Robin Goodfellow's Blog, page 19
May 17, 2018
Book Review for Winds of Spirit by Renee Baribeau
Winds of Spirit, by Renee Baribeau, is a guide about how to use the winds to help guide you to live a good, healthy life.
The book is separated into four parts. The Winds of Change is about becoming self-aware and how different types of wind can affect you and your surroundings. From What Direction is the Wind Blowing? talks about the four types of winds that affect us, and how they influence our everyday living. When the Wind Blows-Navigating Life describes a variety of techniques of how to influence the wind around you. The Inner Winds-Forces of Nature describes the deities associated with the wind, and the religious practices that are associated with them. Baribeau intertwines these parts with her own struggles, and shows how her experiences can help the reader as well.
I enjoyed the soothing tone I kept hearing whenever I read the book. The author was nonjudgemental in her beliefs, and had incorporated a variety of religions to support her perspectives on the wind. She explained just how the winds were connected to one another, and introduced a number of quotes I found rather enlightening. What’s more, when she started describing the cultural practices involved with the wind, I was ecstatic. I enjoyed the societal significance behind each of them.
The book offers a new perspective on emotional and physical healing. Baribeau incorporates a different alternative health belief that could introduce a good way of healing and finding guidance in everyday living. As such, I would give this book a rating of a 4.5 out of 5 stars, and would recommend it to those who enjoy learning about alternative healing and spiritual guidance.
May 8, 2018
Book Review for Tell Me When I’m Dead: Book One by Steven Ramirez
Tell Me When I’m Dead: Book One, by Steven Ramirez, is a horror thriller about a normal man who risked his life to save his loved ones, all the while learning what it means to be alive.
Dave had met the woman of his dreams, and was now in the process of getting his life together. But when an old friend goes missing, Dave is plucked out of his comfortable life and attempts to deal with the unwanted interruption. Things spiral further out of control when a woman by the name of Missy shows up, demanding that he leave his wife for her. As Dave’s slowly starts to unravel, and the body count continues to grow higher through the help of an unknown virus, he is left with a gruesome choice; either to wallow in his sorrows, or say alive. In this thrilling novel, Ramirez details an anti-hero’s struggles for family and love, and to find beauty in a world ruled by the dead.
Ramirez seemed like a weak willed man at first. Although he attempted to turn his life around for Holly, it seemed he was only going through the motions of life. He was so desperately trying to fit into Holly’s perfect little future that he even wound up alienating Jim, a good friend for so many years ago. What’s more, he’d even fooled around with Missy, even though he knew it was wrong. As each of the people he knew turned into the undead, I can’t help but feel like that he woke up in a sense, as he started to protect the people he cared about. It was an interesting inversion, the fact that he’d never been more alive at the end of the book, even though the rest of the nation, and presumably the world, had to die.
This very development showed that, despite the world was falling apart, people will still try to cling to what it means to be alive. For instance, although Aaron was a kid, he tried to save a girl who had clearly been turned, simply because he was blinded by his own morals. His father, Ben, was even less willing. They sharply contrasted to Dave, who managed to become a survivor in the brief amount of time he was given, and has tried to do whatever to took to make it back to Holly. The development of groups such as the Red Militia was also something to consider, since society had essentially descended into chaos. No one was taking anyone’s orders, and it was the end of the world. Despite all the rules that Dave had thrown out, somehow, he managed to bring with him morals, and the basic beliefs of love and family. It goes to show that these things are truly timeless, whatever horror may come. While this concept had been explored in a variety of zombie novels, it’s still a wonderful idea to explore, even if it is a little cliche.
The detail was absolutely stunning. I could practically see the undead in front of me, the blood and gore and worms just crawling out of their bodies. The action scene was crisp, and the emotions were turbulent, so much so I found myself painfully reading word after word, just waiting for something to happen.
The book was a good read. Ramirez’s take on the anti-hero was rather intriguing, a sort of double edged sword that led him to a better life than the one he had now. The details were beautiful, and the concepts of thriving and timelessness was also wonderful. As such, I would give this book a 4.2 out of 5.0 stars, and would recommend this book to those who love apocalyptic books in general.
Book Review for Away with the Fairies by Jenny Twist
Away with the Fairies, by Jenny Twist, is a sweet short story about a young girl who goes on an adventure in which they learn just how strong a family is.
The story begins with June and Lucy, both of whom are sisters. Lucy suffers from a medical condition that puts her in a trance every so often, although her grandmother says that Lucy is actually visiting the fairies. One day, June stumbles across an odd opening in the wall, which is later to be a gate to the fairy world. When Lucy goes missing, both June and her parents have to travel into the fairy world to get Lucy back. In this brief, yet enchanting story, Twist illustrates how a sister’s love can bring a family together.
Essentially, the story was a parent’s worst nightmare. You have Ben and Monica who are desperately trying to find their little girl, as the police keep thinking that they might be looking for a dead body. Still, it was June who managed to lead them to Lucy by humorously magical means. While I do believe the story would work better as a novel, considering the fact that there are a lot of details that could be fleshed out, it still told a complete story. The ending was also a bit cliche, but it didn’t detract from the story as much. As such, I would rate it a 4.0 out of 5.0 stars, and would recommend it to those who enjoy Sally Gardner, Gail Carson Levine, and fairy tale lovers in general.
