Rakhi Jayashankar's Blog, page 91

Review of Soul Warrior by Falguni Kothari

Book Name           - Soul Warrior
Author                  - Falguni Kothari
Publisher              - 
Number of Pages - 404
Publishing Year   - 2015
Edition                  - Kindle

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Rating : 4.0

Blurb
Twisted myths. Discretion advised.

Fight fate, or succumb to destiny?
In the dark Age of Kali, the Soul Warrior alone stands guard over the Human Realm, protecting its denizens from evil-willed asuras or demons. When a trick of fate appoints him guru to a motley crew of godlings, he agrees to train them as demon hunters against his better judgment. Suddenly, Lord Karna is not only battling the usual asuras with sinister agendas, but also rebellious students and a fault-ridden past.

Spanning the cosmic realms of mythic India, here is a tale of a band of supernatural warriors who come together over a singular purpose: the salvation of Karna’s secret child. 

My review

When I started reading the book, I was expecting a mythological fiction like many similar books. The story of Karna and Draupati with a twist in the Mahabharata background. I did not expect anything novel or extraordinary. But, authoress surprised me with her imaginations. Karna and Draupati in the present scenario is a fresh experience of reading. 

The highlight of the book is the language. Falguni has set a benchmark for the Indian authors. The book is mythological, fantasy, and science fiction: all in one. 

When everything is new, the book forces the readers to cling to it. Character craft is another plausible factor. Karma's temper and temperature connection is interesting imagery.

We have heard and read Srishti, Sthiti, Samhara in relation to Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwar. But, have you thought of the anagram Generator, Operator and Destroyer for GOD? FALGUNI did, which proves her talent.

While surprising the readers with the imagery, there were some areas which stood out like a carbuncle. Addressing gods as stooges, calling Goddess Parvati babe etc were like an eyesore for me at least. I personally think that 2015 or 2115, image of gods should not be changed.

One Liner

The story of Karna and Draupati in 2015


Reviewed for the publisher
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book as a complimentary copy in exchange for a honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.


About the author

Falguni Kothari is a New York-based hybrid author, and an amateur Latin and Ballroom dance silver medalist with a semi-professional background in Indian Classical dance. She writes in a variety of genres sewn together by the colorful and cultural threads of her South Asian heritage and expat experiences. She is published in India in contemporary fiction with global e-book availability, and launches her mythic fantasy series, the Age of Kali, with SOUL WARRIOR. When not writing, dancing or being a domestic goddess, she fools around on all manner of social media, and loves to connect with readers.
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Review- Kashmir House by Vikram Dhawan

Book Name           - Kashmir House
Author                  - Vikram Dhawan
Publisher              - Frog Books
Number of Pages - 216
Publishing Year   - 2015
Edition                  - Paperback

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Rating : 5.0

Blurb

"A society is judged by how they treat their women and, a country is judged by how they treat their brave." An ego tussle between a politician and a bureaucrat perils Deep Assets inside the enemy territory. A holocaust survivor borrows knowhow from slayers of his family for profit. An honourable leader challenges the Witches & Wizards of the system. An atheist adversary who strikes in the name of god. Kashmir, a playground for settling scores.

My review

When I was a teenager, I used to grab classic books to show that I am a serious reader. If I had gotten Kashmir House at that time, I would have grabbed it then not only to show others but for myself as well. I would like to add a disclaimer that my review might be biased because of my Nationality. 

Yes, I am a proud Indian. I love my nation notwithstanding all the drawbacks we ourselves tag to her. Same with the book. It might be having negatives but my eyes were blinded due to the surge of patriotism stirred inside. 
The book deals with several dimensions of Geo political scenario. 

The story is highly inflammable. Author touched the right cords in the heart of every reader especially if the reader is an Indian. The title is very catchy. 

Author adapted a narrative style of a screenplay. An unputdownable book. I would dare to say that this is one of the best books released in 2015?

