Planning a Novel, Script or Memoir~Hank Quense | Review

Title: Planning a Novel, Script or Memoir
Author: Hank Quense
Genre: Nonfiction Writing Guide
Length: 69 Pages
Release: May 2015
My Rating: 5/5 Stars

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Review

As an aspiring author, this guide will be extremely useful. Quense outlines his own planning process, giving suggestions for programs or techniques that can be adapted to fit the needs of many writers. 

Among the topics discussed are setting, character, and story development. All of these are very important aspects for any form of story. The author has also included a sample character outline and features or emotions that he uses to give his characters life. 

A lot of the guide discusses the use Mind-Maps to store important information about the story. While this approach is not for everyone, it is easily adaptable. I personally prefer lists, but these map structures can be adapted to fit that as well. I found them very helpful. 

The author has included the text for one of his short stories in the appendix in order to more easily convey some of the points he makes about his mind mapping process. I found this extremely useful because it gives you a glimpse of the process can work with a longer project. 

Quense uses a very structured format when writing his stories, so this process will not appeal to everyone. However, it's important to explore multiple avenues when writing. It takes time to develop a system that works for you. This will definitely be a valuable resource in my own writing endeavors.

I'm sure the guide as a whole could use some more polish, but it is a valuable resource for writers. I feel that it would be most useful to those just beginning who are not sure where to start in planning. The process is straightforward and easily adaptable to different genres and styles of writing.

Out of Sight~Benedict Reid

Title: Out of Sight
Author: Benedict Reid
Genre: Middle Grade/YA Contemporary
Length: 170 Pages
Release: 2014
My Rating: 3/5 Stars

I received this novel through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review

Rob is a teen from Seattle living in New Zealand. He's the "American" in the group. After being exposed to the music (and coffee, but mostly music) in Seattle, Rob decides to start a band. With his friends David and Jimmy, Rob forms Out of Sight. The only problem: Rob has no musical talent. He has a good ear, but he can't sing or play an instrument. 

Early on in the novel, when he discovers that Dave's sister Michelle is a killer bassist and singer, Rob decides that maybe his musical talents lie in management. He enters the band in a musical competition hoping that if they win he can use the winnings to help his crush Sarah with medical expenses. Things get crazy from here, but Out of Sight is a crown favorite. 

This novel was fun, but could definitely use some improvement. The writing could use some polish to help it flow more smoothly. Rob and the rest of the characters are fairly interesting, but some of their dialogue is choppy. 

I like the music aspect of the novel. I always enjoy reading about bands and managers. They just make for really fun stories. The added charity aspect is a nice touch and Sarah was a nice character for the story. I did think that some of the success of the band and events were somewhat extreme for a group of teenagers just starting out. It just wasn't quite as realistic as I was expecting in that regard. 

There was some tension between the band members when one of them starts ditching practice and playing with another band. This was too glossed over. The outcome was overall satisfactory, but I think a bit more focus on this aspect could have helped give the story more of a realistic feel. 

This was a fun read, but I did not find it extremely engaging or compelling. I think that many middle grade readers would definitely enjoy it and I would recommend it to this age group and those who like to read stories aimed at this age group.

Down the Wormhole~Ana Franco | Review

Title: Down the Wormhole
Author: Ana Franco
Genre: YA Fantasy/Mythology
Length: 203 Pages
Release: March 2015
My Rating: 2/5 Stars

I received a free copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review

This story has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it fell short of the mark for me. I expected more connection to the modern world than there was, so that was surprising. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I felt that it was all mythological gods and things when I was expecting more connections to reality. 

The author, Ana Franco, from what I understand, is not a native English speaker or writer and still wrote this novel in English! The language usage was confusing through a lot of the novel and the switch from perspective to perspective could be a bit abrupt, but I think with some more polish the story would flow much more smoothly. 

The story itself deals with Celtic and Norse gods. The mythological aspect was quite interesting, but I don't think things tied together very well. There would be strange bouts of conflict that would suddenly end or be ignored for a while before popping back up again. I found this both confusing and rather off putting.

