I don't give book reviews very often, but this one definitely deserves a mention.
Sherry Ficklin is the author of The Gods of Fate series, a young adult fantasy trilogy, following Grace Archer. I read the first book in the series, Foresight, last August, and loved it. So I was excited to read Second Sight as soon as it came out last week. I'll try to avoid giving too many spoilers...
Grace Archer is the daughter of Pandora and Prometheus, friend to the fey, and demi-goddess in her own right. In Foresight, Grace learns of her heritage and discovers her powers as a demi-goddess, as she fights to protect her mother's urn. Along the way she falls in love with Chris, one of her guardians and a fey warrior. Unfortunately, he's killed during the big battle scene (sorry...trying to avoid spoilers here...but I can't avoid them all...) but she brings him back to life and they live happily ever after...
...For awhile in Faerie. This is where book two, Second Sight, begins.
By saving Chris and bringing him back to life, Grace stole his soul from Hades. He was safe in Faerie, but as soon as they leave, Hades returns to collect the missing soul and take Chris to the Underworld. Grace is devastated. What choice does she have but to bribe Charon, barter with Hades, and bring Chris home? Of course, it's all a lot more complicated than that, and Grace is forced to make decisions that change everyone's lives, while narrowly avoiding destroying her own. Friends and relatives -- people she should be able to trust -- want to use and control her (and her growing powers), and she must navigate the traps and schemes to become the woman she wants to be.
Overall, I loved Second Sight as much as I loved Foresight. Sherry Ficklin does a fantastic job bringing together modern, contemporary fantasy with Greek/Roman mythology. Though the book is being marketed as YA, the complexity of the story, and the maturity of the lead character kept me entertained and turning the pages. In fact, I felt it was a much more mature novel than some other YA stories I've read.
I highly recommend picking up this series. But you have to read Foresight first. Second Sight is equally as good, but it's not truly a stand-alone novel. Start with Foresight, read them both, and you won't be disappointed.
(P.S. The final installment of The Gods of Fate trilogy, Hindsight, is slated to be released early next year. I can't wait to read the completion of the saga!)
Final Rating: 4 out of 5
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Friday, September 3, 2010
Farm City
As many of you know, gardening is a significant hobby of mine. Particularly vegetable gardening. I grow tomatoes, zucchini (which unfortunately have done very poorly this year), cucumbers, beets, arugula, bell peppers, hot peppers, and strawberries, plus an assortment of herbs and random veggies that get thrown in the ground once in awhile. So it's not surprising that I picked up a copy (rather, I downloaded on Kindle) Farm City by Novella Carpenter.
I don't often read non-fiction, but I'm glad I chose this one.
Novella's urban farm is located in downtown Oakland, CA. She starts out with a few pots in her own backyard, but quickly realizes that the empty lot next door would be a fantastic site for an urban farm. She becomes a squatter - at least with her garden. Her first addition beyond the regular veggies is a "poultry pack": chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks. After several adventures and one fantastic Thanksgiving dinner, she adds bees to the mix. Then it's rabbits. Then pigs.
Not only informative, Farm City is entertaining and Novella's voice comes through loud and clear. She has a great sense of humor, even while performing activities that modern day urban dwellers might not find the most appealing. I, on the other hand, found the book inspiring, and hope to one day have a little farm of my own.
Rating: 4.5/5
I don't often read non-fiction, but I'm glad I chose this one.
Novella's urban farm is located in downtown Oakland, CA. She starts out with a few pots in her own backyard, but quickly realizes that the empty lot next door would be a fantastic site for an urban farm. She becomes a squatter - at least with her garden. Her first addition beyond the regular veggies is a "poultry pack": chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks. After several adventures and one fantastic Thanksgiving dinner, she adds bees to the mix. Then it's rabbits. Then pigs.
Not only informative, Farm City is entertaining and Novella's voice comes through loud and clear. She has a great sense of humor, even while performing activities that modern day urban dwellers might not find the most appealing. I, on the other hand, found the book inspiring, and hope to one day have a little farm of my own.
Rating: 4.5/5
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Interview with Carl Franklin, author of Bloodlines
As part of my review on Bloodlines, by Carl Franklin, I had the opportunity to ask the author a few questions about himself, about his novella, and about the charity that he will be supporting.