I could not comprehend the climax though. I presume author is planning to come up with a sequel. If that was the case, it could have been mentioned in the book. The book cover is another let down. The illustration was good but the white background gave the impression of an ARC. 

I am stuck between 4.5 and 5. Well, for my India and Kashmir, I would go for a five star. Hopefully author will come up with a sequel

One Liner

I love this book.

Reviewed for the publisher
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book as a complimentary copy in exchange for a honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.


About the author
Born in the seventies, to parents whose families fled to india from Pakistan in 1947 after the Partition, Vikram Dhawan grew up in northern India in the eventful 70s and 80s. Playing in the trenches still around many years after the 1971 war, garish sterilisation campaigns, and silent Emergency days, are some of his earliest childhood memories. Vikram is well-travelled, well-read and passionate about world history and is inspired by personal experiences of soldiers, spies and survivors of wars across the globe.

Review- Dual Lives by Gourab Mitra

Book Name -Dual Lives
Author        - Gourab Mitra
Publisher    - Patridge India
Number of Pages - 306
Publishing Year   - 2015
Edition                  - Kindle

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Rating : 3.0


Blurb

We are a part of a male dominating society where some people still keep women below their shoes and nose. Kiran, a young woman has overcome these hurdles and has fulfilled her dream as a Radio Jockey. 
Today it’s her first day to work at Radio Rocks, a leading radio channel in Pune. She is exhilarated about it! Last night her boy friend proposed her for marriage, and her true love for Omkar overwhelmed her decision. She didn’t reply to him! 
In early 2004, her brother worked at a tea stall at the age of 10. Ajinkya, a BPO employee and a biggest loser in life, gets inspired by the kid. Ajinkya plans to adopt him, unaware of his past. Will the kid’s past bother Ajinkya’s personal and love life? 
Omkar is Kiran’s first crush. But for past few years they haven’t heard about each other! 
Will she compromise her first love & marry Ashish? Or will she wait for Omkar?


My review

The review of the book is a tug of war between positives and negatives. Both are equally strong.

The storyline is the highlight of the book. Author addressed child abuse with the deserved importance but he did not drag it unnecessarily. Every event was properly chained and the plot is close knit. Every character has its individuality. 
Kiran's gave me chill down my spines. Yes,there would be a lot of children with a similar plight. Being a mother myself, even reading about it was difficult, so what would be the feeling in reality. A great attempt there. 
There is a back story of romance but what impressed me is that author did not squeeze unwanted erotica to prove the depth of the love. Feels good to see that platonic relationship still exists.

Editing is the major flaw in the book. I would not say editing was poor since I could not see any effort into the same. There was no editing at all. The whole book was like a draft. With lot of mistakes in every other sentence.
Another glitch was that in spite of being a victim of exploitation, Kiran was exploiting Prashanth by keeping him as a back up till Omkar responded. Will Omkar respond or not is to be seen from the book. I assume that Ashish in the blurb is Prashant. This again proves the fact that no effort was taken in editing.

Highlights


PlotCharacter craftSteady PaceRelevant subject


Drawbacks

Lack of focusLack of editing
One Liner


Grab it if you are looking for a sincere story.

Reviewed for the author Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book as a complimentary copy in exchange for a honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.


About the author


Gourab Mitra, twenty-five, is working as senior customer service representative with Serco BPO. He is pursuing his SYBSc. At thirteen, he wrote unpublished scripts in Hindi. His started off as a cybercafe operator and then as a freelance website designer. He worked as second assistant director of Miley Jab Hum Tum.

Review- Love and Self Discovery by Samantha Fischer

Book Name -Love and Self Discovery
Author        - Samantha Fischer
Publisher    - Self-Published
Number of Pages - 
Publishing Year   - 2015
Edition                  - Kindle

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Rating : 3.5




Blurb
Adamina is a senior in high school who is discovering that she may not be the perfect Christian girl her parents want her to be.

My review

Love and self discovery is the story of Adamina, an eighteen year old girl, who discovers the truth about her sexual orientation. Homosexuality is still a taboo in the society, irrespective of the demographics. Families fail to understand that it is not a handicap or deliberate impertinence. 

