Disclaimer - I received a free copy in exchange for a review.
Something even stranger is definitely taking place.
This is a quick and short read, but it's packed full of intrigue and very messed up characters. Although there are multiple characters taking over the POV throughout the short novel, I'd consider Howard to be the main character. He's the only one who's followed until the end of the action.
So, Howard is an agent who ensures dangerous people are kept in check. He's meant to only gather information and then a group of special forces goes in to clean up... but Howard has trouble sticking to his role in the larger picture. It's not easy for him to stand and watch people be treated poorly - he constantly has to act, and there are voices in his mind urges him to do so. His story is meant to be tragic, but I found it hard not to cheer him on as he delved into a cult, trying to figure out exactly what the self-proclaimed god was really up to.
The other characters are just as flawed and intriguing as he is. And all of their stories come together to show a larger picture.
If you're a fan of dark and weird, I highly recommend this story.
Something even stranger is definitely taking place.
This is a quick and short read, but it's packed full of intrigue and very messed up characters. Although there are multiple characters taking over the POV throughout the short novel, I'd consider Howard to be the main character. He's the only one who's followed until the end of the action.
So, Howard is an agent who ensures dangerous people are kept in check. He's meant to only gather information and then a group of special forces goes in to clean up... but Howard has trouble sticking to his role in the larger picture. It's not easy for him to stand and watch people be treated poorly - he constantly has to act, and there are voices in his mind urges him to do so. His story is meant to be tragic, but I found it hard not to cheer him on as he delved into a cult, trying to figure out exactly what the self-proclaimed god was really up to.
The other characters are just as flawed and intriguing as he is. And all of their stories come together to show a larger picture.
If you're a fan of dark and weird, I highly recommend this story.
Both the premise and the cover grabbed my attention. It sounds really fascinating (even though it gives a nod to the Twilight series).
There are several issues with this book, however. The first is the voice of the main character. Her thoughts were all over the place, and she repeated thoughts and ideas frequently. On one hand, it really made her character distinctive and realistic, in a way. But on the other hand, it didn't work well for a narrative. I found myself getting agitated over her thoughts and frequent use of "crap".
And, it's not a good thing when the character realizes this is an issue. Charlie once thought, "If you could live in my head, trust me, you would pack up and move the heck out. My mind was not a fun place to be."
Unfortunately, the readers do live in her head for the length of the book. Her spastic way of thinking did make reading difficult.
Tense slips and spelling also provided bumps in reading.
Organization-wise, I really didn't understand why there were chapters in Crispus' POV when the main story was first person for Charlie. Chapters in another character's POV really only works with 3rd person.
There are also good things about this book. Every now and again, I would come across fantastic sentences, such as:
"His hair was a messy silky blond color. His eyes were shaped like crescent moons in a pool of dark blue."
I have trouble imagining a hair color being messy silky, but that aside, the image is great and the sentences are comparatively better than show more others.
The plot was interesting enough to hold my attention. A majority of the story stayed with the mundane. For instance, there was a single chapter dedicated to Charlie being driven to school for her first day. Banter and character building is excellent to do, but it should be balanced with plot. Their conversations weren't interesting enough to have a chapter all their own.
Overall, if you enjoy fiction with sparse fantasy elements, this is for you. The story really doesn't pick up until the end. Due to the cliff-hanger ending, I may read the second book of the series. If you are interested, the second book can be found on Amazon. It was free, so I've already snatched it up. show less
There are several issues with this book, however. The first is the voice of the main character. Her thoughts were all over the place, and she repeated thoughts and ideas frequently. On one hand, it really made her character distinctive and realistic, in a way. But on the other hand, it didn't work well for a narrative. I found myself getting agitated over her thoughts and frequent use of "crap".
And, it's not a good thing when the character realizes this is an issue. Charlie once thought, "If you could live in my head, trust me, you would pack up and move the heck out. My mind was not a fun place to be."
Unfortunately, the readers do live in her head for the length of the book. Her spastic way of thinking did make reading difficult.
Tense slips and spelling also provided bumps in reading.
Organization-wise, I really didn't understand why there were chapters in Crispus' POV when the main story was first person for Charlie. Chapters in another character's POV really only works with 3rd person.
There are also good things about this book. Every now and again, I would come across fantastic sentences, such as:
"His hair was a messy silky blond color. His eyes were shaped like crescent moons in a pool of dark blue."
I have trouble imagining a hair color being messy silky, but that aside, the image is great and the sentences are comparatively better than show more others.
The plot was interesting enough to hold my attention. A majority of the story stayed with the mundane. For instance, there was a single chapter dedicated to Charlie being driven to school for her first day. Banter and character building is excellent to do, but it should be balanced with plot. Their conversations weren't interesting enough to have a chapter all their own.
Overall, if you enjoy fiction with sparse fantasy elements, this is for you. The story really doesn't pick up until the end. Due to the cliff-hanger ending, I may read the second book of the series. If you are interested, the second book can be found on Amazon. It was free, so I've already snatched it up. show less
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This story is quite fascinating. The audience begins watching the main character, Carter, hovering high in the sky while watching as the police and fire department respond to a horrible wreck. Carter has no clue what's happening, but at the same time he doesn't care.
After a while, after the audience gets a better understanding of the situation, Carter moves on to the afterlife and gets a taste of what he can have, and then he's tossed out, back into his body and back to the pain of the world. From here, he continues on a journey to discover who he truly is and his purpose in this life.
The reason for the three stars is because there were so many elements I'm conflicted about. While I enjoy and appreciate the different ways Carter was pushed and pulled into the final understanding of what makes him special in unique, many of the things that pushed and pulled him were not explained and not "tied up" in the end.
Unfortunately, my explanation of what these things are include spoilers, so if you do not like spoilers, please stop reading here and understand that I did enjoy the read and recommend it for anyone who likes these types of novels.
***SPOILERS***
Shortly after leaving town, Carter stops at a gas station. On his way back to his car, he interrupts a young kid trying to steal the license plate from the back of the car using a screw driver. There is a struggle, and the screw driver plunges into the show more kid's chest. Carter does his best to hide the body and then flees.
There is nothing more about this for the rest of the book. We don't know if the kid dies, and Carter certainly doesn't have to face the consequences of his actions, which is a tough thing to pull off with him being the protagonist of the story. And if this was touched on later, it wasn't enough to resonate with me.
Another instance was Carter getting headaches whenever he looked at some mountains. This is shown as significant because these mountains are something that were a part of his past life. But, again, this didn't feel like it tied into the narrative, at all. It felt like a plot device rather than a natural extension of the laws within the novel.
And lastly, Carter starts off being a nice, normal guy, but in the end, he was more than willing to allow someone to die a painful death just because he wanted answers. I'm not going to go into specifics about the characters, but I will say this was an elderly man laying on the bed, sounding delusional, and there was no mention of anyone calling the police or an ambulance to get this man help. The only thing the characters wanted to do was interrogate him.
