Heidi Angell's Blog, page 48

Lost Crew: Book 2 in the Castleton Series Launches Today

Hello Lovelies!


So excited to announce that the second book in the Castleton Series  by Mike Dunbar launches today.

Book two is entitled The Lost Crew, and is an exciting read! We follow Mike, Nick and Patrick through time as they look for a time crew that has been lost. The time crew happens to consist of their friends Jen and Allie, and a neat new character named Bashir.

Lost Crew is a bit darker than Hampton Summit. The boys go back to the black days of the French Revolution when Madame Guillotine ruled. They find their comrades enslaved during Ancient Rome. Slavery has been a horrible part of the human tradition for so long. It is important, I think, for us to see that and accept it, while learning from it. There is some great beauty and humor as well. Learning about Scott Joplin, for one!

There are some great, deep lessons in this book, and I can't wait to read it with my boys!

Here is the beautiful cover for Lost Crew:



You can pick up the e-book on Smashwords.
Or the paperback on Createspace.
The Third book will launch in October, so no need to fret over having a super-long wait between books!

Until Next Time,
Keep Reading!

Review: Relic by Roy Hudson

Genre: Horror/drama

Synopsis: R.L. Simmons is an actor who made his career in the stereotypical horror role as the villain. Then he gets his break in a traditional role and is nominated for an award. One night he does an interview on The Richmond Show. Leaving the show he is struck by a drunk driver and horribly disfigured... in true Phantom fashion.

This begins a year of therapy and surgeries, and reclusive behavior. Through it all, his buddy and manager Derek sticks by him. Then Halloween comes. A time where he can cover his disfigured face with masks with none the wiser. During his ventures out he meets the lovely Julie Hawkes, a romance actress who is not even remotely concerned about his face. Unfortunately, there were more emotional scars than physical from the accident, and Relic's sanity unravels into a sordid and twisted mess of a world in which he cannot bear to lose the woman of his dreams.


The Good



This author is a new star worth watching. His character development, and the bonds he forms are charming and real. He brings pop culture references into the story to tie it to the real world and tickle our funny bones. I adore Derek and his commitment to Relic, his fear and frustrations at becoming the third wheel, and watching his best friend slowly change and spiral into insanity.



The Bad
Unlike The Odic Touch, there were moments especially towards the end of this story that felt forced. Thought processes that felt stilted. Having never been crazy, maybe that is how crazy people think... I don't know. But it wasn't the smooth flow that is frequently found in this author's writing.


The Ugly
This was actually really hard for me, being a HUGE Phantom of the Opera fan. Clearly the author is a big fan as well. He was going for a modern, realistic phantom-esque story. (He even says so in his forward.) And so I guess, for me, this set me up to hate the book from the beginning. If you aren't a huge phantom fan, then maybe it won't bother you nearly as much. But through the whole thing I kept referencing my fond memories and attachments to the characters of the Phantom of the Opera. It didn't have the same depth, the same societal challenges, or even the same passionate romance. What would have been a good story, once compared to the love of my life, became bland and irritating as an attempt of comparison. Something I probably would never have come to had the author not put it right there in my face at the very beginning, before even reading the book.
Overall
That being said, if you are not a huge fan of The Phantom of the Opera, and you like a good psychological horror with a splash of romance, then this book is definitely for you! As I said, this author is one worth watching, and I am eagerly awaiting his next book! You can purchase a copy from the link above and on the right.



Until Next Time, 

Keep Reading!

Elements of a Broken Mind, Hot New Psychic Thriller Now Out

Hello my lovelies! I am proud to announce that Elements of a Broken Mind, the first book in the Clear Angel Chronicles is now out! If you love psychic detective stories, this is definitely one to add to your reading list!
Here is the paperback cover, courtesy of a collaboration between John Harrison and me.