The characters were likable in most cases, but I didn't feel that they were very developed. And relationships were rushed. Along those lines, the passage of time didn't seem to make any sense at times. Sometimes it seemed like only a few minutes were supposed to have passed and then it would be a week or two. It left me rather confused. 

I think the story has a lot of potential and could be a fun mythological tale with romance and humor, but it needs more polish and some development to be really enjoyable. 

The Thirteenth Hour~Joshua Blum | Review

Title: The Thirteenth Hour
Author: Joshua Blum
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 349 Pages
Release: January 2015
My Rating: 4/5 Stars

I received a free copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review

This book was a lot of fun. There really is no other way to describe it. A majority of the story is told as a dream. Albert, a young daydreamer, falls to sleep in class and a man and woman visit his dreams. The story they tell him becomes the majority of the novel. 

Logan is an orphan who grew up in a small town at an orphanage where he met his best friend Aurora. At 18 Logan is sent to become an Imperial Soldier. He soon finds himself training as an Imperial Ranger to be sent on a quest for the secret to eternal life. 

The beginning of this novel was really fun and I really enjoy the humor. Logan is just an average kid with average abilities who finds himself in an interesting position. After saving the life of a wizard he's thrown into the life of the Rangers. When training completes they have to set sail on a ship bound for the four corners of the earth on a search for eternal life; the king wants to live forever. 

The quest involves sea serpants, castles in the sky, elves, back flipping chimpanzees, dragons (indirectly), flying (and intelligent) surfboards, vengeful sorcerers, and so many other obstacles. Along the way Logan once again meets up with Aurora and their destinies entangle. 

The adventures that Logan and Aurora have were so much fun and humorous. Even when things seemed bleak, there was always some humor to be had. I really loved that about this story. It was so different from the novels that I'm used to reading and it was a nice break from the norm for me. I enjoyed the writing a lot. It could use some polish here and there, but overall it has a nice quality that makes it easily readable and enjoyable.

The overall theme of dreams and never being too old to be a dreamer was great because it's so true. We should never be too old to dream and to make our dreams come true. There's nothing wrong with chasing what you want. The dreams throughout the story and how they were presented was an interesting touch as well. 

I previously reviewed the accompanying short stories A Shadow in the Moonlighg and Falling Leaves Don't Weep. I really enjoyed both of those short stories at the time I read them and it was nice to see how they connect with the full novel. It's not necessary to read those before you read this or to read this before you read those, but they go together nicely. 

This was a really fun story and I'm glad that I finally made the time to read it. It's a humorous coming of age story that I think many readers would enjoy. 

Tuesday Talks | Biggest Influence on my Reading Passion

Tuesday Talks is a goodreads group that was created by Janie and Janelle. Every Tuesday we discuss bookish topics through blogs, youtube, and goodreads. You can find the group here if you're interested in joining or want to watch/read the responses of other participants.

Biggest Influence on My Passion for Reading

Honestly, I think my biggest reading influence would probably be my parents. And my older siblings. I have nine older siblings and many of them were already big readers by the time I thought about picking up a book. 

Both of my parents are huge readers. My dad loved reading westerns and my mom pretty much reads anything. I remember when I was younger that my parents would always read before they went to bed. They also read to us when I was little (my siblings read to me as well). 

I wasn't a huge reader until I was an early teenager. I enjoyed reading and stories because that's what my parents always did, but I couldn't read very well myself (mostly because I refused to practice). I saw the Harry Potter movie the day it came out when I was ten years old and then I wanted to read those books. At first my mom read them with me (because she could read faster out loud than I could silently, wow, I was slow). Then I started reading more on my own and read almost anything I could get my hands on. Mostly fantasy. 

So I think my family-my parents in particular-shaped my love for reading. And fantasy stories got me hooked. 

What about you? What got you into reading? Parents, siblings, teachers, friends?

Date and Dash~Susan Hatler | Review

Title: Date and Dash (Better Date Than Never #10)
Author: Susan Hatler
Genre: Romance
Length: 105 Pages
Release: May 2015
My Rating: 4/5 Stars

I received a copy of this novel through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review

This was a really fun, fast read. It was a nice addition to the series. I believe this is the final installment. If it is in fact the final story in this series, I would have liked to see more appearances by previous characters, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story. 