1. First, please tell us a little information about yourself...
I'm 23, obviously enjoy writing and reading literature- From poems to book reviews and most fiction. I do like some non-fiction, but there's nothing like escaping reality!
2. Where did find the inspiration for Bloodlines?
I found the inspiration for Bloodlines from God himself! It was my yearning to see the message get across to the world that being hateful is wrong. No matter who or what anybody believes in, I'm humbled that they have "something" to believe in or worship; and most assuredly that "something" is unity and love driven just like the honest, true words of Jesus.
3. How long did it take to complete the novella, and what was your writing process like?
It didn't take very long to complete given that my imagination and writing is fast paced. It includes most of my premature writing as an Author, however, so a span of a couple years combined into one manuscript. My writing style, you could say, matured since Bloodlines.
It was a bit difficult in some ways, because I did share two personal events that affected my soul. 1- the death of my own mother, even though I put fictional characters around the story... it hits close to home. 2- the death of my only supportive grandfather, again with fictional characters around the story... it as well is close to my heart.
4. Why did you decide to self-publish in a digital format instead of going through the traditional publishers?
It isn't just in digital form. While it can be found on the Amazon kindle, now with perfected formatting without the errors with chunks wrongfully italicized. The print version is of course the longer process and should be publicly available through several cataloging outlets and beyond just the Amazon.com USA store.
I have done every bit of work myself for Bloodlines- writing, publishing, marketing legwork, public relations. Except thank goodness, distribution. I wouldn't want that task. I self published my first Novella because regardless of its content or structure, I wanted to be one of the first to tackle the subject that being Gay doesn't discount one person from another in God's eyes, rather it is what a person does in their lifetime that makes them the person they are. God wants people to love each other- and the other message is as prior mentioned, being hateful is counterproductive and unnecessary. Love is the most powerful energy in the universe, so why not strengthen it even more?
5. Can you tell us a little about your current project(s)?
I am in the works of my adult and much matured works of writing. It is Book 1 of 4 in my suspense series. "Monetary Discretion" and I also beta read for other writers. "Monetary Discretion" is a suspense filled work following the interesting protagonist (main character) Henry Waterstone, who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (multiple personalities) with a quite diverse slew of alter egos. Aside from the basics, I can't share much further information until readers have the chance to find out for themselves. :)
6. What is Smile Train?
Smile Train is an organization that is multi-national centric and holds the basic mission of correcting the cleft palates of several children. May they be in third world countries or here in The United States, clefts hold many challenges both health-wise and personally as well. Children with cleft lip and cleft palates, if gone uncorrected, live unhealthy and scrutinizing lives. They cannot eat or drink properly, they are more prone to bacterial infections and autoimmune diseases and they don't have the luxury of what you and I have- a smile!
7. How did you become involved with the charity and how will your sales support their work?
Several months ago when I decided to link my work and all future works of fiction with charities so I could help give back to the world, I came across one of the Smile Train commercials and was so affected, I did further research on their website to see what they stood for. Being further moved to want to help put a smile on those children, I decided that they would be my first charity to work with.
A percentage of each royalty from my Bloodlines work will go toward the benefit in putting a smile on hopefully more than a few children. It takes as little as $250 and 45 minutes to correct a child's smile. That in itself is enough to put a smile on your face, I hope!
1. First, please tell us a little information about yourself...
I'm 23, obviously enjoy writing and reading literature- From poems to book reviews and most fiction. I do like some non-fiction, but there's nothing like escaping reality!
2. Where did find the inspiration for Bloodlines?
I found the inspiration for Bloodlines from God himself! It was my yearning to see the message get across to the world that being hateful is wrong. No matter who or what anybody believes in, I'm humbled that they have "something" to believe in or worship; and most assuredly that "something" is unity and love driven just like the honest, true words of Jesus.
3. How long did it take to complete the novella, and what was your writing process like?
It didn't take very long to complete given that my imagination and writing is fast paced. It includes most of my premature writing as an Author, however, so a span of a couple years combined into one manuscript. My writing style, you could say, matured since Bloodlines.
It was a bit difficult in some ways, because I did share two personal events that affected my soul. 1- the death of my own mother, even though I put fictional characters around the story... it hits close to home. 2- the death of my only supportive grandfather, again with fictional characters around the story... it as well is close to my heart.
