Harmony Kent's Blog, page 87
July 8, 2019
Conflict Thesaurus Entry: A Deadline Being Moved Up ~ WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
Check out this great post on increasing conflict in your story …
Conflict is very often the magic sauce for generating tension and turning a ho-hum story into one that rivets readers. As such, every scene should contain a struggle of some kind. Maybe it’s an internal tug-of-war having to do with … Continue reading →
Source: Conflict Thesaurus Entry: A Deadline Being Moved Up ~ WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
How to Set Project Targets in Scrivener
One way to avoid your workspace looking like this …
July 5, 2019
Five For Friday: Summer Activities
Check out Five for Friday from Joan Hall over on Story Empire today …
Hi, SE Readers. Joan here with another Five for Friday post. For those of you living in the US, I hope you enjoyed the holiday yesterday. And for our Canada friends, a belated Happy Canada Day. It&…
Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links
Some great writing links and resources over at Staci Troilo’s place today …
Ciao, amici! Happy Independence Day! Yes, I’m a day late. But when you think about it, the holiday is kind of arbitrary. Independence was actually declared on July 2. Congress approved the De…
July 4, 2019
Book Review: The Grace Year
by Kim Liggett
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5 Stars
Book Blurb:
The resistance starts here…
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No one speaks of the grace year.
It’s forbidden.
We’re told we have the power to lure grown men from their beds, make boys lose their minds, and drive the wives mad with jealousy. That’s why we’re banished for our sixteenth year, to release our magic into the wild before we’re allowed to return to civilization.
But I don’t feel powerful.
I don’t feel magical.
Tierney James lives in an isolated village where girls are banished at sixteen to the northern forest to brave the wilderness – and each other – for a year. They must rid themselves of their dangerous magic before returning purified and ready to marry – if they’re lucky.
It is forbidden to speak of the grace year, but even so every girl knows that the coming year will change them – if they survive it…
The Grace Year is The Handmaid’s Tale meets Lord of the Flies – a page-turning feminist dystopia about a young woman trapped in an oppressive society, fighting to take control of her own life.
My Review
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an ARC of this book.
Even more thanks for having it nicely formatted ready to read.
In the county, women have to obey their men. They have no rights. No free will. When a girl comes of age, she’s sent ‘out’ for a year, so that she can get rid of her magic. That’s the one thing the men worry about: a woman’s magic. When it comes to Tierney James’ turn, her future hangs in the balance. What will she do to survive The Grace Year?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let go. The pace never let up. And the ending was as satisfying as the beginning and middle. All the threads were tied off. I suspect a sequel may be in the offing … I hope so. I can’t recommend this novel or this author highly enough. I don’t think I’ve read Kim Liggett before now, but I’ll be looking out for more of her books.
As harrowing as this read was at times, I loved it. This was one of those books I didn’t want to end.
***
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.
There Goes That Sound
Check out this great new album over on Kevin’s blog …
My debut album, There Goes That Sound is now completed and available to stream or download around the globe folks! Amazon Digital Spotify / Deezer iTunes/Apple Music Google Play Routenote Ther…
Source: There Goes That Sound
July 3, 2019
Trading Knives
Check out this book review from Kevin over on his blog …
Corgren more than holds his own in the prize fighting rings where skill with a knife is the only mercy he’ll find. While an old enemy haunts his memory, new ones gather with each victory gain…
Source: Trading Knives
Writing Your Novel’s Blurb
Check out this great post on writing Book Blurbs from Staci Troilo over on Story Empire today …
Ciao, amici. We’re wrapping up the Story Bible series of posts today. If you missed one or more of the posts, you can find them, in order of post date, by clicking the following links: Story …
Source: Writing Your Novel’s Blurb
June Book Reviews, Part Two
Check out these awesome book reviews over at Mae Clair’s place today … looks like even more for my TBR, yikes!
I’m back again with the second half of my reviews for June. If you missed part one, you can find it here. Summer is a huge reading time for me, with pool season the perfect opportunity to flo…
Source: June Book Reviews, Part Two
#ShareAReviewDay Tuesday – “Gateway to Magic” by Annabelle Franklin
Check out this great book over on Marcia Meara’s place. Even though this is for kids, it looks right up my street! …
This afternoon, please help me welcome author Annabelle Franklin, who is here to share a great review of her children’s book, Gateway to Magic. This is sure to be a tale your kids or grandkid…
Source: #ShareAReviewDay Tuesday – “Gateway to Magic” by Annabelle Franklin