Isn't that just gorgeous?
Here is the back cover blurb:Grant Anderson is a small-town detective whose job was quiet and easy until three girls end up dead. A serial killer is stalking the young ladies in his town. Without the high tech equipment of the big cities at his fingertips, Grant must rely on good old-fashioned police work; but with no discernable pattern and no clues to follow, the case seems to be grinding to a halt. 
Then Grant gets a visit from a mysterious young woman. Who is Clear Angel? What is her connection to the case? If Grant is to believe her, then he must accept that she has "seen" these things. But Grant is a professional. He cannot  believe in psychics! Yet when another girl goes missing, and Grant's search is yielding nothing, he is desperate enough to try.
Clear Angel has always been  special. Seclusion has kept the nightmares at bay. Then the nightmares begin again. Are they premonitions of events to come? Are they the sick fantasies of a madman?   Then one evening she runs into a stranger and finds out that not only are they real, but they are happening in her home town. After a lifetime of running and hiding from what she can dow, she is now forced to reach out to the most unlikely person in an effort to save innocent girls, and perhaps the world!
Grant and Clear team up to stop a madman bent on the destruction of the world. As their feelings for one another grow, they try to deny them. But when Clear goes missing, Grant must face his feelings and saver her before it is too late.
You can get  an e-book version from Smashwords.



The paperback version is available from Createspace or you can order it from your local bookstore!

If you would like a free e-copy for review, please let me know in the comments below. I am giving out fifty copies, and they are going quick! Let me know the link to your blog, where you will post the reviews, and what e-mail addess you would like to send your free copy!

Until next time,
Happy Reading!

Come Vote on Book Cover and Title!

Hello my lovelies! 

Mike's event went well! Although we did have some technical issues, (as is bound to happen when you have a new event using new software) we had a great interview and thanks to modern technology, you can watch the interview at any time on my youtube channel! I will be doing a break down next week on what we learned from the event, and what you might want to know when you plan your own event. 

The winners of the Black Agnes CD event were Chris Lyons, Kim Worthen, and John Harrison! Congratulations, folks! The CD will be out to you in June!

Now, I need your help everyone! 

My next book will be out in June and it has been brought to my attention that All is Well is... kind of a boring title. I'm inclined to agree! So I would like votes on a title. 

The story is a psychic thriller/ paranormal romance. I know, interesting blending there, right?! 

Here is the back cover blurb:

How do you catch a serial killer who is always two steps ahead?
Grant Anderson is a detective in a small town in rural Montana. His job was quiet and easy, until three girls end up dead. It would seem that he has a serial killer stalking the young ladies in his town. Without the high tech equipment of big cities at his fingers, Grant must rely on good old fashioned police work; but with no discernible pattern and no clues to follow, the case seems to be grinding to a halt. Then Grant gets a visit from a mysterious woman who knows things about his case that not even he knew. Who is Clear Angel? What is her connection to the case? If Grant is to believer her, then he must accept that she has “seen” these things; but Grant is a professional. He cannot believe in psychics! Yet when another girl goes missing, and Grant’s search is yielding nothing he is desperate enough to try.
Clear Angel has always been special. At a very young age her parents discovered that she was a genius. Her parents realize that no one would ever accept what she can do. To protect her from the nightmares and the scorn of others, they move her to a small, secluded town in the Rockies.Then the nightmares begin again. She does not know what to make of them. Are they premonitions of events to come? Are they the sick fantasies of a madman? Then one evening she runs into a stranger and finds out that not only are they real, but they are happening here in her home town. After a lifetime of running and hiding from what she can do, she is now forced to reach out to the most unlikely person in an effort to save innocent girls and perhaps the world.
Grant and Clear team up in an effort to stop a madman bent on the destruction of the world and find in one another two lonely and hurt people reaching out for solace. As their feelings grow, they try to deny them; but when Clear goes missing, Grant must face his feelings and vows to save her before it is too late.
So, the titles suggested are:1. All is Well2. Elements of a Broken Mind3. Broken Minds
Please post your vote in the comments as so: Title (and then the number you like best!) 
And one more thing to vote on: The cover art. I am posting a handful of options. Please put your vote in the comments below and use the title of the cover to indicate which one you prefer! Here are the options: 


Cover 1
Cover 2
Cover 3
Cover 4
Cover 5
Thank you so much for your time in voting! I appreciate your contributions! 

Until next time, 
Keep Writing!

Time Travel Party, Join us!

Hello all! Want to come to a party? 




