Book Review: Brainwalker by Robyn Mundell and Stephan Lacast

I was given a free copy of Brainwalker by Robyn Mundell and Stephan Lacast in exchange for an honest review. This middle-grade, science-fiction, fantasy novel is the story of Bernard's unbelievable adventure into a new, unexplored realm. Bernard is the only child of two scientist parents. His father, a particle physicist, struggles to connect with and raise Bernard as a single parent; Bernard's mother died in a tragic science experiment while trying to discover the secret world of alchemy. Not only does Bernard struggle with his home life, but he does not fit in at school, either. After some stress-induced lashing out, Bernard is suspended from school. His father unwillingly picks Bernard up, and together they visit his father's work: a place that Bernard has always wanted to go, but his father has always been hesitant to take him due to the dangers involving the particle accelerator he works with. When Bernard sneaks away to see the particle accelerator, he is then transported through a wormhole into his father's mind where he discovers the Brainverse - a whole new universe and network of never-before discovered beings and creatures. With the help of these new friends (and enemies), Bernard must work through a brand new landscape and universe in order to unify the broken Brainverse, help his father heal, and get back to his own world and body.

With Robyn Mundell's background in acting, it is no surprise that the story holds many connections to other visual mediums. Specifically, this novel reminded me of an amalgamation of two television shows. Brainwalker reads like an elaborated episode of The Magic School Bus meets the sci-fi cult classic series Quantum Leap. 

(Side note: for anyone unfamiliar with these two magical 90's classics, you're now welcome: https://youtu.be/AarZbACsy1o and https://youtu.be/5ucjQ6TfM0A).

In terms of The Magic School Bus, Bernard is able to learn his school curriculum through more experiential learning. In school, his science teacher begins a lesson about how the brain works. Shortly after this, Bernard is not only transported through a wormhole into his father's brain, but the narrative then uses this mysterious and fantastical adventure to teach Bernard in a more experiential way about how the brain works. Through the beings, creatures, and environments that Bernard discovers in the brain, he learns how synaptic connections work (like lightening bolts between the dendrites and axons of the brain's cells), he learns that the left and right brain are polar opposites (intuition and creativity vs. logic and reason), and he learns that, in order for the brain to function properly and remain healthy, all parts of the brain must work together cohesively. While the authors give these functions and parts of the brains more fantasy-like names, they are all derivatives of actual scientific terms (the Intuit Holons live in the right brain, the Reezon Holons live in the left brain, the Great Arc that connects these two "communities" in the Brainverse is the corpus callosum, etc.). And, of course, there is no eccentric Ms. Frizzle or Liz to narrate the adventure, but it is simultaneously entertaining and educational nonetheless.

In connection to Quantum Leap, the incorporation of the wormholes and the idea of traveling from one large universe into a second universe inside of that first universe (universe-ception?) was reminiscent of the way that Dr. Sam Beckett traveled through time and inhabited new bodies to set historical mistakes right. When Bernard travels into the Brainverse, it is only his mind that comes through, and so he takes the form of a new body within the Brainverse in order to materialize and explore this new land. It is only after he has fixed the brokenness of the Brainverse that Bernard is able to go back to his home universe and his own body, just like Sam Beckett in the show.

One last connection I made was in the vessels which Bernard and the other Brainverse inhabitants use to travel through the Brainverse. For anyone who has read Fluke by Christopher Moore, the living transportation vessels in Brainwalker are highly reminiscent of the whale vessels in Moore's story: highly unique, creatively described, illogically deduced, yet compelling to read in such a story.

While the premise of the story seems to focus on education about how the brain works, there are also some hints at social implications throughout. As the Reezon Holons take nonrenewable resources (Energeia) from the Intuit Holons, operating under the premise the the Intuit Holons are uneducated and primitive beings from which the Reezon Holons evolved, the Intuit Holon population declines and their community and home begin to fear the danger of extinction. It is easy to see that there are close parallels between the struggles of these fictional beings to real-world genocide, environmental conservation, and the ignorance of the world in understanding differing cultures. While the story only tangentially explores these issues, this child-friendly platform makes a perfect jumping off point for conversation with children about what it means to be open-minded, empathetic, tolerant, and informed members of society.

Overall the story was a good read, though I was upset at the few plot holes that were left unanswered. For example, throughout the story, Bernard alludes to his deceased mother and the fact that she might still be alive and well in a separate universe. At one point, he even hears her voice. However, the authors never clear up this concept of whether she has actually died or if there is still a chance of his finding her in another place or time. As well, the ambiguity of the ending didn't sit well with me. After Bernard returns home from the Brainverse, his memory is seemingly wiped almost clean of his experiences; all that is left of his time spent in his father's mind are the burns on his hands. The authors leave it up to the reader to decide if his experiences in the Brainverse were real, or if he was actually knocked out in the infirmary the entire time and only imagined that entire venture. He retains some distant memories of what happened in his father's brain which implies that the adventure DID take place, but the story leaves off without him coming to the full realization of what those memories are. While some readers might appreciate these implications that can lead to individual deduction, I didn't like the unfulfilled sense it left me with in the end. I was hoping for one more page or chapter to tie it all back together.

