I was offered an ARC of Amelia Wilson's newest title Rune Master (book two in her Rune Series) in exchange for an honest review. I had not read the first book in the series, Rune Sword, but was assured that the second book could be read as a standalone book. While I found this was absolutely true, I also found that I enjoyed the book well enough, and that there were enough references to the first story in the second, that I went back and read the first book, as well. So here you have a two-for-one review of both titles.
Rune Sword tells the story of museum curator Nika Graves who obtains a position in charge of a new Viking exhibit on loan from the Royal Museum of Stockholm. While the details regarding the identity of this Viking hero's burial tomb remain unknown, the priceless pieces are recognized as invaluable, and, as such, are heavily guarded. Because the exhibit is on loan, a group of special operatives have been sent by the Swedish government to further protect this newly-discovered Viking treasure. Not long after the exhibit's opening, the museum is robbed and one treasured item, the Rune Sword, is stolen. With the help of Erik Thorvald, the leader of the Swedish Special Operative Group, and his fellow soldiers, Nika must find and return the stolen sword if she hopes to protect not only her job, but also her life and the well-being of innocent citizens all over. In the meantime, she learns about a whole world of supernatural beings and ancient forces to which she was previously oblivious. While searching for the sword, she inevitably falls for the irresistibly attractive Erik, and finds herself more entangled with this supernatural world than she ever could have thought possible. Nika must do some soul-searching of her own if she wishes to hash out her feelings, navigate this new world of paranormal beings, and, most importantly, recover and return the Rune Sword to its rightful burial place.
Rune Master picks up where Rune Sword leaves off, though either story can be read as standalone titles, as well. In Rune Master, Nika and Erik continue their story together, this time in Sweden where the Viking exhibit - now complete again with the return of the Rune Sword - has been returned to the Royal Museum of Stockholm. Nika transfers her career to this museum in order to continue her deeply-rooted, longterm relationship with Erik. He is quickly called away on military duty while Nika is left to parse out her new life with her newly acquired abilities in her new home of Stockholm on her own. Unexpectedly, Nika soon discovers some like-minded Viking enthusiasts working within the museum to whom she feels both compelled to befriend, yet also seem to have intentions and motives about which she remains skeptical. It is not long before tragedy strikes and Nika must learn to use her newly discovered supernatural powers to fight alongside Erik once more to protect the museum and the world against the reincarnated ancient powers.
Wilson's story plays on the backs of other recent pop culture re-tellings of ancient Norse mythology. In the vein of Rick Riordan's Magnus Chase series and of Marvel Comics recent silver-screen remake of the Thor comics (along with many other movie, television, musical, and literary allusions to these myths), Wilson puts her own spin on these well-known tales in an attempt to make the stories fresh for her readers. While I'm not well-versed in the details regarding Norse mythology (and so cannot speak to how historically and religiously accurate the details in Wilson's story actually are), the details that I was unsure of were quickly learned through easy Google and Wikipedia searches which provided me a deeper understanding of the world of the Norse gods and seemed, at least at the surface level, to match up accurately.
Both stories are very short reads. They are told through a third-person omniscient narrator, but the focus alternates between Nika's and Erik's perspectives. Wilson weaves elements of Norse mythology in with vampire legends to create a world that is overly supernatural, but still seems to work in the context of the this series.
As with many of Amelia Wilson's previous titles that I've encountered, I found the story line compelling, but felt that there were many missed opportunities for deeper development. The stories seem to happen too fast, and the climax of each story leaves me wanting more. Wilson has a penchant for coming up with plots that draw a reader through to the end, but the stories often feel rushed to completion instead of elaborating on details, background stories, and action-packed "big-boss" style fights. The resolution always comes too soon for me in her works.
CAUTION: SLIGHT SPOILER: As with most romance titles I read, I find the pet names too mushy and the romantic build too shallow. I do, however, understand that within the context of this story the souls of Nika and Erik are meant to be together throughout time which, in itself, is a romantic concept that I find too far-fetched in most novels. Personally, I just find it unlikely that a woman in distress would pull a stranger into bed with her only to realize that he is her soul mate and then be ready to jump into his supernatural world and life with no hesitance. I know this sounds trite considering I am able to willingly suspend my disbelief for paranormal beings, but nonetheless I find myself internally eye-rolling at the overly-romantic scenes throughout.
While there are some parts of the story that I personally did not care for, and there were some moments that left me wanting more, these elements do not detract from the overall read of the story. I still suggest that anyone looking for a quick, mythology-based, romance-style light read pick these titles up, and I anticipate the upcoming release of Rune Hunter, the next installment in this Rune Series.
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Friday, December 23, 2016
Book Review: Nothing is Predictable by Adaline Mae
I was honored when author Adalina Mae reached out to me on Instagram and asked me if I would review a copy of her debut title Nothing is Predictable. The story delineates the life and struggles of Zara, a Lebanese-American woman whose childhood trauma follows her throughout her life. The story opens to Zara enjoying adulthood abroad, then backtracks through the tragedies, heartbreaks, and victories of her life which bring her to this opening moment. The reader is carried through Zara's first-person accounts of abuse, love, loss, betrayal, self-determination, career success, adventure, and a plethora of other life obstacles that help the reader to understand the strong, independent woman who narrates the story.
I appreciated the multicultural diversity of Adalina Mae's story. In today's world, especially living in America in the 21st century, one would be hard-pressed to miss the wide array of cultural and ethnic backgrounds that comprise our unitary, yet divisive, society. Author's like Adalina Mae attempt to bring multicultural awareness to the forefront of society through writing. As Mae's main character Zara travels between the United States, Lebanon, and even through other European adventures, the reader is introduced to a multitude of characters whose backgrounds are quite different. Mae is able to present these characters interacting in a way that unites the diversity of the world, while still subtly addressing issues such as religious conflicts, Islamaphobia, and the struggles that arise from culturally-diverse (and long distance) partnerships. Each of these hot-button topics are worldwide social concerns for many, and by presenting them through fiction many readers are better able to understand how to live in such a diverse world platform.
As noted, the main character is a Lebanese-American woman. She spends much of her time in these two parts of the world which is where Mae concentrates most of the writing. A reader is quick to infer that the author herself is personally invested in these two cultures, as these are the two cultures that receive the most detail and explanation throughout the story. For example, in some of the opening chapters, Zara explains her childhood in Lebanon and often refers to culturally-specific references of places and food. These are details that anyone familiar with this region and culture would be quick to understand, but as a reader who is ignorant to many cultures outside of my own (not for wont of trying, just due to the sheer breadth of cultural diversity in the world) I somewhat appreciated the times that the author was able to explain some of these references. However, there were other times that these explanatory tangents seemed to detract from the flow of the story. I sometimes found myself wishing for a more seamless showing through imagery and detail rather than an explanatory side note provided through the narrative that seemed to diverge from the fluidity of the plot. Even so, I appreciated that Mae made the effort to ensure that all of her readers, regardless of background or experience, could access the details of Zara's life.
Zara as a character, even without all of the life events that happen to and around her, is a very complex character. Being a culturally diverse character, she is often presented as feeling "other" - a feeling that many readers can identify with in one way or another. When Zara spends time in America, she feels out of place when returning to Lebanon. After living in Lebanon, she feels out of place when she comes back to America. To add to this, Zara is much younger than all of her siblings, but much older than her next youngest relatives, which leaves her in this continual in-between. She is not overly feminine in a way that separates her on a certain level from other female characters throughout, but it is also clear that the male characters do not accept her into the world of masculinity, either. This liminal space in which Zara lives her entire life contributes heavily to her continued search for belonging. The whole story is about her search for a sense of stability through seeking answers to life-long unanswered questions, career advancements and changes, adventuring into (and out of) multiple relationships, and many other soul-searching endeavors. In it's entirety, one can appreciate the arc of Zara's journey and the self-realizations she comes to at the end of the novel about her family, her life, her relationships and -most importantly - her own being.
While the overall unity of the novel is revealed at the end, I found myself consistently questioning the importance of individual aspects of the story. While the narrative flows linearly and Mae clearly explains the different times in Zara's life with smooth transitions and concrete dates, it still reads somewhat disjointed for me. Through many of Zara's life stories, I felt that I was just jumping from one individualized story to the next at a too-rapid pace. It wasn't until the end of the story (the last two to three chapters) where each of the pieces makes more sense. It is in these last pages when Zara, herself, is finally able to grasp some meaning and understanding from each of her life milestones, so I can understand that the pace of the story matches Zara's own (lack of) self-realization. However, I still felt that as a reader I needed much more depth, detail, and emotion from each of Zara's life stories. Zara is such a busy, entrepreneurial go-getter that she consistently takes on a lot throughout the story. Aside from the four or five different men that she tries to settle down with (at different times), she also attends and graduates from university and uses her diploma for a short while, leaves that behind and has a booming career as a musician for a stretch of her life, and eventually settles that down to run a managing agency for other artists. All of this happens simultaneously with the aforementioned relationships/marriages, her study of martial arts, her taking care of her sick mother, her traveling the world, and her adventure into self-discovery. I often wanted more out of each of these different plot points and I wanted more of an understanding of how they all intermingled within her life together rather than as separate individualized stories. Because there was a lack of cohesion among these different parts, it made Zara feel less authentic to me because I didn't see how any one person could take on this much in life and still find success in so many areas when the average person struggles with one, regular nine-to-five job and still can't seem to afford time off to vacation or even visit family, let alone take care of them. More development, or less breadth in terms of Zara's endeavors, might have made this feel more real for me.
Along with this lack of intertwining of Zara's multifaceted lifestyle, Mae's writing style was hard for me to get into at first. The narrative was much more straight forward and formal than what I am used to reading. Most information was presented directly to the reader in an informative manner. There were few instances where I felt I was being led to information, few places where I was to use information to infer about the story, and very little that I picked up on in terms of symbolism or metaphor. It was a telling story rather than a leading story, which many readers find much more accessible. I, personally, am used to a different style of writing, but once I became familiar with the tone of the piece and Zara's narrative voice, it was much easier through the remainder of the novel.
Overall, the story was a very quick read. Because there is a consistent adventure that Zara is going on, it kept me reading to see what she was going to do or get into next. However, as noted previously, many of these plot points felt rushed and underdeveloped. Many of the relationships that Zara enters into throughout the story seem extremely rushed as there is little in terms of build up and back story with each new suitor. As well, while her musical career and passion for martial arts are consistently brought up throughout the novel as important aspects of her character, there are only a few minor story lines that bring deeper understanding to these facets of her life. As such, I was left with many unanswered questions about so many of these plot pieces that I hope to have answered in the sequel.
For anyone looking for a quick read in the vain of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love where one woman goes through much of what life has to offer and comes out the other end a changed individual, then this is the story to pick up. The story is available in paperback through Amazon and Barnes & Noble and in eBook through Kindle, Kobo, and iBooks.
I appreciated the multicultural diversity of Adalina Mae's story. In today's world, especially living in America in the 21st century, one would be hard-pressed to miss the wide array of cultural and ethnic backgrounds that comprise our unitary, yet divisive, society. Author's like Adalina Mae attempt to bring multicultural awareness to the forefront of society through writing. As Mae's main character Zara travels between the United States, Lebanon, and even through other European adventures, the reader is introduced to a multitude of characters whose backgrounds are quite different. Mae is able to present these characters interacting in a way that unites the diversity of the world, while still subtly addressing issues such as religious conflicts, Islamaphobia, and the struggles that arise from culturally-diverse (and long distance) partnerships. Each of these hot-button topics are worldwide social concerns for many, and by presenting them through fiction many readers are better able to understand how to live in such a diverse world platform.
As noted, the main character is a Lebanese-American woman. She spends much of her time in these two parts of the world which is where Mae concentrates most of the writing. A reader is quick to infer that the author herself is personally invested in these two cultures, as these are the two cultures that receive the most detail and explanation throughout the story. For example, in some of the opening chapters, Zara explains her childhood in Lebanon and often refers to culturally-specific references of places and food. These are details that anyone familiar with this region and culture would be quick to understand, but as a reader who is ignorant to many cultures outside of my own (not for wont of trying, just due to the sheer breadth of cultural diversity in the world) I somewhat appreciated the times that the author was able to explain some of these references. However, there were other times that these explanatory tangents seemed to detract from the flow of the story. I sometimes found myself wishing for a more seamless showing through imagery and detail rather than an explanatory side note provided through the narrative that seemed to diverge from the fluidity of the plot. Even so, I appreciated that Mae made the effort to ensure that all of her readers, regardless of background or experience, could access the details of Zara's life.
Zara as a character, even without all of the life events that happen to and around her, is a very complex character. Being a culturally diverse character, she is often presented as feeling "other" - a feeling that many readers can identify with in one way or another. When Zara spends time in America, she feels out of place when returning to Lebanon. After living in Lebanon, she feels out of place when she comes back to America. To add to this, Zara is much younger than all of her siblings, but much older than her next youngest relatives, which leaves her in this continual in-between. She is not overly feminine in a way that separates her on a certain level from other female characters throughout, but it is also clear that the male characters do not accept her into the world of masculinity, either. This liminal space in which Zara lives her entire life contributes heavily to her continued search for belonging. The whole story is about her search for a sense of stability through seeking answers to life-long unanswered questions, career advancements and changes, adventuring into (and out of) multiple relationships, and many other soul-searching endeavors. In it's entirety, one can appreciate the arc of Zara's journey and the self-realizations she comes to at the end of the novel about her family, her life, her relationships and -most importantly - her own being.