Well, you are invited to join us for Mike Dunbar's Time Travel party this Saturday May 25th at 11 am EST. We will be having a Google + hangout and it will be live! If you send an e-mail to castletonseries@gmail.com, we will send you an invite. (please keep in mind that you must have a gmail account to access Google +, and see our hangout!)

At this party, author Mike Dunbar will spend a few minutes talking about his inspiration for the book and his path to publication. Then you get to bombard him with all the questions you have! 

I will also be there to talk a little bit about where the series is going, our plans for publication and other exciting news! 

Also, there could be a really hot special guest who has the voice of a God.... could be! 



As a thank you to our fans, and because it is cool, we are hosting a raffle giveaway of three cd albums from Black Agnes' first CD, signed by the author and the lead singer of the band. If you don't know who these guys are, then you definitely want to attend the time travel party and find out what this awesome band has to do with The Castleton series! 


In the mean time, go ahead and enter the raffle on the top right side of this page!
There are several things that you can do in order to get more entries into the raffle, so get going and do them! 

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday! 

Until next time,
Keep Reading and Writing!

Book Review of Wake Me Up Inside by Lee Bice-Matheson

Genre: Paranormal YA mystery


Synopsis: Paige Maddison finds herself moving from the city, to her grandparents rural country estate so that her mother can help take care of her aging and ailing grandfather. Paige has been having strange dreams, but does not directly associate them with the move. She also keeps seeing strange things. Eventually she begins to suspect that her grandparents house is haunted... and the ghost is trying to kill her grandfather. Can she figure out why this ghost is holding a grudge before it is too late?




The Good: The story takes a quick pace, and is a relatively short read at only 103 pages. It sort of reminds me of the Nightmare Hall series, and this is designed to be a series as well.
Although the subject matter and the age of the characters is technically YA, the writing style and length are probably more appropriate for the younger end of YA, maybe even mid-grade. (I read Nightmare Hall when I was ten and eleven.) The author does a fairly good job of setting up the chapters in such a way as to leave you wanting/ needing to read the next chapter to find out what will happen next.




The Bad: I could not relate to any of the characters, which was very frustrating. I found Paige's emotions to fluctuate like quicksilver. There is a guy she has a crush on and that seems as important, if not more important, than preventing the ghost from killing her granddad. The relationship between the parents and grandparents is also strange. They haven't had any contact since Paige was a little girl, but are willing to up and leave their established lives to help take care of the grandfather, who was the cause of the upset in the first place... oh, and the author never tells you what the upset was. (I presume that it will be revealed in subsequent books, because at the very beginning the author tells you that there will be more books, and at the end you are left with a huge cliff hanger ensuring that there absolutely will be more books.




The Ugly: I love series reads, but I prefer books that can stand alone, or that you need to have read the first book to be able to read the next; but at the end of the book you are only left with one or two questions which whet your appetite for the next book. This book has so many events left unexplained that if it were a stand-alone I would say it has more plot holes than a back road in Montana. But it is not a stand alone. I cannot know how many of these points she will address in the next book, how integral they are to the series, or if they will indeed become plot holes.

And there were several grammar/ spelling issues that drove me a little nuts! For example: defence... it drove me nuts!!! Apparently it is an alternate spelling in Britain (sort of like grey/gray) but there were no other indicators to British spellings. I can't say that I have read a lot of books by Canadian authors. I'd never noticed this style of grammar and spellings before, anyway. Not saying that it was wrong, just that it was so distracting that several times it pulled me out of reading the book to go and look up if the spelling/ grammar was correct. Yeah, I am weird like that! 
 

Overall: The author writes some beautifully descriptive parts, and the story drew me forward, but in a morbid way. I did not like Paige, her logic, or her reasoning.  I found her quite annoying! (Of course, I found Bella annoying too, so maybe it is just me!) Parts of the story felt quite contrived, but that may be simply because my brain works differently from the characters. I never would've found myself in these situations.