Authoress showed the courage to address an issue that many refuses to even acknowledge. The plight of Adamina is conveyed well. She is the representative of many young girls and boys who are confused about their sexuality and don't get proper guidance. 

A wave of anti-family emotion could be seen in the book. The story could have been moulded in such a way that the kids get the confidence in convincing their parents. Adamina's friend Kenna is a good person in the book but it gives a wrong message to the youth. Everyone they meet randomly need not necessarily be of a good intention. A mention about the same was necessary.

I appreciate the effort from authoress. The book is an easy read with a message.

Reviewed for the author
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book as a complimentary copy in exchange for a honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.


About the author


Samantha Fischer is a 25 year old mother who is trying to get her writing career started. She has one ebook novella that has been published and is available on various websites. She is currently working on her second book in between giving reviews for other upcoming authors she meets through Goodreads.

Samantha has her BA in English from American Public University, but does not know what her plans are for the future. Right now she is concentrating on raising her 3 year old daughter and making ends meet.

Review of Big Shoes by Jack Getze

                                                                                       Book Name       -  Big Shoes
Author              -   Jack Getze
Publisher          -   Down & Out Books 
No.of Pages      -    198
Publishing Year -   2015
Edition                -   Paperback
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Rating : 3.0
 

My review
Big shoes is the story of a stock broker who is dragged into a mafia war. A thriller with fast pace action will definitely persuade the reader to cling onto the book. 
Austin Carr who is a stockbroker is chasing a chance to get away from violence but circumstances and conscience drags him back to the mafia war. The book opens the raw wound in the hearts of every dutiful citizen who wants to fight child trafficking. Instead of plainly traversing through action, sex and violence, author addressed a consequential issue.

The writing style is not very complex. The story is a mix of first person narrative of Austin and third person narrative. Sudden switch in narrative style in some areas confuses the reader. Seventy year old Mamma bones pouncing into a shootout scenario seemed exaggerated.



One Liner


A fast paced but funny and serious run through the underground stories


Reviewed for the sage's blog tour
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book as a complimentary copy in exchange for a honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The author is giving away 20 copies of his book, Big Shoes!
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About the author


Former newsman Jack Getze is Fiction Editor for Anthony-nominated Spinetingler Magazine, one of the internet's oldest websites for noir, crime and horror short stories. His screwball mysteries -- BIG NUMBERS, BIG MONEY, BIG MOJO and the short story BIG MOUTH -- were published in 2013 and 2014 by Down and Out Books. Number five in the Austin Carr series, BIG SHOES, is scheduled for 2015. His short stories have appeared online at A Twist of Noir, Beat to a Pulp, The Big Adios, and in two anthologies, Down, Out and Dead and the newly released LAST WORDS.
Series:
* Austin Carr Mystery