While the overall unity of the novel is revealed at the end, I found myself consistently questioning the importance of individual aspects of the story. While the narrative flows linearly and Mae clearly explains the different times in Zara's life with smooth transitions and concrete dates, it still reads somewhat disjointed for me. Through many of Zara's life stories, I felt that I was just jumping from one individualized story to the next at a too-rapid pace. It wasn't until the end of the story (the last two to three chapters) where each of the pieces makes more sense. It is in these last pages when Zara, herself, is finally able to grasp some meaning and understanding from each of her life milestones, so I can understand that the pace of the story matches Zara's own (lack of) self-realization. However, I still felt that as a reader I needed much more depth, detail, and emotion from each of Zara's life stories. Zara is such a busy, entrepreneurial go-getter that she consistently takes on a lot throughout the story. Aside from the four or five different men that she tries to settle down with (at different times), she also attends and graduates from university and uses her diploma for a short while, leaves that behind and has a booming career as a musician for a stretch of her life, and eventually settles that down to run a managing agency for other artists. All of this happens simultaneously with the aforementioned relationships/marriages, her study of martial arts, her taking care of her sick mother, her traveling the world, and her adventure into self-discovery. I often wanted more out of each of these different plot points and I wanted more of an understanding of how they all intermingled within her life together rather than as separate individualized stories. Because there was a lack of cohesion among these different parts, it made Zara feel less authentic to me because I didn't see how any one person could take on this much in life and still find success in so many areas when the average person struggles with one, regular nine-to-five job and still can't seem to afford time off to vacation or even visit family, let alone take care of them. More development, or less breadth in terms of Zara's endeavors, might have made this feel more real for me.
Along with this lack of intertwining of Zara's multifaceted lifestyle, Mae's writing style was hard for me to get into at first. The narrative was much more straight forward and formal than what I am used to reading. Most information was presented directly to the reader in an informative manner. There were few instances where I felt I was being led to information, few places where I was to use information to infer about the story, and very little that I picked up on in terms of symbolism or metaphor. It was a telling story rather than a leading story, which many readers find much more accessible. I, personally, am used to a different style of writing, but once I became familiar with the tone of the piece and Zara's narrative voice, it was much easier through the remainder of the novel.
Overall, the story was a very quick read. Because there is a consistent adventure that Zara is going on, it kept me reading to see what she was going to do or get into next. However, as noted previously, many of these plot points felt rushed and underdeveloped. Many of the relationships that Zara enters into throughout the story seem extremely rushed as there is little in terms of build up and back story with each new suitor. As well, while her musical career and passion for martial arts are consistently brought up throughout the novel as important aspects of her character, there are only a few minor story lines that bring deeper understanding to these facets of her life. As such, I was left with many unanswered questions about so many of these plot pieces that I hope to have answered in the sequel.
For anyone looking for a quick read in the vain of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love where one woman goes through much of what life has to offer and comes out the other end a changed individual, then this is the story to pick up. The story is available in paperback through Amazon and Barnes & Noble and in eBook through Kindle, Kobo, and iBooks.
Monday, December 5, 2016
Book Review: Melody's Key by Dallas Coryell
I was fortunate to receive a review copy of Dallas Coryell's debut novel Melody's Key which was just realeased in June of this year. While romance is not my go-to genre, I find myself reading much more of it lately than I used to, and was intrigued when this novel was offered to me. The story centers around the life of Tegan Lockwood, a young woman entangled in her family's economic desperation as they struggle to keep the family business - a bed and breakfast vacation destination in South England - and home from slipping away. Missing out on a chance at university and depriving herself of her innermost dreams, combined with the tragedies of the past and present, Tegan finds herself with a void that she is desperate to fill, but out of pure love and loyalty to her family, she sacrifices her own desires to stay home and help in any ways she can. Having kept her own desires bottled up for so long, she is shocked when she finds herself opening up to a surprise visitor for the summer - American pop star Mason Keane. Though she senses a connection between them, she doubts whether she can fully open up and trust someone fully.
The story itself is formulaic in the truest embodiment of a romantic comedy. The main character is a lovable, yet closed off female who has experienced bad relationships in the past that continue to haunt and taint her view of the present. She falls for what seems to be a bad boy only to find he is more sensitive than she ever imagined. She spends her time trying to find the flaws in her happiness and trying to determine if this new interest is real or ruse. Hi-jinks, heartache, and love ensue.
While the story itself holds little in terms of shock value, there are plenty of literary techniques that give the story a depth that I have found most other romance stories (especially from debut authors) often lack. Coryell's sentences are craftily constructed with beautifully descriptive language. His imagery and descriptors of the scenery of South England provide a clear picture, even to those (like me) who have never been there. The thought and effort he puts into each sentence shows his passion for writing and reads like a veteran author. As well, the symbolism of the titular key and of Tegan's prized letters are not lost to any literary analyst. It is no convenience that she only begins to open up after she loses the key to her own escapist romantic fantasy in the letters she finds in her family's attic. This perceived loss forces her to open up (key, lock, open up; are you getting it?) and create her own life rather than indulge in the love stories of the past. As well, the past love letters which she holds so dear at the beginning of the story juxtaposed with the letter she receives at the end of the story emphasize this symbolism. The elements in the story all combine to create a literary piece that shows his talent. Nothing in his storytelling feels rushed or thrown together, but rather artistically structured with a clear purpose in mind.
As both the main character and her love interest in the story are both musically motivated and inclined, Coryell intersperses the story with the original lyrics to the songs these characters write. While reading, I found myself blandly reading off the lyrics, but felt lost as to the rhythms and beat. Each time new lyrics would present themselves in the story, I felt myself longing for a soundtrack to accompany the reading (much like Jodi Picoult's Sing Me Home for those who are familiar with that title). I was pleased to know that Coryell brilliantly accomplished this through his other talents in the artistic medium of guitar. Readers can listen to the unique songs from the novel composed and performed by Dallas Coryell himself on his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/DallasCoryell1) while reading. The listening experience provides deeper insight into the emotions and passions behind the songs that simply reading the lyrics does not fully allow. Aside from the fact that his musical talents bring justice and beauty to the words on the page, Coryell's voice matches the descriptors of the voice of the character Mason to add authenticity to this musical component. The incorporation of a soundtrack of sorts once again provides a deeper layer to the novel that most other stories and authors completely overlook.
And what would a love story be without some carnal, primitive desires that bring the characters together in more than one way? In true millennial fashion, Coryell's dialogue incorporates sexual innuendos that provide comic relief to the sometimes tense subject matter of his storyline. It also gives this contemporary piece a grounding factor that demonstrates an authentic capturing of the time period, character profiles, and intended audience. The incorporation of sexual references in his novel does not feel forced (in an attempt to pander to a specific audience) nor does it feel out of place in the story (I sometimes find myself wondering where that came from in other stories I've read). It is also never so overtly profane as to make a non-genre regular feel uncomfortable (at least not this reader who has frankly avoided Fifty Shades of Grey for that specific reason).
All-in-all, the book is a compelling read that kept me wanting to know what happened next. I found myself thinking of the story when I was away from it and wanting more time to sit with it to get through more of the story. I'm forever grateful to Dallas Coryell for sharing his story with me and for sharing his art (both literary and musical) with the world. His book is available in both digital and print formats (https://www.amazon.com/Melodys-Key-Dallas-Coryell/dp/1533430217), has received 4.5 stars on both Amazon and Goodreads, and is highly recommended to any readers looking for a lovely (pun intended) read.
The story itself is formulaic in the truest embodiment of a romantic comedy. The main character is a lovable, yet closed off female who has experienced bad relationships in the past that continue to haunt and taint her view of the present. She falls for what seems to be a bad boy only to find he is more sensitive than she ever imagined. She spends her time trying to find the flaws in her happiness and trying to determine if this new interest is real or ruse. Hi-jinks, heartache, and love ensue.
While the story itself holds little in terms of shock value, there are plenty of literary techniques that give the story a depth that I have found most other romance stories (especially from debut authors) often lack. Coryell's sentences are craftily constructed with beautifully descriptive language. His imagery and descriptors of the scenery of South England provide a clear picture, even to those (like me) who have never been there. The thought and effort he puts into each sentence shows his passion for writing and reads like a veteran author. As well, the symbolism of the titular key and of Tegan's prized letters are not lost to any literary analyst. It is no convenience that she only begins to open up after she loses the key to her own escapist romantic fantasy in the letters she finds in her family's attic. This perceived loss forces her to open up (key, lock, open up; are you getting it?) and create her own life rather than indulge in the love stories of the past. As well, the past love letters which she holds so dear at the beginning of the story juxtaposed with the letter she receives at the end of the story emphasize this symbolism. The elements in the story all combine to create a literary piece that shows his talent. Nothing in his storytelling feels rushed or thrown together, but rather artistically structured with a clear purpose in mind.
As both the main character and her love interest in the story are both musically motivated and inclined, Coryell intersperses the story with the original lyrics to the songs these characters write. While reading, I found myself blandly reading off the lyrics, but felt lost as to the rhythms and beat. Each time new lyrics would present themselves in the story, I felt myself longing for a soundtrack to accompany the reading (much like Jodi Picoult's Sing Me Home for those who are familiar with that title). I was pleased to know that Coryell brilliantly accomplished this through his other talents in the artistic medium of guitar. Readers can listen to the unique songs from the novel composed and performed by Dallas Coryell himself on his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/DallasCoryell1) while reading. The listening experience provides deeper insight into the emotions and passions behind the songs that simply reading the lyrics does not fully allow. Aside from the fact that his musical talents bring justice and beauty to the words on the page, Coryell's voice matches the descriptors of the voice of the character Mason to add authenticity to this musical component. The incorporation of a soundtrack of sorts once again provides a deeper layer to the novel that most other stories and authors completely overlook.
And what would a love story be without some carnal, primitive desires that bring the characters together in more than one way? In true millennial fashion, Coryell's dialogue incorporates sexual innuendos that provide comic relief to the sometimes tense subject matter of his storyline. It also gives this contemporary piece a grounding factor that demonstrates an authentic capturing of the time period, character profiles, and intended audience. The incorporation of sexual references in his novel does not feel forced (in an attempt to pander to a specific audience) nor does it feel out of place in the story (I sometimes find myself wondering where that came from in other stories I've read). It is also never so overtly profane as to make a non-genre regular feel uncomfortable (at least not this reader who has frankly avoided Fifty Shades of Grey for that specific reason).
All-in-all, the book is a compelling read that kept me wanting to know what happened next. I found myself thinking of the story when I was away from it and wanting more time to sit with it to get through more of the story. I'm forever grateful to Dallas Coryell for sharing his story with me and for sharing his art (both literary and musical) with the world. His book is available in both digital and print formats (https://www.amazon.com/Melodys-Key-Dallas-Coryell/dp/1533430217), has received 4.5 stars on both Amazon and Goodreads, and is highly recommended to any readers looking for a lovely (pun intended) read.
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Book Review: Six of Crows (Duology) by Leigh Bardugo
I read these books back in October, but have not had the time, energy, or inspiration to sit down and write about them, despite how passionately I discussed them with my book club back at the beginning of November (a.k.a. I've been lazy, I know). These books (both Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom) are bestsellers and need little in terms of endorsement, so this is more just for me to get my thoughts out (again) about the set.
The two book fantasy series follows the lives of six main characters - Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Wylan, Nina, and Matthias - who all come from VERY different backgrounds. The chapters throughout the books alternate among the six characters in terms of perspective which provides a much more intriguing narrative style. These mixed perspectives reveal the many subplots that bring the characters together in an abundance of ways. After life-changing circumstances for each of them, most of them being near-death experiences in one way or another, they find themselves hired to work together in plotting and completing a heist within one of the most guarded kingdoms in their world. Each character has his or her own special talent that contributes to the overall success or failure of the operation. During and after the heist, there are many plot twists that drive the characters closer together, but also some that begin to drive them apart, and not all characters are always on board with the overall plan. These, along with many other obstacles, baddies, and unforeseen events cause more mayhem than the characters set out to pursue, despite their blatantly illegal actions throughout the story. They must work together to hone each other's abilities in order to escape with their lives, their loot, and also try to help each other work through the inner demons that possess each of us to some degree.