The big last minute plot twist that ensures that there will be a second book just did not grab me. I guessed it somewhere around page 29. The main plot is convoluted by all these bizarre twists and turns of questionable relevancy.Part of me really wants to read on, just to see if these points are ever addressed, but unfortunately, I just don't think I could go through another Twilight, clinging to a potentially interesting story, despite not liking or being able to relate to the main character at all. We'll have to see.

If it sound like something that appeals to you, feel free to follow the link on the upper right to purchase a copy! 

Until next time,
Keep Reading!

Book Review: The Northronde Princess by Forrest Kyle

Genre: Sci-fi/ Fantasy (No, really. It rarely happens, but this does fall under both categories!!)


Re-cap: Princess Kaelyn Alspeare is just your average princess, with a loving father and mother, and the joy of occasionally having to play a pleasant hostess to visiting dignitaries. She is excited to meet the Emperor fro Hau' Pan, and his son, the reserved Li Yan Zhou. When she takes him into the forest for a tour of their lands, neither are expecting the events that will cause their world to change forever. 

Witnessing a strange object crashing from the sky, Kaelyn and Li Yan flee back to the castle to get help. On the way, they collapse with fever. When Kaelyn awakes days later, she finds that a massive plague has swept through her homeland. Most of the population is decimated by the plague, but of the few who survive, many come back with strange powers. Kaelyn's parents both died, and the man who is taking over was odd before, but has become a maniac who cannot die. 

Kaelyn flees her home in the hopes of finding safety with the Hau'pan emperor. Along the way she finds Li Yan and discovers that the plague has affected the entire planet. Together Li Yan and Kaelyn work to save their planet, their people and their own lives. 
Courtesy of 123inspiration.com

The Good:  It is so very rarely that an author can pull off writing sci-fi and fantasy, but to combine the two in one book and have that book be an absolutely awesome read? Yeah, that is what this book does. The author uses a traditional fantasy style of writing that flows so smoothly that it graciously enhances the story. His world-building is elegant and so skillfully constructed as to feel real. I loved the element of bringing an oriental feel to a genre that rarely adapts such elements. Li Yan was by far my favorite character, in a novel full of amazing characters. 
Courtesy of rantsandrefinments.blogspot.com

The Bad: Sadly, about half-way through there was a drop in proper editing skills. It was not so bad as to ruin the story, but it was enough for me to notice.  I also got a little overwhelmed by all of the different and exceptionally interesting and unique characters. (Alright, that wasn't completely a bad thing, but this book could easily have been twice as long!) 
Courtesy of www.dumpaday.com

The Ugly: This is a very subjective ugly, but it is ugly nonetheless. The author had so many opportunities in which he could have (and, I suppose, could still...) create multiple books of this world. But the ending is rather finite. Also... I really hated the end right before the end. Don't worry, when you read the book, you will totally get what I am talking about. To say any more would ruin the story. And although there is a huge gap of time between the end of the action and the end of the story, in which the author could go on to create other books about this world; we still know from this book how the story ends and that is something I hate. Now the author could go on to write books about Northronde that happen in a later period... or maybe even an earlier period, just as the dragon Lance series did. But without any indication that will occur, there is nothing to hold my appetite for another. 


Overall: 
This is a book so enjoyable that I wish that there was a paperback copy to add to my bookshelves. I really was very sad when the story ended. Not just because of the way the book ended, but because I was suffering from:
Courtesy of Someecards.comNormally I post an Amazon Associates button for the book reviewed on the right hand side, but this book apparently was not available for such a link :( But you can purchase it from Amazon. It looks like the author removed it from Smashwords :(
Until next time,
Keep Reading!

Sneak Peek at Hampton Summit

As promised, here is my favorite part of Hampton Summit... ok, well, maybe not my favorite part, but one of the best for short views ;) 
This gives a small taste of the flavor of Mike's writing, and this is the story that starts this whole crazy time-travel adventure. This is what The Hampton Summit is all about! 