Blitz- The Stone Legacy Series by Theresa DaLayne

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The Stone Legacy Series Blitzby Theresa DaLayne [image error] Read it for FREE with Amazon PRIME! [image error] GIVEAWAY!a Rafflecopter giveaway [image error] Book 1, Mayan Blood [image error]
Their empires have fallen, but their mythology lives on… Zanya Coreandero is a seventeen-year-old orphan with only a single friend and no hope for a normal life. Diagnosed with anxiety and night terrors, no one believes her cuts and bruises are a result of an evil entity, and not a brutal case of self-harm. With the only home she’s ever known being the isolated institution—where breakfast is a handful of medications, the psychiatry sessions are mandatory, and her every move is watched—the only relief is her red-haired roommate named Tara, who’s more like a little sister than her best friend. Free will is strong, but destiny is stronger… When Zanya is kidnapped, she meets a group of gifted Mayan descendants, each with a unique ability. Gone from a nameless castaway to the only hope of mankind, Zanya is forced to make a grueling decision: bond with an enchanted stone and save humanity from rising underworld forces, or watch helplessly as Earth falls victim to a familiar dark deity from her dreams. This time, he’s playing for keeps. A wicked secret hides behind a handsome face… When Arwan, a dark-eyed timebender, takes interest in Zanya's mission, it's unclear if his intention is to help, or if he's on a hell-bent mission for revenge. Wary of falling for another guy with major secrets and a tainted past, Zanya fights to keep her distance. If only her heart gave her a choice.
READ EXCERPT ON AMAZON [image error] Book 2, Interlude Tara may have spent years in an asylum, but that doesn’t make her crazy–just fearless.
[image error]Dropped in Moscow with a the group of enchanted Mayan descendants, seventeen-year-old Tara is forced to wait on the sideline while her best friend—the Stone Guardian— battles to reclaim a friend’s soul trapped in the underworld. It sucks being ordinary when everyone else is superhuman… A mortal girl with a tainted past, Tara is left to deal with an overwhelming sense of inadequacy. Her boyfriend, Peter, is a healer. Her best friend is The Guardian, and everyone else is a powerhouse of awesome strengths. Meanwhile, she struggles to leave her childhood of abuse in the past, and while Peter picks her up every time she falls, it becomes clear he deserves better. When they opened Pandora’s Box, hell came pouring out… When she’s given a chance to aid in the group’s mission, Tara is eager to pull her own weight, even if it means uncovering buried memories of being held prisoner by the underworld general. Now haunted with flashbacks of torture, Tara wanders from the safety of Peter’s arms into a city of depravity and corruption. And amidst all this evil is a young man with an agenda of his own, who leads her down a road that will either prove she is a hero at heart, or drag her into a world she’s always feared. He wants revenge, she wants redemption. And in an underground ring of missing girls and bloody sacrifices, only the fearless can survive…
[image error] Book 3, Lights of Aurora [image error]
After living her entire life in an orphan asylum, Zanya fears she may actually be losing her mind.Following the discovery of her ancient Maya bloodlines, eighteen-year-old Zanya Coreandero is faced with a daunting responsibility. She must protect the relic stone while Sarian, the underworld general, ceaselessly drives her to the brink of insanity. With the approach of an ancient bonding ceremony, Zanya struggles to control her abilities—and her desires… As the winter solstice approaches, it brings an onslaught of unexpected side effects. While Zanya struggles to seize control over her supercharged powers, she must also face an overwhelming suspicion that her boyfriend, Arwan, is hiding a secret so dark it could destroy them both. And with her powers finally taking root, the struggle to pace their relationship takes on a life of its own. Just when she thought life couldn’t get more complicated… With the arrival of a surprise houseguest, Zanya’s deepest fears about Arwan are confirmed. And when middleworld deities intercede, the group of gifted Maya descendants are confronted with hardships they never saw coming—including an enemy more deadly than they have ever faced. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And when that woman has no soul and a taste for revenge, they will need the powers of every surviving ancestor simply to stay alive.
[image error] ENTIRE FIVE-BOOK SERIES COMPLETE IN APRIL 2016! [image error] WATCH THE BOOK TEASER HERE [image error] ABOUT THE AUTHOR [image error] A long-time enthusiast of things that go bump in the night, Theresa began her writing career as a journalism intern—possibly the least creative writing field out there. After her first semester at a local newspaper, she washed her hands of press releases and feature articles to delve into the whimsical world of fiction. 
Since then, Theresa has been married, had three terrific kids, moved to central Ohio, and has been repeatedly guilt-tripped into adopting a menagerie of animals that are now members of the family. But don’t be fooled by her domesticated appearance. Her greatest love is travel. Having traveled to over a dozen countries—not to mention an extended seven-year stay in Kodiak, Alaska—she is anything but settled down. Wherever life brings her, Theresa will continue to weave tales of adventure and love with the hope her stories will bring joy and inspiration to her readers.WEBSITE * FACEBOOK * TWITTER * INSTAGRAM * NEWSLETTER * GOODREADS * MAIL
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Review- Divine command by Saranya Umakanthan