April 30, 2018
Book Review for Dawn of the Reaper by Paul F. McGowan
Dawn of the Reaper, by Paul F. McGowan, is a fantastical coming-of-age book about a young boy who discovers his origins and righting the tragedy of the past.
A mother manages to escape a monster that threatens to destroy her child. She places the child in the care of two strangers, before whispering words of love to him and then dying. 15 years later, Rowan is the apprentice to Archibald, an accomplished sorcerer who owns a shop called The Wand and Scroll. One day, he and his friend, Sydney, accompany Archibald to Evernight, a city where the King resides. When Rowan wins a magical tournament, he catches the eye of a man named Cyrus, who attempts to kill him. Rowan must now embark on a journey to determine just how to stop Cyrus, as well as reclaim a past that was once lost to him.
I found Rowan’s character endearing. While I was confused on just how much he knows about his family, he was overall a nice boy with an incredible talent for magic. Still, like any other adolescent, he longs for adventure, and wants to be somewhere where he can explore with his friend, Sydney. He was raised in a loving home, and despite his talent, he’s still humble enough to care for anyone he meets. He truly is noble in that sense, falling in line with the age old trope that kind people possess a powerful lineage that could defy all odds. It’s a bit cliche, but heartwarming nonetheless.
What I truly enjoyed about the book, however, was the setting. The details were crisp and clear. McGowan painted warm, yet magical scenes that made me think of stories such as Harry Potter, or even the game, Skyrim. Whenever I read this book, it did feel like I was being transported into another world. As such, what lacked in character uniqueness was the setting itself. It felt like a fairy tale, and was something I fell in love with.
I enjoyed the familial concepts throughout this book. The fact that Rowan carved out a family of his own, despite his mother and father not being there, was something that I liked reading. Even when he was on the run, when he thought that his guardian had died, he still had the courage to make new friends and to find a support system. It showed Rowan’s resilience and his determination to survive, as well as the fact that you can find allies anywhere, even in your times of need.
This book is an excellent read for children of all ages. Not only does it show the strong friendships formed in spite of tragedy, but it also reaffirms the truth that good will always triumph over evil. As such, I would give this book a rating of a 3.9 out of 5.0 stars.
War: Short Story Collection
Love is both beautiful and tragic.
Within the context of war, there can either be love or loss, devastating sorrows or happy ends. But whether they have loved ones fighting on the battlefield, or pursuing a romance that can never exist, this collection will explore the emotions of three pairs of lovers, all of whom had fallen for their partner’s insanity.
Collection includes: Masquerade, The Day the World Ended, and When the Stars Fall.
You can get the book here:
The Doll in the Silver Cage
She first saw him trapped, within that silver cage.
The aristocrats kept screaming for him to sing, without knowing the weight of obsession weighing down upon them. The Queen had given him a name, one that violated the memories he fell in love with. The war between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts has finished, and now, all that’s left is that hollow prisoner, returning her curious eyes with his own, empty soul. But even so, she still finds herself listening to his beautiful, haunting melody.
You can get the book here:
The Day the World Ended
A barrage of gunfire passes through the dim moonlight. Dark crimson splatters helplessly to the ground. Voices pour from the darkness, as pale, corpse-like hands reach for you, both enemy and comrade alike. White eyes callously linger upon your fragile silhouette, forsaking a warmth already forgotten by depths of decadent memories. Bodies open their mouths and scream, crying out for someone, anyone, to come save them. They want you to join them, erase the feelings you’ve had, sins you’ve sewn, people you’ve watched over. They all love and fear you, obsessed with those unreadable thoughts swirling through your immature mind.
And then, I see a bullet, lodged into that mind.
You can get the book here:
Letters
Three lovers lay out their desperations to the ones who had forgotten them, to the ones who were supposed to live Happily-Ever-After with them. Delve into the tragic cruelties of love, as three different letters tell three stories of forsaken promises, dark wishes, and eventual madness.
You can get the book here:
When the Stars Fall
‘You had a black dress on that day, with a dark ribbon on your back. Dark, raven hair callously swept over your eyes as you examined your work. You stared at your victims for the longest time, before you crouched down, and stabbed your arm in their chests. You dragged out their still beating hearts, and watched as it slowly succumb to death.
Reinforcements came. An onslaught of medical units hurriedly transported their charges off the battlefield. They saved everyone they could, mourned for those they couldn’t, and killed enemy soldiers you missed. Before I knew it, someone managed to shove a gas mask on my face, then dragged the two of us to the helicopter. Magic, they said. The air was laced with magic.
I remembered searching for you, wanting to thank you for saving the both of us. I saw you standing over someone, a body beneath your heel. You weren’t paying much attention, but that was fine. You were busy.
But I still thought to myself, “She looks really pretty.”‘
You can get the book here:
Silent Decorum
Ms. Juliette was always a bit of an odd woman.
No one could forget the day she first came to the church, some twenty years ago. Raven hair cascaded down her thick, black dress. She had sickeningly pale skin, and the deepest, darkest eyes that refused to let anyone leave their sight. She had this presence too, an aura surrounding her that, for whatever reason, disturbed people; it was as if she’d damned everyone in the room, what with her sneers and condescending glares. She was quiet too, no matter how many people tried to talk with her. But she never did anyone any harm. And as such, as the days went on, the congregation left her to her strange ways.
You can get the book here:
