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.  

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.

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.

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.