REVIEW: IVY INTROSPECTIVE by Kellyn Roth!

Saturday, July 18, 2020

REVIEW: IVY INTROSPECTIVE by Kellyn Roth!

Hey everyone! Today I have a review for Kellyn Roth's brand-new release, Ivy Introspective, which is the second book in the Alice & Ivy series (the first book being The Dressmaker's Secret, which I loved!) Make sure to check out this novel and shelf it on Goodreads, and make sure to stick around for my review!

BLURB

In a world that doesn’t understand her, how can she grow?

Ivy Knight lives her life in a blur of confusion as the world passes her by in a tumultuous melody. She isn’t the perfect daughter or student, but as long as she can be with her family, she doesn’t mind watching rather than living.

Mrs. Chattoway treasures both of her granddaughters now that they’re reunited. When Ivy’s parents enroll her in a Scottish school for unique children, she’s happy to chaperone.

In a new place with a new guardian, Ivy discovers a special talent that helps her see the blurred world in a new way. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and Ivy becomes determined to find it—and help others do the same.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kellyn Roth is a Christian historical women’s fiction & romance author from North-Eastern Oregon who loves border collies. A ranch girl with a love for storytelling, she’s been writing since she was seven and published since she was fourteen.

Kell lives in the country outside a small town in North-Eastern Oregon with her family, cat, and three puppy-dogs. When not writing, she teaches writing and talks about writing, but she also enjoys other things. She just can’t think of any right now.

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MY REVIEW

This book...hurts and I love it. It provides a realistic and historically-accurate view of the treatment of people with mental health problems in that time period...and in the case of Ivy, if I'm being honest, it's an issue that lasts today. Ivy struggles with people who are either unable to see her potential - or flat-out believe she's little more than a mindless beast, all because of her differences -- and she blames herself for all of it. As Ivy struggles to settle into her new life with a father, minus her Nettie, she's quickly uprooted again and set to an institute in Scotland so she might learn about herself. The story from there on out expands greatly; she learns that she isn't alone in her problems, nor should she blame herself for others misunderstanding her; and readers get to watch her grow and even take up the challenge of helping others who live there, namely a girl named Violet who deals with struggles that no one should have to. It's beautiful and uplifting to see Ivy grow into herself -- she doesn't have to fix her brain or her condition, but rather, she has to accept her differences as well as the help that others offer her so that she *can* grow. Likewise, she has to help Violet in many of the same ways. Lots of excellent themes evolving around faith, healing, mental health, and disability awareness, and helping others. The perspective of Ivy is also written very well, considering that she's a child -- plus a child with a different viewpoint on life, to boot.

And basically, I love Ivy and want to wrap her up in a zillion blankets and give her all the cookies. Overall, this book blends very well with the storyline of The Dressmaker's Secret, and I can't wait to read more in the series! Definitely an easy 5 stars from me.

Have you read any of the Alice & Ivy series?

Make sure to follow along the blog tour!