytelling from the pen of best-selling author Robert Dugoni, assisted by fellow academic researchers Chris Crabtree and Jeff Langholz.

Five hundred-page novels that contain more than a hundred pages of afterword and notes aren’t typical fare for the type of thrillers Dugoni writes; and if cinema is used as an adjective for such tomes it generally implies “best documentary” rather than “best picture.” But this fictionalized re-telling of the end of the war is anything but documental, especially with its final 150 pages moving full steam ahead, filled with submarines, warships and Clancyesque code breaking.

“Hold Strong” (Lake Union) tells the story of Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber, young sweethearts from Eagle Grove, Minnesota. It’s the end of the Great Depression and looking for a way out of his and his parents’ misfortunes — the family farm has been repossessed — Sam joins the war effort. Finding that the Army life suits him, he rises through the ranks. In 1942, he’s taken prisoner by the Japanese and survives the worst that that experience can offer, including the Bataan Death March in the Philippines and captivity in the hold of a Japanese “hell ship,” the Arisan Maru.

Through this, Sarah, and Sam’s family, receive no word about him, and the Army records him as missing in action. Though the couple made a promise to each other but never cemented an engagement before he left, Sarah especially is left in limbo, loving a man who she knows could be dead.

But Sarah’s strong, independent character is coupled with a brilliant mathematical mind, and she’s recruited out of college by the Navy to become a code breaker in the service of the WAVES — Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service — helping to turn the tide of the war, and possibly even unknowingly, Sam’s fate. The upshot is that no one, not even their families, can know what the women are doing, even to the point of telling others if asked that they are nothing more than secretaries in the service of Uncle Sam.

The story of Sam and Sarah is just that, a story, but Dugoni and company get it right, opening new and little-known chapters on the hells of that war — and the critical roles of female recruits — with startling and stark reality.

“Hold Strong” works well as a novel, and its secondary characters, such as Father Tom with his unflappable faith and Grace Moretti with her unbounded optimism, are extraordinarily well-developed. But this is one book bound for the big screen, and with its historic foundation underpinning a captivating wartime love story, one that is sure to become the sleeper read of the year.

Another novel of potential sleeper status comes to us as a dream in the charming coming-of-age “The Rainfall Market” (Ace). Written by a young South Korean novelist, You Yeong-Gwang (whose own dream as a young author is this story), and translated by Slin Jung, this magical novel tells the story of the impoverished teenager Serin and an abandoned house on the outskirts of Rainbow Town.

The legend says that if you send an essay explaining your misfortunes to that address, you could receive a ticket in return, and one that not only allows entrance to the Market beyond the house’s front door, but the offer to swap your life for another.

The odds are long but Serin sends off her letter and gets in return a ticket and an invitation to visit the Market for the duration of the rainy season — those who overstay the welcome are destined to never leave — with the total of its enchantments, including a magical cat companion named Issha.

Travels and travails follow Serin and Issha as they are plagued by Dokkaebi — goblin-like creatures taken from the pages of Korean folklore — who run the individual shops in the market, each offering a “happier story in our stock.”

With help from Issha and others that she befriends, Serin traverses the market’s allegorical landmines, comparing one life’s outcome with another until she comes to the end of her visit in this predictable but rewarding fairytale.

Other notable titles out this spring and worth the price of admission — no essay required — range from the fantastical to the feral with a number of big-hitting authors submitting some of their best work, including sequels:

“Witchcraft for Wayward Girls” (Berkley) by Grady Hendrix: 15-year-old Fern arrives alone and scared and pregnant at the Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida — as are all the young woman and girls living at the home. Life is strictly regulated under the tyrannical control of the adults until Fern is gifted a book about witchcraft — and the power it contains to both create and destroy.

“The Ends of Things” (Blackstone) by Sandra Chwialkowska: A romantic lovers’ paradise is anything but idyllic for Laura Phillips and her boyfriend as shea becomes involved in the disappearance of the lone traveler befriended on the beach. An exotic getaway soon itself gets away from Laura as garnished cocktails and sumptuous suites turn into a murder investigation — and a fight for her innocence.