Eight years from now…            Dr. James A. MacDonald’s claw-like left hand pushed the joy stick on his electric wheelchair, starting his chair gently forward. Its small fat tires rolled across the ballroom floor. When he was a young man, an incurable illness had attacked Dr. MacDonald’s muscles and left his legs limp and useless. As he grew older, his ancient enemy continued its persistent assault on his body. The illness was now attacking his arms and weakening them. It had already caused his fingers to curl up like a bird’s foot.             The band that was providing music before the summit was wrapping up its last number. As the song came to an end, the singer jumped in the air. This was a signal to the others. As his feet reached the floor, the band stopped on cue. As Dr. MacDonald rolled past he nodded to the singer/guitar player and mouthed, “Thank you.”             The band was made up of five young men and a young woman. On the bass drum there was a picture of a mermaid with her hands to her mouth. She was singing. Although they were a rock band, the musicians all wore jackets and ties. The singer and lead guitar player wore a captain’s hat. He hung his guitar from his shoulder with a fuzzy, hot pink strap.            Dr. MacDonald rolled slowly up the long, low ramp to the stage where he was to speak. When he reached the table set up for him he turned his chair to face the audience. The chair’s electric motor made a loud click each time he changed directions.             Dr. MacDonald’s legs and hands might not work any longer, but his mind still did. It was a great mind. The biology professor from the University of New Hampshire was recognized as one of the world’s leading scientists. In fact, he had recently made an astounding discovery, perhaps the greatest scientific advance of all time. He was here today to give that discovery to the world.             Dr. MacDonald scanned the sea of faces sitting in front of him. He had invited all these people to the little seaside town of Hampton, New Hampshire. They had gathered in the ballroom at Oakwood, right across from the beach. If he turned and looked out the ballroom’s front windows Dr. MacDonald would see the Atlantic Ocean. It was a fitting place for this summit, right next to the sea. In two harvests the world would be flooded by an ocean of food. In another few years it would be awash in a tide of cheap, clean bio-fuel.             The ballroom was packed with people. Scientists and researchers attended from important universities around the world. Most countries had sent government officials. Many of the people attending the summit wore their national dress, creating a colorful and diverse audience.                    A team of Dr. MacDonald’s students sat on the stage behind him. A row of hotel workers stood against the walls. Some were the wait staff and were going to serve champagne at the end of the summit. The others had snuck away from their posts and into the ballroom to witness history.             FBI agents and police officers were mixed with the hotel workers, but the real security was outside. The United States government was worried about a terrorist attack. What a great target, so many important people from all over the world, gathered together in one place. To prevent an attack, marksmen on the hotel roof scanned the area around the building with binoculars. They examined every car and truck, checking out anything that could carry a weapon or a bomb. So far, so good. There had been no problems.             Dr. MacDonald looked out over the audience and raised his arms as high as he could. It was not very high. His muscles were so weak he could barely get his hands level with his shoulders. He had raised his arms to ask the people who were standing to sit, and to ask people who were talking to stop.             “Ladies and Gentlemen,” he began. This was a signal to the hotel workers. He paused while they closed the ballroom doors. The Hampton Summit was finally underway. “Ladies and Gentlemen, the reason for you being here today has been kept secret. You came because you had faith in my reputation. Thank you for your trust. You will find it was well placed.             “Several years ago, I was working on a new strain of wheat when I discovered an unknown gene in cereal and grain plants. The gene is not normally active, which means in nature it is turned off. I found a way to turn it on. Ladies and Gentlemen, this gene controls plant growth. In the off position, cereals and grains grow at the rate they normally do. If the gene is turned on, plants grow fast and in huge amounts. The gene makes cereals and grains so strong that they are not harmed by drought or cold.              “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am giving you my discovery to take home with you. You are about to end hunger. Soon, there will be more food than people can eat. It will become so cheap the poor can buy all they want. If they can’t buy it, they can grow their own. All they need is dirt. In two years, a single seed will create a field of food. There will never be another famine.”            The audience was confused and stared at Dr. MacDonald with disbelief. They were not sure what to think. Some guessed Dr. MacDonald was trying to start his speech with a joke. If so, he was not doing it very well. This joke was not funny. Others suspected a hoax. It had happened before. Other scientists had made false claims about amazing discoveries. Some in the audience even wondered if Dr. MacDonald had gone crazy. Perhaps his illness was now attacking his mind.            “There is an energy shortage. It too is going to end,” the scientist continued. “Left over plants can be turned into bio-fuels, clean alternatives for gasoline and heating oil. Energy will become cheap and there will be lots of it - everywhere.”            The audience was becoming unhappy with these outrageous statements. A buzz rose from the crowd. People had stopped paying attention to him and were talking with their neighbors about his crazy claim. Some even stood up to walk out. “I see you do not believe me,” he said into the microphone, raising his voice to speak over the noise. “I have grown some of these plants. I have some seeds with me. They are in this box on the table.” That worked. The audience was curious and grew quiet. People who had stood up to leave sat back in their chairs.            “This discovery is so important I will not let anyone profit from it,” Dr. MacDonald told his audience. “I will give it to the whole world so no one can own it and no one can control it. There is a wireless network in this room. You were all asked to bring a laptop or a tablet, so we are connected. I am going to send the process from my laptop to yours. It will happen with a push of a button and at the speed of light. Once that occurs, my discovery will belong to the world.”             One of Dr. MacDonald’s students stood up and walked to his laptop to help him. She opened a new email message and attached a file named abundance. She stepped back so Dr. MacDonald could use the keyboard.             “Everyone. Please open your email.” He waited as hundreds of people did as he asked. This time, the noise from the audience was the clicking of computer keys. Dr. MacDonald could not resist adding a bit of drama to the moment. He extended the first finger of his right hand as much as he could. It was not very straight; his hands were too weak. He held his bent finger upward so everyone could see it. Everyone watched, waiting for his finger to move downward and touch his keyboard. When that happened, he would send the document.             Dr. MacDonald slowly lowered his finger. His disabled hand shook as it made its way to the keyboard. “Pop! Pop! Pop!” A series of staccato sounds broke out around the room. The audience gasped. “Pop! Pop! Pop!” Some delegates knew that noise. It was small caliber pistols, the weapons favored by assassins. They dove for the floor. “Pop! Pop! Pop!” Police officers and FBI agents unsnapped their holsters and pulled out their guns. The students on stage jumped to their feet as they watched their teacher slump over his wheelchair’s right arm rest. They saw his hand slide away from the computer without touching the keyboard. One of the students screamed, “He’s been hit! He’s been hit!”