Aside from these plot devices feeling like the heavy hand of an author, the writing itself was decent and the plot interesting. I kept reading because I wanted to know what would happen, I wanted to explore more of the theories being explored within the text (existentialism, spirituality, and reincarnation being some of them), and I wanted to continue following Carter on his journey. In the end, keeping the reader reading is the author's main goal, and this author did just that. show less
This story is quite fascinating. The audience begins watching the main character, Carter, hovering high in the sky while watching as the police and fire department respond to a horrible wreck. Carter has no clue what's happening, but at the same time he doesn't care.
After a while, after the audience gets a better understanding of the situation, Carter moves on to the afterlife and gets a taste of what he can have, and then he's tossed out, back into his body and back to the pain of the world. From here, he continues on a journey to discover who he truly is and his purpose in this life.
The reason for the three stars is because there were so many elements I'm conflicted about. While I enjoy and appreciate the different ways Carter was pushed and pulled into the final understanding of what makes him special in unique, many of the things that pushed and pulled him were not explained and not "tied up" in the end.
Unfortunately, my explanation of what these things are include spoilers, so if you do not like spoilers, please stop reading here and understand that I did enjoy the read and recommend it for anyone who likes these types of novels.
***SPOILERS***
Shortly after leaving town, Carter stops at a gas station. On his way back to his car, he interrupts a young kid trying to steal the license plate from the back of the car using a screw driver. There is a struggle, and the screw driver plunges into the show more kid's chest. Carter does his best to hide the body and then flees.
There is nothing more about this for the rest of the book. We don't know if the kid dies, and Carter certainly doesn't have to face the consequences of his actions, which is a tough thing to pull off with him being the protagonist of the story. And if this was touched on later, it wasn't enough to resonate with me.
Another instance was Carter getting headaches whenever he looked at some mountains. This is shown as significant because these mountains are something that were a part of his past life. But, again, this didn't feel like it tied into the narrative, at all. It felt like a plot device rather than a natural extension of the laws within the novel.
And lastly, Carter starts off being a nice, normal guy, but in the end, he was more than willing to allow someone to die a painful death just because he wanted answers. I'm not going to go into specifics about the characters, but I will say this was an elderly man laying on the bed, sounding delusional, and there was no mention of anyone calling the police or an ambulance to get this man help. The only thing the characters wanted to do was interrogate him.
Aside from these plot devices feeling like the heavy hand of an author, the writing itself was decent and the plot interesting. I kept reading because I wanted to know what would happen, I wanted to explore more of the theories being explored within the text (existentialism, spirituality, and reincarnation being some of them), and I wanted to continue following Carter on his journey. In the end, keeping the reader reading is the author's main goal, and this author did just that. show less
This story is told with rotating POVs. Each character has their own desires, and their stories only connect in that they cross one another's path, and in this post-apocalyptic future, it's best to travel with people than alone.
Because the characters are all driven by their own needs and they are not working together towards a single goal, this isn't a mindless read.
The characters are fully fleshed out and have individual personalities. Raven is a hardened woman with a single goal, and no one can prevent her from finding her son. Ata is a young girl a little naive about the world, but her journey shows her how cruel some people can be. Nico is empathetic and wants to save just about everyone he comes across. And Camden... I started off not liking his character, but by the end, the horrible things he witnesses and is done against him makes him way more sympathetic.
The plot is very rich, playing on themes of trust and love. I can't say too much along these lines, but the end of the novel shows that one character is willing to do what ever it takes to be with the one person he/she is closely linked to.
Overall, I highly recommend this book.
Because the characters are all driven by their own needs and they are not working together towards a single goal, this isn't a mindless read.
The characters are fully fleshed out and have individual personalities. Raven is a hardened woman with a single goal, and no one can prevent her from finding her son. Ata is a young girl a little naive about the world, but her journey shows her how cruel some people can be. Nico is empathetic and wants to save just about everyone he comes across. And Camden... I started off not liking his character, but by the end, the horrible things he witnesses and is done against him makes him way more sympathetic.
The plot is very rich, playing on themes of trust and love. I can't say too much along these lines, but the end of the novel shows that one character is willing to do what ever it takes to be with the one person he/she is closely linked to.
Overall, I highly recommend this book.
First, I would like to say that the cover is very haunting and really grabbed my interest.
Typically, this is not a genre that would pull me in, but this story had an interesting premise and the plot pushed me along. There is a lot to discover about each and every character.
Great care is given to provide a full understanding of Lars. His daily regimen is presented so that when his world is turned upside down, the audience understands exactly how much Alessandra means to him.
Lars is typically eager to complete his missions, wasting no time to waste the bad guy. In this situation, a buxom beauty causes him to halt, and, over the course of the story, pasts are revealed for not only Lars and Alessandra, but for many of the characters around them. The audience discovers that the Alessandra's and the Colombian Drug Lord does not have a typical marriage.
While this is a VERY adult book, at the heart of the story is a hard-hitting, compelling tale about the perils of drug and human trafficking.
Typically, this is not a genre that would pull me in, but this story had an interesting premise and the plot pushed me along. There is a lot to discover about each and every character.
Great care is given to provide a full understanding of Lars. His daily regimen is presented so that when his world is turned upside down, the audience understands exactly how much Alessandra means to him.
Lars is typically eager to complete his missions, wasting no time to waste the bad guy. In this situation, a buxom beauty causes him to halt, and, over the course of the story, pasts are revealed for not only Lars and Alessandra, but for many of the characters around them. The audience discovers that the Alessandra's and the Colombian Drug Lord does not have a typical marriage.
While this is a VERY adult book, at the heart of the story is a hard-hitting, compelling tale about the perils of drug and human trafficking.
*Received in exchange for an honest review.*
At it's heart, this is a very fascinating book. The main characters, Tristien and Kat, are falling head-over-heels in love, but their past demons get in the way of their ability to commit and fully open up to one another. For Tristien, the past demons are physical; for Kat, they are mental. I would love to go into depth about their issues, but it may spoil the read.
For me, the story is foremost a love story and the battles/fights are secondary. I have always enjoyed stories where humans were the most important thing, and this novel delivers on that.
Alongside Tristien and Kat are two friends, Cela and Kinjara. Their pasts are not delved into greatly, but seeing as how they are secondary characters, this is not necessary. What they do have are unique characteristics that really help them leap off of the page and take on a life of their own.
While I did enjoy this book, there were some stylistic decisions that affected my read. For one, each character was referred to in a multitude of ways. For instance, Kat was referred to by nickname, full name, the olive woman, dark haired woman, the Slicer, the Midnight Slicer etc. (these names may not be exact). I was pulled from the story every time one of these was used, and this happened for every character.
Another issue that I had was the frequent use phrases at the beginning of a sentence. This would happen to a majority of the sentences in a paragraph, and it would create a rhythm in show more reading that would pull me from the story.
There were a few more issues that brought this to three stars.
Aside from all of those things, though, this was an engaging novel with some beautifully written sentences. I will definitely be reading the next book! show less
At it's heart, this is a very fascinating book. The main characters, Tristien and Kat, are falling head-over-heels in love, but their past demons get in the way of their ability to commit and fully open up to one another. For Tristien, the past demons are physical; for Kat, they are mental. I would love to go into depth about their issues, but it may spoil the read.
For me, the story is foremost a love story and the battles/fights are secondary. I have always enjoyed stories where humans were the most important thing, and this novel delivers on that.