“Somewhere Toward Freedom” (Simon & Schuster) by Bennett Parten: Parten, a Georgia-native university professor with an expertise in the Civil War period, shines with storytelling as his reporting illuminates new, and unconventional, light on one of the most well-documented and well-known war episodes in our nation’s history — Sherman’s march to the sea. Subtitled “Sherman’s March and Story of America’s Largest Emancipation,” Parten re-tills well-trodden ground, telling the story of the thousands of enslaved people who followed Sherman and his army, turning a march of destruction into the launch of liberation in this meticulously researched book.

“Cupid on the Loose” (Blackstone) by John J. Jacobson: This timely novel that slipped into best-selling list early in February is nonetheless a timely tale for the ages, and especially for those who love a love story in the vein of Nicholas Sparks, and the romantic mayhem of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” — an author who incidentally plays a prominent role of his own in this fun read. Centered on a “kindred kind of romance” that needs a bit of tender to set it ablaze, enter a meddling grandmother whose intentions are as well-conceived as they are misguided.

“Destiny’s Way” (Berkley) by Jack Campbell: In this sequel to Campbell’s “In Our Stars,” the time traveling part-human, part-alien-DNA Selene Genji is thrust 30 years into the past, before the Universal Way destroyed the world, in an attempt to save Earth — excedpt those alive who want her dead after being declared a traitor by the Earth Guard. Assisted by at least one friend from the first part of the “Doomed Earth Duology,” Selene must find a way to save a prejudicial mankind that wants this independent and strong woman dead.

“The Secrets of Flowers” (Blackstone) by Sally Page: A story floating from the depths of the Titanic — and we never get tired of those — Page crafts a unique, heart-healing tale of Emma, who is bereft following her husband’s death. Told through the language of flowers, Emma discovers the lost story of a girl from the ship, one told in the arrangements of the flowers on board during the maiden, and final, voyage, that might just blossom into the healing of her own grief.

“The Memory Ward” (Blackstone) by Jon Bassoff: A seemingly Elysian small town is the scene of bizarre oddities, and postal worker Hank Davies isn’t the first to notice — he comes to realize he’s delivering mail filled with blank pages — but he’s the one whose willing to cry foul. A secreted story discovered beneath the walls of Hank’s bedroom touches off pages of alternate reality as Bassoff delivers a tale of trauma and altered identity, and one questioning the concept of humanity itself.

“American Fever” (Arcade) by Dur e Aziz Amna: This engaging and humorous novel centers on a Pakistani exchange student in rural Oregon who finds herself between worlds — and entrenched in the navigation of first love, racism, Islamophobia and homesickness. When she finds herself quarantined after a diagnosis of tuberculosis, her world shrinks further as themes of religion, family and national identity take on increasingly larger proportions.

“Protecting Jess” (Arcade Crimewise) by Karna Small Bodman: A White House economist and rising star, Jessica Tanner, has both brains and beauty. Sent to Brazil to speak at an international conference on behalf of her boss, a planned exotic dream assignment descends into a dangerous and foreboding nightmare.

“Don’t Tell Me How to Die” (Blackstone) by Marshall Karp: Marshall Karp, of NYPD Red series (aka, co-conspirator of James Patterson) fame, offers a taut, sharp and on-target psychological thriller in “Don’t Tell Me How To Die” (Blackstone). Told in parts, past and present, Karp crafts a evolving storyline centered on 43-year-old Maggie, a woman who is not only diagnosed with the same deadly disease that claimed her mother but vows to not recreate the adolescent hell she endured because of the passing. Seeing firsthand her dying mother’s warning that, once she died, women would flock to 17-year-old Maggie and her sister’s father “like stray cats to an overturned milk truck” and that it would be up to girls to protect him. Which they do, admirably — until one slips through their gatekeeping. … Determined that the same thing won’t happen to her own family, Maggie devises a plan to find a perfect match as wife and mother … before she dies. If this were all to the plot, the storyline would be worth an afternoon, but in succeeding parts of the novel, Karp continuously turns everything upside down, projecting surprise after surprise in a trope-laden, over-blown style that works perfectly for a main course instead of the appetizer it would have been coming from a lesser pen. Karp is a veteran in keeping the cinematic action going and the shocks coming — both of which are abundantly on display in his latest.

“Cold Iron Task” (Berkley) by James J. Butcher: In this Book 3 of 3 in Butcher’s “The Unorthodox Chronicles,” Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby — one of the most notable names in literary history — has solved at least one case, but he’s still a beginner in Boston’s Department of Unorthodox Affairs. As he joins an unlikely partner in the heist of of an otherworldly vault, Grimsby touches off past and closely guarded secrets, freeing demons and monsters, Usual and Unorthodox, that could be his demise in this series finisher.