4. Why did you decide to self-publish in a digital format instead of going through the traditional publishers?
It isn't just in digital form. While it can be found on the Amazon kindle, now with perfected formatting without the errors with chunks wrongfully italicized. The print version is of course the longer process and should be publicly available through several cataloging outlets and beyond just the Amazon.com USA store.
I have done every bit of work myself for Bloodlines- writing, publishing, marketing legwork, public relations. Except thank goodness, distribution. I wouldn't want that task. I self published my first Novella because regardless of its content or structure, I wanted to be one of the first to tackle the subject that being Gay doesn't discount one person from another in God's eyes, rather it is what a person does in their lifetime that makes them the person they are. God wants people to love each other- and the other message is as prior mentioned, being hateful is counterproductive and unnecessary. Love is the most powerful energy in the universe, so why not strengthen it even more?
5. Can you tell us a little about your current project(s)?
I am in the works of my adult and much matured works of writing. It is Book 1 of 4 in my suspense series. "Monetary Discretion" and I also beta read for other writers. "Monetary Discretion" is a suspense filled work following the interesting protagonist (main character) Henry Waterstone, who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (multiple personalities) with a quite diverse slew of alter egos. Aside from the basics, I can't share much further information until readers have the chance to find out for themselves. :)
6. What is Smile Train?
Smile Train is an organization that is multi-national centric and holds the basic mission of correcting the cleft palates of several children. May they be in third world countries or here in The United States, clefts hold many challenges both health-wise and personally as well. Children with cleft lip and cleft palates, if gone uncorrected, live unhealthy and scrutinizing lives. They cannot eat or drink properly, they are more prone to bacterial infections and autoimmune diseases and they don't have the luxury of what you and I have- a smile!
7. How did you become involved with the charity and how will your sales support their work?
Several months ago when I decided to link my work and all future works of fiction with charities so I could help give back to the world, I came across one of the Smile Train commercials and was so affected, I did further research on their website to see what they stood for. Being further moved to want to help put a smile on those children, I decided that they would be my first charity to work with.
A percentage of each royalty from my Bloodlines work will go toward the benefit in putting a smile on hopefully more than a few children. It takes as little as $250 and 45 minutes to correct a child's smile. That in itself is enough to put a smile on your face, I hope!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Bloodlines by Carl J Franklin
Amazon Description:
Join Kyle Montana, reserved humanitarian, on his journey through tribulations of his tumultuous life through self exploration and the seeking of acceptance in a loathsome society, in this eye opening self narrative novel. Being a man of several talents and touching the lives of many, Kyle struggles to find solace from nearly everything life throws at him. He stares death straight in the eye, faces rejection from every direction he turns, and bears witness to several wicked measures. Kyle moves on to further successes after living through abhorrent conditions and finds reasoning with his life’s true purpose. This is a tender story of epic morals not only intended for simple reading pleasure, but also a profound view of real-life scenarios.
Review: Is it better to live your life with love and compassion, or pursue morality within the strictest confines of religion?
Bloodlines, by Carl Franklin, begins with a glimpse at the end, quite literally. In fact, the prologue describes the death of the main character, Kyle Skye Montana. It was a shocking entry into the story, but it stood up to the rest of the novella, which chronicled the trials of its hero as he seeks his own happiness.
Kyle is a gay man living in a family that abhors his sexuality. After his mother's death, his father and extended family make it known that they can not tolerate his preference despite the fact that he is reserved in his behavior and lives his life with love and compassion. On top of it all, he's dealing with physical pain and trouble at work. As a result, he becomes increasingly alienated and depressed, but all the while, he works to keep a positive attitude and a smile on his face. One bad thing after another hits him, but he keeps on moving toward his goal of making it to Hollywood and becoming a screenwriter.
For a first effort by a self-published author, Bloodlines was a good story with potential. However, there were a few areas that I felt were lacking and negatively affected my reading experience.
1. The language used was stilted and formal when it didn't need to be. In some cases, the word choice pulled me so far out of the story that it was hard to keep reading. It almost felt like the author picked up a dictionary or thesaurus and was trying to use the biggest, most formal choice possible. While I don't think this was actually the case, I do think that further editing of the language would have benefited the story.
