tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339645841647740382024-03-24T12:57:13.993-07:00The Upstream WriterLeslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.comBlogger998125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-35425472263374463532024-03-23T16:03:00.000-07:002024-03-23T16:03:25.941-07:00Reader's Review: "Belle the Beast Tamer" by Pauline Creeden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91+VuvYgABL._SY342_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="228" height="342" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91+VuvYgABL._SY342_.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Belle-Beast-Tamer-Wonderland-Guardian-ebook/dp/B07DC12NFL">Amazon</a>:</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;">Belle Parisi didn't know she was a shifter until she was twelve years old—the same day that her mother died. Since then, her father sent her to Wonderland Guardian Academy in Virginia to protect her from the same people who hunted her mother. Shifters become the animal that most reflects their inner being, and for her and her mother, a tiger was found at their core.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;">Now at seventeen, she's more than ready to graduate and get on with her life, and maybe return home to the small town in Italy. But when she's caught shifting off school grounds, she's given a task instead of a punishment. Another shifter has been discovered hiding out not too far away in the Appalachian Mountains—a dragon shifter.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;">Belle's not sure exactly what kind of personality brought out the dragon in the man she's hunting, but it couldn't be good...</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">>>>>>>>>>>>></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>My Review:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">All the way back in 2019, I got on a massive fairy tale retelling kick that sent me in the direction of Pauline Creeden. I loved her excellent take on The Little Mermaid with <i><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-verona-complete-mermaid.html">Verona: A Mermaid's Tale</a></i>, so I went into the first book, <i>Red: the Wolf Tracker</i>, with all kinds of hope.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />You can read the review ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/12/readers-review-red-wolf-tracker-by.html">here</a>< to learn whether or not it paid off.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />Anyway, about a year later I bought the box set of the Wonderland Guardian Academy series on a book-buying spree, and now at last, five years later, I've finished the next book in the series. Belle's story was longer than Red's, and for that I can be grateful--and yet there were some highs and lows about my reading experience with this one.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />First of all, I want to list all the great things about this book: Belle is a tiger shifter, like her mother. I loved that, even though it felt kind of cliche that she would get in trouble with the school administrators for shifting--but at the same time, looking back it might feel more like the whole "getting in trouble" factor was more of a set-up to get her in the room so that she can be commissioned to track a dragon shifter (the "beast" of the fairy tale) who has apparently gone rogue.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />So not only do we have tiger shifters, but dragons as well. Score two!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />Belle is tasked with tracking the dragon, but in the process of searching the rumored territory, she ends up at an abandoned cottage where she uncovers a conspiracy cover-up that makes it seem like the Guardians she's trusted all her life aren't so trustworthy after all. The owner of the cottage discovers her and takes her prisoner (shades of the "damsel being held prisoner" from the original fairy tale!), but as the tension cools between them, the two end up teaming up to try and investigate what the Guardians are trying to hide, and what it has to do with Belle, and most of all why they had her tracking down the dragon in the first place!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />It's a neat story that I enjoyed from start to finish. It felt much less rushed than the first book--albeit there were still some pacing issues, some places moving too slowly, while jumping too quickly from one beat to the next at other points. But it's a solid retelling, with interesting characters, great closure, and further contributing to a larger series arc that promises to pay off very well over the course of these urban fantasy tales!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />I'm giving <i>Belle the Beast Tamer </i>a solid <b>*****4.5 STAR***** </b>rating. It's not the most perfect retelling I've ever read, but it's very well-done, it's a spiffing urban fantasy story with plenty of plot that doesn't necessarily involve romance between the characters! If you like shifter stories, fairy tales, and you're looking for good clean urban fantasy, definitely give the Wonderland Guardian Academy a look!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Also By The Author/Urban Fantasy/Fairy Tale Retelling)</u></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Verona: The Complete Mermaid Tales--Pauline Creeden</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-verona-complete-mermaid.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Scales</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/11/readers-review-salt-and-submerged-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Submerged</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/11/readers-review-salt-and-submerged-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -Salt </a><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-verona-complete-mermaid.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -Surfacing</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2014/07/readers-review-abiding-flame-by-pauline.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">-Abiding Flame--Pauline Creeden</a><b style="background-color: white;"> </b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/05/readers-review-sanctuary-by-pauline.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Sanctuary--Pauline Creeden</span></u></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Firebird Fairy Tales--Amy Kuivalainen</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/09/readers-review-cry-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -The Cry of the Firebird</a><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/06/readers-review-ashes-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/06/readers-review-ashes-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ashes of the Firebird</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/08/readers-review-rise-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Rise of the Firebird</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2023/02/readers-review-wendy-by-erin-michelle.