Alongside Tristien and Kat are two friends, Cela and Kinjara. Their pasts are not delved into greatly, but seeing as how they are secondary characters, this is not necessary. What they do have are unique characteristics that really help them leap off of the page and take on a life of their own.
While I did enjoy this book, there were some stylistic decisions that affected my read. For one, each character was referred to in a multitude of ways. For instance, Kat was referred to by nickname, full name, the olive woman, dark haired woman, the Slicer, the Midnight Slicer etc. (these names may not be exact). I was pulled from the story every time one of these was used, and this happened for every character.
Another issue that I had was the frequent use phrases at the beginning of a sentence. This would happen to a majority of the sentences in a paragraph, and it would create a rhythm in show more reading that would pull me from the story.
There were a few more issues that brought this to three stars.
Aside from all of those things, though, this was an engaging novel with some beautifully written sentences. I will definitely be reading the next book! show less
This is a pretty good adventure story. In the very first chapter, Lacy learns that she inherited more than a butt-load of money and a mansion from her grandmother — she also inherited a spaceship and a high status. Soon after this discovery, Lacy and her friends are forced to flee Earth and wind up traveling in space.
While I enjoyed this story, it could have easily been three times longer. There was a lack of details which really would have helped transport me fully into this universe, and on more than one occasion, I was confused by the characters' dialogues and choices.
There were technical issues with the writing, but I can tell that this author is very talented with words. Some of my favorite lines:
"Every speck of available light seemed to dance across its dark surface in a hypnotic show of rainbows and shadows, even though the only source of illumination was a flickering yellow safety light at each end of the room."
"After two millennia of staring through the lens of a camera and speaking through speakers, I find that I long for the experiences that can only be found in a body - the taste of fresh berries in cream melting on my tongue, the feel of grass tickling underfoot, the caress of a gentle breeze blowing through my hair on a warm day..."
I am looking forward to the next two books, but I do hope there is more exposition and description to allow me to really fall into the story and visualize the universe as the author sees it.
While I enjoyed this story, it could have easily been three times longer. There was a lack of details which really would have helped transport me fully into this universe, and on more than one occasion, I was confused by the characters' dialogues and choices.
There were technical issues with the writing, but I can tell that this author is very talented with words. Some of my favorite lines:
"Every speck of available light seemed to dance across its dark surface in a hypnotic show of rainbows and shadows, even though the only source of illumination was a flickering yellow safety light at each end of the room."
"After two millennia of staring through the lens of a camera and speaking through speakers, I find that I long for the experiences that can only be found in a body - the taste of fresh berries in cream melting on my tongue, the feel of grass tickling underfoot, the caress of a gentle breeze blowing through my hair on a warm day..."
I am looking forward to the next two books, but I do hope there is more exposition and description to allow me to really fall into the story and visualize the universe as the author sees it.
This was a very compelling story of a man's descent into delusion and his attempts to overcome it. The characters are unique and well-rounded, and the writing is wonderful!
There were technical issues with commas, and on more than one occasion, the author went into summary rather than fleshing very wonderful scenes out. Even still, this earned a four-star rating from me. Last night, I decided to read one chapter, but I couldn't stop. One night's worth of sleep lost, delving into the mind of a person struggling to understand reality as it is presented to him. It was utterly fascinating.
I will be reading a lot more from this author.
There were technical issues with commas, and on more than one occasion, the author went into summary rather than fleshing very wonderful scenes out. Even still, this earned a four-star rating from me. Last night, I decided to read one chapter, but I couldn't stop. One night's worth of sleep lost, delving into the mind of a person struggling to understand reality as it is presented to him. It was utterly fascinating.
I will be reading a lot more from this author.
"All right, all right, you can stop chanting my name! ... If I got any more gigantic and golden, you'd burst into flames just beholding my divine beauty! Oh, all right, just a little more chanting - but take precautions, will you? Something fire-retardant. Spit on each other, maybe."
I had to start with a quote from this book, and could not, for the life of me, decide on which one. I think the above gives an adequate idea of the type of humor in the book. It is absurdist humor at it's best.
Because one quote just doesn't do this story much justice:
"What did orphans taste like, anyway? I mean, say what you will about witches, but anyone who builds a candy house - and doesn't immediately eat it - must be pretty certain it'll bring them something even tastier."
Sammy is a long dormant... god of sorts. She had worshippers and was well-known in her time, but after people stopped believing in her, Sammy went dormant for thousands of years. Fast-forward to present day, and some strange power has brought her back to life, along with three of her friends.
Overall, I loved this story. Every page was amusing to some degree, whether it brought me a pleasant smile or a hearty belly laugh. Because of this, deciding on a rating wasn't easy.
Four stars:
There are typos throughout the piece. Also, being the visual reader that I am, there were way too many times when I didn't know what to imagine. There were some scenes that were fuzzy or I had to force an image or I just moved on not knowing show more what was supposed to be there. Now, these things didn't leave me confused about the overall plot or characters, but it did make the reading just a little less enjoyable.
Five stars:
The fact that I couldn't put it down in the beginning, and the fact that I did just move on when something wasn't clear showed how enjoyable the overall novel was for me. Who cares if those few things were problematic for a moment if the overall journey was incredibly loved?
I finally went with four stars because, IMHO, the story did go on just a tad too long. I did find it lolling in the middle.
Once again, just because it's four stars doesn't mean this isn't a highly recommended book in my opinion! If the quotes fit your humor, please read this! You won't regret it!
Okay, okay... one more quote.
A character talking about the formula for writing romance.
"It's all arithmetic. Mister A, a lordly B from time period C, D-ly kisses humble lady E, a mere F, on the G, while firmly swatting her H with a leather I. You know. Romance." show less
I had to start with a quote from this book, and could not, for the life of me, decide on which one. I think the above gives an adequate idea of the type of humor in the book. It is absurdist humor at it's best.
Because one quote just doesn't do this story much justice:
"What did orphans taste like, anyway? I mean, say what you will about witches, but anyone who builds a candy house - and doesn't immediately eat it - must be pretty certain it'll bring them something even tastier."
Sammy is a long dormant... god of sorts. She had worshippers and was well-known in her time, but after people stopped believing in her, Sammy went dormant for thousands of years. Fast-forward to present day, and some strange power has brought her back to life, along with three of her friends.
Overall, I loved this story. Every page was amusing to some degree, whether it brought me a pleasant smile or a hearty belly laugh. Because of this, deciding on a rating wasn't easy.
Four stars:
There are typos throughout the piece. Also, being the visual reader that I am, there were way too many times when I didn't know what to imagine. There were some scenes that were fuzzy or I had to force an image or I just moved on not knowing show more what was supposed to be there. Now, these things didn't leave me confused about the overall plot or characters, but it did make the reading just a little less enjoyable.
Five stars:
The fact that I couldn't put it down in the beginning, and the fact that I did just move on when something wasn't clear showed how enjoyable the overall novel was for me. Who cares if those few things were problematic for a moment if the overall journey was incredibly loved?
I finally went with four stars because, IMHO, the story did go on just a tad too long. I did find it lolling in the middle.
Once again, just because it's four stars doesn't mean this isn't a highly recommended book in my opinion! If the quotes fit your humor, please read this! You won't regret it!
Okay, okay... one more quote.