2. Kyle Montana lives in Colorado, and says that he's lived there most of his life, yet his dialogue is littered with British colloquialisms like "bloody hell", "posh", "sodding", and so on. It made it extremely difficult to make a real connection with the hero, since I couldn't figure out where he was actually supposed to be from! Not only that, the dialogue was weak in general, and didn't flow like a normal conversation, often providing way more detail than was actually necessary for the story.
3. For a commentary on morality and what it means to find happiness, Kyle's final successes were far too focused on the material things he had acquired rather than the love of his family and final acceptance achieved. I didn't care that he was wearing a Dolce & Gabbana shirt or that he was worth $240 million. I didn't care that he drove an Escalade or lived in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills. The redemption of the story should have focused on the life he had built and the relationships that were the foundation of his happiness, not the material wealth he had acquired. It undermined the underlying meaning to all the pain he had been through.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
If you want a quick read that explores some real issues, this story is a pretty good one. At $4 on Amazon, it's not going to break the bank, and it will support an aspiring author as well as a worthwhile charity (more on that later).
Stay Tuned!
In a future post I will be interviewing the author, Carl Franklin, and learning more about his background, writing process, and the charity he's supporting with the sales of this book.
Join Kyle Montana, reserved humanitarian, on his journey through tribulations of his tumultuous life through self exploration and the seeking of acceptance in a loathsome society, in this eye opening self narrative novel. Being a man of several talents and touching the lives of many, Kyle struggles to find solace from nearly everything life throws at him. He stares death straight in the eye, faces rejection from every direction he turns, and bears witness to several wicked measures. Kyle moves on to further successes after living through abhorrent conditions and finds reasoning with his life’s true purpose. This is a tender story of epic morals not only intended for simple reading pleasure, but also a profound view of real-life scenarios.
Review: Is it better to live your life with love and compassion, or pursue morality within the strictest confines of religion?
Bloodlines, by Carl Franklin, begins with a glimpse at the end, quite literally. In fact, the prologue describes the death of the main character, Kyle Skye Montana. It was a shocking entry into the story, but it stood up to the rest of the novella, which chronicled the trials of its hero as he seeks his own happiness.
Kyle is a gay man living in a family that abhors his sexuality. After his mother's death, his father and extended family make it known that they can not tolerate his preference despite the fact that he is reserved in his behavior and lives his life with love and compassion. On top of it all, he's dealing with physical pain and trouble at work. As a result, he becomes increasingly alienated and depressed, but all the while, he works to keep a positive attitude and a smile on his face. One bad thing after another hits him, but he keeps on moving toward his goal of making it to Hollywood and becoming a screenwriter.
For a first effort by a self-published author, Bloodlines was a good story with potential. However, there were a few areas that I felt were lacking and negatively affected my reading experience.
1. The language used was stilted and formal when it didn't need to be. In some cases, the word choice pulled me so far out of the story that it was hard to keep reading. It almost felt like the author picked up a dictionary or thesaurus and was trying to use the biggest, most formal choice possible. While I don't think this was actually the case, I do think that further editing of the language would have benefited the story.
2. Kyle Montana lives in Colorado, and says that he's lived there most of his life, yet his dialogue is littered with British colloquialisms like "bloody hell", "posh", "sodding", and so on. It made it extremely difficult to make a real connection with the hero, since I couldn't figure out where he was actually supposed to be from! Not only that, the dialogue was weak in general, and didn't flow like a normal conversation, often providing way more detail than was actually necessary for the story.
3. For a commentary on morality and what it means to find happiness, Kyle's final successes were far too focused on the material things he had acquired rather than the love of his family and final acceptance achieved. I didn't care that he was wearing a Dolce & Gabbana shirt or that he was worth $240 million. I didn't care that he drove an Escalade or lived in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills. The redemption of the story should have focused on the life he had built and the relationships that were the foundation of his happiness, not the material wealth he had acquired. It undermined the underlying meaning to all the pain he had been through.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
If you want a quick read that explores some real issues, this story is a pretty good one. At $4 on Amazon, it's not going to break the bank, and it will support an aspiring author as well as a worthwhile charity (more on that later).
Stay Tuned!
In a future post I will be interviewing the author, Carl Franklin, and learning more about his background, writing process, and the charity he's supporting with the sales of this book.
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