Clare C. Marshall's Blog, page 27
November 21, 2011
Musing Monday #8
It's time for another Musing Monday, hosted by Should be Reading
How do you decide to read a book by an author you haven't read before? What sort of recommendations count most highly in making that decision?
Good question!
1. Plot description. That's definitely the number one thing for me–that and the writing. I'll read the back and see if it catches my attention. Then I'll flip through the book (or read the sample on my Kindle) to see what the writing style is like. If the plot looks good but the writing looks blah, I might put it on my "get it from the library" list.
2. Book blog reviews. More often now, I'm relying on book bloggers that have already braved certain books to tell me whether or not it's worth my time to read. The other day I almost bought Shatter Me in Chapters because I've been hearing some great things about it. I might just get it for my Kindle though. Potentially cheaper. But the cover is so pretty…
3. Cover. Okay, I'm slightly less picky about this. But if I'm going to purchase the book/have it for a period of time, it should at least be pleasing to the eye.
What about you guys? What's important to you?
Review: Lost Voices
Lost Voices, by Sarah Porter
When fourteen-year-old Luce is assaulted on the cliffs near an Alaskan village, she expects to die when she tumbles into the icy water below. Instead, she transforms into a mermaid. Luce is thrilled with her new life—until she discovers the catch.
I first found this book in Chapters. I was intrigued by the cover and the back-cover description, so I got it from the library.
Writing: 4 wings
I was pleasantly surprised with the writing. It was better than a lot of other books I've read recently. Sometimes I felt like I was there in the cold Alaskan waters with the mermaids. There was a lot of description and use of colourful language.
But then half way through, there's one chapter where it changes POV to describe the death of fourteen girls. While it gives an important clue about how they change into mermaids, if I were the editor, I would have put this at the beginning of the book, or taken it out entirely.
Characters: 3.5 wings
For the most part, I liked Luce, the protagonist. She was strong when she needed to be and stood up and protected what she believed in. I also liked Catarina (the mermaid queen) despite her neurotism, and I wanted to know more about her past.
The antagonist showed up in the middle of the story, and was super annoying! But intentionally so, I suppose.
The other 14 girls that showed up out of nowhere in the middle of the story kind of jumbled together for me. It's hard to make everyone seem distinctive when you have that many people (or mermaids) in one place, but maybe if there were fewer of them, it would've been easier.
Plot: 4 wings
The concept was well thought out and detailed in places; it definitely exceeded my expectations. It's a unique twist on the mermaid legends where a girl who has been mistreated in life gets a second chance in death—she becomes a mermaid. They become beautiful and are gifted with a powerful voice. The catch? Their song is so alluring that it drives humans to their deaths.
From the middle of the book until the end, it seemed like things just happened–there was little to no flow to the plot. Part of this could be due to the fact that it's hard to judge the passage of time when you live in the middle of the ocean, and when you're immortal. So I'm a little forgiving of that.
But I was disappointed by the ending. The climax had a lot of potential, but things kind of…dissipated. Loose ends weren't tied up as nicely as I wanted them to be, and even though I know there's going to be a second book, I would have liked this one to have more of a concrete finish.
Overall: 4 wings
Writing exceeded my expectations; I would recommend with a few reservations. A unique twist on a mermaid story. I look forward to seeing what the second book has to offer.
November 20, 2011
Skyrim Screenshots
Here's a screenshot of my high elf character in Skyrim. She looks like she has a disease. She also looks like she's going to murder someone.
Those robes give me a bonus in destruction magic.
Here she is without her hood. Still looks pretty evil. But she's not. I think she's just not that happy to be in Whiterun in the rain.
November 19, 2011
A Quick Mention
I was going to blog yesterday about how awesome Skyrim is, but then I was doing some editing for a big deadline. So Skyrim awesomeness will come soon.
In other news…
Dead Trees and Silver Screens mentioned my book today! They will be reviewing my book sometime in the upcoming months.
Click here to see the nice things said about Within.
Yay!
November 16, 2011
My Publishing Schedule
No WWW Wednesday today, as it's pretty much the same as last week. Instead: I'd like to talk about my publishing schedule.
As I may have mentioned before, I'd really like to get two books out next year (2012) and three books out in 2013.
Tentatively, my publishing dates for 2012 are May 13 and November 13. I will always publish on the 13th of any month, regardless of the weekday, because it's my favourite number 
My Spring book will be called The Violet Fox. The cover is pretty much in production, and the first draft is over half way complete. Plot-wise, it's kind of a cross between The Mask of Zorro, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid, set in a fantasy world that is divided between the people who live on the surface (the Marlenians), and those that are forced to live in caves (the Freetors). A 16-year-old girl who lives underground must disguise herself as a Marlenian princess to retrieve stolen magical documents in the castle in the middle of Marlenian city…but gets more than she bargains for when she uncovers a potential assassination plot and, of course, falls for the handsome Marlenian prince.
