First Sons and Last Daughters

5-star Badge Recipient from Readers’ Favorite

An extraordinary literary novel driven by incredible characters, First Sons and Last Daughters by Samar Reine intimately explores the intricacies of family relationships and marriage. As her biological son, Gideon, comes up with new ways of destroying the family, Peyton Chase feels torn between protecting the rest of her family and including him in their lives. Gideon’s malice drives a wedge between Peyton and her husband, Adler. As the gap between the couple widens, Peyton’s first love reappears in her life, offering her a different, less complicated path. The feelings she had for Ashton threaten to re-emerge. Still, she remembers the earlier joys of her marriage and is not ready to let go. Different events continue to rock Adler and Peyton’s marriage and she must decide which course to follow.

Reine charts the characters’ lives with remarkable skill, drawing them together through their family ties. Peyton’s internal struggles, which are deepened by her difficult relationship with Gideon and her struggling marriage, are skillfully unveiled. The breathtaking landscapes of New Mexico and California are described in lush detail that left me feeling as if I had traveled to these places. The novel brims with romance, conflict, joy, friendship, and love, deftly blending the lives of its characters and creating a cohesive and memorable story. Set against stunning backgrounds and told through a rich set of characters, First Sons and Last Daughters by Samar Reine is a splendid novel that will remain in readers’ minds and hearts long after reading it.

2) Publishers' Weekly BookLife Editor's Pick (https://booklife.com/project/first-sons-and-last-daughters-89049)

Set in a New Mexico where the ““the sun melt[s] behind the blue mountains, oozing streaks of gold and violet,” Reine’s suspenseful but humane domestic drama, the second in the Pioneer Ranch series (after She Died Then Showed Me), centers on a mother, the successful artist Peyton, and her and her family’s dread of her youngest son, “the dreaded Gideon,” a pugnacious and aggrieved know-it-all who locals joke “might be possessed.” Reine builds up to Gideon’s arrival in the story, on the occasion of a dinner celebrating his showjumping, veterinarian-to-be sister Bryce, with unsettling power, establishing a desert ranch world of good taste, loving mixed family, Art in America interviews, and disquiet about Gideon’s imminent entrance, which is announced by nothing less than “skidding wheels, crunching metal, and shattering porcelain.”

Reine again showcases an ability to touchingly weave sorrow, grief, humor, and love with complex and resonant blended family dynamics and an eye for environments, especially physical landscapes. While the opening chapters might seem to paint Gideon as an antagonist or even villain, an agent of discord speaking viciousness he seems to believe is truth, Reine is too shrewd and empathetic to keep things simple. As the pages quickly pass, and the story seems to edge toward tragedy, readers get a deeper look into these people, their pasts, and their rifts, the central relationship as rocky yet fascinating as the terrain on which they live.

Fearlessly untangling the complexities of relationships, loss, and perseverance, this is a novel that is both hopeful and relatable. Peyton’s marriage to cowboy Blake, who is not Gideon’s father, is eventually put to the test as they navigate the destruction left by her son. Her identity as an artist is threatened, a bitter rivalry ensues, an old love returns, and Peyton finds herself facing hard choices and opposing paths. The magical realism, respectful interest in Navajo and Ute cultures, and deep spirituality contribute in bringing captivating depth to every character.

Takeaway: Stellar family drama of an artist mother, a difficult son, and hard choices.

Comparable Titles: Lynn Spreen; Marylee MacDonald’s Montpelier Tomorrow.

Production grades

Cover: A

Design and typography: A

Illustrations: N/A

Editing: A

Marketing copy: A

3) The Midwest Book Review - Diane Donovan:

First Sons and Last Daughters is the second book in the Pioneer Ranch saga. The story of Peyton Chase's motherhood and artistic achievement is laced with a vivid, thought-provoking consideration of a threat from within: her cruel son.

From the novel's opening lines, with their burst of reflective exuberance, Samar Reine's poetic, descriptive touch is evident:

"Peyton gazed at the raw beauty of Abiquiu through the wide windows of her studio. The early hour of crushed peaches and raspberries had passed, leaving behind an aqua desert sky. Eagles swooping over herds of oryx and ibex mirrored her life, and she considered what hunted her and what she chased. The people of Pioneer Ranch—those who had consecrated its grounds, and those who had sprung from it—were her solace. Her father’s words resonated, reminding her that life tried her, and she wondered why she still deserved to be tested. He’d say, “Hardship foils or is foiled, prevails or is prevailed on.” Her memory banks flooded with the booms and busts of her life until an incoming video call whirled her from her trance."

Reine's ability to capture the flavors, sights, and psychology of her characters lends a compelling feel to this story of dangerous attractions, relationships, and family dynamics that wind from past to present, leading Peyton into new and dangerous territory in romance and family ties.

The jealousies, ambitions, and special interests of each individual come to life in a story that winds through friendships, attractions, and adversity. A husband and wife's relationship is more than tested by a contentious offspring and each's own life changes, which are probed with a powerful pen that unfolds compelling descriptions:

“In death, we’re free of anguish, free of everything but the love we leave behind.” Peyton bowed her head, her nose burning. “All that sweat, insightful advice, and his assurance that we can overcome wasn’t wasted. It lives in us and in our children.”

The legacies love and loss create also contribute to the evolution of places and the ripple effect of lives transformed by experience as First Sons and Last Daughters traverses family battles and realizations gleaned from the clash of disparate natures:

“Do you think you need to forgive yourself for what you believe contributed to his behavior, and forgive me too? We might not have handled every situation perfectly, but we did our best. Can you accept that only he has the power to improve himself?”

The ideal of achieving a big, happy family is continually attacked; yet underlying this goal is a sense of reality and correlations that are fostered by adaptation and healing.

As an addition to the series, First Sons and Last Daughters expands upon personalities and family connections; but as a stand-alone read, newcomers will find its messages astute and worthy of discussion among book club readers interested in evolving family dynamics and issues surrounding adaptation.

First Sons and Last Daughters is well versed in history, a sense of place (California and New Mexico), and the undercurrents of change that lead a family to important pivot points and readers to consider the lasting impact of disparate relationships on life meaning and choices.

Libraries seeking a novel that exemplifies family dynamics at their best and worst will find First Sons and Last Daughters a powerful addition to their collections. It's highly recommended for its astute, poetic descriptions of personal demons that can even arrive in the guise and promise of family connections.