Book Review #23: Lo! Jacaranda by Harry Freiermuth

Hey ya'll,
So I had the pleasure of reading Lo! Jacaranda by Harry Freiermuth and it changed my perspective on life.

Lo! Jacaranda is a Gypsy/Spanish tale that discusses the life of a girl named Jacaranda who is thought to be the daughter of a wealthy ranchero owner and his deceased wife, but as life would have it she is really the product of an affair between her wealthy father and his gypsy lover, Safira. And gypsy's in this story are viewed to be considered second class citizens.

What I really loved about this tale is how realistic and original this storyline is! I felt that Freiermuth did an excellent job conveying both the destructive and hopefulness of freedom and what freedom entails. I don't want to spoil everything, but it was nice to see a character that is in a scenario that has likely happened. I feel that because of how realistic the storyline was it made this book touch the heart of readers a lot more.

A character that I enjoyed was the overall villain of this story which is Jacaranda's half brother Christabo. I never rooted for him and his devious acts to succeed, but it was nice to see the dynamics of this character. Not only was he very mean to the people who have a gypsy heritage that worked on his father's ranch, but he was one of the main factors that led to his sister's marriage falling apart. Christabo is definitely one of the top 10 villains that I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

Another character that I thought was essential to this story was Grast who is the "boyfriend" of Safira. Grast seemed like a flat character at the beginning of this story and I felt that he began to come into his own near the end. I liked how Grast became this indirect father-figure for Jacaranda. Most would assume that he did look after Jacaranda to please Safira, but I felt that he did all that he did for Jacaranda due to him being an incredibly kind person. It really is Grast that helps Jacaranda find safety along with a few others from the Spanish Inquisition once she is discovered to share a gypsy heritage with her mother and is made out to be a traitor by her brother Christabo.

Jacaranda has to prove her strength of mind and heart as she fights for her freedom and evades slavery.

When I got my hands on this book I could not stop reading it! I love these characters and how they have grown. And I would definitely read this book again....and again.

Until Next Time ;*

Rating: *****

Sanford Bundle Review!

Hey ya'll,
So I received some awesome writing products from #Sanford carried by online retailer #Shoplet. As a writer I prefer to have mechanical pencils by my side over the average wooden pencils and when I received #Papermate mechanical pencils with college right around the corner it was as if my prayers were being answered. I don't know if most writers are like I am, but when I receive new writing utensils I have the urge to use them as soon as they are in my hand.


I have to say that I am in love with the new style of #Papermate mechanical pencils. I love the fact that these mechanical pencils are made out of 1.3 mm lead which is carried by most stores so that purchasers of this product can easily find refills if their pencil runs out. Also, because of this product having 1.3 mm lead there is a less chance of a breakage occurring which provides relief to those who are used to using pencils that either require to be sharpened a lot or don't have a thick enough lead that won't break as often. The #Papermate mechanical pencil is the perfect writing tool for any and every standardized test that students may need to take. In addition, it has this new style that mimics old-school pencils, but with better efficiency.

On top of receiving the #Papermate mechanical pencils I also received their pens as well. A few highlights to the #Papermate pens that I appreciated was the fact that they have red caps on each pen so that the pen itself doesn't run out so that each consumer gets a fresh product. And I loved how thick the ink is! When I was writing with this product everything showed up clearly and I did not have to scribble on the page to test the pen. And I have to also commend the fact that there were no ink smudges made on my fingers either. It was nice to go ink free for once.

The next products I received were the #Sharpie and the #Papermate correction tape. I feel that #Sharpies are nice to have because they allow students and writers to highlight important things. While the #Papermate correction tape allowed me the opportunity to correct mistakes. A lot of the time I find myself meaning to write one thing and instead I write down another thought that I didn't mean to. So the #Papermate correction tape has been very essential for me so that I don't have to start my writing all over or reprint something just so I an get rid of minor mistakes.

I implore everyone to get these products now from the #Sanford brand which can be found on the online e-tailer  #Shoplet website! With school around the corner and adults heading back to work after a much needed vacation this is the perfect writing tools to have by your side. And if you don't need writing utensils at the moment just know that #Shoplet also sales an assortment of Office, Cleaning, and Medical supplies along with Office furniture.


Rating: *****