Overall, a fun read that I can see being educational for children, for parents to read TO their children, and possibly even find use in elementary or mid-grade science courses as supplemental materials in lessons about the brain.

Book Review: Rune Hunter by Amelia Wilson and J. A. Cummings

I received an ARC of Rune Hunter by Amelia Wilson and J. A. Cummings in exchange for an honest review. Rune Hunter is the third title in Wilson's Rune Series, but the first to incorporate a coauthor. This series is a paranormal romance that incorporates elements of Norse mythology, vampires, faeries, witches, werewolves, and many other supernatural beings. The previous stories in the series detail the meeting, relational development, hardships, obstacles, and extraordinary abilities of Nika Graves and Erik Thorvald. This third installment in the series is a continuation of the building love story and ensuing hardships that fall upon the couple as they continue their love and life together within the mortal and immortal realms in which they live.

Readers of Amelia Wilson's work will recognize much of this story as akin to her particular style. Most of her stories contain many of the same elements of soulmates, the power of love to overcome all obstacles, and the intermingling and clash of supernatural creatures within one realm all compiled into a quick-paced, easy read.

I was, however, somewhat disappointed at the drastic differences in this new title in comparison to the first two titles in the Rune Series. I have read almost all of Amelia Wilson's previously released titles (Rune Series, Wicked Vampire Series, A Vampire in Disguise Series, and the only released title of the Cursed Angel Series), and as such am very familiar with her writing. I am not, however, familiar with the writings of the coauthor J. A. Cummings, and I believe it is the incorporation of the coauthor into the new title that effected such noticeable changes.

This series was much heavier on the romance and incorporated more explicit sexual content than any of Wilson's other titles. I am not sensitive to this subject matter, nor am I easily offended, so the incorporation of this sexual content didn't bother me, though it did seem out of place to incorporate it so much more into the third title of a series when it wasn't so present in the previous two books. Also, many of her other series books seem to pick up right where the last title left off. This one, however, seems to have some time progression between the end of book two (Rune Master) and this third book. As such, there seemed to be some missing content in the story line that I felt could have been more deeply elaborated in the beginning of this book. As well, this title introduced a plethora of new mythical and magical creatures that were not present in the first two books, and many of which are not featured in any of her other titles. There was very little description and development of these newly-introduced creatures, some of which I had never experienced in any other context before, and so had trouble figuring out their powers, abilities, places in the supernatural hierarchy, and importance to the overall story. I would have liked to have a bit more explanatory narrative on these new creatures to have a better grasp of the full development of this world. Finally, the ending of the novel felt rushed and inauthentic to the characters. Throughout the series, Nika and Erik work together to maintain unity and cohesion among both human and supernatural creatures, ensuring that no one person or species overpowers or oppresses any others. Without revealing spoilers about the ending of this book, it will suffice to say that the moral compass of Nika and Erik seems to shift slightly at the conclusion of the book which presented itself more like a digression from their previous character development.

Overall, the story is compelling and reads quickly. It is entertaining and provides a paranormal, romantic, escapist story line for readers who prefer this genre. It was not, however, what I expected of the title. I am hoping that the fourth installment in the series will clarify or clear up some of these seeming incongruities and continue to look forward to Wilson's future work.

Book Review: The Wolf of Dorian Gray by Brian Ference

Author Brian S. Ference shared with me a copy of his debut novel The Wolf of Dorian Gray in exchange for an honest review. Obviously, his work is derived from Oscar Wilde's classic The Picture of Dorian Gray. Despite having earned a B.A. in English and pursuing a career teaching English literature and composition at the secondary level, I never read Wilde's original tale. Despite knowing the basic premise of Wilde's original story, I felt it was only fair to go back and read the classic work of literature in order to write a thorough and accurate review of Ference's work.

Wilde's classic story takes place in 19th-century Victorian England. Prior to the beginning of the tale, a dashing young man, Dorian Gray, befriends artist Basil Hallward who, in true artistic fashion, becomes obsessed with Gray as a model for his art, and so paints many portraits of him. At the opening of the story, Hallward is working on his final portrait of Gray as the culmination of his talents and the best work he has ever produced. In the opening scenes, Gray sits for Hallward as the artist puts the finishing touches on the painting. Also in attendance is Lord Henry Wotton - a well-to-do member of society with nothing better to battle ennui than to question, criticize, or contradict anything set before him. In their first conversation together, Lord Henry Wotton induces Dorian Gray to think deeply about the meaning of life, personal pursuits of pleasure, and other philosophically hedonistic ideals. This, in turn, corrupts Gray, being a very young man and only just emerging into adulthood. As such, when the painting is finished, Gray realizes that this portrait and this point in his life is the pinnacle of his existence. He begins to question what more there is in store for him from here. If youth and beauty are all that matter in life (as the mental seed planted by Wotton was sure to imply), then Gray believes it must be true that his only purpose is to pursue life's greatest pleasures from here on out. Internally, he has a moment of existential crisis in which he prays to keep his youth and beauty forever if only the picture would age instead of the realistic reversal.