                                                                                       Book Name         -  The Divine Command
Author                -   Saranya Umakanthan
Publisher            -   General Press
No.of Pages        -   183
Publishing Year-   2015   
Edition               -   Kindle
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Rating : 3.5
 
Blurb

The divine command was from Lord Shiva. So Shaktipurians would do anything to safeguard the 'Taal-Patras' -- the ultimate secrets compiled onto palm-leaves by the yogis that contained everything! Yes, all the do's and don'ts from making of the elixir to reviving the dead! 
This task was headed by their beloved warrior Indrajith. But destiny brutally destroyed their plans! Their toughest braveheart was to perish in a bloody dual. This ill-fated episode prompted the rise of the nefarious king of Narakdesh -- Asurshasak! 
Desperate, Shaktipurians recited the revival slokas on the dead grave of their only hope… 
Would Indrajith emerge and come back stronger than before? And if he comes back, who is waiting for him now with a pole arm in her hands and protruding teeth? 
With black-magic obstacles barring his way, the comeback warrior -- Suraj Sena is shaken when the conspirator rips off the mask! But traitors never go unpunished!

My review

Divine command is an Indian Fantasy Novel. The book has got every flavor that a fantasy lover asks for. The story of Suraj Sena, the comeback warrior and  his friends Varun and Diya, will definitely entice the readers. The characters are crafted punctiliously. The magic swirl, tooth rakshasi, Saptanshu, Lachak etc added to the flavor of the book.
The first part where the story happens in 1815, Authoress pulled off the events with authenticity giving an impression of a historic event. After three hundred years, the main story happens in 2115. Authoress tried to give a futuristic impression but it was not convincing enough. 
The suspense behind the tooth rakshasi was quite obvious, which in turn served as a spoiler. Some events reminded me of the serials in kids channels.
But, Overall the book is a decent attempt by a debut author.
The book has several refreshing scenarios. Hence, I would recommend the book to the fantasy lovers to have a divergent experience 

Highlights


Character craftImaginationAction
Drawbacks


Lack of suspenseCliché climax
One Liner

A refreshing Indian fantasy

Reviewed for the author Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book as a complimentary copy in exchange for a honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.


About the author



Saranya Umakanthan, a Software Engineer by profession, she exhibits her creativity in coding as well as writing. An avid reader all her life, she has a way with her words. She has taken up Indian fantasy genre for her first novel and it is quite a refreshing change to the readers. She believed that being a University topper two times in her life was her success until she held her first novel in her hands. The fragrance of books inspires her and she haunts the book stores too often. She would love to hear your feedback. Do send out a mail to saranya.umakanthan@gmail.com