What I enjoy about this series is that the main characters tend to be career driven women who also want to find love. That isn't any different here. Mary Ann is very driven in her life. She has a steady job, but also likes to be impulsive. The main story follows her as she tries to buy back a bracelet once owned by her grandmother. She just runs into a few problems along the way. 

The romance in this story was really cute. Logan is kind and considerate, despite Mary Ann's initial impression. The two get to know each other while filming a reality dating show and their real and pretend dates are adorable. He tells her about his past and his drive to do good deeds and she tells him about her fears of failure and why her grandmothers bracelet is so important. I just wish we had more Logan in the story. At some times it felt like he wasn't very involved. 

All of the side characters were really interesting and it was nice to see a few familiar characters as well as references to others. Mary Ann had some issues with her sister Ginger (another familiar face) and it was nice to see them start to figure out how they misunderstand each other. Mary Ann's work life was full of frustrating people and watching how that played out was both satisfying and kind of disappointing. I just wish there had been more involved there. Not much, but a little bit. 

The ending, as usual, was sweet and not excessively overdone. This was really fun and I think anyone who enjoys sweet, clean love stories would really enjoy the read.

Fantasy of Flight~Kelly St. Clare | Review

Title: Fantasy of Flight (The Tainted Accords #2)
Author: Kelly St. Clare
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 253 Pages
Release: May 2015
My Rating: 3/5 Stars

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis

My veil is off and I need it back.

Stuck in the lethal outer rings of Glacium, I must fight to survive until I can find the answers I seek and find a way back to the Bruma castle. Being a Solati from the enemy world of Osolis would be bad enough, but being the Tatuma, the next in line to rule…No one can find out who I really am. Especially now the veil is off.

Has the Tatum refused King Jovan’s peace offers and declared war? Do my brothers and Aquin know I’m alive? Who are my enemies and who are my friends? Nothing is certain. Though, if I think about it, nothing has been certain in a long time.
All of my worries must all be put aside.

I can’t imagine many distracted fighters survive The Pit.

Warning: Fighting, adventure, action, fantasy, sexual themes and heartbreak (about twice that found in Fantasy of Frost. Watch out for the cliff-hanger ending, too! 

Review

This is the sequel to Fantasy of Frost, which I read earlier this year and really enjoyed. I was so excited to get an advance copy of this novel! And first of all, let's just admire that cover. I mean, look at it. The first one was really cool and had a similar pattern, but this one is just brilliant. The ice and fire and just everything. It's beautiful. And gives a great representation of the worlds.

This novel picks up shortly after the events of book one, with Olina among fighters in an illegal fighting ring. While I enjoyed watching Olina develop her skills and gain some independence, I felt that the first thirty percent or so of this novel dragged somewhat. I felt that the story became somewhat derailed and lacked the flow that kept Fantasy of Frost so engaging. I expected more development regarding the area and Kedrick's death and this became kind of a side though for Lina. 

After this slow start things picked up a bit when Lina was reunited with Jovan and the rest of the Glacium court. Things were very different this time around, but more was discussed regarding potential wars and Kedrick's murder. The story finally returned to what had captivated me so much while reading the first novel.

There were some relationships in this novel that I felt were kind of just thrown at your or forced. Some of the connections just happened too quickly and portions were a bit rushed while others were slow. The flow was just a tad off this time around. I also really don't understand the society on Glacium. For some people they think that everyone is equal, others look down on women, abuse seems rampant, but then they claim it's not an issue there. Maybe this is to show that they aren't all on the same page as far as life goes, but it felt a bit out of synch. 

There was a touch of romance in this one and I actually really liked that part. It definitely introduces a new side to the story. There were also some developments with the war and the ending leaves you wondering what exactly will happen.

Overall this was a solid read. It wasn't brilliant and it lacked the flow of the first novel, but I am really looking forward to the next installment. I'm definitely intrigued to see where the story will go from here and what will happen to the characters as they take the next step on this journey. There are still plenty of questions to be answered and I'm excited to see where they go.