One of the hardest things for me at the beginning of this series was in learning the world. Bardugo cleverly incorporates elements of what feels like Russian, ancient Roman, Norwegian, Irish, African, and Gypsy inspiration into a unique 1800s, steampunk-esque world. Despite the allusions to each of these disparate cultures, Bardugo combines them in a new and cohesive way creating new languages, ethnicities, and a whole group of magical beings called Grisha which leave a reader with much to learn within the first few chapters of the first book. I was told that Bardugo's first series, The Grisha Triology, went much further into detail regarding explanations for this world and its supernatural beings. I was also told, however, that to read the original three books was not essential to understanding this duology. I quickly doubted this advice as I ventured into Six of Crows when I found myself lost in questions, but found that by chapter six I was immersed into the world fully and able to infer most of its essential components. I still wished for a glossary of terms (an index of sorts) to clarify, but felt sufficient without one at the same time. I was happy to see that Crooked Kingdom provided at least a glossary of names along with pronunciation which I appreciated; it helped to understand each of the different languages and cultures of Bardugo's creativity more fully. By the end of the series, I wouldn't say that I felt like an expert, but I definitely felt very comfortable in my knowledge of this fictional world.
While it is a highly debatable and purely subjective opinion, my favorite character of the series is Kaz Brekker. I have never, in all of my literary life, found an anti-hero that I so supported more fully throughout a series (not even Dexter). He is a ruthless, cruel, self-motivated, gang boss who goes to any measures necessary to ensure his own power, success, and authority. Typically these traits in a character (or a human being) are what cause me to find them vile and repulsive, but something about Kaz - even before revealing the tragedies of his past - caused me to find him much more lovable than I should have. I admired his merciless guile and badassery (for lack of more literary terms). Despite his lack of supernatural abilities in a world where he is surrounded by others with more mystical powers, his indefatigable wit combined with his determination and his ability to conjure a scheme at the expense of anyone but himself made him undeniably the most complex and interesting possible-protagonist I have ever encountered.
Another part of the story line of this duology that I greatly appreciated was the attention to social hot topics that Bardugo intersperses throughout her make-believe world. While the series is geared toward a young-adult audience, Bardugo tackles issues such as sexuality, prejudice, addiction, mental and physical abuse, visible and invisible disabilities, the effect of trauma on the mind, the adaptation and survival of the mind and body in the throes of hardships, and general humanity. Sometimes overt and sometimes more subtly, Bardugo manages to address these worldly issues in a manner that does not attempt to exploit them, nor provide impractical solutions in Utopian ideals, but rather just presents these issues for what they are: side effects of the human condition.
One thing that didn't sit quite right with me about the series was the way the six main characters all seemed to pair up with one another into relationships by the end. As you'll know from having read almost any of my previous posts, I am about as far from optimistic as one can get on the spectrum of romanticism which caused these couplings to detract from the authenticity of the story for me. I know that, when left alone, human nature is to pair up rather than keep isolated and alone, and so I concede that it does make biological sense for the six characters to partner up in such a way, especially when they are outcast from society for periods of time in hiding. I didn't, however, like the way that these pairings made certain aspects of the story more predictable. As with any love story, each developing relationship had its turmoils and tragedies to overcome. There are complexities and nuances to each of these possible relationships that begin before the story commences, during the two-book plot, and even after the series ends, which added a certain level of depth to these prospective couples, but some of the mushier scenes felt like too much for me.
*Side note for anyone who read Crooked Kingdom: the bandages scene, though? That one may have sparked what could have been the beginning of some feels. It's not like I'm COMPLETELY without a heart...I hope...
I read both of these books relatively quickly for my typical reading pace. Once I was into the world and invested in the plot and characters I couldn't put the book down. I would bring them to work with me hoping for even one small spare moment to get in a few more pages of the enthralling story; I HAD TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT! While I wasn't COMPLETELY satisfied by the end of the duology, my dissatisfaction in no way detracted from my overall high endorsement of these books.
Whether you typically read fantasy or young adult or crime novels or none of the above - just give it a shot (through chapter 7 at least) and something tells me you won't regret it.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Book Review: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Before you read this review: I highly recommend Dark Matter by Blake Crouch to everyone whether you typically enjoy the genre of science fiction or not. That being said, if you are one who can handle going into a book blindly, please do that without reading further into this review; you won't regret it. If not, read ahead for a sneak peek (a few spoilers from early on in the story) for a better understanding of the premise and why it's such a page-turner, yet thought-provoking read.
Science fiction is not my thing. I was never interested in science in school, I was never curious about how the technology I use works, the mechanics behind how the world works never fascinated me, and there are too many opposing theories to unanswered questions within the realm of science for a concrete-answers knowledge seeker like myself. However, I kept seeing Dark Matter by Blake Crouch pop up all over Instagram, bookstores, and podcasts, so I decided that it might be worth picking up. With little convincing on my behalf, my book club decided to choose it as our November book-of-the-month. None of us knew much about it, but we were all curious.
After reading the book sleeve I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Blake Crouch is the same author as the Wayward Pines trilogy. While I never read those books (hence why I didn't recognize Crouch's name), I have thoroughly enjoyed M. Night Shyamalan's television adaption of Crouch's story. The opening chapter of Dark Matter was highly reminiscent of the first episodes of both seasons of Wayward Pines. Each of the characters in the show, as well as the main character in this novel, is prompted to ask, "Where am I?" "How did I get here?" and "What happened to my real life as I remember it?" This similar setup made me hesitant about Dark Matter in the first few chapters, as I figured this story would venture down the same story line as Wayward Pines, but boy was I wrong...
Dark Matter follows the story of Jason Dessen, a college physics professor, who is content in his life with his wife and one son, but consistently questions whether having given up his dreams of scientific research, or his wife's dreams of becoming a world-renowned artist, were the most prudent decisions to make in their early 20s. After a night of reflection on what-ifs, Jason finds himself being stalked, mugged, and left unconscious by a masked man. When Jason wakes up, the world as he has known it for the past 15 years is completely gone, replaced by an alternative life where his scientific research has received awards for unlocking the secrets to superposition and, subsequently, of the multiverse. Lost, confused, and desperate to get home to his wife and son, Jason finds himself on a spatial adventure that he only remembers dreaming to be possible in another lifetime.
Crouch's story about Jason's research involves an in-depth understanding of quantum physics - an area of study that is daunting and dense to say the least. However, Crouch presents the theories and logistics in a way that allows the reader to understand the basics of the quantum mechanics involved in the plot without running on too-long tangents of scientific theory (which is often what turns me off to most sci-fi stories). Even with this dense and sometimes DARK subject MATTER (see what I did there?...), the story itself is extremely fast-paced. The writing is not simplistic, but the style is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's The Road where information is presented in short fragments of sentences and small paragraphs. There are no lengthy descriptions, but rather quick bits of insight that keep the reader moving through the action quickly. The suspense of the story kept me reading late into the night and continuously guessing. Every time I thought I could see where the story was headed, a new turn in events took the story in a direction that I could never have predicted. By the time I reached the final page, I found myself wondering how I had possibly covered almost 350 pages worth of material in what felt like reading a short story.
While suspenseful thrillers sometimes question the human psyche, I have never had so deep a questions of my own existential being as with this story. Jason's journey poses questions that I found myself pondering about points in my own life. The exploration into what our life decisions lead us to become along with the regrets we choose to live with in life all left me contemplating my own past, present, and future. I also found myself wondering what truly comprises the innermost makeup of a singular human being; what is the soul and what factors cohesively contribute to making me, me? As well, the concepts presented into how the multiverse diverges and intersects left me introspective as to the possibilities of what I perceive around me as the "real" world and what could possibly be happening that the evolution of the human brain has not yet been capable of comprehending.
After a venture down the rabbit hole of YouTube videos and Wikipedia pages about Schrodinger's cat, I found myself hypothesizing how a multifaceted being that parallels along the same time continuum in alternative multiverses could still possess the same inner makeup. Jason's own insight into his multiverse self made me wonder if these paradoxical alternate beings (the other versions of our self) can be channeled together into a cohesive convergence through karmic and yogic studies - perhaps our moments of quiet where we come into ourselves allows us to connect with all possible branches of our other selves across the multiverse, leaving us at peace because we are, in that moment, everything we could ever have become with no questions of what if. Call me conspiratorial, but I think this would make for an interesting thesis. Here's my call to action for the world: Quantum and spiritual researchers, unite and bring this theory into full fruition!
Because I know that my former call to action will never be fulfilled, here's a secondary call to all readers: Do yourself a favor and pick up this title, and when you find yourself when theories that seems just as insane as mine, email me and share so that we discover the probable impossibilities of the worlds together.
Science fiction is not my thing. I was never interested in science in school, I was never curious about how the technology I use works, the mechanics behind how the world works never fascinated me, and there are too many opposing theories to unanswered questions within the realm of science for a concrete-answers knowledge seeker like myself. However, I kept seeing Dark Matter by Blake Crouch pop up all over Instagram, bookstores, and podcasts, so I decided that it might be worth picking up. With little convincing on my behalf, my book club decided to choose it as our November book-of-the-month. None of us knew much about it, but we were all curious.
After reading the book sleeve I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Blake Crouch is the same author as the Wayward Pines trilogy. While I never read those books (hence why I didn't recognize Crouch's name), I have thoroughly enjoyed M. Night Shyamalan's television adaption of Crouch's story. The opening chapter of Dark Matter was highly reminiscent of the first episodes of both seasons of Wayward Pines. Each of the characters in the show, as well as the main character in this novel, is prompted to ask, "Where am I?" "How did I get here?" and "What happened to my real life as I remember it?" This similar setup made me hesitant about Dark Matter in the first few chapters, as I figured this story would venture down the same story line as Wayward Pines, but boy was I wrong...
Dark Matter follows the story of Jason Dessen, a college physics professor, who is content in his life with his wife and one son, but consistently questions whether having given up his dreams of scientific research, or his wife's dreams of becoming a world-renowned artist, were the most prudent decisions to make in their early 20s. After a night of reflection on what-ifs, Jason finds himself being stalked, mugged, and left unconscious by a masked man. When Jason wakes up, the world as he has known it for the past 15 years is completely gone, replaced by an alternative life where his scientific research has received awards for unlocking the secrets to superposition and, subsequently, of the multiverse. Lost, confused, and desperate to get home to his wife and son, Jason finds himself on a spatial adventure that he only remembers dreaming to be possible in another lifetime.
Crouch's story about Jason's research involves an in-depth understanding of quantum physics - an area of study that is daunting and dense to say the least. However, Crouch presents the theories and logistics in a way that allows the reader to understand the basics of the quantum mechanics involved in the plot without running on too-long tangents of scientific theory (which is often what turns me off to most sci-fi stories). Even with this dense and sometimes DARK subject MATTER (see what I did there?...), the story itself is extremely fast-paced. The writing is not simplistic, but the style is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's The Road where information is presented in short fragments of sentences and small paragraphs. There are no lengthy descriptions, but rather quick bits of insight that keep the reader moving through the action quickly. The suspense of the story kept me reading late into the night and continuously guessing. Every time I thought I could see where the story was headed, a new turn in events took the story in a direction that I could never have predicted. By the time I reached the final page, I found myself wondering how I had possibly covered almost 350 pages worth of material in what felt like reading a short story.
While suspenseful thrillers sometimes question the human psyche, I have never had so deep a questions of my own existential being as with this story. Jason's journey poses questions that I found myself pondering about points in my own life. The exploration into what our life decisions lead us to become along with the regrets we choose to live with in life all left me contemplating my own past, present, and future. I also found myself wondering what truly comprises the innermost makeup of a singular human being; what is the soul and what factors cohesively contribute to making me, me? As well, the concepts presented into how the multiverse diverges and intersects left me introspective as to the possibilities of what I perceive around me as the "real" world and what could possibly be happening that the evolution of the human brain has not yet been capable of comprehending.
After a venture down the rabbit hole of YouTube videos and Wikipedia pages about Schrodinger's cat, I found myself hypothesizing how a multifaceted being that parallels along the same time continuum in alternative multiverses could still possess the same inner makeup. Jason's own insight into his multiverse self made me wonder if these paradoxical alternate beings (the other versions of our self) can be channeled together into a cohesive convergence through karmic and yogic studies - perhaps our moments of quiet where we come into ourselves allows us to connect with all possible branches of our other selves across the multiverse, leaving us at peace because we are, in that moment, everything we could ever have become with no questions of what if. Call me conspiratorial, but I think this would make for an interesting thesis. Here's my call to action for the world: Quantum and spiritual researchers, unite and bring this theory into full fruition!
Because I know that my former call to action will never be fulfilled, here's a secondary call to all readers: Do yourself a favor and pick up this title, and when you find yourself when theories that seems just as insane as mine, email me and share so that we discover the probable impossibilities of the worlds together.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Book Review: A Vampire in Disguise 2: A Witchy Girl by Amelia Wilson
After posting my review on Friday of "A Vampire in Disguise 1: A Friend in Love", author Amelia Wilson sent me an ARC of part 2 in exchange for another honest review.
This second story in her series picks up where Avice and Yarra left off, Avice having made the decision to leave his family, break from his clan, and run off with Yarra to protect her and be with her forever. This second story chronicles their departure from her home and the obstacles they must face along their journey toward living together in peace. While on the run, Avice takes Yarra to Nainoru, an ancient witch who used to know and work with Avice's family, but has since gone into hiding. In their time short time with Nainoru, Yarra and Avice receive information about their families from the witch that neither knew previously. I really enjoyed and appreciated how Wilson used this new character to clarify and further develop some information from the first story.