“The Gate of the Feral Gods” (Ace Hardcovers) by Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl series): Welcome, Crawler, to the fifth floor of the dungeon in Book 4 of Dinniman’s quest series, and one filled with warrior gnomes, malfunctioning machines and a deadly, haunted crypt. On the eve of utter failure, Carl and his team find they must rely on the untrustworthy crawlers trapped in the bubble with them.

“The Summer Guests” (Thomas & Mercer) by Tess Gerritsen: In Book 2 of The Martini Club, retired covert agent Maggie Bird has “retired” to the seaside. In Purity, life is quiet, but it’s not without murder as a friendly neighbor of Maggies becomes embroiled in double homicide charges. It’s up to the Martini Club, a circle of ex-CIA friends book club, to find the truth behind the secrets that portend more murder on the horizon.

“Gothictown” (Kensington) by Emily Carpenter: What if you could purchase a Victorian home for $100 in a small Georgia town eager to spur its pandemic-riddled economy? So begins this story of Billie Hope’s dream of fleeing cramped and crimped New York City with her husband and daughter. Dreams, as they often do in the offerings from Carpenter — a Birmingham, Alabama, native now living in Georgia — descend from opportunities to devilish bargains, and “Gothictown” is part and parcel of the oeuvre. More than genteel charms lurks beneath the facade of Southern hospitality in this town. View a free 66-page teaser of the novel (“Gothictown: A Sneak Peek”) at online booksellers.

“Home Is Where the Bodies Are” (Blackstone) by Jeneva Rose: Questions and secrets arise when three estranged siblings begin to sort their mother’s estate — and discover a VHS recording of their blood-soaked father involved in a death of which none of them have any recollection. Revive the past or leave it buried with their mother? That becomes the question … with no easy, or safe, answers.

Reach Tom Mayer at tmayer@cullmantimes.com.

As a hater of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, I expected to not connect with this one. I can happily report that I truly loved this cozy magical realism novel! Where a magical abandoned house is the key to changing your life around. The house gives entrance to Rainfall Market, a market that allows you to change your life. This was refreshing yet heavy all at once.

Serin is a teenager whose life is plagued by misfortune. She reads about the Rainfall Market, where she can get a new life, so writes them a letter about her life. Serin jumps at the chance to choose a new life for herself, and is equally thrilled to find that her ticket, the sole golden ticket at the market, gives her the ability to collect as many futures as she wishes and take a peek at what her potential new life would look like. On the first day of the rainy season, she heads to the outskirts of Rainbow Town and finds an abandoned, rundown house. There she is granted admission by a strange creature, a Dokkaebi to begin her adventure and the chance to trade in her misfortune for a new life. With the help of a magical cat companion, Issha, Serin travels the market, meeting and helping the Rainfall Market’s Dokkaebi, spirits with special abilities, in exchange for the Dokkaebi orbs that hold endless possibilities for Serin’s future. All magic has a catch, and she only has to the end of the rainy season to pick her new future and leave the Rainfall Market with her chosen orb or vanish forever into the market.

I enjoyed this book with it's fantasy, interesting creatures, and adventure. Serin and Issha travel throughout the market and have lots of fun and action. Serin is a lovely character who is caring and loving, although extremely sad in her life. She and Serin are a great team and I enjoyed seeing the various activities they got involved in. Using her gold coins to feed Serin and buy her purchases, we see the various lives she could live if her wishes come true. The old adage of "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" definitely comes into play. It seems none of the lives she things she wants is perfect. When things in the Rainfall Market begin to change and have Serin in danger, she needs to decide what to do next. I enjoyed this coming of age fantasy and recommend it to those who enjoy this genre.

A charming tale of reflection about if the life we are living is the best for us or will the yearning to be an alternate you fulfill those aches.

The Rainfall Market is a whimsical fantasy novel that invites readers into a magical realm where desires for a better life can be fulfilled—at a cost. The story follows Serin, who receives a coveted golden ticket to the elusive Rainfall Market. There, she encounters a mystical cat companion, Issha, and explores various shops offering new lives encapsulated in Dokkaebi Orbs. Serin's journey is a quest for self-discovery, as she navigates the enchanting yet perilous market to find her ideal existence. This book is a light, enchanting read that explores themes of self-worth, contentment, and the complexities of choice, making it suitable for fans of cozy magical realism and allegorical storytelling.