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-The Wendy--Erin Michelle Sky</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/06/readers-review-cracks-in-tapestry-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Cracks in The Tapestry--The Tapestry Group </span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/11/readers-review-severance-by-m-smith.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Severance--M. A. Smith</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/05/readers-review-purple-door-district-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Purple Door District--Erin Casey</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/03/readers-review-escape-from-neverland-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Escape From Neverland</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-dance-into-wyrd-by-nils.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-dance-into-wyrd-by-nils.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Dance Into The Wyrd</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Bhinian Empire--Miriam Forster</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/02/readers-review-city-of-thousand-dolls.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">City of A Thousand Dolls</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/05/readers-review-empire-of-shadows-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Empire of Shadows</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Valiant Series--Joanna White</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/08/readers-review-hunter-by-joanna-white.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Hunter</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Portal Prophecies--C. A. King</b><br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-keepers-destiny-by-c-king.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -A Keeper's Destiny</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/02/readers-review-halloweens-curse-by-c.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -A Halloween's Curse</a> <br /> -<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/05/readers-review-frost-bitten-by-c-king.html" style="color: #cb29d4;">Frost Bitten</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2023/05/readers-review-undying-light-by-aurora.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Undying Light--Aurora Wildey</span></a></div></div></div><p></p>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-3514795423979928602024-03-05T16:25:00.000-08:002024-03-05T16:25:49.560-08:00Reader's Review: "Alienation" by S. E. Anderson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91UqMpiHcqL._SY342_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="214" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91UqMpiHcqL._SY342_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Alienation-Book-2-Starstruck-saga-ebook/dp/B074XLMQB4">Amazon</a>:</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;">Sally Webber's dream is coming true: Zander is back and taking her out for a night on the town--on a planet hundreds of light years away from Earth. But when an accident separates her from her alien tour guide, she’s thrown into the seedy underbelly of an insane city where nothing is as it seems.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;">Suddenly lost and desperate to get back home, Sally is willing to do anything to get out, even if it means accepting spontaneous marriage proposals, crashing some fancy parties, or joining what appears to be the space mob.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;">All she wanted was some decent interstellar pizza, but now it might be the end of the world as evil nanobots and an out-of-control AI try to take the universe by force, and the only one who can stop them is missing in action. Sally has no choice but to try to stop them herself--if she can stay alive that long.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">>>>>>>>>>>></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was back in 2019 when I finally got around to reading <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/10/readers-review-starstruck-by-s-e.html">this book</a> I'd been seeing hyped, not only on the author's page, but also in some writing groups we shared. I went in hoping against hope that it wasn't going to be some kind of smutty alien/human romance, that I would at least find something in at least one character that I found relatable, ready to abandon the story if it got too dramatic for my tastes.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">It was one of the most entertaining books I read in 2019. I loved it through and through. So the next time I had a gift card to spend on ebooks, I definitely knew I was going to pick up the next two books in the series!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />Which brings us to <i>Alienation</i>, my foray back into the Starstruck Saga after three and a half years. It was like I never left. Anderson picks up right where she left off, and takes Sally, Blayde, and Zander on another wild galactic chase. What begins as just a quick planetary "tour" so Sally can see what life is like on the other side of the galaxy ends up stranding her in the strangest sidetrack she has ever faced. From the most bizarre case of food poisoning (<i>betrayed by pizza, no less!) </i>to ending up in the underbelly of the towering city with no means of returning to the elevated portion, an almost forced marriage, being roped into a high-stakes heist, and infiltrating a government-sponsored party, to trying to stop a sentient computer program from taking over the planet... Sally Webber wanted to see the galaxy, and she's beginning to find out just how <i>big </i>it all really is!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />This is where Anderson shines, with her diverse alien races and cultures to match, each one relevant through Sally's basic sensibilities and yet completely foreign to anything we have here on our little planet--I may have only read two of her books so far, but I am seeing a pattern emerge from her of every story being littered with unique and yet relatable characters, eclectic personalities, and always some little detail that presents itself as a clear sign that they aren't all "humanoid." The fact that this is a ten-book series is a feat in itself--but I have a feeling each book is going to be more enthrallingly bizarre and mind-blowing than the last!