A character talking about the formula for writing romance.
"It's all arithmetic. Mister A, a lordly B from time period C, D-ly kisses humble lady E, a mere F, on the G, while firmly swatting her H with a leather I. You know. Romance." show less
This is a very short read, but wow is it fascinating. The novella is experimental in writing, but every time it does slip into unusual narration, it does so for a reason and plays well into the story itself.
The main character is a man searching minds for information to help cure the world of an illness. Because he does traverse minds, the readers get setting, action, and dialogue, but it all takes place in people's minds.
Overall, I would highly recommend this story, and I'll be following the rest of the novels set in this universe.
The main character is a man searching minds for information to help cure the world of an illness. Because he does traverse minds, the readers get setting, action, and dialogue, but it all takes place in people's minds.
Overall, I would highly recommend this story, and I'll be following the rest of the novels set in this universe.
A Vanishing Glow is a pretty compelling read. The main, main characters (the two that are followed throughout the majority of the novels) are pretty well-crafted and compelling.
Jason is a soldier who is more comfortable with a weapon than in high society, but when his life-long friend, Nole, request that Jason takes a seat on the council, he decides to do just that. The relationship between the two was set up really well from the beginning. I could see Jason's level of comfort lower when with Nole is around. From the beginning, I could tell that characterization was the strong point of the author. I don't mean to take away from her writing, because that's strong, too, but her ability to craft characters is beyond good.
The next character I consider to be main is Nilya. She is a sapper, but desperately wants to become a weapons engineer. Her introduction has her frantically working on a device that could help make her dreams come true.
With both introductions, I found Nilya's more compelling. She was working towards a goal, and the audience saw it from the very beginning. Later on in the book, I found myself a little less interesting in what she was doing and way more fascinated by Jason and his search for a killer. I think this is the first issue I really had with the story. The balance was just a bit off with the plot, and there were too many lolls with either one character or the other.
Also, there was a missed opportunity in this volume, I think. A lot of time was spent show more setting up the social dynamic between people and constructs, but when a character suddenly finds himself/herself as one, this dynamic is not fully realized. I'm pretty sure this is going to be further explored in the next book, but it would have been nice to start that thread here.
Overall, there were things I loved and things I didn't, which brought me to a four star. I'll definitely be reading the next book, if for no other reason than to see how our construct handles his/her new form. show less
Jason is a soldier who is more comfortable with a weapon than in high society, but when his life-long friend, Nole, request that Jason takes a seat on the council, he decides to do just that. The relationship between the two was set up really well from the beginning. I could see Jason's level of comfort lower when with Nole is around. From the beginning, I could tell that characterization was the strong point of the author. I don't mean to take away from her writing, because that's strong, too, but her ability to craft characters is beyond good.
The next character I consider to be main is Nilya. She is a sapper, but desperately wants to become a weapons engineer. Her introduction has her frantically working on a device that could help make her dreams come true.
With both introductions, I found Nilya's more compelling. She was working towards a goal, and the audience saw it from the very beginning. Later on in the book, I found myself a little less interesting in what she was doing and way more fascinated by Jason and his search for a killer. I think this is the first issue I really had with the story. The balance was just a bit off with the plot, and there were too many lolls with either one character or the other.
Also, there was a missed opportunity in this volume, I think. A lot of time was spent show more setting up the social dynamic between people and constructs, but when a character suddenly finds himself/herself as one, this dynamic is not fully realized. I'm pretty sure this is going to be further explored in the next book, but it would have been nice to start that thread here.
Overall, there were things I loved and things I didn't, which brought me to a four star. I'll definitely be reading the next book, if for no other reason than to see how our construct handles his/her new form. show less
Fascinating concepts reside in Evolution of Angels. Nathan Walls blends mythology together to create an interesting story about a man being recruited to save the world from deadly threats.
The characters are interesting, although they all speak in similar manners. At times, I found it difficult to keep up with who was talking and at what point. That being said, I really enjoyed getting to know and following Jarrod! His sense of humor and personality stuck to me. I also found it interesting how he first came across like the fun loving side-kick, but by the end he is shown to be the hero.
My other favorite character is Oreios! He's demented in a pretty fun way.
The writing is... efficient. It wasn't bad and I could imagine the scenes fairly easily, but there was something missing. This is definitely personal aesthetics, since I tend to enjoy more poetic writing. A few moments, the type of descriptive writing I enjoy did pop up.
For examples:
"Saliva in his mouth strung together from tooth to tooth like spider webs."
Disgusting, but also vivid.
"... launched him thirty yards, causing him to skip across the ground like a smooth stone on a calm lake."
And my personal favorite:
"Jarrod jumped onto the railing, overlooking the bottom floor like a terrifying gargoyle."
There was one other issue that I had with the story, and that was the excessive use of backstory. Most of it could have been discovered through narration and dialogue, but the reader is taken back to months and years in show more the past to relive certain moments. The most frustrating part was with Episode 4. Right after an amazing battle, an entire section (set up like a chapter, but a little longer) was dedicated to back story, and most of the information would have been perfectly acceptable if a character had sat down and explained one or two points to another character. It wasn't hard to keep up with the time jumps, they just seemed to come at a time where I wanted resolution on something specific. Essentially, they delayed satisfaction, which at moments can be very frustrating.
So, the reason for three stars is a combination of characters not being distinct enough, prose lacking a bit more flare, and backstory interrupting the much more interesting current story.
Other than those three things, however, I still have to recommend this book. If you enjoy action-packed novels which explore fascinating ideas, you should enjoy this!
Also, extra kudos for this line and knowing the difference between the man and the monster!
"I feel like Frankenstein's monster," he joked... show less
The characters are interesting, although they all speak in similar manners. At times, I found it difficult to keep up with who was talking and at what point. That being said, I really enjoyed getting to know and following Jarrod! His sense of humor and personality stuck to me. I also found it interesting how he first came across like the fun loving side-kick, but by the end he is shown to be the hero.
My other favorite character is Oreios! He's demented in a pretty fun way.
The writing is... efficient. It wasn't bad and I could imagine the scenes fairly easily, but there was something missing. This is definitely personal aesthetics, since I tend to enjoy more poetic writing. A few moments, the type of descriptive writing I enjoy did pop up.
For examples:
"Saliva in his mouth strung together from tooth to tooth like spider webs."
Disgusting, but also vivid.
"... launched him thirty yards, causing him to skip across the ground like a smooth stone on a calm lake."
And my personal favorite:
"Jarrod jumped onto the railing, overlooking the bottom floor like a terrifying gargoyle."
There was one other issue that I had with the story, and that was the excessive use of backstory. Most of it could have been discovered through narration and dialogue, but the reader is taken back to months and years in show more the past to relive certain moments. The most frustrating part was with Episode 4. Right after an amazing battle, an entire section (set up like a chapter, but a little longer) was dedicated to back story, and most of the information would have been perfectly acceptable if a character had sat down and explained one or two points to another character. It wasn't hard to keep up with the time jumps, they just seemed to come at a time where I wanted resolution on something specific. Essentially, they delayed satisfaction, which at moments can be very frustrating.
So, the reason for three stars is a combination of characters not being distinct enough, prose lacking a bit more flare, and backstory interrupting the much more interesting current story.