This book was a really interesting read for me - the magical place of the Rainfall Market; a mysterious place run by Dokkaebi - is only one on the first day of the rainy season and it is the place where you can exchange your life for a new glass orb in order to get the life that you wish for.

It's very magical and whimsy with the way that is written and I found myself rather enjoying the lightheartedness and the magic. Issha, the magical spirit cat guide also completely charmed and stole my heart - was a creature! It was almost like a blend of Willy Wonka, the Wishing Game, and the Magic Library mixed together with some added whimsy.

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group, Ace publishing, and Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, this was a cute story. I found the first 25% to be very unique and engaging, but after that, it really dragged a bit for me. The ending was a bit convoluted, maybe because of the ensemble cast or maybe due to translation. I think I anticipated a more whimsical version of The Midnight Library, but this one did not emotionally impact me like that one did.

Thank you so much to the publisher & Netgalley for an early copy of this ebook!

I think this is perfect for fans of The Midnight Library looking for a cozy fantasy rooted in Korean literature. For me however, I found myself at the halfway point wishing for something more as it felt like we were going in circles with this plot.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2UWB1r7/

This book is so sweet and soft and gentle and I think it could help a lot of people find happiness. I loved the whimsy and magic of the story but I just wish there was MORE whimsy and more magic. It was so lovely, like floating on a cloud.

This book was a bit boring for me. There was nothing *wrong* with it, but there also wasn't anything right with it. The premise sounded really promising, but the writing ended up being lackluster. It felt a bit juvenile, honestly. Now, did it make it easy to read? Yes. Did it also make it uninteresting? Also yes.

If you're looking for something digestible, this is it, but if you're looking for something meaty, seek elsewhere.

This was absolutely beautiful! I love all that there is to this magical Rainfall Market; especially seeing how each character has a unique job that depends on humans. A very creative and fun story to unfold.
In exchange for her misfortunes, Serin is able to swap for a better life. Issha, her magical cat companion shows Serin what her life could be like through magic orbs; but there's something that's following them...

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the arc!

This one was just ok for me. A sweet (YA?) story with a nice message, interesting characters and a semi-engaging plot … so, I’m going to blame my feelings of “meh” over this one on the fact that I’m not really a fantasy, magical realism kind of gal. I do enjoy a story like this now and then if all the ingredients fall into place and the story gives me the depth I need for a nice escape … but I just couldn’t really connect here. I do appreciate that it moves quickly and I never felt lost or bored. Overall it’s not a bad read and I’m sure many readers will probably enjoy this cozy fantasy.

2.5 stars. I enjoyed the concept of this story but the writing style was oversimplified in a way I was not expecting. It read like a middle grade story, so if it's intended to be for a middle grade audience it's fine, but I believe it's presented as a novel for adults. The story is told from the POV of a young girl, the stakes feel low, and any "danger" feels obvious in a childlike way.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.

A South Korean girl named Serin reads a book about a magical place called The Rainfall Market run by human-like people called the Dokkaebi where one can purchase a glass orb containing the life they wish for. Her favorite radio program has a segment called Stories from the Listeners where one listener’s letter of their personal hardships earns them a ticket to The Rainfall Market.

Serin writes the show a letter sharing that her father died when she was young, her little sister ran away, she has no friends, and she can’t see any good prospects for her future. When her letter is chosen, she begins an unimaginable adventure to the Rainfall Market where pursuing the dream life she wants may be more dangerous than she could’ve imagined when someone there stops playing by the rules!

You Yeong-Gwang’s debut caught my eye frankly because of its beautiful cover and also because I’ve been craving something different than my typical thrillers and rom-coms lately. The magical realism, thought-provoking feel-good story line, light touch of fantasy and cast of fun characters was just what I needed. The cherry on top? A magical, size-changing spirit guide cat named Issha that behaves more like a puppy and completely stole my heart!

