Harmony Kent's Blog, page 61

Using The Five Senses: Smell

Check out a great post today from Joan Hall over at Story Empire. How do you use your sense of smell when you write? >>>

Hey, SE Readers. Joan with you with the second in a series of posts using the five senses in writing. To read the first part on sight, click here. Today I’m writing about smell. I probably overlook…

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#BookReview: Knife Edge by Simon Mayo

Hi everyone,

Today I have a book review for you. This was an ARC read from NetGalley and publishes on the 11th of June.

About the Book:

You never know where danger may come from…

6.45am. A sweltering London rush hour. And in the last 27 minutes, seven people have been murdered.

In a series of coordinated attacks, seven men and women across London have been targeted. For journalist Famie Madden, the horror unfolds as she arrives for the morning shift.

The victims have one thing in common: they make up the investigations team at the news agency where Famie works. The question everyone’s asking: what were they working on that could prompt such brutal devastation?

As Famie starts to receive mysterious messages, she must find out whether she is being warned of the next attack, or being told that she will be the next victim…

My Review:

 

 

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this Advanced Review Copy.

I’d never heard of Simon Mayo except as a British DJ before, so I had no preconceptions about this book. The cover and the description both intrigued me, so I requested a copy.

The storyline started out strong but soon fizzled, and by the middle it sagged a lot. I pushed through and kept going, and the last 20% picked up to a rip-roaring pace, which I enjoyed greatly. However, the ending was left quite open and dangling with many questions unresolved. I found the writing passive in the extreme and the book needs a solid edit. The narrative is full of telling rather than showing and every character has to know or feel or see or hear, instead of simply experiencing. This puts a block between the reader and the immediate action and spoils the pacing.

I found that I didn’t really connect with any of the characters, and not enough to care about them one way or the other.

Not a bad read, and on the whole set at a good pace. Though this one doesn’t make it onto my ‘re-read’ shelf, I would probably consider other books by this writer in the future.

I give this book 2.5 stars, as it sits somewhere between ‘It was good!’ and ‘I may have liked a few things’ (see my note on ratings below). I round this up to 3 stars for rating purposes.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

 

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.

4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.

3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.

2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.

1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

 

© Harmony Kent 2020

What is Your Style of Learning?

Check out a great post from Mae Clair today over on Story Empire >>>

Hi, SEers! Mae here on a cold February day. If you happen to live in the southern hemisphere and are enjoying beautiful temperate weather, please bottle some and send it up north! Winter doldrums a…

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Character Archetypes: The Ally

A fun and informative post from Craig Boyack over at Story Empire today >>>

Hi gang, Craig with you today. This is post number three in the character archetypes series. In the Hero’s Journey, there are some common characters that are likely to show up in all stories. This …

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Week in Review

Lots of writing links to check out over at Joan Hall’s place today >>>

Hey everyone. It’s Friday again! I’m always glad for weekends. We’ve had lots of rain in the past two weeks. Nothing like our friends in the deep south, but nonetheless, I could u…

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How to Publish with KDP: Part Five

Hi everyone, I have another how to publish to KDP post over at Story Empire today >>>

 

SErs. Harmony here. As promised earlier, here is the fifth installment in the post series dedicated to taking a step-by-step look at how to get your finished manuscript from your computer and…

Source: How to Publish with KDP: Part Five

#BookReview – A BOY NAMED RABBIT by Marcia Meara

A great book review for A Boy Named Rabbit over on Deborah Jay’s blog … I’m looking forward to reading this series! >>>

My first review of the year was for book #1 in Marcia Meara’s WAKE-ROBIN RIDGE series, and I’m moving right along with my review for book #2, A BOY NAMED RABBIT. I read all four back-to…

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How to Publish with KDP: Part Four

Hi everyone. Today, over on Story Empire, I have another installment on my how to publish series >>>

ello SErs. Harmony here. As promised earlier, here is the fourth installment in the post series dedicated to taking a step-by-step look at how to get your finished manuscript from your computer an…

Source: How to Publish with KDP: Part Four

Using The Five Senses: Sight

Hi everyone. Joan Hall has a great post on using the five senses in writing over at Story Empire today. This is the first of the series and well worth checking out >>>

Hey, SE Readers. Joan with you on this Valentine’s Day. My post today is the first of a new series on using the five senses in writing. As authors, it’s easy to overlook one or another (at least fo…

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Week in Review

Hi everyone. Joan Hall has her week in review over at her place today with lots of writing related links and this lovely sunrise >>>

 

Hey, everyone. Time to wrap up another week. Happy Valentine’s Day! Last week I wrote that my daffodils were getting ready to bloom. Sure enough, the first blossoms appeared over the weekend.…

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