Don't forget that you can purchase the rest of the story on Smashwords!

The Hampton Summit Blog Hop

Hello lovely readers and followers! 
As you may (or may not) have known, I have been hard at work helping world-renowned author and Windsor chair expert, Mike Dunbar publish the first book in his amazing mid-grade science fiction series, The Castleton Series!
I am pleased to announce that The Hampton Summit is on sale starting today!!


You can get an e-copy of Hampton Summit on Smashwords or a paperback on Amazon (link coming soon.) 

We are doing a blog hop this week to share this incredible book with the world, so here are the sites that will be interviewing Mike, providing a review of the book, or both! 
Hope you come and check it out! It should be lots of fun all week long! 

Monday April 22 Book review on Beach Bound Books http://www.beachboundbooks.com/
Podcast review with John Conrad, Will air on Writers Alive http://2012writersalive.blogspot.com/  He'll post it sometime this week. 
Tuesday April 23rd- A Sneak Peak Feature on An Angell's Life http://anangellslife.blogspot.com/ 
Wednesday April 24th, Live interview (guests can call in!) on Angels & Warriors Radio http://www.blogtalkradio.com/angelsandwarriors
Thursday Book Review on Books For Me http://books4linda.blogspot.com/

So come on out and participate, ask questions, and hey, maybe even buy the book! 
Until Next Time, 
Keep Reading!

Review of Shadow Dance by John Harrison

 
Genre: Fantasy

Re-cap: Shadow Dance introduces us to Namir, a young man who's parents were murdered on a secret mission. He was raised by his begrudging Uncle Daffer along with his cousin Jaconis, a rather snotty little brat! They grew up in the small town of Ellsted and each has the opportunity to get out of this small town by representing the town on an envoy to Hornshir. Each has a different reason for wanting to go. Namir's parents were killed on their way to Hornshir. Namir wants to go to find out what happened to them. Jaconis wants the prestige of being an emissary of Ellsted, the power to negotiate for the businessmen of Ellstead, and the popularity that may get him a seat on the town council should he succeed his mission. Mostly, I think he just wants to make sure Namir doesn't get any of these things. 