From Nainoru, Avice learns more about his family's first battle with the opposing vampire clan and learns of how his mother rose to power within his own (former) clan - The Keeper of the Blades. He also discovers some surprising and hard-to-stomach details of his mother's past which further explains her current actions and decisions. It logically delineates how Avice came to be in the difficult moral dilemma that he currently faces between his family loyalty and his new love. He must learn to digest and reconcile this information about his mother, and transform his own ideals about her in the process. This adds complexity to both Avice and Alicia (his mother) as characters, and also begins to develop some more conflict - both internal and external - for multiple characters.
At the same time, Nainoru reveals to Yarra that her ancestors also played a large role in the first vampire clan wars - much in the same way that Yarra helped The Keeper of the Blades in the first story in this series (even though much of the detail of how she specifically helped is left out of that story - see my previous review). Yarra, having been adopted by human parents, knew nothing of her ancestry, species, or how to control her powers prior to meeting Avice and his family, so to learn more about her own family allows her to more fully embrace being an oracle in this second installment. Through this part of the story, Yarra uses this new information about her self and her family to further hone her powers as an oracle and embrace the fact that she is not alone in her paranormality. These new details in Yarra's life and ancestry also add complexity to her as a character and continue both her internal and external conflicts which add depth and interest to the plot.
One detail of Yarra's powers that I relish is the concept that her visions are not always concrete for the future. Rather, they are presented to her in the same way as a choose-your-own-adventure style story. If the characters make specific choices, and choose one, given path, then they end up at Vision A. However, if there is a change or digression from those particular choices or paths, then Vision A becomes null. It reminds me of the theory of a multiverse (as opposed to a universe - look it up if you have never heard of the theory) which completely fascinates me. While I recognize that these two ideas are not mutually inclusive, I also recognize that they are neither mutually exclusive, so I allow myself to divulge in this possibility within the story and life. /End of preferential digression...
There were, though, a few parts in the story could have been handled better.
For example, at the very beginning of chapter 1, Wilson mentions that Avice uses Yarra's precognitive abilities to maneuver around her guards (who happen to be members of Avice's family's Keeper of the Blade clan) in order to escape and run away together. However, Wilson does not detail how exactly Avice and Yarra escape. It felt almost as if the author here was unsure of how the two would ever be able to make it out of there, logically, but knew she wanted the two to escape alive and run away, and so skipped over the details of the escape. I was disappointed as it would have added much suspense and intensity in a Jason-Bourne-style, action/adventure escape scene that could have been done rather well if having taken the time to plan it and write it accurately.
Another part that I didn't find particularly believable was when Yarra has a vision of how to get Nainoru's house even though she has never been there. Yarra has a vision of the inside of the house, which makes sense as that is where she and Avice are headed, so this vision of her and Avice's near future in their visit makes sense. However, within this vision, Yarra's thoughts then pan out in an ever widening scope (much like a camera pulling away from a close up to reveal more about the scene in a larger scope) until she able to provide exact directions on how to get to Nainoru's house. While I understand and appreciate that this take on her clairvoyant abilities is a unique twist and helps to drive the plot, it once again felt like the author here needed a way to get them to Nainoru's house and added this special attribute to her precognitive abilities as a way to meet that need in the plot. While not altogether unbelievable, it seemed like a stretch on the part of the author to more easily meet the needs of the storyline.
One part that I continue to find inauthentic in the series is the small amount of dialogue between Avice and Yarra in scenes where they are alone. They consistently refer to each other as "baby" as a romantic petname for one another. While I recognize that this story is labeled as a paranormal romance, and I've mentioned before that I am a love curmudgeon, these moments of dialogue seem forced and out of place. The rest of the dialogue sounds authentic and fits well with the characters and the plot, but these random inserts of "baby" in Avice and Yarra's conversations disjoints the communicative function of the dialogue for me. I guess just personally I could do without the mushy names.
Finally, there is a small scene in this story where Wilson slightly details some sexual encounters. Again, this makes sense in a genre labeled as romance, but with the rest of the story and plot, the scenes and the words to describe them seemed disjointed with the flow of the rest of the story. These scenes almost feel like afterthoughts added in to be able to label it as a romance rather than fully fitting into the story smoothly and authentically.
As with the previous ARCs, this could also benefit from some professional and close editing as there were a few places where the grammar and spelling distracted from the story. And like the first story, I felt that this story, if given more time and detail, could be greatly extended as chapters of one longer and more developed novel that chronicles Avice and Yarra's adventures. While I find myself enjoying the story and am interested in reading about what happens next, I also feel that there is a bigger potential in the story that Wilson could truly benefit in developing.
Overall, I am extremely grateful for the continued opportunity to read these stories and look forward to the next installment.
This second story in her series picks up where Avice and Yarra left off, Avice having made the decision to leave his family, break from his clan, and run off with Yarra to protect her and be with her forever. This second story chronicles their departure from her home and the obstacles they must face along their journey toward living together in peace. While on the run, Avice takes Yarra to Nainoru, an ancient witch who used to know and work with Avice's family, but has since gone into hiding. In their time short time with Nainoru, Yarra and Avice receive information about their families from the witch that neither knew previously. I really enjoyed and appreciated how Wilson used this new character to clarify and further develop some information from the first story.
From Nainoru, Avice learns more about his family's first battle with the opposing vampire clan and learns of how his mother rose to power within his own (former) clan - The Keeper of the Blades. He also discovers some surprising and hard-to-stomach details of his mother's past which further explains her current actions and decisions. It logically delineates how Avice came to be in the difficult moral dilemma that he currently faces between his family loyalty and his new love. He must learn to digest and reconcile this information about his mother, and transform his own ideals about her in the process. This adds complexity to both Avice and Alicia (his mother) as characters, and also begins to develop some more conflict - both internal and external - for multiple characters.
At the same time, Nainoru reveals to Yarra that her ancestors also played a large role in the first vampire clan wars - much in the same way that Yarra helped The Keeper of the Blades in the first story in this series (even though much of the detail of how she specifically helped is left out of that story - see my previous review). Yarra, having been adopted by human parents, knew nothing of her ancestry, species, or how to control her powers prior to meeting Avice and his family, so to learn more about her own family allows her to more fully embrace being an oracle in this second installment. Through this part of the story, Yarra uses this new information about her self and her family to further hone her powers as an oracle and embrace the fact that she is not alone in her paranormality. These new details in Yarra's life and ancestry also add complexity to her as a character and continue both her internal and external conflicts which add depth and interest to the plot.
One detail of Yarra's powers that I relish is the concept that her visions are not always concrete for the future. Rather, they are presented to her in the same way as a choose-your-own-adventure style story. If the characters make specific choices, and choose one, given path, then they end up at Vision A. However, if there is a change or digression from those particular choices or paths, then Vision A becomes null. It reminds me of the theory of a multiverse (as opposed to a universe - look it up if you have never heard of the theory) which completely fascinates me. While I recognize that these two ideas are not mutually inclusive, I also recognize that they are neither mutually exclusive, so I allow myself to divulge in this possibility within the story and life. /End of preferential digression...
There were, though, a few parts in the story could have been handled better.
For example, at the very beginning of chapter 1, Wilson mentions that Avice uses Yarra's precognitive abilities to maneuver around her guards (who happen to be members of Avice's family's Keeper of the Blade clan) in order to escape and run away together. However, Wilson does not detail how exactly Avice and Yarra escape. It felt almost as if the author here was unsure of how the two would ever be able to make it out of there, logically, but knew she wanted the two to escape alive and run away, and so skipped over the details of the escape. I was disappointed as it would have added much suspense and intensity in a Jason-Bourne-style, action/adventure escape scene that could have been done rather well if having taken the time to plan it and write it accurately.
Another part that I didn't find particularly believable was when Yarra has a vision of how to get Nainoru's house even though she has never been there. Yarra has a vision of the inside of the house, which makes sense as that is where she and Avice are headed, so this vision of her and Avice's near future in their visit makes sense. However, within this vision, Yarra's thoughts then pan out in an ever widening scope (much like a camera pulling away from a close up to reveal more about the scene in a larger scope) until she able to provide exact directions on how to get to Nainoru's house. While I understand and appreciate that this take on her clairvoyant abilities is a unique twist and helps to drive the plot, it once again felt like the author here needed a way to get them to Nainoru's house and added this special attribute to her precognitive abilities as a way to meet that need in the plot. While not altogether unbelievable, it seemed like a stretch on the part of the author to more easily meet the needs of the storyline.
One part that I continue to find inauthentic in the series is the small amount of dialogue between Avice and Yarra in scenes where they are alone. They consistently refer to each other as "baby" as a romantic petname for one another. While I recognize that this story is labeled as a paranormal romance, and I've mentioned before that I am a love curmudgeon, these moments of dialogue seem forced and out of place. The rest of the dialogue sounds authentic and fits well with the characters and the plot, but these random inserts of "baby" in Avice and Yarra's conversations disjoints the communicative function of the dialogue for me. I guess just personally I could do without the mushy names.
Finally, there is a small scene in this story where Wilson slightly details some sexual encounters. Again, this makes sense in a genre labeled as romance, but with the rest of the story and plot, the scenes and the words to describe them seemed disjointed with the flow of the rest of the story. These scenes almost feel like afterthoughts added in to be able to label it as a romance rather than fully fitting into the story smoothly and authentically.
As with the previous ARCs, this could also benefit from some professional and close editing as there were a few places where the grammar and spelling distracted from the story. And like the first story, I felt that this story, if given more time and detail, could be greatly extended as chapters of one longer and more developed novel that chronicles Avice and Yarra's adventures. While I find myself enjoying the story and am interested in reading about what happens next, I also feel that there is a bigger potential in the story that Wilson could truly benefit in developing.
Overall, I am extremely grateful for the continued opportunity to read these stories and look forward to the next installment.
Friday, September 16, 2016
Book Review: A Vampire in Disguise 1: A Friend in Love
I guess I should start this by saying that I was 14 years old when the first book in the Twilight Saga was released. That being said, I'm sure you can imagine how in love I was with Edward Cullen - every teenage girl's dream dangerous, mysterious, handsome boy who also happens to be a sweet romantic that chooses the one girl that no one else would. As such, I hold a special place in my heart for vampire romance. The genre just brings out so much nostalgia for my teen years and the bookish talks with my friends about the series that I can't help but enjoy them - despite my aversion to cheesy romance as a whole. Therefore, if vampire/supernatural romance are not your thing, there is really no need to continue here (but thanks if you do!).
I received an Advanced Release Copy of the story "A Vampire in Disguise 1: A Friend in Love" by Amelia Wilson in exchange for an honest review. In this story, Yarra is the clairvoyant main character who is college-aged. Though Yarra knows about her powers, she does not know how to channel or control them. As such, she typically has multiple sporadic and unprovoked visions of the future, each involving people she knows as well as people she has just met. The story is a first person narration of the one year of her life where she meets and falls for Avice. One of the things she finds so fascinating about Avice is that she only has one recurring vision of their future together - one that does not seem to end well. While this would typically bode that the two would not become involved, Yarra fixates on this one vision to the point that she must see it through to figure out the path that leads to that one outcome. Despite the grim details of this one vision, Yarra decides to pursue her relationship with him to discover her true feelings for him, as well as explore the mystery surrounding this seeming barrier she has in seeing their future together.
I greatly enjoyed the narrative structure. The story claims to start in the present, though it really reveals much more about the day of Yarra's and Avice's first date. The very next chapter skips back to one year before the present, and each subsequent chapter jumps forward 2 months at a time until the final chapter which is back into the present. In this structure, Yarra is able to reveal the details of her horrific vision (the one of her and Avice) right from the start. This draws the reader in by knowing where the story leads and becoming attached to the story prior to even having all of the details. It definitely grabbed my attention from the get-go and kept me wanting to know how their lives ended up at that one, fateful moment in Yarra's vision.
I was intrigued about the character names and was curious as to whether they were so unique out of sheer imagination on the part of Wilson or if they were reflective of the setting of the novel in some way. It was unclear (due to a lack of development and explanation of the setting) as to where or when the story takes place. The few details that are provided about the setting sound contemporary, but there is no concrete evidence to determine the actual setting.
In terms of the characters' supernatural abilities - Yarra being clairvoyant and Avice being a vampire - Wilson pulled on previous knowledge of these species tropes, yet did so in a way that still felt authentic to her own style and voice. Specifically in the development of the vampire race, Wilson provides background into the races evolution, history, conflicts, purpose, social divides in feeding etiquette, behavioral survival patterns, and mystique in keeping their people secret. While many of these aspects match common myths and takes on the vampire species, Wilson also uses Avice to debunk some other "misconceptions" that Yarra seems to believe about his kind. The traits, interactions, and information had me alluding to my own memories of the Twilight Saga and the HBO adaptation of The Southern Vampire Mysteries in the original series True Blood, The intermingling of differing supernatural species and their interrelated historical backgrounds seemed reminiscent of these other renditions of these mythical beings.
