Linked

I received this book as a free gift from Librarything in exchange for an honest review. I give it 2.5 stars.

As I started the book, I had high hopes. It was fast paced and started with the characters out on the sea. I was intrigued by Luisa, who I thought was going to be the main character. She ends up only being a very minor character that we only see again at the end of the book, and isn't half as interesting as I thought she would be... but I digress.

WARNING: I typically don't have spoilers but in order to explain why I had issues with this book, there will be some below.

From the first chapter, things just got complicated. While the idea for the world of Seven was inventive and had never been done before, it was rife with holes, show more which may have been the reason it had never been done before. The premise is that if one puts on a magic bracelet they get transported to a magical world where evil abounds at 7am for 1 hr and at 7pm for one hour. But the catch is no time passes in the real world.

Let me start off this discussion explaining that I usually can suspend disbelief because I love magical worlds and as long as inherently everything makes sense, I'll go with it. But I found myself so confused by how these "worlds" worked, it took away from the whole story.

Here I go. First of all, why would anyone want to go to a world that a bunch of evil people are running around trying to kill you, and your only companion is a dead ghost boy who was killed by those same people? Sure, you can do magic, but it seems like the majority of that magic is to kill other people, so what's the point? The main character, Andra, is so shallow that she doesn't believe the dead boy when he says things are dangerous even after he says that he's dead, and to be fair, most of the characters are liars anyway so maybe she knows something I don't, but even after she is almost killed on her first journey to Seven, she still doesn't believe it, and concentrates only on her beautiful horse Sea Star. Andra is just a very unlikeable character- shallow, selfish, thinks she is compassionate because she "wants" to save a little girl from Seven, but to me, it sounded like a flimsy excuse to return to Seven so she can play with her magic more.

Second, so a little girl, Morgan, is missing. She has lost the magical bracelet that kept her grounded in the real world. So in between 7 and 7, she and everyone else without a nice little bracelet go... where? This is unclear. Maybe they just "sleep" and only are activated for 2 hours a day? Otherwise are shooting random magic at people, killing them? Because at the next 7, everything goes into the position that they were left in at 659 in the real world. Right. confusing.

Third, apparently the little girl's mother in the real world KNOWS she's missing and is freaking out on the news looking for her. WAIT A SECOND. I thought no time passed in the Seven world when you were in it... unless you don't have a bracelet, maybe?? The whole "time" paradox makes absolutely no sense to me.

I appreciate the effort to make a new world, I know how hard it is to create one, I've tried to do it myself. But I think in the end, the whole world fell apart for these reasons and more, and I was distracted from the story, which in reality, wasn't compelling enough to ignore these issues. show less

Andra is having a horrible 14th birthday. She receives a bracelet to help cheer her up, unaware of the true power of the bracelet. Shortly after putting the bracelet on her wrist, Andra finds herself in another world parallel to reality.
After meeting some of the people in this land, and realizing that one of them is a six year old girl missing from reality, Andra's real adventure begins.
I enjoyed this book. It is a sweet book for the teenage reader, and nice light reading for an adult like me. The story line flows easily, and the characters are well thought out. The book brings a few unexpected twists to keep you interested.
I would definitely read a sequel to the story, hopefully on how Andra and Mike help Joel get free from the Seven.

Lisa Alden has great imagery, character development and plot building finesse. She shows compassion for her characters, yet tenacity to do what has to be done to get through the tough parts of those awkward decisions depicted as life choices.
The author’s love for the dreamer is apparent, and as a reader, I cherished the story like the items cherished and which controlled the plot. As I read on, I hoped with those that had hope, I died a little inside when hope was apparently lost, and I rushed through the story faster to find hope again. The mystery, the companionship, the essence of a simple coffee, and how each though possibly mundane on its own…would be the tools that make the extraordinary more believable.
Thank you for the trip show more on the carousel, the wharf and the froot loops. Why? Cause they are all things that we take for granted and might never see the same again.

Admittedly I put down the book twice; both times it was from sheer exhaustion, and need to get to work in the morning.
When a person reads a little fantasy they hope to find something magical and they in fact, wish for hope. Well readers, there is some in here… but I won’t spoil the story for you, because you are going to have to read to see what it takes to make things right… or can one make it right?

Simply put. There are some plot twists, there are some timelines that are important to follow, and if you aren't good at that kind of math, you might (just might) feel lost, but honestly, I like the timeline, the storyline, and certainly the plot twists. I found the times of relevance charming and relevant to the magic in which it was intertwined.

I am happy to give this book an A for interesting character development. thank you for not making everyone completely predictable. I hate when reviewers insist on submitting a book report instead of a book review(other reviews on the list), I am going to be honest, the book is worth it, and entertaining.

I sure do hope there is another in the works. Other storylines were placed nicely for other books, can't wait to hear about the authors other projects. show less

Linked, by Lisa Alden, is a delightful little fantasy book. A misunderstood girl is left with an uncle for her birthday, and he gives her a bracelet that breaks. The bracelet is replaced by the owner of a restaurant, setting a gateway to the fantastic. We are never quite sure what the 7 is, but it is certainly not everyday life.

The characters are well-developed and believable to a great extent, although it was not clear why the parents would just leave for their daughter’s birthday. The well-meaning uncle is not sure what limits young teens should have, and that gives the story more credibility. The limits between ambition, caring, cunning, and friendship are not clear with the teen characters, and I felt that was a very good touch show more to avoid falling into rigid stereotypical characters. The plot had some minor unexpected twists, and for the most part would really catch the intended young adult reader’s attention.

I was also impressed by the writing, as most young adult self-published books I have read are choppy and full of grammar and spelling errors. This was not the case with Linked, and Alden gives her readers the respect they deserve with a well-written book.

I hope Alden give us more books of this caliber. I think she may have a great future as a writer of young adult fiction. show less

Enjoyable read with an interesting storyline and characters. My 11 year old enjoyed it a lot and talked about it every day, which is a good indicator of how much he liked it! Well done on holding the interest of a kid who reads well above grade level!

In the beggining of Linked, Andra (lead character) starts as this very shy kid full of existencial doubts. You can observe her dealing with those fears and concerns and how she becomes a more complete individual by confronting said fears.
I truly loved Andra. I actually imagined her as a true person. Someone I could be friends with. She's very well written. You find yourself identifying with her. It's really amazing.
However I really wish the idea of the Seven was more developed. What is in this book is very good though. I just have a feeling of being in one of those new highways already open to traffic but not really finished.

I think that this book is fun to read and really think that my teenagers will enjoy it, especially my daughter. It is fantasy and there are some areas that may need some development or clarification but if you don't think too deeply about the "thing" that happens it is interesting to imagine.

What is especially engaging are the characters. You get to know two of them pretty well and then are introduced to 4 or 5 more.

I probably enjoyed this more than some because it is all set in the Monterey, CA area and I have lived there in my lifetime so when she went places like Seaside and the wharf I can picture them.

It had a lot of fun twists that really showed Ms. Alden's imagination and that sparked mine but I don't want to give them away.

I show more would definitely recommend reading this book as it was really a lot of fun. If you enjoy thinking about other dimensions then you would enjoy this. Also, I should add that there isn't s*xual content or language. One of the two main characters is from the 1800's and he quotes the Bible. I didn't feel like it was in a inappropriate way. show less