Namir gets the leadership position, but Jaconis gets to go as the envoy for the businessmen, along with several of Namir's friends: Aves, the Mayors daughter, and her maidservant and best friend Hessa. Stoic Nurn, the blacksmith's son,  and his younger brother Halin. Their adventure may give all of them more than they ever bargained for. 

The Good: The author jumps straight into the action with a secret mission, and then the loss of Namir's parents. Then we get caught up in the boy's struggle to see who will be the emissary of Ellstead (you have to admit, it has a really fun ring to it!) which seems to be a typical almost sibling rivalry-type thing, but escalates quickly (at least on one side of the struggle). 

The book has fifty different subplots going at any given time, and all are woven so neatly throughout the main story line that although you are left thinking "What the.... where did this come from?!?!?" it isn't in a bad way, if you know what I mean. None of the story felt forced, or contrived, though at times it was confusing. The nice part about that confusion (which I personally enjoy, when done right) is that the author meticulously brought each subplot to a crescendo in close order, leading to a higher climax, then closed each open-ended subplot save one as he wrapped up the story. Nice play for keeping people interested in a sequel. Then he did something really sneaky, and in the epilogue reveals the ultimate of red herrings!

*Spoiler Alert* 
Someone you thought was a good guy all along, appears to maybe be playing for the other team!

The Bad: As is common with fantasy, it took a bit of time getting all the different characters straight in my head. You get unusual names, some that are similar to the others, and a fast introduction, and it can be a bit difficult to keep everyone straight.

The author made a very strong effort at giving the "old" quality style to his writing without going all King James biblical Thee's and Thous EVERYWHERE, but on occasions the sentence structure was awkward and unwieldy. I never lost the meaning of the sentences (which frequently happens with a lot of indie writers), but it does cause the story to lose momentum. And about half-way through the book, the editing goes way down hill. (I suspect he got so caught up in his story, that he missed the errors, happens to me all the time!)

The Ugly: I had to pull out my dictionary on more than a few occasions. Now some of you may be thinking, "What, it is a crime to use big words in literature?!" Absolutely not! I am a big fan of educating my readers. I have quite a verbose vocabulary (even though I don't always use it.) and often enjoyed his rich use of words. But when I hit one that I did not actually know the meaning of, I realized a flaw in his writing. I could not use my exceptional context skills to grasp the meaning of the word! I really and absolutely had no idea what the word meant, and thereby what was happening in the scene. I had to go to the dictionary. 

This is hard for authors, because you don't always know what words your audience will be familiar with and which words don't work. At the same time, you do not want to spend the whole book repeating things to give context clues to the definitions of words. Lazy authors will dumb down their work, so I applaud this author for not doing that, but this is a point where it probably would have helped to have beta readers for the age-range you are targeting. 

And finally, there was a lot of repetition, without real need. Repetition is a great tool to authors, to drive home a point, to indicate significance, or even to display humor, or terror. But that was not the case in this story. There were several times where a character repeated a whole story to another group of characters without adding any significant details to the story. More annoyingly is when (and this was part of that unwieldy thing I mentioned earlier) in the same speech a character would rephrase what he or she just said. I'm really not sure if it was in an effort to give context clues to words, to make the wording more frilly (the Bible repeats itself alot, you know?) or what the deal was. I estimate nearly 1/4 of the book could be removed without detracting from the story at all. Another point where a good editor, or even proof reader would have helped clean this up. 

Overall: The story has me completely intrigued, I am invested in figuring out the two plot hangers. Not so terribly invested in Namir (which is a bit of a shame, as he is the main character) but totally invested in finding out what happens to Hessa, Nurn and Halin. Kinda curious (and hopeful) to see what horrible fate Jaconis brings himself to, for being such a snot-nosed little booger. Although I got this copy as a courtesy for review, I plan on spending money to buy the next book in the series! If it sounds like something you would like to read, you can purchase it on the right of my blog. 

So, what do you think of this style of reviewing, rather than rating the book by stars?

Until Next time,

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