There were a few aspects of the text that could have been more clearly defined:
First, Avice has a tattoo that neither he nor Yarra are capable of discussing until he accidentally reveals himself as a vampire. It is unclear as to what this barrier in their discussion of his body art actually is. I assume that the barrier is broken once Yarra discovers his true being, but it still left me with some questions on the topic.
As well, Yarra's vision of Avice is one that is highly dangerous and ultimately deadly, though she continues even after her first date with him. While I am able to hold my suspension of disbelief for the paranormal creatures, I wasn't able to continue that suspension into believing that a young woman would pursue the beginning of a relationship with a man that she knows is going to harm her. Then again, I guess that is the draw of the bad-boy persona, and it isn't too far-fetched from reality to hear stories of girls who fall for boys that are evidently bad for them. Wilson even makes note of this seeming irony - Yarra mentions that even she doesn't understand how she can fall for someone when she knows of the danger it will bring her later - but it just seemed somewhat unrealistic in parts.
Also, at one point, Avice references a phrase - "Difsa Er Zaksijo" - and while he translates this phrase for the reader, it is never explained what language the original is (either real or made up) or any more information regarding that language or its origins. I would have appreciated more development in that background to make it more understandable and believable as a whole, coherent history.
Finally, one of the biggest moments in the climax of the story is left out entirely. Yarra, after meeting Avice's family, attempts to help them settle a long-standing battle with another group (which reminded me of Breaking Dawn). However, none of the battle or its details are discussed in the story at all. Wilson skips over all of this information, even though it seems to be one of the biggest points and driving factors in the entire plot. I was highly disheartened at the missing detail and development in this part of the story. It definitely left me wishing that Wilson would take this story further and turn it into a longer version (novella or even novel) in order to provide those details and make the plotline more fully conceived.
Overall, the premise of the story was one that I could definitely get into, and the characters were complex enough that I was invested in their stories, the conflicts within the plot drove me to want to continue reading, but the development of the setting and detail in the storyline left me wishing for more. Even so, the story ends off in a place that leaves the author open to write more about Yarra and Avice in the future with a chance of some new conflicts on the horizon. I would love to read more work from Amelia Wilson in the future and look forward to the possibility of more.
Friday, September 9, 2016
Book Review: Dream Mire by Sharman Badgett-Young
Author Sharman Badgett-Young recently allowed me the high honor of reading an ARC copy of her newest title Dream Mire in exchange for an honest review. In this thrilling mystery, the main character Tiegen is a young woman with a mental illness that inhibits her from being able to distinguish her dreams from her reality. Doing her best to keep the details of her life from intermixing, Tiegen attempts to maintain consistency and stability in her life by concentrating on her studies. When she accidentally overhears what sounds like the plotting of a hate crime, she begins to question not just her self and sanity, but also those around her in an attempt to make things right.
As anyone who receives national or even global news through any medium knows, our contemporary world is littered with Islamaphobia. The hate crime that develops within the story centers around this same line of thought that stems from sweeping generalizations, disingenuous stereotyping, and irrational action against one group based on the actions of a small, separate, minority subgroup. Therefore, the plot lends itself well to readers of our contemporary society who can identify with the social issues that are addressed throughout the novel. And while the plot revolves around this possible conspiracy of the anti-Muslim hate crime, there are multiple facets that contribute to the development of the story as a whole. Tiegen's struggle to maintain control over her sometimes debilitating mental illness, mixed with the possibility of her having overhead the plans for this alleged upcoming crime, juxtaposed against the new male love interest who happens to move into her life all layer against one another to deepen the interest of the story line.
Adding to this interest, the nature of Tiegen's mental illness leaves the reader consistently questioning the semi-unreliable narrator. While the reader learns to trust Tiegen's intentions, it is often difficult to know what is reality-truth and what is Tiegen-truth - are the details that Tiegen reveals an experience from her real world or a dream whose details she cannot regulate? This allows the reader's mind to continuously wander through what may or may not be true which gives room for the plot to take twists and turns that are feasible and probably, but not necessarily factual.
I have not read many stories in which the main character experiences a mental illness - a topic which, when handled without caution and care, can come off as insensitive, stereotyped, and ignorant. While I have not faced a mental illness myself, I have faced physical disabilities of my own - both crippling and slight. And though I have been fortunate enough to not have had to personally deal with anything more than minor anxiety, one of my very closest siblings lives with a more extreme anxiety disorder. While reading Badgett-Young's descriptions of Tiegen's personal struggle with her own mental illness, the experience (I can only speak from my own experiences) feels genuine. The fluctuation of good days into bad days and back, plus the waves of emotion from feeling in control to feeling stifled by and at the mercy of the illness, all come through in Tiegen's thoughts, actions, and interactions with those closest to her. The sometimes crippling thoughts of paranoia and self-doubt of what others think of you, along with the judgments from their well-intended facial expressions and words of sympathy all show that Badgett-Young attempts to address the topic with an understanding of the frustrations, self-doubt, and instability that follow from having a disability of any sort.
Badgett-Young's verity in her plot line, her knowledgeable explanation of what it is like to live with a disability, the authenticity of her setting, and the more-than-probable character development all compile into a novel that keeps the reader interested with little confusion, questioning, or need for suspension of disbelief. All in all, I highly recommend this read to anyone who enjoys light crime drama with psychological twists.
I am greatly obliged to Sharman Badgett-Young for allowing me this awesome opportunity not only to read her wonderful work, but to share my enjoyment of it with all of you. Dream Mire will be available for purchase starting September 16th on Amazon Kindle where her first title, Kiln Zone, is also available for download. If you would like to follow or get in touch with her regarding either of her novels, her account on Instagram is @pacificnwauthor where she is an active member of the bookstagram community.
As anyone who receives national or even global news through any medium knows, our contemporary world is littered with Islamaphobia. The hate crime that develops within the story centers around this same line of thought that stems from sweeping generalizations, disingenuous stereotyping, and irrational action against one group based on the actions of a small, separate, minority subgroup. Therefore, the plot lends itself well to readers of our contemporary society who can identify with the social issues that are addressed throughout the novel. And while the plot revolves around this possible conspiracy of the anti-Muslim hate crime, there are multiple facets that contribute to the development of the story as a whole. Tiegen's struggle to maintain control over her sometimes debilitating mental illness, mixed with the possibility of her having overhead the plans for this alleged upcoming crime, juxtaposed against the new male love interest who happens to move into her life all layer against one another to deepen the interest of the story line.
Adding to this interest, the nature of Tiegen's mental illness leaves the reader consistently questioning the semi-unreliable narrator. While the reader learns to trust Tiegen's intentions, it is often difficult to know what is reality-truth and what is Tiegen-truth - are the details that Tiegen reveals an experience from her real world or a dream whose details she cannot regulate? This allows the reader's mind to continuously wander through what may or may not be true which gives room for the plot to take twists and turns that are feasible and probably, but not necessarily factual.
I have not read many stories in which the main character experiences a mental illness - a topic which, when handled without caution and care, can come off as insensitive, stereotyped, and ignorant. While I have not faced a mental illness myself, I have faced physical disabilities of my own - both crippling and slight. And though I have been fortunate enough to not have had to personally deal with anything more than minor anxiety, one of my very closest siblings lives with a more extreme anxiety disorder. While reading Badgett-Young's descriptions of Tiegen's personal struggle with her own mental illness, the experience (I can only speak from my own experiences) feels genuine. The fluctuation of good days into bad days and back, plus the waves of emotion from feeling in control to feeling stifled by and at the mercy of the illness, all come through in Tiegen's thoughts, actions, and interactions with those closest to her. The sometimes crippling thoughts of paranoia and self-doubt of what others think of you, along with the judgments from their well-intended facial expressions and words of sympathy all show that Badgett-Young attempts to address the topic with an understanding of the frustrations, self-doubt, and instability that follow from having a disability of any sort.
Badgett-Young's verity in her plot line, her knowledgeable explanation of what it is like to live with a disability, the authenticity of her setting, and the more-than-probable character development all compile into a novel that keeps the reader interested with little confusion, questioning, or need for suspension of disbelief. All in all, I highly recommend this read to anyone who enjoys light crime drama with psychological twists.
I am greatly obliged to Sharman Badgett-Young for allowing me this awesome opportunity not only to read her wonderful work, but to share my enjoyment of it with all of you. Dream Mire will be available for purchase starting September 16th on Amazon Kindle where her first title, Kiln Zone, is also available for download. If you would like to follow or get in touch with her regarding either of her novels, her account on Instagram is @pacificnwauthor where she is an active member of the bookstagram community.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Book Review: Monday by E. L. Todd
WARNING: This review, while not explicit, references sexual content that may not be appropriate for all readers.
As noted in previous posts, I don't typically gravitate toward the romance genre. However, I have a very close friend whose wife is an author and has published a large volume of novels across multiple genres. Even so, I had yet to read anything by her, and felt like a terrible bookworm and an even worse supporter of her authorship. When I received an email from the BookBub organization (SIDENOTE: If you read eBooks and have not yet signed up at bookbub.com, go there now!) that featured one of her titles, I took it as a sign that I needed to get my act together and read her work.
Monday by E. L. Todd is the first in a seven-book romance series that details the development of the differing and multiple relationships of characters whose lives all intertwine in many ways. This first book in the series details the happenstances between this books two main characters, Francesca and Hawke. Francesca notices Hawke as the mysterious and handsome stranger who frequents the coffee shop in which she works. Even though the attraction between them grows into an eventual first date, they realize that perhaps things between them are not what they thought they could be. But when their paths recross later in unsuspecting ways, they are forced with the reality of figuring out who they are, what they are, and where their relationship stands through both the mundane functions of every day life as well as the hardships that are brought their way.
I greatly enjoy books with narratives told from multiple characters. This narration is told from the point of view of both characters where the chapters randomly alternate between her narrations and his in sometimes uneven proportions. This back-and-forth narration provides the reader insight into both characters' frame of mind at different points in the story, but does not allow the reader omniscience about every detail of these characters lives and feelings. Todd creates a nice balance of the information revealed to the reader while still holding back enough detail to keep the plot moving forward and the reader guessing where the two may end up.
Within the first 70 pages, I was somewhat underwhelmed by the character development and the voice. Much of the story up to that point seemed cliche and shallow. The first handful of chapters are all told exclusively from Francesca's point of view, and the premise of the beginning of the story - meet in a coffee shop, daydream about encounters with him, ask out the handsome stranger, hook up on the first date when sparks fly - all seemed too familiar to really get deep into the story for me. Perhaps I am a love-pessimist of sorts (which could be a large contributing factor to why I don't read more in the romance genre) but I just couldn't bring myself to care much about what happened next, as it seemed I already felt like I knew how it would play out.
However, when the narrative point of view switched over to Hawke I was drawn back in. His back story and voice seemed much more complex and interesting to me. His character trope, though, was not new. He very much reminded me of an Edward Cullen (from Stephenie Meyer's The Twilight Saga) meets Christian Grey (from E. L. James' Fifty Shades Trilogy). Hawke comes off as somewhat angsty due to his childhood experiences which he pinpoints as the sole contributing factor of making him the man he believes he has become. Even so, he still holds the attractively secretive mystique that keeps women interested in him, even when he doesn't show interest in them. Despite these seemingly cliche character traits, Todd develops, through his characterization, a richer backstory than that of Francesca by incorporating more pronounced character flaws that Hawke is all too aware of which stem from familial trauma growing up that he cannot seem to break from. Overall, I found myself much more intrigued by his chapters than Francesca's, but both became much more interesting once I got more character development.
The most off-putting part of the book for me was the explicit sexual descriptions of the encounters between Francesca and Hawke. These scenes seemed out of place in comparison to the rest of the story. Their placement throughout the book seemed somewhat forced as if this sort of explicit language and detail was placed there to pander to a more specific genre or audience. My adversity to these parts of the book could, too, stem from the fact that the author is married to one of my lifelong friends of 20+ years. Therefore, while reading these scenes, it made me extremely uncomfortable because I could not get that fact out of my head. The characters are clearly fictitious creations of Todd's mind, and neither Hawke nor his life story are nothing like my friend in any way, but even so I could not get past this detail in an attempt to read the scenes simply for what they were on the page.
SEMI-SPOILER ALERT: The end of the story leaves off at a cliff hanger that leaves the reader wondering as to where the relationship of Hawke and Francesca will lead. The pivotal moment in their relationship where, seemingly out of nowhere, one leaves the other, ends the story with the reader feeling a need to know what happens in the following books in the series. While I never read any of the Fifty Shades Trilogy, I did watch the first movie that was released in 2015, and the ending of Monday felt very similar to how the film version of Fifty Shades of Grey ended off. I can only assume that this sort of what-happens-next cliffhanger is characteristic of romance series novels.
That being said, I have yet to decide if I will continue the rest of the books in the series. While I definitely would like to know where the characters find themselves in the preceding books, and while I am also interested in the other characters and relationships that develop throughout the series, I am still not hooked into the romance genre as a whole. Call me a curmudgeon, but I'm definitely no romantic at heart which makes it hard for me to enjoy this genre of literature in the same ways that I seem to devour other genres. I have, however, recently downloaded another title - Soul Catcher by E. L. Todd - and look forward to seeing how her work in a different genre plays out for me.