Vengeance- A Sting in every Tale

Designed by Neil D'Silva 
Vengeance -A Sting in Every Tale A WRIMO INDIA anthologyEdited bySonia Rao Disclaimer : All proceeds from the sale of this anthology will be donated to NaNoWriMo to encourage all future aspiring writers.  Designed by Sujata Patnaik 
Blurb A reply to a perceived injustice can take many forms one of which is vengeance. An eye for an eye can only end up making the whole world blind, is what Mahatma Gandhi once said. And it seems to be coming quite true, if latest events world-wide are an indication.
Is there any hope or are we hurtling towards extinction?
Hopefully, the stories will explore some of these questions. But that is on the macro level. It might be easy to look at things objectively, in black and white, when it is other nations involved. Or even other people. We are able to be more forgiving of transgressions when they don’t involve us personally.
But how would one react if they found themselves in the maelstrom of situations that do fall somewhere in the grey area of life? With no definite black and white answers?
How would a jilted lover react in face of infidelity? Or how would a friend avenge the murder of her best friend? Or, is it fair to be punished for a crime that you were not brave enough to prevent?
These and many more questions connected to vengeance have been grappled with in this anthology.
created by Archana Sarat EXCERPT OF FIRST CHAPTER
​Bus number 131 whirred away, pulling its own weight unwillingly. It was one of the many buses to pass through the Relief road, a busy road in the old part of Ahmedabad. Shazia had an option, the crowed 88 or the overcrowded 131. She preferred to be 30 minutes before time to board 131. Her choice was motivated by her love for the palindromic 1-3-1. Her undying infatuation with prime numbers was inexplicable. Nineteen year old Shazia loved numbers, and to be more precise, she adored Mathematics in all its form. She also loved the rules, the principles, the working theorems, the equations which tried to make sense of the majestic menagerie of numbers. She was fascinated even by the mere shape of numbers. She did not remember when or even how her romance with Maths began. But in her earliest memories, she preferred practicing her numbers over the alphabet, she remembered that she recited tables better than her nursery rhymes. She was short and a bit stocky. Also, a couple of shades darker than was acceptable in the marriage market. However, her looks never bothered her, nor did she ever yearn for fairer skin, or thinner body. What she craved was a disheveled mass of hair, for some uncanny resemblance to Einstein, the only pop icon modern science managed to have produced. But her mother plaited her hair, dashing her hopes to ground. She also longed for a pair of spectacles with glasses so thick that it blurred her eyeballs, indicating the wearer’s brilliance. But she, despite getting checked for vision from her mother’s ophthalmologist, was denied the hallowed implement. Thrice. Shazia valued her bus ride a lot. She had to convince Papa to allow her to commute to her college on her own. She had concealed her indignation about needing her father's permission for every little trifle, even after being categorised as an adult by the Government of India. Papa consented only after he was told that Noor too would start using the bus if Shazia were to give her company.

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ABOUT THE EDITOR SONIA RAO



The editor of the Anthology, Sonia Rao (writer-editor-awardwinningblogger) is the NaNoWriMo Municipal Liaison for All-India region. The stories which are part of the anthology are written by Wrimos homed in to Asia::India region. Most of them are also published writers of short fiction and novels.She blogs @ https://soniaraowrites.wordpress.com/ 
Find out more about Wrimo India @Wrimo India on FB:  https://www.facebook.com/NaNoWriMo.India/Wrimo India on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/wrimosindia Wrimo India blog: https://wrimoindiawrites.wordpress.com/ NaNoWriMo:  http://nanowrimo.org/
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Book Blitz- Soldier of the Craft by K.E.Moody

Soldiers of the Craft
K.E. Moody
Published by: Booktrope Publishing
Publication date: December 15th 2015
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

On her 25th birthday, strange and unexplainable things are happening to simple coffee shop owner, Deandra Sullivan…or rather, she’s making the strange and unexplainable happen around her. Deandra is scared, confused, and feeling completely alone until she meets mysterious Donovan Walters, who carries a secret that is the same as hers…they are Witches.
While Donovan takes Deandra under his wing (and into his bed) to teach her about who and what she is, they discover an unavoidable tether between them. Along the way, something is tugging at Deandra’s instincts that danger is coming, and she and Donovan are tasked to find, recruit, and protect other Witches like herself.
Follow Deandra as she finds herself, and her powers, in this sexy Urban Fantasy novel by new author, K. E. Moody.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunesInterview with K.E. MoodyAt what point in your life did you realize that you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I started writing seriously when I found out I was pregnant. I wanted to document everything about my experience and it ended up growing into a big beast after a while. My style had always mostly been satirical and funny. I found I was pretty good at telling short stories, so I wanted to try for a longer one and one that wasn’t a comedy.Who is your favorite character in Soldiers of the Craft? And why?
I love Farrell…he’s an a**hole and yet I know, as a reader, there’s something mysterious and possibly wonderful about him that hasn’t yet been discovered or revealed.
In Soldiers of the Craft, the main character Deandra is a witch. If you could cast any spell, what would it be/do?
I would want to fly, for sure.
Where did you get the idea to write Soldiers of the Craft?
I was sleeping and had a dream that I was with a group of friends running a way from something that was chasing us in a cemetery at night. We couldn’t get out until I grabbed the iron bars and they disintegrated…I woke up and thought, “Wouldn’t that be awesome?!”
If Soldiers of the Craft gets made into a movie, who would you like to see play Deandra and Donovan?
When I originally pictured Donovan, it was Paul Walker. Deandra was Jennifer Connely.
Where are we most likely to find you writing?
You’ll most likely find me in a local coffee shop with my ear buds in, sipping on a salted caramel mocha.
What’s the most discouraging thing that happened while trying to write/publish, and how did you get over it?
The most discouraging thing that happened while going through the writing/publishing process was realizing how LONG I’d made my book and how much fat I needed to trim. I personally edited it at least 20 times before handing it over to my editor to clean up from there.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Don’t force it. If it is a story you want to read…write it.