As the story progresses, Dorian Gray and Lord Henry Wotton continue in their friendship. Gray seeks out the romantic pleasures of life, pursues and loses love, betrays some of his friends, commits heinous and immoral acts, yet never seems to age. The surrealism of his continued youth is sometimes questioned by those around him, but it only serves him well as his garish charms circumvent any consequences that might otherwise befall his ignoble pursuits. While Gray remains vividly young, Hallward's painting of him begins to, disbelievingly, change. Gray realizes that with each act he commits against someone else, the picture magically alters to represent his inner-self and soul. The more Gray carelessly moves through life, the more grotesque the picture becomes until he can no longer stand to look at it and he refuses to let anyone else see it. In the end, he is consumed by his guilt, his vanity, and his immoral behavior emphasizing Wilde's warnings about the shallow and unscrupulous nature of society.

Personally, I don't read many classics as the classical style of writing can come off as rather archaic to a contemporary reader. In this particular work, as with many others of this time period, there are points at which the philosophical dialogue and elaborate imagery seem to continue on far longer than necessary. I felt myself checking out of many of these longer passages and sometimes even skimming over large chunks of descriptive narrative. It is definitely a novel that shows its time.  However, the story itself is highly original and the plot line is what kept me reading through to the end. Wilde's work has continued to remain a classic piece of literature whose morals and themes still hold true for society. In the 21st-century, selfie-driven social media culture that we live in today, it is easy to see how these life lessons still bare food for thought for any contemporary reader.

Upon my reading of Ference's rendition of Wilde's story, the immediate differences I recognized were that Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotton were exchanged for female characters though retained their same personalities from Wilde's original version. It was unclear why Ference chose to make these character changes which didn't feel as if they added anything of substance to his work. Many of the remaining characters retained their original names - Dorian Gray, Sybil Vane, James Vane, etc. - which made the change the opening two characters even more confusing. It seemed that, in the beginning of the writing process, Ference intended to change the characters, then went in a different direction for the duration of the novel.

One aspect of Ference's work that I favored over Wilde's original was its brevity. While Ference retained much of the classical style of Wilde's writing, much of the philosophical dialogue, the incorporation of Victorian and romantic elements, and many of Wilde's same themes about vanity and the consequences of unbridled hedonism, Ference did so in a way that I enjoyed much more as a reader. Unlike with Wilde's work, I did not find myself checking out or skimming over parts of Ference's story in the same way. Ference was able to incorporate the style, imagery, and dialogue in the essence of Wilde without the tangential and seemingly interminable passages that Wilde's original work employs. As such, from a cognitive standpoint, Ference's work kept me more engaged throughout.

WARNING: SLIGHT SPOILERS: Another clear addition to Ference's novel that did his work justice was the Gothic incorporation of the titular wolf. Instead of just a portrait of Dorian painted by the artist, the portrait also contains an abandoned wolf cub that Dorian Gray rescued from the wilderness. As such, throughout the progression of Ference's novel, it is the wolf who becomes more and more evil and grotesque both in the painting and in the reality of the novel. It is also the wolf who commits many of the heinous acts that Gray originally commits himself in Wilde's story, causing Gray to question his actions not based on his own vanity, but rather out of his care for the good of society that the growing wolf continues to terrorize. As a fan of the horror genre and of supernatural elements incorporated into surreal settings, I could appreciate the addition of the werewolf-esque creature into Ference's retelling of Wilde's story.

I was somewhat disappointed to see how closely it followed Wilde's original. There were points at which I felt like I was re-reading the same story almost word-for-word. The few digressions from the original that Ference chose in his own title did not change the heart of story in any way, which made his work feel somewhat unoriginal at many points throughout.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed Ference's work. His writing style was much more readable for me and the incorporation of even more paranormality into Wilde's already Gothic tale made it all the more enjoyable. My only qualm remains that the story feels a bit too mirrored at times to Wilde's original, and, as such, lacks some of the intended creativity. Ference's story does have a sequel, though, and I hope this second book emphasizes more of his own innovation in the story line while maintaining all the traits of this first piece that one can appreciate as a reader.

Book Review(s): Rune Sword and Rune Master by Amelia Wilson

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.

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.

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.

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.