As noted in previous posts, I don't typically gravitate toward the romance genre. However, I have a very close friend whose wife is an author and has published a large volume of novels across multiple genres. Even so, I had yet to read anything by her, and felt like a terrible bookworm and an even worse supporter of her authorship. When I received an email from the BookBub organization (SIDENOTE: If you read eBooks and have not yet signed up at bookbub.com, go there now!) that featured one of her titles, I took it as a sign that I needed to get my act together and read her work.
Monday by E. L. Todd is the first in a seven-book romance series that details the development of the differing and multiple relationships of characters whose lives all intertwine in many ways. This first book in the series details the happenstances between this books two main characters, Francesca and Hawke. Francesca notices Hawke as the mysterious and handsome stranger who frequents the coffee shop in which she works. Even though the attraction between them grows into an eventual first date, they realize that perhaps things between them are not what they thought they could be. But when their paths recross later in unsuspecting ways, they are forced with the reality of figuring out who they are, what they are, and where their relationship stands through both the mundane functions of every day life as well as the hardships that are brought their way.
I greatly enjoy books with narratives told from multiple characters. This narration is told from the point of view of both characters where the chapters randomly alternate between her narrations and his in sometimes uneven proportions. This back-and-forth narration provides the reader insight into both characters' frame of mind at different points in the story, but does not allow the reader omniscience about every detail of these characters lives and feelings. Todd creates a nice balance of the information revealed to the reader while still holding back enough detail to keep the plot moving forward and the reader guessing where the two may end up.
Within the first 70 pages, I was somewhat underwhelmed by the character development and the voice. Much of the story up to that point seemed cliche and shallow. The first handful of chapters are all told exclusively from Francesca's point of view, and the premise of the beginning of the story - meet in a coffee shop, daydream about encounters with him, ask out the handsome stranger, hook up on the first date when sparks fly - all seemed too familiar to really get deep into the story for me. Perhaps I am a love-pessimist of sorts (which could be a large contributing factor to why I don't read more in the romance genre) but I just couldn't bring myself to care much about what happened next, as it seemed I already felt like I knew how it would play out.
However, when the narrative point of view switched over to Hawke I was drawn back in. His back story and voice seemed much more complex and interesting to me. His character trope, though, was not new. He very much reminded me of an Edward Cullen (from Stephenie Meyer's The Twilight Saga) meets Christian Grey (from E. L. James' Fifty Shades Trilogy). Hawke comes off as somewhat angsty due to his childhood experiences which he pinpoints as the sole contributing factor of making him the man he believes he has become. Even so, he still holds the attractively secretive mystique that keeps women interested in him, even when he doesn't show interest in them. Despite these seemingly cliche character traits, Todd develops, through his characterization, a richer backstory than that of Francesca by incorporating more pronounced character flaws that Hawke is all too aware of which stem from familial trauma growing up that he cannot seem to break from. Overall, I found myself much more intrigued by his chapters than Francesca's, but both became much more interesting once I got more character development.
The most off-putting part of the book for me was the explicit sexual descriptions of the encounters between Francesca and Hawke. These scenes seemed out of place in comparison to the rest of the story. Their placement throughout the book seemed somewhat forced as if this sort of explicit language and detail was placed there to pander to a more specific genre or audience. My adversity to these parts of the book could, too, stem from the fact that the author is married to one of my lifelong friends of 20+ years. Therefore, while reading these scenes, it made me extremely uncomfortable because I could not get that fact out of my head. The characters are clearly fictitious creations of Todd's mind, and neither Hawke nor his life story are nothing like my friend in any way, but even so I could not get past this detail in an attempt to read the scenes simply for what they were on the page.
SEMI-SPOILER ALERT: The end of the story leaves off at a cliff hanger that leaves the reader wondering as to where the relationship of Hawke and Francesca will lead. The pivotal moment in their relationship where, seemingly out of nowhere, one leaves the other, ends the story with the reader feeling a need to know what happens in the following books in the series. While I never read any of the Fifty Shades Trilogy, I did watch the first movie that was released in 2015, and the ending of Monday felt very similar to how the film version of Fifty Shades of Grey ended off. I can only assume that this sort of what-happens-next cliffhanger is characteristic of romance series novels.
That being said, I have yet to decide if I will continue the rest of the books in the series. While I definitely would like to know where the characters find themselves in the preceding books, and while I am also interested in the other characters and relationships that develop throughout the series, I am still not hooked into the romance genre as a whole. Call me a curmudgeon, but I'm definitely no romantic at heart which makes it hard for me to enjoy this genre of literature in the same ways that I seem to devour other genres. I have, however, recently downloaded another title - Soul Catcher by E. L. Todd - and look forward to seeing how her work in a different genre plays out for me.
Monday, September 5, 2016
Book Review: The Invisible Game by Zoltan: Mindset of a Winning Team by Zoltan Andrejkovics
Nonfiction author Zoltan Andrejkovics was kind enough to send me an e-copy of his premier title The Invisible Game: Mindset of a Winning Team in exchange for an honest review of his work. In this book, he details - from first person experiences - the different skills, abilities, and states of mind that one must hold in order to achieve success in the eSport (more conventionally known as "online gaming") community.
I, personally, am not a player of video games, yet (like most of us I'm sure) I know plenty of individuals who are highly dedicated to the gaming community at so many different, individual levels. Though I have never taken an individual interest in video games, I always find it fascinating to read and learn about topics outside of my realm of experience and knowledge, which was what piqued my interest most about this title. Prior to having found his account on Instagram (@zoltanandrejkovics) I had never even heard of the term "eSports". However, after having read his eBook, it is clear that this name fits much better than other, conventional, titles. I feel that the term eSports (rather than "online gaming", "professional gaming", "competitive gaming", or "pro gaming") carries with it a higher level of respect and reverence for the amount of skill, focus, and determination it takes to become professionally successful within the eSports community - as detailed by Andrejkovics in his book.
While the premise of the book obviously centers around the eSports community, much of what Andrejkovics outlines as successful skills for gaming apply to many other areas of life. Over the course of the 10 chapters in his book, Andrejkovics touches on topics such as goal setting with intention, preparing mentally for achieving goals or facing obstacles, honing in on tactics and strategies that best help meet our goals, finding and maintaining internal motivators to persevere in the face of hardships, and keeping an open mindset to allow ourselves to be aware and objective in our emotions, actions, and interactions. Throughout my reading of his book, I found myself making connections with what he was speaking about in terms of eSports with aspects from my own personal life (health & fitness, career, relationships, etc.) He outlines many ideas and key concepts for gamers, from which a reader can draw motivational and inspirational quotes that can apply to every day life.
The chapters that spoke most to me were "Sensing" (being mindful of yourself, others, and the world around you), "Emotions" (allowing them to flow, yet channeling them in healthy ways), "Thoughts" (the power that they hold over our mind, body, actions, and reactions), and "Leaders and Captains" (as I found much of what he outlined in this chapter applicable to my life as a teacher). Much of what Andrejkovics discusses in these chapters reminded me heavily of my power yoga practice - ideas on being mindful in order to take an objective account of all areas of our lives in order to make more logical, positive, and growth-inspired decisions. He even incorporates yogic beliefs and ideals into his writing to add depth to a reader's understanding of how far back these concepts have been studied.
In the same vein, Andrejkovics also incorporates metaphors for those (like me) who understand best in more poetic, wordy terms, interdisciplinary connections for those who understand best in cross-curricular terms, hand-drawn visuals for those who understand best in more photographic terms, and also paraphrases from scientific studies for those who understand best in more linear, logical terms. As well, he intersperses quotes - some from well-known individuals - throughout his chapters that add to whatever the focus is for that specific section. Some of the quotes are labeled as to whom originally spoke them. Others, however, were unlabeled, and it was unclear as to whether this meant that they were from quoted anonymously or if they were phrases from Andrejkovics himself.
At the end of the book, Andrejkovics adds a section titled "Key Thoughts" where he has collected the major take-aways from the reading and compiled them into a condensed list for the reader to easily flip back to and review. This list-form of his major concepts from the book help the reader to more concretely grasp the overall purpose of the book and can more readily access these details at any given time, as the need arises for a refresher.
Overall, the book reads similar to a lifestyle/self-help piece that also provides insight into the mentality and motivation behind eSports professionals, as well as those who aspire to be or be like those professionals. On a grander scale, though, it was a good reminder for me (and hopefully for many others) of many traits, mindsets, habits, and behaviors that one can employ every day in order to experience a more motivated, driven, and positive journey through life.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Book Review: My One Unexpected Love by Jess Winters
I was fortunate to receive an Advanced Realease Copy of the short story "My One Unexpected Love" by Jess Winters in exchange for an honest review. This short, fantasy story is a college romance that revolves around the premise of the mermaid princess, Sapphira, venturing into the human realm in order to prove herself worthy as a leader of her people and a guardian of the human race. On her first day in the human world she meets a male human named Danielle (Dan) who she immediately feels an innate and intimate connection to (much like the process of imprinting for those who are familiar with The Twilight Saga). The plot of the story centers around their meeting, interactions, and her inner conflict between keeping her species a secret while still exploring her feelings.
While neither fantasy nor romance are genres that I typically read, I have lately been trying to step outside of my comfort zone in terms of genre reading. This short story was a good cushioning beginning for me, as it allowed me to make it quickly through a story that I otherwise would not have picked up. The chapters are short (no more than 5 pages in length each) which makes the story an extremely quick read (40 pages total). The premise of the story did seem intriguing to me as a reader unfamiliar with these particular genres. However, because it is so short (both the chapters individually and the story as a whole) it left me feeling much more to be desired in terms of development, explanation, and detail.
In the beginning scenes, the reader is introduced to Sapphira, her royal family, and their attendants within the mermaid realm. This opening scene reminded me much of Disney's version of The Little Mermaid (young, teen-aged mermaid daughter interacting with friends and attendants to leave the mermaid realm for the human world on dry land), though this could be because that is truly the only mermaid story I am familiar with. Sapphira's relationship to her parents, as well as the descriptions of her and her mermaid realm home seemed somewhat under-detailed while the imagery that was included seemed almost forced and out of place with the flow of the rest of the story. It made sense that the descriptions provided about Sapphira and her family sounded regal and elevated, but that seemed to contrast with the more colloquial dialogue that followed throughout the story.
As well, the few descriptions in the beginning left me wondering more about Sapphira's past, her childhood, how she was brought up, her personality, her hobbies, and the background behind her familial and friendly relationships. As such, I was left with some confusion in understanding Winters' take on the mermaid race. It was unclear whether the royal family resided within the water or if the palace itself was surround by a pocket of magic that allowed the mermaids to remain in human form while home. Also, Sapphira at one point references "Lady Youle" and it is the only time within the story that this name is mentioned which left me wondering if this was a reference to mermaid myth and folklore or another character that was eventually erased from the released version of the story. As well, the author alludes to mermaids having supernatural powers such as telepathy, the power to conjure up items simply from thought, and something that Winters referes to "reorganization", yet it is not clearly stated or detailed in terms of the limits or explanations of these abilities. Because of this lack of detail, it felt as though the author added these abilities as an afterthought. I feel that with a longer story (with this current short story version acting as the preliminary draft) Winters would be able to more fully develop the mermaid species and realm in much more detail, and also provide much more explanation into the character relationships and background to create a fully-developed and unique world into which a reader could immerse his or her self.
The characters themselves also felt under-developed as noted previously with my questions about Sapphira, her species, her family, and her friends. I also didn't quite understand why Dan seemed so formal around his adopted family when he seems, at the same time, to be so grateful at their having taken him in and speaks about them so reverentially. As my own parents have actively worked in the foster care system for almost 10 years, and have also adopted my two youngest brothers, it felt inauthentic that Dan would not talk about, interact with, and embrace the Stuart family (his foster family) as his own after living with them for the entirety of his teenage years. Much like the early scenes with Sapphira, the scenes with Dan and the Stuart family left me wondering more about Dan's early life with his biological parents, the time he spent with his first foster family (which remains unnamed), and more detailed development of the Stuart family themselves as well as his interrelationships with them.
It may have been due to my misunderstanding of the author's intentions with these characters, but their relationship seemed shallow and inauthentic. For example, in the middle chapters when Dan and Sapphira begin to interact and develop their relationship it seems rushed and incongruous. Early on in the story, Dan is described as a shy, introverted boy who does not have many close friends and is somewhat socially awkward. However, in the first "date" between him and Sapphira, Dan begins as his nervous, shy self, but then is suddenly confident, flirty, and overcome by his emotions and physical attractions so much that he then throws himself at Sapphira. This sudden change in his personality in this scene makes him sound overtly dominant in how he comes on to Sapphira and, with a lack of her own thoughts in the scene, can come off as non-consensual. As well, the description of their physical intimacy in this scene attempts to circumvent being too explicit while still addressing sexual desires and emotions which makes the scenes sound unconventionally naive.