Author Bio:
Kathryn Moody has been writing for years, but Soldiers of the Craft is her first published piece. While her typical blog entries have centered mostly around satirical stories, she decided to try her hand at fiction as a personal means to creatively let loose. Kathryn (or “Kathy”) and her daughter, Farrah, live in Central Washington and travel back to the west side of the Cascades often to visit family and friends.
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Review- Dreamvision by S.L. Bynum

                                                                                  
Book Name        -  DreamVision
Author               -  S.L.Bynum
Publisher           -  Self-Published  
No.of Pages        - 281   
Publishing Year- 2015   
Edition               -   Kindle

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Rating : 3.5
 

Blurb
Dreams do come true, but in Abigail’s case, she wishes that were anything BUT true.

Eight years ago, when people still used landline phones and desktop computers, sixteen-year-old Abigail had everything a happy teenager could ask for—a loving family, two best friends, and a sexy prom date. But all of this blows apart when her dreams, which involve terrible accidents, start to actually occur in her hometown. Soon Abigail’s life consists of putting together vague clues from her dreams to save the lives of those she cares about, but she isn’t always successful. As she sinks into isolation, paranoia, and heartache, she resolves to stop the nightmares altogether, relying on someone who is not what they appear to be.

DREAMVISION is filled with horror and suspense at every turn, and is told in the form of a blog from Abigail’s perspective during the year 2007. 

My review

Dreamvision is the story of Abgail, a sixteen year old girl whose heaven like life becomes a chaos due to her dreams. Initially her dreams are vague, incomprehensible and affecting people whom she doesn't know. But through time, the dreams become personal, affecting her family and friends. Her life with her family, friends and her lover, changes unexpectedly. 

The story is the first person narrative of Abigail. I would say that narration is the highlight of the book. The plight of Abigail is the most important facet of the story, hence the story could be well conveyed in her words. To convey a teenagers plight, it is important that the narrative style should not be disproportionately formal and serious. 

Characters are all crafted well. Abigail's relation with her family, friends and her boy friend is rendered palpably. Of which, I would like to specially mention her relation with her brother Brendon. Authoress could connect with the readers well. She succeeded in maintaining the suspense, leaving the readers thinking what would be the meaning of this dreamvision! The book reminded me of Final Destination movie but the story possessed freshness, uniqueness and novelty.

In spite of all the positives like story, excellent narration, moderate expression etc, the book disappointed me to some extend. The climax of the book disappointed me completely. It was like a steep graph the fell precipitously. After say about the sixth dreamvision, I was like when it will end but still I wanted to know what happens next. But last two chapters were disappointing.



Highlights


Strong storylineSuspenseFast PaceNarration


Drawbacks


Feeble Climax


One Liner


Exemplary book that ended bad
Reviewed for the publisher Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book as a complimentary copy in exchange for a honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.


About the author




S. L. Bynum knew she had a creative imagination as a kid, when she would make her beanie babies go on the craziest adventures. She fell in love with writing at the age of twelve, when she wrote a rendition of The Three Little Pigs for her little brother’s homework assignment. S. L. Bynum is twenty-six now and besides books, she loves desserts, fashion, dancing (when she’s alone), warm weather, and playing video games. She lives in Greensboro, North Carolina with her family.