The writing is fairly simple and some have suggested it felt suited to a middle grade audience. Whether that’s a translation issue or just the way it’s written, I didn’t find it to be too young for an adult audience despite the MC being a teen or school-aged (I'm not sure of her exact age). It had shades of Willy Wonka and Meg Shaffer’s The Wishing Game with the winning ticket scenario and whimsical setting. It also had the philosophical bent of Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library concerning the opportunity to “try on” different lives. Throw in a little magic and a thread of mystery, and it was a fun read.

Serin’s story of youthful self-discovery mixed with found family, adventure, mild peril and an adorable kitty companion made this a charming and sweet read, and the ending was so touching! Read the author’s note if you get a chance. His own experience is quite inspiring!

Serin is lonely. Her sister is far away, her mother is too busy to care for her, and they don't have enough money for Serin to go to university. So, Serin writes to The Rainfall Market hoping they will grant her wish, and they do! Serin travels to a world where she must collect orbs in search of her true wish. She and a cat, Issha, make this journey together, but Serin doesn't realize that she is being used. This is a story where the character must look deeply into themself and determine what is important. Is it a job, money, or is there something more?
A nice, easy fantasy story, however I thought the writing was somewhat stilted. A good message, though.

Serin’s life is not great. She lost her father when she was young, her sister has run away, and despite her mother always working, there is never enough money. Serin finds comfort in Taeknowdo, but little else. Still, she has hope and dreams of a rumored place that may only exist in legend. A place where you can sell your misfortunes for a chance at a different life - The Rainfall Market.

What I loved most about this book is the atmosphere and setting. The author does such a great job of describing the various worlds we find ourselves in so it really feels like you’re there with Serin and Issha, my favorite character. Serin definitely goes on a journey in The Rainfall Market. We meet an interesting cast of characters, and facd challenges and a bit of a mystery along the way. We follow Serin through a lot of different orbs as she figures out what exactly she wants from her life, and though I found parts a bit repetitive, I’m glad she ends up exactly where she’s meant to be. I love the way this book wrapped up.

While this may have been too cozy for me, if you enjoy books like Water Moon, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and other translated works please be sure to check out The Rainfall Market.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a review copy.

This is what I would call a cozy fantasy. If you go to the rainfall market, you have the chance to find what you want. Sarah gets a ticket to the rainfall market, but only has a week to find what would make her happy in the future or she disappears. It’s an interesting book with fascinating character. Characters and the world is magical and cozy at the same time.

This was such a lovely book! It kind of read like a middle grade one, it was so easy to get into! It felt magical and surreal, and for a moment I was completely transported. Definitely a book I can recommend!

I'll admit that I was originally drawn to this book because of the cover - I've got a soft spot for the ones that include cats on them, as this one does. When I saw the title and read the synopsis, however, my anticipation was heightened for this new release because it sounded exactly like something that would be right up my alley.

Luckily, it turns out that this cozy, fantastical story was, indeed, much to my tastes overall. It's a simple tale of a magical journey undertaken by the main character; it's shorter and more plot-forward, but that works for the type of story it is... especially if the reader who picks it up is ready to just go with the flow the way that I was when I picked it up. I enjoyed wandering The Rainfall Market, meeting the various dokkaebi and magical creatures and experiencing the magic of this world.

The thing that really stuck with me though are two of the main themes touched upon, namely figuring out what you really want in life and a shift in the perspective with which you view the life you currently have. These are things that I've wrestled with myself in my own life (and fully expect that it'll happen again), so I was intrigued to see how it would play out for main character Serin.

While I enjoyed reading The Rainfall Market, it's not a new favorite simply because I wasn't emotionally invested in the main character. I can certainly appreciate the appeal of this book, however. I'm confident that other readers will enjoy this too, especially given the story is relatable, (mostly) wholesome with a bit of a fairytale feel and on the shorter side.

This was a very interesting book. The world building was great, but reading on kindle made the list and description of characters less useful for me. The writing felt almost simplistic, like a middle grade story but it was for adults, but I wonder if that had to do with the translation of it. In this world there is a house and if you mail a letter containing all of the horrible parts of your life you may be selected with a ticket to go to the Rainfell Market to exchange your life for another, better one. Our protagonist sends in her letter and gets a golden ticket and heads off to change her fortune. The story was sweet and while it was a bit predictable it was fun. Overall I gave this one 3.5 stars which I rounded up because it is totally possible the translation is what stopped me from truly loving it. Even with that it was a very quick read and definitely enjoyable.