Other than those three things, however, I still have to recommend this book. If you enjoy action-packed novels which explore fascinating ideas, you should enjoy this!
Also, extra kudos for this line and knowing the difference between the man and the monster!
"I feel like Frankenstein's monster," he joked... show less
Ooga Booga is a fascinating speculative fiction, exploring what might happen if African-Americans suddenly developed a change in the way they think and speak. The author does a wonderful job of examining how American society would react and how it would affect individuals on a personal level.
Along with the fascinating concept, I also really enjoyed the writing style. It was smooth and incredibly gorgeous at certain moments. I had no issue reading this novel in a single setting and finishing it in one day.
Some of my favorite lines:
Anti-rhythmic and multi-tones, it was what a modem might sound like if it sang to you. Like programmer code being performed live beneath your skin.
Without warning, a loud, brilliant sensation of freedom exploded through her cerebral cortex, forcing her fear to compete for space.
She craved more and wanted to open herself up and pour him in like medicine.
While the story is being advertised as a novel illustrating the #BlackLivesMatter movement, I have trouble describing it as that, myself. For me, it's about a person's struggle to regain control of her life and herself. The main character, Nessa, has changed her life significantly and moved away from her family, pretending to be something she is not merely because her love ones insisted it was the best thing for her. She falls into the lie and continues to act and behave certain ways just to gain the approval of those around her she admire. Once the novel really picks up, Nessa finds her show more façade stripped away, and she has to finally come to terms with who she truly is. But, is she now in control of her life, or has she fallen into her old ways, allowing other people to dictate who she should be and how she should behave? I think at it's heart, this is a story that could speak to so many people on a deep, individual level.
I'm sure the main question is why four stars when I loved this so much! There were a few aspects that took a star off for me. The biggest for me is that there were so many scenes skipped and glossed over, and the lack of those scenes affected how much the story resonated with me.
For instance, the main plot of the story is that African-Americans were treated poorly by being locked up in camps. While on the surface that sounds horrific, I couldn't ignore the fact that the change in how people thought and spoke also came hand in hand with confused cognitive abilities. Being unable to think clearly or understand what something means can be dangerous not only for the affected individual, but also for passersby. In otherwords, one wouldn't claim that a person suffering from Alzheimer's is being mistreated simply because they're not allowed to walk around in public alone... and there were thousands of African-Americans suffering from this ailment in the end.
I read through a majority of the books wondering what the big deal was, and what the main character had in mind to keep both the affected individuals and the general public safe once the camps closed. Throughout the book, characters would state very plainly that the camps were horrible, but the audience is never shown that.
After the main character is released from the camps (and the audience is shown her in a confused mind frame with workers in the camp tending to her), the main character gives a speech about the camps, stating: "I've personally heard the heartbreaking stories of hundreds of hardworking individuals who've lost their jobs... Stories of people like you who were chained up and banished to live in cold, dim, dirty camps miles away from your home."
While the audience is shown the main character losing her job (and I could get behind and cheer their attempts to create laws and prevent this from happening), I couldn't cheer for their abolishment of the camps because I wasn't shown the heartbreaking stories. At some points, I wished the author had gone in scene for some of the information provided to the audience. I wanted to, at the very least, hear the heartbreaking stories and the horrific things some people had to endure in the camps.
All in all, while a very good read, the story could have been twice as long and much more engaging.
And, although I had one major issue with one aspect of the story, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and being taken through all the twists and turns of the main character's journey. This is a novel for my must-read list -http://www.kcgray.com/must-reads.html show less
Along with the fascinating concept, I also really enjoyed the writing style. It was smooth and incredibly gorgeous at certain moments. I had no issue reading this novel in a single setting and finishing it in one day.
Some of my favorite lines:
Anti-rhythmic and multi-tones, it was what a modem might sound like if it sang to you. Like programmer code being performed live beneath your skin.
Without warning, a loud, brilliant sensation of freedom exploded through her cerebral cortex, forcing her fear to compete for space.
She craved more and wanted to open herself up and pour him in like medicine.
While the story is being advertised as a novel illustrating the #BlackLivesMatter movement, I have trouble describing it as that, myself. For me, it's about a person's struggle to regain control of her life and herself. The main character, Nessa, has changed her life significantly and moved away from her family, pretending to be something she is not merely because her love ones insisted it was the best thing for her. She falls into the lie and continues to act and behave certain ways just to gain the approval of those around her she admire. Once the novel really picks up, Nessa finds her show more façade stripped away, and she has to finally come to terms with who she truly is. But, is she now in control of her life, or has she fallen into her old ways, allowing other people to dictate who she should be and how she should behave? I think at it's heart, this is a story that could speak to so many people on a deep, individual level.
I'm sure the main question is why four stars when I loved this so much! There were a few aspects that took a star off for me. The biggest for me is that there were so many scenes skipped and glossed over, and the lack of those scenes affected how much the story resonated with me.
For instance, the main plot of the story is that African-Americans were treated poorly by being locked up in camps. While on the surface that sounds horrific, I couldn't ignore the fact that the change in how people thought and spoke also came hand in hand with confused cognitive abilities. Being unable to think clearly or understand what something means can be dangerous not only for the affected individual, but also for passersby. In otherwords, one wouldn't claim that a person suffering from Alzheimer's is being mistreated simply because they're not allowed to walk around in public alone... and there were thousands of African-Americans suffering from this ailment in the end.
I read through a majority of the books wondering what the big deal was, and what the main character had in mind to keep both the affected individuals and the general public safe once the camps closed. Throughout the book, characters would state very plainly that the camps were horrible, but the audience is never shown that.
After the main character is released from the camps (and the audience is shown her in a confused mind frame with workers in the camp tending to her), the main character gives a speech about the camps, stating: "I've personally heard the heartbreaking stories of hundreds of hardworking individuals who've lost their jobs... Stories of people like you who were chained up and banished to live in cold, dim, dirty camps miles away from your home."
While the audience is shown the main character losing her job (and I could get behind and cheer their attempts to create laws and prevent this from happening), I couldn't cheer for their abolishment of the camps because I wasn't shown the heartbreaking stories. At some points, I wished the author had gone in scene for some of the information provided to the audience. I wanted to, at the very least, hear the heartbreaking stories and the horrific things some people had to endure in the camps.
All in all, while a very good read, the story could have been twice as long and much more engaging.
And, although I had one major issue with one aspect of the story, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and being taken through all the twists and turns of the main character's journey. This is a novel for my must-read list -http://www.kcgray.com/must-reads.html show less
Whew!!! This was one hot and steamy read! This is more an erotic fantasy with supernatural beings (vampire and witch for this book) than a fantasy book with sexual scenes. Even still, the world-building kept me interested, and the smooth and easy writing style allowed me to fall into the narrative.
As always, with an honest review, there are some negatives I feel obligated to outline.
The biggest issue for me were the overabundance of grammatical errors. Yes, the writing style was easy, meaning the rhythm of the sentences they created really allowed for a fairly easy read, but missing commas and homophones throughout pulled me from the narrative from time to time.