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">I would give <i>Alienation </i>the full <b>*****5 STARS***** </b>rating. Every aspect of the novel was on-point, and I can't wait to see how this series of adventures unfolds! If you're someone who likes a good space-based sci-fi adventure led by a smart, capable, curious woman, and full of creative alien races and spectacular worlds, but without the heavy dependence on romance that a lot of these "space travel" novels typically contain... then I can confirm that the Starstruck Saga is just the thing for you!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Space-Based Adventure/Awesome World-Building/Sci-Fantasy)</u></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Children of Dreki--N. R. Tupper</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/07/readers-review-tyr-by-n-r-tupper.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">TYR</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/01/readers-review-countless-as-stars-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Countless As The Stars--Steve Trower</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/05/readers-review-secret-king-lethao-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Secret King: Letháo--Dawn Chapman</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/04/readers-review-arena-by-santana-young.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Arena--Santana Young</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-excelsior-by-george.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Excelsior--George Sirois </a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Chronicles of Lorrek--Kelly Blanchard</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/04/readers-review-someday-ill-be-redeemed.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Someday I'll Be Redeemed</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/12/readers-review-i-still-have-soul-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/12/readers-review-i-still-have-soul-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-I Still Have A Soul</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/07/readers-review-im-still-alive-by-kelly.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-I'm Still Alive</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/readers-review-do-you-trust-me-by-kelly.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/readers-review-do-you-trust-me-by-kelly.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Do You Trust Me? </a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/07/readers-review-you-left-me-no-choice-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">You Left Me No Choice</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/05/readers-review-they-must-be-stopped-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-They Must Be Stopped</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-find-me-if-you-can-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Find Me If You Can</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/07/readers-review-speaker-of-words-by-e-g.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Speaker of Words--E. G. Stone</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/08/readers-review-broken-empire-aftermath.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Broken Empire: Aftermath--E. A. Copen</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/06/readers-review-cracks-in-tapestry-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Cracks in The Tapestry--The Tapestry Group</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2014/07/readers-review-abiding-flame-by-pauline.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Abiding Flame--Pauline Creeden</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The PSS Chronicles--Ripley Patton</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/12/readers-review-ghost-hand-by-ripley.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ghost Hand</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/06/readers-review-ghost-hold-by-ripley.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ghost Hold</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/07/readers-review-ghost-heart-by-ripley.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ghost Heart</a><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"><b> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/09/readers-review-ghost-hope-by-ripley.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/09/readers-review-ghost-hope-by-ripley.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ghost Hope</a></span></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-24898949230257557602024-01-30T17:18:00.000-08:002024-01-30T17:18:00.066-08:00Reader's Review: "Hemlock" by Jesse Teller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_849526-T1/images/I/A12sx0Wm6cL._SY342_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="221" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_849526-T1/images/I/A12sx0Wm6cL._SY342_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hemlock-Manhunters-Book-Jesse-Teller-ebook/dp/B079SG8L1W">Amazon</a>:</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;">The busiest pirate bay in Perilisc is newly infested with vampires. These monsters will soon overrun the world, but the Manhunters must try to stop them in secret. Agents of the king are hunting Rayph's vigilante crew. With one false step, they could all end up at a royal execution.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="color: #0f1111;">>>>>>>>>></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="color: #0f1111;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #0f1111;"><b>My Review:</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #0f1111;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A little over three years ago, I <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/11/readers-review-song-by-jesse-teller.html">started this trilogy</a> after having my introduction to grimdark fantasy well in hand, and enjoying the gratuitous use of Avengers-like superpowers in addition to all the violence and grittiness of your typical grimdark.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />Then last fall I started reading the second book--and realized I'd forgotten a lot about where the story was at and what the characters were up to. I've even fallen out of reading grimdark in recent months... it just hasn't been something I've read in a while.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />I think that was my first problem when approaching this book. Second, where <i>Song </i>was introductory, more flashy and action-oriented, bringing the readers into a world they hadn't encountered before, genre-blending in a way that few have tried... <i>Hemlock </i>just gets DARK. VERY QUICKLY. Perhaps even more horror-leaning with its subject matter. Last time it was sorcerers and thugs and dark alleyways. Now it's vampires and ruthless pirates and seedy brothels.