I haven't decided what I want to publish for November 2012. Either it will be the 3 Day Novel Contest novel that I wrote this year, entitled Kidnapped (young woman gets kidnapped by her boyfriend's desperate, estranged father) or another novel called First Blood, which is more dystopian (women live in a society where they are not allowed to menstruate).
In either case, it's going to be a busy year! I also have manuscripts lined up for 2013, but most of them are still in the concept stage, or aren't finished yet.
November 14, 2011
Musing Monday #7
Time for another Musing Mondays Post! Hosted by Should be Reading.
Are you currently collecting any authors? Why? Do you have all of their books? If not, why not? Did you buy all the books in the collection at the same time, or did you buy a book here, a book there? Have you actually read all of the collection? If not, why not?
In general, yes, I do like to collect authors. I try to only buy one book at a time because otherwise I would just be collecting the books for bragging rights, and I might not get around to reading them. I'm kind of anal about it too. If I have the print copy of, for example, the first book in a series, I like to get the following books in print as well. I try to get them in matching covers and formats as well. I don't like it when I have the soft cover version of one book and the hardcover version of another.
Currently I'm collecting Maggie Stiefvater books. I have Lament: The Faerie Queen Deception and I've always wanted to read Ballad. I'm dying to read Linger and Forever on my Kindle; I purchased Shiver on my Kindle because I wasn't happy about how they made the print version: the text is coloured! While it sounds cool, I don't think it would be easy to read long-term.
November 13, 2011
Book Release Today!
Yep. Today is the big day.
Within is on sale on my website, available in EPUB, MOBI and PDF formats. You can also download it for your Kindle on Amazon.com.
The print version can be ordered from Amazon.com as well. I think you can order it from Createspace's eStore as well. I hope to get it listed with Kobo and other vendors really soon!
Very excited!! Also emailing it to book bloggers today as well 
November 11, 2011
Skyrim
It's November 11, 2011. It's not just Remembrance Day. It's time for…
I ordered it for Dave for his birthday. I can't wait for it to arrive! (so that I can play it too )
November 9, 2011
WWW Wednesday #6
I didn't do a WWW Wednesday last week because nothing much had changed, so I'm making up for it this week! I got more books from the library, which is slowing my Kindle-reading progress.
What are you reading?
Lost Voices, by Sarah Porter. I saw it in Chapters a few weeks ago, and I was really attracted to the cover and the plot description. I was unsure whether to buy it, so I went to the library and ordered a copy.
What have you finished reading?
The Gathering, by Kelley Armstrong. My review is here. It was okay. It didn't completely live up to my expectations.
What will you read next?
I have a TON of books in my room right now that I'd like to read. Not to mention Linger. Here's an incomplete list of my current, physical TBR pile:
November 8, 2011
Review: The Gathering
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background – the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip – but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.
Until now.
Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town – from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.
In The Gathering, New York Times best-selling author Kelley Armstrong brings all the supernatural thrills from her wildly successful Darkest Powers series to Darkness Rising, her scorching hot new trilogy.
I've read Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers trilogy and really enjoyed it, except for the The Reckoning. So I was pretty excited when I picked up The Gathering at the library.
Writing: 3.5 wings
I was a little disappointed with this one. I remembered the Darkest Powers trilogy (at least, the first two) being a lot more…well, subtle. There almost seemed to be more time taken to describe things that were happening, and also hinted that there was more going on. Oh, there's more going on here all right…but somehow it just didn't hold me this time. However, as always, I did enjoy Armstrong's witty dialogue.
Characters: 3 wings
I liked that there wasn't a standard love triangle. The protagonist, Maya, isn't one to jump into a relationship; she's pretty rational, and I respected that. Everyone had a little flair to them that made them unique and memorable, but I wish that they were a little more developed. Maya, being the protagonist, is the one that does the most growing–but even then, it's not a whole lot. I was expecting more out of 300-odd pages.
Plot: 2.5 wings
It's kind of special when a fantasy novel is set in Canada. We're so used to having everything happen in the States that when something actually happens here, it's a treat. This book is set in Vancouver.
The story starts out pretty slow. It's not until after about 100 pages when things start to get going. I was thinking, great, stuff is happening.
But then…
The ending is just…horrible. The story just stops. Some of the last few lines are: "We had a lot of questions that still needed answers, but for now, the biggest danger[...] was behind us. We were safe, and there would be plenty of time for questions later.
I don't think so. Either you structure a book so that it holds my interest and doesn't make me rage, or you don't get readers for your next book. It's one thing to actually have a cliffhanger. It's another to crash your narrative into a wall in slow motion.
Overall: 3 wings
This is an displeased 3 wings. Started excited; finished angry. Probably will not read the next one. 