Another issue was the alternating POVs (Point of Views). The story alternated between Dreama and Zane, and there were spaces signaling with the narration switched from one POV to the other, but the formatting of the ebook left some of those spaces unnoticeable, which translated into apparent sudden POV switches, which sometimes pulled me from the story.
Lastly, I had a bit of an issue with the crafting of the characters. For the most part, I could handle the fact that the main characters felt one-dimensional. Dreama and Zane are madly in love with one another, and that's pretty much all the audience hears about. Zane owns his own business, and Dreama is a painter, but aside from the initial introduction to the characters (the first couple of chapters), they are not shown doing anything other than each other (for show more some strange reason, I was okay with this).
Along those same lines, in the beginning of the novel, it felt like the narrator was painting Dreama as a shy, passive person, but all of Dreama's actions in the book only showed a self-sure, aggressive woman. Many of these scenes began with a sentence or two speaking about how Dreama was usually passive, but at this moment she was too tired/pissed off/worn out/etc., and so she acted in a more aggressive manner. Don't get me wrong, I like aggressive Dreama and her character is interesting in some respects, but either she should be shown to be passive in the beginning and then allow the audience to see how/why she started being a bit more aggressive, or she should stay as she is and the narrator shouldn't try so hard to convince the audience that Dreama is passive when never once is she shown to actually be that way.
Even with the negatives, I still had to give this four stars. After all, I finished it in one read, and never once could I pull myself from the story. show less
As always, with an honest review, there are some negatives I feel obligated to outline.
The biggest issue for me were the overabundance of grammatical errors. Yes, the writing style was easy, meaning the rhythm of the sentences they created really allowed for a fairly easy read, but missing commas and homophones throughout pulled me from the narrative from time to time.
Another issue was the alternating POVs (Point of Views). The story alternated between Dreama and Zane, and there were spaces signaling with the narration switched from one POV to the other, but the formatting of the ebook left some of those spaces unnoticeable, which translated into apparent sudden POV switches, which sometimes pulled me from the story.
Lastly, I had a bit of an issue with the crafting of the characters. For the most part, I could handle the fact that the main characters felt one-dimensional. Dreama and Zane are madly in love with one another, and that's pretty much all the audience hears about. Zane owns his own business, and Dreama is a painter, but aside from the initial introduction to the characters (the first couple of chapters), they are not shown doing anything other than each other (for show more some strange reason, I was okay with this).
Along those same lines, in the beginning of the novel, it felt like the narrator was painting Dreama as a shy, passive person, but all of Dreama's actions in the book only showed a self-sure, aggressive woman. Many of these scenes began with a sentence or two speaking about how Dreama was usually passive, but at this moment she was too tired/pissed off/worn out/etc., and so she acted in a more aggressive manner. Don't get me wrong, I like aggressive Dreama and her character is interesting in some respects, but either she should be shown to be passive in the beginning and then allow the audience to see how/why she started being a bit more aggressive, or she should stay as she is and the narrator shouldn't try so hard to convince the audience that Dreama is passive when never once is she shown to actually be that way.
Even with the negatives, I still had to give this four stars. After all, I finished it in one read, and never once could I pull myself from the story. show less
Review:
Very, very well-written, post-apocalyptic tale of teenagers who've grown up in a mountain since the world has been thrust into a nuclear winter.
The main character, Gabe, is one of only two people who is trusted to go out into the cold, harsh world in search of anything that the group can use. His narrating voice is smooth and almost calming as he carries the audience through what the world is now like.
I have to admit that there were four major issues that almost brought this down one more star.
1. I am a lover of character development and imagery, but there were pages and pages of narrative meticulously laying out what the characters are doing, but very little of it leads anywhere.
For instance, the first day they go out, the audience can fully visualize the world and how it's changed. The audience can see how dangerous the weather is (snow so deep they have to wear snowshoes or risk getting frost-bite, so it's more than just a little cold weather), and I loved being immersed in the world, but for the other times that they go out, the audience gets more of the same, laying out how they search houses and what they find and what Gabe stashes for other people.
The audience doesn't have to follow to see everything they find. This is one instance in which "show vs. tell" is overrated. As with everything in life, there is a balance. Show is absolutely needed in some situations, and I loved being immersed in the beginning, but summing up subsequent trips out would have show more kept the book from feeling too long. Show the audience only what they need to see!
2. It may sound petty, but I'm not a huge fan of en medias res openings. It feels like a cheap shot to me; a quick sneak peek to grab the audiences attention before thrusting them backwards in time where they can easily figure out what will happen to lead to where the story began. I want to be very clear; the writing in this story is so phenomenal that this type of opening is not needed. I started reading this book and was finished in one day, the prose being so smooth.
3. Much of the dialogue was glossed over. Having dialogue in a novel is something that helps me become that much more immersed. I have to imagine facial expressions, infliction in voice, hands that punctuate!
4. Too many concurrent stories being told. There's the post-apocalyptic tale that's the main focus, and interwoven is a 3rd person narrative of what started the apocalypse, and also interwoven is the apocalyptic story of how these teens came to survive long enough to get to the mountain. It was all interesting, and it's not lost on me that these woven tales do help the audience see how the main villain was so successful with his plan, but the pre-apocalyptic tale really doesn't matter in this novel. We're there to watch how Gabe grows into a man and a leader, the pre-apocalyptic tale should have been a short story prequel for those who might want to read it. Ultimately, we didn't need to know how the villain did it, just that he did. The facts of how could have been flat-out told, or saved for a moment of clarity in a later book.
Okay, that may have come across as ranting, and I apologize if it did. The fact of the matter is that despite these four issues (which are all subjective, anyway), I absolutely adored the experience with Gabe and Mags. I read this book in one setting, unable to pull myself from the smooth prose and immersive detail.
And I do have a major thing I loved, too. The author does a wonderful job with accents. One of the characters has a very distinct accent, and the author spells it out in an easy way to begin with to give the audience an idea of how the character actually speak. It's not over done (once in the beginning to introduce the character, and then sporadically throughout the rest of the novel, just a gentle nudge to ensure the audience remains aware of it).
The introduction of this character's speech is:
'... Them boys're just spoiling for a fight.' Marv's from Hager, where apparently not all consonants have equal rights. It comes out spawlin' firra faht.
The "equal rights" part led to immediate joy for me! Wonderful work.
If you have any doubt, don't be bixicated! Check it out on Amazon and see how smooth the prose reads. show less
Very, very well-written, post-apocalyptic tale of teenagers who've grown up in a mountain since the world has been thrust into a nuclear winter.
The main character, Gabe, is one of only two people who is trusted to go out into the cold, harsh world in search of anything that the group can use. His narrating voice is smooth and almost calming as he carries the audience through what the world is now like.
I have to admit that there were four major issues that almost brought this down one more star.
1. I am a lover of character development and imagery, but there were pages and pages of narrative meticulously laying out what the characters are doing, but very little of it leads anywhere.
For instance, the first day they go out, the audience can fully visualize the world and how it's changed. The audience can see how dangerous the weather is (snow so deep they have to wear snowshoes or risk getting frost-bite, so it's more than just a little cold weather), and I loved being immersed in the world, but for the other times that they go out, the audience gets more of the same, laying out how they search houses and what they find and what Gabe stashes for other people.