Between chapters 7 and 8, it felt as though a large chunk of the story had been removed. The plot moves quite suddenly from Dan and Sapphira saying goodnight after the first date at the end of chapter 7, to Dan barging into Sapphira's room while she is half-dressed to rush her out the door to meet his foster family. The story seems to lack any development of Sapphira and Dan's actual relationship in getting to this point and it seems improbable, even in the throes of hormones at the age of 18, that the two would jump to this connection overnight. There is another 9 month time jump again between chapter 8 and 9 where there is no information about the development of their relationship, and all of a sudden their relationship is challenged with the only conflict the two fact throughout the entirety of the story as Dan discovers Sapphira's secret of being a mermaid. However, instead of developing this conflict into a complex story line, Winters quickly resolves the climax of the story by sweeping Dan's confusion and questions about Sapphira away when the two exchange their love vows at the end of the same chapter. Then in chapter 10, Dan and Sapphira are suddenly in the middle of their marriage ceremony where it is unclear whether they are on land or water and how they plan to make their relationship work within these two, very different worlds. These quick time jumps lacking in relational development in the short three chapters left me with the sense that I didn't quite understand the relationship between Dan and Sapphira, and made the relationship itself seem rushed, childish, and ill-thought-out on the part of the characters.
Though Winters has some other short stories which she has released to the public, I have never read anything from her prior to this title. Therefore, I am unfamiliar with particular author's writing style. Personally, I found the writing hard to read which distracted from the overall sense of the story itself. As a a native speaker of American English and an American English teacher, I found it difficult to get deep into the plot as there were many English language and conventional grammar errors that distracted my mind from delving fully into the author's imaginatively constructed world within the story. One glaring example is that one of the secondary characters named Armanian is called by his nickname at multiple points by Sapphira. However, it is sometimes spelled as Arny and other times spelled as Arni. There were also some grammar and punctuation oversights throughout which were distracting. In my opinion, some third-party editing of the story by a more fluent English language editor could help to counteract these distractions for future readers.
Another disconnect resulting from the lack of detailed setting was that I found it difficult to infer where (geologically) the story took place. Please forgive me if this paragraph sounds ignorant and uncultured of me in not understanding the university format of other cultures; I am only familiar with American cultural standards and therefore found some of the information unlikely and improbable. For example, when Sapphira shows up for her first day of human college, Winters implies that the college has lockers for the students, which is highly improbable according to conventional American university campuses. Winters somewhat tries to explain this by detailing how the college also serves as a high school campus (where Dan was in attendance as a high school student and now as a university student) but this setup seemed highly unlikely according to American cultural norms, as well. I could be wrong, but I'm not sure many parents would feel comfortable sending their 14-17 year old sons and daughters to the same campus as young men and women in their early 20s, so I'm not sure a campus such as that conceived by Winters in the story could thrive in attendance. And while I understand that it is a fictional story and setting, these seemed to too closely mirror true society for me to allow for the suspension of belief on these parts. Another disconnect that stuck out to me was when speaking of some of the college courses that Sapphira and Dan take together, the other refers to their "Maths" course, while in American English this title would sound incorrect. Due to the lack of development in the detail of the setting of the story, it was hard to tell if these were oversights in detailing the setting story or if the story takes place in a location and culture where the seeming disparities are more conventional.
Overall, the basic idea for the story was quite interesting. While much of this may sound as if I didn't enjoy the story, that is not true. The premise of the story, as noted earlier, definitely intrigued me. I was simply left wanting more from the length and development of the story. I hope that Winters turns this short story into a longer, novel-length book that can help the reader to more fully understand her imaginative, mermaid tale (puns!).
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Book Review: Ava Coulise & the Time Pieces by Heather Rose Walters
Back in the beginning of August, I discovered one of the most creative storytellers on the Instagram (bookstagram) community that I have yet to find. Heather Rose Walters' story, Ava Coulise & The Time Pieces, is a work of fiction told in extremely short chunks. The story is about a girl names Ava Coulise (obviously) who embarks on a journey that takes her not only to distant places, but also - as the title suggests - through time, as well. Ava inherits a watch from her now-deceased grandfather, and after hearing his many stories about jumping through time and changing the past - most of which she assumed to be tall tales - Ava decides to take on these same adventures herself. In an attempt to fix her grandfather's mistakes and to find her long-gone sister (an added mystery element within the plot), Ava teams up with a few other characters familiar with her family's unique time-travelling tendencies in order to set things right again.
While reading Ava's story I was reminded of Scarlet from Marissa Meyers' The Lunar Chronicles. They are similar in the context of family loyalty, adventure driven by searching for a beloved family member, and then having those adventures through France. As well, though, the sci-fi time jump aspects of the story were reminiscent of The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger meets a more contemporary version of Hermione's time turner in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. As Ava travels through time, the different adventures she undertakes allow the reader to feel as if reading a historical fiction piece. While the short trips to the past are not elaborately detailed in the way a longer work of historical fiction would be, these snippets into past lives still provide a change in setting and the new characters within those settings reveal enough to the reader to know which time period is emerging within that scene.
While the stories are reminiscent of these characters, plot lines, and literary elements, they do not - in ANY way - seem shallowly contrived nor do they hinder the story or character development. Rather, Walters seems to take the differing elements of these components and meld them seamlessly into a completely unique take on these timeless (pun certainly intended) story elements. It is important to note, though, that I do not know whether or not Walters gained any of her inspiration from these stories. They were simply recalled from my own memory while reading Walters' work. I thought it would be notable here in terms of giving interested readers an idea of the vibes of this particular piece of writing.
Each time Walters posts a new chunk of the story, she posts it on Instagram which allows her incorporate a photo that alludes to the plot in that section of reading. The photos are also manipulated slightly to include the number of the chapter that corresponds with that given post (an easy guide for those who follow the story). The images are often full of natural beauty and add intrigue to reading the newest section of the story, though they rarely reveal any major plot details too far in advance.
I love visuals that accompany a reading; a picture truly is worth a thousand words. And as a logophile I also believe that you can draw even more than those thousand words out of yourself after looking at an inspiring visual. I implement images to inspire and accompany writing prompts quite often in the classes I teach (I teach high school English). And as I writer myself, I often find beauty and inspiration in the visual aspects of the world around me rather than the inner workings of my own imagination. Therefore, I was curious to know which came first for Walters' creative process - the story or the photo.
As noted, she is quite active in the Instagram bookstagram community. Therefore, I simply reached out to her on her account and asked. Her response is as follows:
"...usually the story comes first, but occasionally the photo will happen and lead the story a little [...] when I first started the project I used images from unsplash.com because I am a writer first and photography really intimidated me. Then I started trying it out, occasionally editing the unsplash photos, then attempting to take a few of my own. [...] Then I started enjoying photography and doing it more and more! Then I decided to commit to only ever using my own imagery, Which is the rule I hold to now."
Her response reinforced to me how much inspiration, imagination, creativity, talent, and sense of adventure it truly takes to be a dedicated writer of any genre. Her ideas for Ava's stories and adventures, the talent she has in storytelling, and the willingness to take on a new skill (photography) in order to enhance her stories and promote them in a unique way show that Heather Rose Walters is truly a creative mind.
The story starts en media res and was somewhat difficult to understand the first time I read through the beginning chapters. I am the kind of reader who likes to understand all of the details as I begin to dive into a story, so I found the ambiguity of the beginning somewhat off-putting at first. However, as I got further into the chapters, the story began to unfold in a way that made the beginning details click better. I found myself re-reading these beginning chapters multiple times to try to put all of the pieces together (again, pun intended - you will only get it when you read the story). As such, though, I was still unable to answer all of my questions: How does Ava know how to use the watch? How does she know how to fix the timepieces? How do Charlie and Abe know so much about Ava's family and heritage? But with each continuous question I found myself asking, I realized that these are probably all details that can be answered as the plot develops and the storytelling continues. I'm hoping that as the story continues, Walters reveals more and more about Ava's background and family, the interrelationship between Charlie, Abe, and Ava, and even more about Cece's background as well (what happened in her life that made her so manipulative and cruel?!).
Readers can download a PDF copy of the first 90 installments of Ava Coulise & the Time Pieces at the following link: http://www.heatherrosewalters.com/ava-coulise-part-i. While this medium is easiest to read (in terms of having all of the story in front of you at once), it does not include the same visuals as Walters' Instagram account (@storiesforbreakfast). While reading the PDF on my tablet, I kept my phone handy to indulge in the photos at the same time to enhance my reading experience. I would suggest to interested readers that you find a way to incorporate Walters' Instagram images into your own reading of the story, as well, as it creates a different overall experience.
Again, Walters' Instagram handle is @storiesforbreakfast and when I first heard the account name, I interpreted it as an author whose dedication was found by being determined to write something every morning (hence, stories for breakfast). Whether or not this is true of Heather Rose Walters, I cannot say, and though this may not be a story in the traidtional sense, as I sit at my own laptop and watch the sun rise out my back window I am nonetheless thankful for the inspiration she has brought me.
While reading Ava's story I was reminded of Scarlet from Marissa Meyers' The Lunar Chronicles. They are similar in the context of family loyalty, adventure driven by searching for a beloved family member, and then having those adventures through France. As well, though, the sci-fi time jump aspects of the story were reminiscent of The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger meets a more contemporary version of Hermione's time turner in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. As Ava travels through time, the different adventures she undertakes allow the reader to feel as if reading a historical fiction piece. While the short trips to the past are not elaborately detailed in the way a longer work of historical fiction would be, these snippets into past lives still provide a change in setting and the new characters within those settings reveal enough to the reader to know which time period is emerging within that scene.
While the stories are reminiscent of these characters, plot lines, and literary elements, they do not - in ANY way - seem shallowly contrived nor do they hinder the story or character development. Rather, Walters seems to take the differing elements of these components and meld them seamlessly into a completely unique take on these timeless (pun certainly intended) story elements. It is important to note, though, that I do not know whether or not Walters gained any of her inspiration from these stories. They were simply recalled from my own memory while reading Walters' work. I thought it would be notable here in terms of giving interested readers an idea of the vibes of this particular piece of writing.
Each time Walters posts a new chunk of the story, she posts it on Instagram which allows her incorporate a photo that alludes to the plot in that section of reading. The photos are also manipulated slightly to include the number of the chapter that corresponds with that given post (an easy guide for those who follow the story). The images are often full of natural beauty and add intrigue to reading the newest section of the story, though they rarely reveal any major plot details too far in advance.
I love visuals that accompany a reading; a picture truly is worth a thousand words. And as a logophile I also believe that you can draw even more than those thousand words out of yourself after looking at an inspiring visual. I implement images to inspire and accompany writing prompts quite often in the classes I teach (I teach high school English). And as I writer myself, I often find beauty and inspiration in the visual aspects of the world around me rather than the inner workings of my own imagination. Therefore, I was curious to know which came first for Walters' creative process - the story or the photo.
As noted, she is quite active in the Instagram bookstagram community. Therefore, I simply reached out to her on her account and asked. Her response is as follows:
"...usually the story comes first, but occasionally the photo will happen and lead the story a little [...] when I first started the project I used images from unsplash.com because I am a writer first and photography really intimidated me. Then I started trying it out, occasionally editing the unsplash photos, then attempting to take a few of my own. [...] Then I started enjoying photography and doing it more and more! Then I decided to commit to only ever using my own imagery, Which is the rule I hold to now."
Her response reinforced to me how much inspiration, imagination, creativity, talent, and sense of adventure it truly takes to be a dedicated writer of any genre. Her ideas for Ava's stories and adventures, the talent she has in storytelling, and the willingness to take on a new skill (photography) in order to enhance her stories and promote them in a unique way show that Heather Rose Walters is truly a creative mind.
The story starts en media res and was somewhat difficult to understand the first time I read through the beginning chapters. I am the kind of reader who likes to understand all of the details as I begin to dive into a story, so I found the ambiguity of the beginning somewhat off-putting at first. However, as I got further into the chapters, the story began to unfold in a way that made the beginning details click better. I found myself re-reading these beginning chapters multiple times to try to put all of the pieces together (again, pun intended - you will only get it when you read the story). As such, though, I was still unable to answer all of my questions: How does Ava know how to use the watch? How does she know how to fix the timepieces? How do Charlie and Abe know so much about Ava's family and heritage? But with each continuous question I found myself asking, I realized that these are probably all details that can be answered as the plot develops and the storytelling continues. I'm hoping that as the story continues, Walters reveals more and more about Ava's background and family, the interrelationship between Charlie, Abe, and Ava, and even more about Cece's background as well (what happened in her life that made her so manipulative and cruel?!).
Readers can download a PDF copy of the first 90 installments of Ava Coulise & the Time Pieces at the following link: http://www.heatherrosewalters.com/ava-coulise-part-i. While this medium is easiest to read (in terms of having all of the story in front of you at once), it does not include the same visuals as Walters' Instagram account (@storiesforbreakfast). While reading the PDF on my tablet, I kept my phone handy to indulge in the photos at the same time to enhance my reading experience. I would suggest to interested readers that you find a way to incorporate Walters' Instagram images into your own reading of the story, as well, as it creates a different overall experience.
