Danielle Q. Lee's Blog, page 3

The Help: Review

Four peerless actors render an array of sharply defined black and white characters in the nascent years of the civil rights movement. They each handle a variety of Southern accents with aplomb and draw out the daily humiliation and pain the maids are subject to, as well as their abiding affection for their white charges. The actors handle the narration and dialogue so well that no character is ever stereotyped, the humor is always delightful, and the listener is led through the multilayered stories of maids and mistresses. The novel is a superb intertwining of personal and political history in Jackson, Miss., in the early 1960s, but this reading gives it a deeper and fuller power.

Wow, very deep and powerful book. I loved the way the character's voices flowed through my mind as I read. I felt their pains, their sorrows and their indignities. This book is something everyone should read, I hope it ends up as a mandatory study book in English classes everywhere.

That being said, I did feel a lacking in the description area. I longed for detailed and beautiful prose describing the rolling hills of cotton. I couldn't visualize the homes well or anything surrounding them, which is fine, I'm capable of imagining these things on my own, but I prefer reading beautiful writing.

Cover: 2/5
Plot: 5/5
Writing: 3/5
Overall: 3/5

The Power of Six: Review

Wow.

I mean wow.

Seriously, the best book I've ever read. Even better than the first. Absolutely loved it! :)

Here's the blurb:

I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.

I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.

And I'm ready to fight.

I can't say enough about how much I loved it. I had chills running over my body, tears in my eyes, I gasped. It was a great ride!

5/5!!

Vanish: Review

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An Impossible Romance.
Bitter Rivalries.
Deadly Choices.

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

Unbelievable. Wonderful. Amazing.

Just wow.

This is the sequel to Firelight, one of the best books I've ever read. The writing in both books is stunning. I can only hope to be as beautiful a writer as this lady.

Wow.

Cover: 5/5

Writing: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Brainstorm

People always ask me how I get my ideas for my books. It would be easier to tell you how I often I don't get ideas! lol

Sometimes, I can just see one word. Yup. One simple word and a whole novel idea unfolds before me. For instance: one book idea I had was from the word Invisible. The idea: a serial killer chooses only victims who are social outcasts. People who won't be missed. Invisible to society.

See? There's just one of almost forty book ideas I have in my treasure trove of ideas.

Ideas can come from anywhere. A word, a name, a quote, etc. It goes on and on. So far, I've never had anything remotely close to writer's block. Not sure that's a good thing, I could use a holiday from writing sometimes. lol

As it stands, I feel like I won't have enough years in my life to write all that I want.

So, advice for those struggling with ideas for writing that elusive book: don't try so hard. Stop and look around. Read the dictionary. Let the ideas come to you. :)