The audience doesn't have to follow to see everything they find. This is one instance in which "show vs. tell" is overrated. As with everything in life, there is a balance. Show is absolutely needed in some situations, and I loved being immersed in the beginning, but summing up subsequent trips out would have show more kept the book from feeling too long. Show the audience only what they need to see!
2. It may sound petty, but I'm not a huge fan of en medias res openings. It feels like a cheap shot to me; a quick sneak peek to grab the audiences attention before thrusting them backwards in time where they can easily figure out what will happen to lead to where the story began. I want to be very clear; the writing in this story is so phenomenal that this type of opening is not needed. I started reading this book and was finished in one day, the prose being so smooth.
3. Much of the dialogue was glossed over. Having dialogue in a novel is something that helps me become that much more immersed. I have to imagine facial expressions, infliction in voice, hands that punctuate!
4. Too many concurrent stories being told. There's the post-apocalyptic tale that's the main focus, and interwoven is a 3rd person narrative of what started the apocalypse, and also interwoven is the apocalyptic story of how these teens came to survive long enough to get to the mountain. It was all interesting, and it's not lost on me that these woven tales do help the audience see how the main villain was so successful with his plan, but the pre-apocalyptic tale really doesn't matter in this novel. We're there to watch how Gabe grows into a man and a leader, the pre-apocalyptic tale should have been a short story prequel for those who might want to read it. Ultimately, we didn't need to know how the villain did it, just that he did. The facts of how could have been flat-out told, or saved for a moment of clarity in a later book.
Okay, that may have come across as ranting, and I apologize if it did. The fact of the matter is that despite these four issues (which are all subjective, anyway), I absolutely adored the experience with Gabe and Mags. I read this book in one setting, unable to pull myself from the smooth prose and immersive detail.
And I do have a major thing I loved, too. The author does a wonderful job with accents. One of the characters has a very distinct accent, and the author spells it out in an easy way to begin with to give the audience an idea of how the character actually speak. It's not over done (once in the beginning to introduce the character, and then sporadically throughout the rest of the novel, just a gentle nudge to ensure the audience remains aware of it).
The introduction of this character's speech is:
'... Them boys're just spoiling for a fight.' Marv's from Hager, where apparently not all consonants have equal rights. It comes out spawlin' firra faht.
The "equal rights" part led to immediate joy for me! Wonderful work.
If you have any doubt, don't be bixicated! Check it out on Amazon and see how smooth the prose reads. show less
When I first started reading this, I thought I'd wind up giving it three stars. There are some issues with repetition throughout the text, but for some reason it came across as more prevelant, and therefore more distracting, in the beginning of the novel. For example, a description of characters was written like:
"They looked nothing alike. I saw absolutely no family resemblance."
Many of the descriptions came across like this, and in the beginning, they felt unnecessary.
Also, there were descriptions that, if added, would have heightened my sense of immersion into the story. For instance, I thought the main character was female for the first few pages. I also had a great deal of trouble imagining the city and the train, so I went to default human buildings, which didn't seem to match the characters.
And then, as I continued reading, the rating in my mind went up one star. Despite repetitious statements, the prose is smooth and easy to follow. I was fully immersed at some places, and can still imagine these scenes vividly.
Along with these positives, I came across beautiful imagery and wordings, like:
"The sun sat low on the horizon, bloody and wounded."
"Black skin that drank in the light."
"The image of her profile silhouetted against the flickering orange light is burned into my mind, a fixed point in time. It's one of those indelible memories that serves to organize a remembered life."
There is so much from this book that will stick with me.
The main focus of the story is not a show more villain or saving another person (the main character does get saved on many occasions, and on many more he saves others), but it's more about the character's growth. The main character, Ariah, is prime and proper, unsure of himself, but as the book continues, he goes on many adventures and finds himself in the process. In other words, the more Ariah experience, the more he realized what he did and did not like.
The author handles the character growth in a brilliant way. Ariah isn't stuck in one place, learning who he is. He travels all over the "country", lands in new settings, around different types of people, and it's these new experiences that causes him to look at the world a different way. In many of these adventures, there is danger and that need to continue reading to find out what happens, but these things are not the focus of this novel.
In some ways, this reminded me of Ursula Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness. There is an exploration of sexuality, and many of the characters come across as gender fluid
In the end, I wound up with a solid five stars on my mind. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey Ariah went on, and when it was over, I felt overwhelming sadness.
Ariah's journey resonated with me on a personal level, and I loved that in the end he knew himself so well that he left comforts and took one final trip back to those he loved. show less
"They looked nothing alike. I saw absolutely no family resemblance."
Many of the descriptions came across like this, and in the beginning, they felt unnecessary.
Also, there were descriptions that, if added, would have heightened my sense of immersion into the story. For instance, I thought the main character was female for the first few pages. I also had a great deal of trouble imagining the city and the train, so I went to default human buildings, which didn't seem to match the characters.
And then, as I continued reading, the rating in my mind went up one star. Despite repetitious statements, the prose is smooth and easy to follow. I was fully immersed at some places, and can still imagine these scenes vividly.
Along with these positives, I came across beautiful imagery and wordings, like:
"The sun sat low on the horizon, bloody and wounded."
"Black skin that drank in the light."
"The image of her profile silhouetted against the flickering orange light is burned into my mind, a fixed point in time. It's one of those indelible memories that serves to organize a remembered life."
There is so much from this book that will stick with me.
The main focus of the story is not a show more villain or saving another person (the main character does get saved on many occasions, and on many more he saves others), but it's more about the character's growth. The main character, Ariah, is prime and proper, unsure of himself, but as the book continues, he goes on many adventures and finds himself in the process. In other words, the more Ariah experience, the more he realized what he did and did not like.
The author handles the character growth in a brilliant way. Ariah isn't stuck in one place, learning who he is. He travels all over the "country", lands in new settings, around different types of people, and it's these new experiences that causes him to look at the world a different way. In many of these adventures, there is danger and that need to continue reading to find out what happens, but these things are not the focus of this novel.
In some ways, this reminded me of Ursula Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness. There is an exploration of sexuality, and many of the characters come across as gender fluid
In the end, I wound up with a solid five stars on my mind. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey Ariah went on, and when it was over, I felt overwhelming sadness.
Ariah's journey resonated with me on a personal level, and I loved that in the end he knew himself so well that he left comforts and took one final trip back to those he loved. show less
Disclaimers
1. I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
2. To be perfectly honest and open, I love Piers Anthony! His imagination has always allowed mine to soar.
I really, really want to speak on the Xanth series because they were an intricate part of my life growing up, and, therefore, they are an intricate part of who I am today. But, I will refrain from doing so and only focus on Hair Power.
From the first line, nostalgic memories surged and I felt like that kid tucked into a corner and reading as though that's what sustained me. I enjoyed the play on words, the humor infused into the plot, and the characters who seemed to enjoy the story as much as I did.
While I enjoyed the quick read and loved the memories such quirky characters brought about, there were a few things that affected the read for me.
The first thing is the dialogue. It's fun at times, but at others it's very formal, and even if I took into consideration the powers of the hair, all characters spoke in a similar manner, including a prostitute. My feeling about this would be different were there a bit more variety in word choice and sentence construction based on character.