Again, Walters' Instagram handle is @storiesforbreakfast and when I first heard the account name, I interpreted it as an author whose dedication was found by being determined to write something every morning (hence, stories for breakfast). Whether or not this is true of Heather Rose Walters, I cannot say, and though this may not be a story in the traidtional sense, as I sit at my own laptop and watch the sun rise out my back window I am nonetheless thankful for the inspiration she has brought me.
Friday, August 5, 2016
Book Review: Second Glance by Jodi Picoult
I have to start by saying that Jodi Picoult is my favorite author, which (to some) might make this review seem biased in her favor as I have a propensity to love everything she touches. I just find her fluid yet slightly-elevated writing style, her unique plot ideas, the twists and turns she incorporates into each new story, her intersection of disparate characters and plots into one seamless story, and her multi-perspective way of addressing that common-thread plotline are too amazing not to praise. That being said...
I received Second Glance as a present from my mother in a book box she sent me for Christmas (I know, my mom is the best). I have read SO many of Picoult's other stories that I knew right away that I would love this one, as well, before I had any idea what the story was even about. When I read the back cover and some of the reviews on the first few pages (yes, I actually read those) I was pleased to learn that this story would be even further up my alley than I already assumed.
I am not typically drawn to sci-fi or supernatural genres. I tend to stick with more contemporary fiction. While I like horror, I tend to be drawn more into stories of true crime rather than fictional monsters. At the same time, though, I love a great ghost story every now and then, which is why this book stuck out to me from the start. The casualness with which Picoult writes about and incorporates elements of the spirital world, as well as some elements of wrinkles in the time contiuum, create a whole different feel in this story. It provides the elements of the gothic without the fear of a horror novel. Instead, these elements bring the characters and story together in a way that seems natural and peaceful. The serenity these chaotic characters finally find when they begin to let go of the logical, known world around them and open themselves up to the powers outside of their control all help to remind the reader that life cannot be understood or controlled by the individual, but rather we are all a piece of a bigger, cohesive story that supercedes our linear lives.
The viewpoints switch between multiple characters (as she is known to do) and the character list is quite extensive. It could be easy for a reader unused to this narrative technique to become lost within the first few chapters. On top of that, the story time jumps between the past events of Comtosook in the 1930s and the more contemporary characters of Comtosook in the 2000s. Each of these elements brings a depth and a complexity to the story that helps a reader gather bits and pieces of the story from multiple perspectives in a way that still does not reveal the entirety of the story, leaving room for the dips and dives that plot takes throughout.
With the incorporation of so many characters and plotlines throughout the story, Picoult is able to address many different themes including the fine lines between love and obsession - as well as the blur between the two; the power of depression over the logical mind for the victim, as well as those lives around them who are also affected; and the sense of one-ness in the universe across time (the idea that everything happens for a reason - both past and present). Picoult is able to present each of these through what seem to be completely different families, stories, and plots, but then draws them all together through one, mainline event where each of their paths and stories intersect in ways - sometimes supernatural - that they would never have guessed.
While the story is fictional - Picoult uses the small, fictional town of Comtosook, Vermont as her setting for the events of the story - there still appears to be an air of historical accuracy to many of the events and themes about which she writes. While I have never been anywhere near the East coast and have nothing of my own empirical experiences to compare to, Picoult's descriptions of the town, the nature, and the community in this town seem so native that I feel as if I have actually been there. The incorporation of fictional member of a factual Abenaki (Native American) tribe into the story - their history in the town, and their treatment by the settlers and inhabitants of the town (mostly WASP) - give this fictional novel a historically accurate tone in both the past and present portrayals of these events. Picoult emphasizes this factual tone with epigraphs from actual nonfiction pieces written in the 1930s from prevalent scientific research that emerged from this time and place about eugenics.
Having been previously unaware of the eugenics studies and projects of the 1930s in America (including those that Hitler used during his reign of terror in Germany to support his genocide of Jewish peoples) this fictional story brought to light some national issues of the past (about race, ethnicity, identity, "passing", and social acceptance) that can still be applied to many different social issues that America faces today. Issues about race, personal perceptions, social norms, and the malleability in the use of "hard scientific data" within the story causes the reader to question and look deeper into "facts" that are presented on social issues today, including how manipulative others can be with what seems like hard data. These deep, insightful looks can help society open their eyes in an abundance of ways if applied with critical thought.
For anyone who reads contemporary fiction, for those who are interested in a more-believable spirit story rather than a highly-fictualized version of a ghost story for the mere sake of fear, and obviously for anyone who is a fan of Jodi Picoult's work, I highly recommond reading Second Glance.
I received Second Glance as a present from my mother in a book box she sent me for Christmas (I know, my mom is the best). I have read SO many of Picoult's other stories that I knew right away that I would love this one, as well, before I had any idea what the story was even about. When I read the back cover and some of the reviews on the first few pages (yes, I actually read those) I was pleased to learn that this story would be even further up my alley than I already assumed.
I am not typically drawn to sci-fi or supernatural genres. I tend to stick with more contemporary fiction. While I like horror, I tend to be drawn more into stories of true crime rather than fictional monsters. At the same time, though, I love a great ghost story every now and then, which is why this book stuck out to me from the start. The casualness with which Picoult writes about and incorporates elements of the spirital world, as well as some elements of wrinkles in the time contiuum, create a whole different feel in this story. It provides the elements of the gothic without the fear of a horror novel. Instead, these elements bring the characters and story together in a way that seems natural and peaceful. The serenity these chaotic characters finally find when they begin to let go of the logical, known world around them and open themselves up to the powers outside of their control all help to remind the reader that life cannot be understood or controlled by the individual, but rather we are all a piece of a bigger, cohesive story that supercedes our linear lives.
The viewpoints switch between multiple characters (as she is known to do) and the character list is quite extensive. It could be easy for a reader unused to this narrative technique to become lost within the first few chapters. On top of that, the story time jumps between the past events of Comtosook in the 1930s and the more contemporary characters of Comtosook in the 2000s. Each of these elements brings a depth and a complexity to the story that helps a reader gather bits and pieces of the story from multiple perspectives in a way that still does not reveal the entirety of the story, leaving room for the dips and dives that plot takes throughout.
With the incorporation of so many characters and plotlines throughout the story, Picoult is able to address many different themes including the fine lines between love and obsession - as well as the blur between the two; the power of depression over the logical mind for the victim, as well as those lives around them who are also affected; and the sense of one-ness in the universe across time (the idea that everything happens for a reason - both past and present). Picoult is able to present each of these through what seem to be completely different families, stories, and plots, but then draws them all together through one, mainline event where each of their paths and stories intersect in ways - sometimes supernatural - that they would never have guessed.
While the story is fictional - Picoult uses the small, fictional town of Comtosook, Vermont as her setting for the events of the story - there still appears to be an air of historical accuracy to many of the events and themes about which she writes. While I have never been anywhere near the East coast and have nothing of my own empirical experiences to compare to, Picoult's descriptions of the town, the nature, and the community in this town seem so native that I feel as if I have actually been there. The incorporation of fictional member of a factual Abenaki (Native American) tribe into the story - their history in the town, and their treatment by the settlers and inhabitants of the town (mostly WASP) - give this fictional novel a historically accurate tone in both the past and present portrayals of these events. Picoult emphasizes this factual tone with epigraphs from actual nonfiction pieces written in the 1930s from prevalent scientific research that emerged from this time and place about eugenics.
Having been previously unaware of the eugenics studies and projects of the 1930s in America (including those that Hitler used during his reign of terror in Germany to support his genocide of Jewish peoples) this fictional story brought to light some national issues of the past (about race, ethnicity, identity, "passing", and social acceptance) that can still be applied to many different social issues that America faces today. Issues about race, personal perceptions, social norms, and the malleability in the use of "hard scientific data" within the story causes the reader to question and look deeper into "facts" that are presented on social issues today, including how manipulative others can be with what seems like hard data. These deep, insightful looks can help society open their eyes in an abundance of ways if applied with critical thought.
For anyone who reads contemporary fiction, for those who are interested in a more-believable spirit story rather than a highly-fictualized version of a ghost story for the mere sake of fear, and obviously for anyone who is a fan of Jodi Picoult's work, I highly recommond reading Second Glance.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Book Review: “The Adventures of Rex & Ted and the Strange Taco Tuesday: The Social Media Edition” by Michael Burton
Yesterday I had the pleasure of reviewing an early release of the upcoming story “The Adventures of Rex & Ted and the Strange Taco Tuesday: The Social Media Edition” by Michael Burton. This new release that becomes available on Monday, August 1st on Kindle is a hybrid story that incorporates social media-style illustrations along with its narrative to enhance the story. It is the first of this genre that I have ever had the experience of reading.
The story stars two teen-aged boys who have given up on school and their families to live together in a rundown trailer in the middle of the New Mexican dessert. They only return to school on Tuesdays for their favorite day - Taco Tuesdays! However, on this specific Taco Tuesday, they encounter new experiences that they - and their followers on Snapchat - will never forget.
This first of many in a series of graphically illustrated stories by Burton is quite amusing. It has a very Bill-and-Ted-meet-the-21st-century vibe (and if you’ve not seen that late 80s movie starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, either watch it or ignore the reference above). Even though the two main characters in the story, Rex and Ted, are freshman in high school, this story seems to fit perfectly into the middle-grade genre. Kids at the mid-grade age will wish they were old enough for the independence and adventure that Rex and Ted experience throughout the story, yet are young enough to be enchanted by the incorporation of the millennial slang, pop culture references, and product placement sprinkled throughout the narrative.
In an article titled "Product placement in books: a publisher's point of view" posted to brandsandfilms.com, Caroline Goldsmith of Red Button Publishing is quoted as saying that product placement in writing "can give a story a sense of time, a sense of place and in some cases, a unique way of relating to the reader" (http://brandsandfilms.com/2014/11/product-placement-in-books-a-publishers-point-of-view/). Goldsmith's words here ring true with what Burton accomplishes in his story. His references to brands, products, celebrities, and other big names of 2016, prove that the knows and understands how to reach his target audience and connect with their own real-life, day-to-day experiences. Even though most of his references are explicitly stated, I thoroughly enjoy implicit references that make the reader think to their own experiences. One of my favorite moments in this short story was Burton’s allusion to the lyrics of a popular rap song by Yo Gotti; it truly appealed to my inner thuglife. But I digress…
Aside from the fact that Burton is extremely talented in his unique illustrations, he incorporates his drawings through the lens of a Snapchat story. For anyone who is not familliar with the popular social media app, the following part of this review - and possibly the whole premise of this story - are going to be slightly beyond you until you’ve come into the now in social media apps. His illustrations are not only hand drawn, but incorporate different Snapchat features and filters to add a complete new twist on what otherwise could have just been another digital storybook. Anyone who has ever ventured into the world of boredom and Snapchat filters will appreciate Chapter 3 of this story. Burton’s witty use of this social media incorporation into not only this, but the upcoming stories in the series, sets his release apart from others of this similar genre. It also provides a selling point to his target audience (young teens) as something they can connect with in their own, day-to-day lives.
One thing that stuck out to me (coming from a reader in my late twenties and not the intended audience of this story) was that, at times, the dialogue seemed incongruent with how most teenagers talk. It is clear that Burton did this purposely to keep the story appropriate and available for many age groups. As an English teacher, I interact with students of this age daily. With my knowledge of how the majority of them act, think, and speak, I kept waiting for Rex and Ted to call each other inappropriate names or make sexual innuendos. While the voices of the teens did not seem authentic to what I know of young teens in 2016, it is clear and understandable why Burton would censor the language in a story of this type to keep a PG rating for a younger audience, too.
The end of the story left off with a cliffhanger - loose ends in the adventure and the possibility of bringing in more characters and adventures. I assume that this is because Burton purposely wants to draw readers in for the release of the remainder of the upcoming stories in the series slated to be released later this year as a continuation of this story.
I really liked that, even though the story is about two young boys living on their own, dropping out of school (for everything but Taco Tuesday. LMFAO!) and their encounter with some supernatural elements - all situations which are not probable - it is also still a social commentary on the millennial generation, the infatuation with social media, the need to capture every moment in pictures and then share those pictures with others, as well as touching on the subjects of bullying (both in person and cyber-bullying) and other common teenage interactions (not feeling good enough for school, not fitting in with the "in crowd", relationship awkwardness and aspirations, etc.). The light-hearted way that Burton exposes these real-life issues shows that they exist but does not bombard the reader with darkness on heavy matters (which keeps the reading light for younger ages, as well).
Burton is a clever, creative, and talented artist in his storytelling and his artistry. I look forward to reading the remainder of the series as it is released.
A big thank you to author and illustrator, Michael Burton, for allowing me the chance to read, review, and share his work. If you're looking for a quick read and enjoy a younger-aged genre I highly suggest picking up this clever work. Again, it is available on Monday, August 1st for download on Kindle. If you would like to get in touch with author, you can follow his account on Instagram (@rex_and_ted) to interact, ask question, and receive updates on this and other upcoming stories in the series.
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