The other thing is odder than usual plot points. One major plot point that bothered me to no end had to do with Quiti, the main character, being invited to a dance by 16-year old Speedo. During the dance, Quiti discovers new things about her powers, but multiple men hit on her and one man spiked her drink show more while he had vodka... how in the world is this a dance for 16-year olds?
These issues were minor, at best, when compared with the overall story. I'm very interested in finding out more about the hairballs and seeing how the world adapts to their presence. show less
1. I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
2. To be perfectly honest and open, I love Piers Anthony! His imagination has always allowed mine to soar.
I really, really want to speak on the Xanth series because they were an intricate part of my life growing up, and, therefore, they are an intricate part of who I am today. But, I will refrain from doing so and only focus on Hair Power.
From the first line, nostalgic memories surged and I felt like that kid tucked into a corner and reading as though that's what sustained me. I enjoyed the play on words, the humor infused into the plot, and the characters who seemed to enjoy the story as much as I did.
While I enjoyed the quick read and loved the memories such quirky characters brought about, there were a few things that affected the read for me.
The first thing is the dialogue. It's fun at times, but at others it's very formal, and even if I took into consideration the powers of the hair, all characters spoke in a similar manner, including a prostitute. My feeling about this would be different were there a bit more variety in word choice and sentence construction based on character.
The other thing is odder than usual plot points. One major plot point that bothered me to no end had to do with Quiti, the main character, being invited to a dance by 16-year old Speedo. During the dance, Quiti discovers new things about her powers, but multiple men hit on her and one man spiked her drink show more while he had vodka... how in the world is this a dance for 16-year olds?
These issues were minor, at best, when compared with the overall story. I'm very interested in finding out more about the hairballs and seeing how the world adapts to their presence. show less
Disclaimer
I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a pretty good read. The characters are fascinating and interesting. The biggest issue that I had with this was the plot. While the plot was simple and straightforward (a document had been found which goes against what everyone believes), I don't think there was enough set up to show this world as a dystopian, where people cannot hold their own beliefs... they have to believe what The Mind and everyone else believes. In saying this, by the end I fully understood what Claradina had at stake by bringing this document to The Mind. But, by the end is too late. I missed out of feeling the apprehension of the situation.
There was also the sudden addition of a major character near the end. I'm still not sure who Sanaiya really is or what stakes she holds in this world. She did heighten the tension quite a bit, I only wish I had a better understanding of how she fits into the world.
Overall, I'm glad I read it and will continue to look for other works by this author. While I had my issues with this novella, the writing and the characters really pushed me to want to know more.
I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a pretty good read. The characters are fascinating and interesting. The biggest issue that I had with this was the plot. While the plot was simple and straightforward (a document had been found which goes against what everyone believes), I don't think there was enough set up to show this world as a dystopian, where people cannot hold their own beliefs... they have to believe what The Mind and everyone else believes. In saying this, by the end I fully understood what Claradina had at stake by bringing this document to The Mind. But, by the end is too late. I missed out of feeling the apprehension of the situation.
There was also the sudden addition of a major character near the end. I'm still not sure who Sanaiya really is or what stakes she holds in this world. She did heighten the tension quite a bit, I only wish I had a better understanding of how she fits into the world.
Overall, I'm glad I read it and will continue to look for other works by this author. While I had my issues with this novella, the writing and the characters really pushed me to want to know more.
This is considered Book II, coming after Branding of a Heretic. While I had a few issues with Book I, I absolutely adored this story! Daggis is a man fighting for control, but when the caravan he's traveling with is attacked by the army, he not only loses control, he revels in his anger.
Daggis is a likable character from the start. While he goes down a dark road and refuses to turn back, the things that he's gone through makes him way too sympathetic to dislike. In fact, I cheered him on!
I can't wait to read more! This has landed on my must-read list at kcgray (dot) com.
Daggis is a likable character from the start. While he goes down a dark road and refuses to turn back, the things that he's gone through makes him way too sympathetic to dislike. In fact, I cheered him on!
I can't wait to read more! This has landed on my must-read list at kcgray (dot) com.
Disclaimer:
I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is an amazing story that kept me enthralled and reading well into the night.
The audience follows a band of unlikely heroes — a tiny woman who'd been abused most of her life, a story-teller who is also Byronic (IMHO), an uncommonly tall priestess, and a woman with a massive chip on her shoulder. There is also an outcast. a person considered filthy and beneath everyone else, who can't read but has taught himself how to be a doctor. While Fumito (the story-teller) is my favorite character, all of the characters warmed up to me after a while.
One of the things that I loved about this novel is that the author was not afraid to put his characters through life-altering events. This resulted in a read where I felt anything could happen. I didn't feel like any of the characters were safe, and this guaranteed that I stuck with the novel.
I don''t want to go into too much detail so as not to spoil this, and I think the author's blurb does more than enough to relay the story. I will say that there were a number of fascinating concepts/minor plots brought up and I am still upset that they weren't elaborated on. For instance, there was a plot line concerning ten liars. By the end, I had enough of an understanding of who the ten liars were and why they deserved to be punished as they were, but I did want to hear more about the tenth liar and why he was kept in the particular manner depicted in the show more novel. But these few questions were not enough to keep me from enjoying the novel. Besides, I have a strong feeling that these were threads to connect in later books, which would help create a rich world.
The novel is set with multiple point-of-views, so the readers are able to get to know multiple characters and receive information that would not have been available had there only been one point-of-view. So while I typically shy away from novels with rotating POVs, I thoroughly enjoyed this with no issues.
The writing style is smooth and easy to read. All in all, I can't wait for the next installment! This has landed on my must-read list at kcgray (dot) com. show less
I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is an amazing story that kept me enthralled and reading well into the night.
The audience follows a band of unlikely heroes — a tiny woman who'd been abused most of her life, a story-teller who is also Byronic (IMHO), an uncommonly tall priestess, and a woman with a massive chip on her shoulder. There is also an outcast. a person considered filthy and beneath everyone else, who can't read but has taught himself how to be a doctor. While Fumito (the story-teller) is my favorite character, all of the characters warmed up to me after a while.
One of the things that I loved about this novel is that the author was not afraid to put his characters through life-altering events. This resulted in a read where I felt anything could happen. I didn't feel like any of the characters were safe, and this guaranteed that I stuck with the novel.
I don''t want to go into too much detail so as not to spoil this, and I think the author's blurb does more than enough to relay the story. I will say that there were a number of fascinating concepts/minor plots brought up and I am still upset that they weren't elaborated on. For instance, there was a plot line concerning ten liars. By the end, I had enough of an understanding of who the ten liars were and why they deserved to be punished as they were, but I did want to hear more about the tenth liar and why he was kept in the particular manner depicted in the show more novel. But these few questions were not enough to keep me from enjoying the novel. Besides, I have a strong feeling that these were threads to connect in later books, which would help create a rich world.
The novel is set with multiple point-of-views, so the readers are able to get to know multiple characters and receive information that would not have been available had there only been one point-of-view. So while I typically shy away from novels with rotating POVs, I thoroughly enjoyed this with no issues.
The writing style is smooth and easy to read. All in all, I can't wait for the next installment! This has landed on my must-read list at kcgray (dot) com. show less