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The world-building is still on-point, and the descriptions are absolutely gut-wrenching. One thing I found a little disappointing, and probably the reason it took me so long to get through it, is that it didn't do as good a job of referring back to the first book as a sequel ought to do. There was just <i>so much </i>going on in this book with characters that I may or may not have remembered (if indeed I was supposed to remember) from the first book, I could see how there might not have been time to rehash previous events, especially if what happened before would not necessarily be relevant to what is now current. But that just meant that only a few characters had any sort of context attached to them, and the rest, well... it was like walking into a conversation between friends that you'd only known in passing--they're carrying on like they've known each other for years, but you're stuck trying to get yourself oriented and acquainted with them. The battle scenes were suitably action-packed and there were some emotional moments in the plot that I found very touching. The torture scenes I didn't entirely appreciate. The new side character, Aaron the Marked, was a highlight of this book, and I enjoyed his arc very much.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Suffice to say, <i>Hemlock </i>does what it sets out to do, and for that I can rate it <b>****4 STARS****</b>. I might be falling out of my initial taste for it--the glamour of the first book has worn off, it seems, and now that the story seems to be sliding down a slippery slope of increasingly savage imagery and nightmare fuel, and fewer characters I am drawn to in the main cast, I am less inclined to finish off the story--maybe things might have developed differently if I had read the whole trilogy all at once, rather than splitting it up like this.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If you're an avid fan of horror and grimdark, and things like intense gore and violence described in vivid detail don't scare you, then you might pick up the Manhunters Trilogy for a new world to explore.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Epic World-Building/Vampires/Sword-And-Sorcery/Dark Fantasy)</u></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Chronicles of Lorrek--Kelly Blanchard</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/04/readers-review-someday-ill-be-redeemed.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Someday I'll Be Redeemed</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/12/readers-review-i-still-have-soul-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/12/readers-review-i-still-have-soul-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-I Still Have A Soul</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/07/readers-review-im-still-alive-by-kelly.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-I'm Still Alive</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/readers-review-do-you-trust-me-by-kelly.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/readers-review-do-you-trust-me-by-kelly.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Do You Trust Me? </a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/07/readers-review-you-left-me-no-choice-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">You Left Me No Choice</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/05/readers-review-they-must-be-stopped-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-They Must Be Stopped</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-find-me-if-you-can-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Find Me If You Can</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/08/readers-review-herald-of-autumn-by-j-m.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Herald of Autumn--J. M. Guillen</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/02/readers-review-road-brothers-by-mark.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Road Brothers--Mark Lawrence</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/10/readers-review-diamond-stained-by-jmd.html" style="color: #cb29d4;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Diamond Stained--J. M. D. Reid</span></a></div></div><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2023/06/readers-review-change-in-crime-by-d-r.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-A Change in Crime--D. R. Perry</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/09/readers-review-immortal-codex-petra-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Immortal Codex: Petra--Cheri Lasota</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/11/readers-review-oblivions-forge-by-simon.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Oblivion's Forge--Simon Williams</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Firebird Fairy Tales--Amy Kuivalainen</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/09/readers-review-cry-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -The Cry of the Firebird</a><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/06/readers-review-ashes-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/06/readers-review-ashes-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ashes of the Firebird</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/08/readers-review-rise-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Rise of the Firebird</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Tales of the Fallen--Katika Schneider</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/07/readers-review-devotion-by-katika.html" style="background-color: white; color: #76177c; text-decoration-line: none;">-Devotion</a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/10/readers-review-deception-by-katika.html" style="color: #76177c; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/10/readers-review-deception-by-katika.html" style="background-color: white; color: #76177c; text-decoration-line: none;">-Deception</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/08/readers-review-notna-by-j-d-cunegan.html" style="background-color: white; color: #76177c; text-decoration-line: none;">Notna--J. D. Cunegan</a></span></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-61505323603641758662024-01-29T14:56:00.000-08:002024-01-29T14:56:54.236-08:00The Upstream Reader: Ranked Reads From 2023!<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBal9_AON20sJJNnZhF-iNDdTLl59Z5SJr-xyvMIPlCgGGUni2MQdzw3pZ50OLZPJDXnJcUXn7RA_vdYmzadvk5XgYZ8cfQslYdxVFnAnDT0GtVAQd2m3R08xGX9ONWT1L5r0xPjI1TW2gnZqRBDkQTEICwYYnq0_bVjeap2M10ns0IhYJrI7WqKtZZA/s960/READ%20Sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBal9_AON20sJJNnZhF-iNDdTLl59Z5SJr-xyvMIPlCgGGUni2MQdzw3pZ50OLZPJDXnJcUXn7RA_vdYmzadvk5XgYZ8cfQslYdxVFnAnDT0GtVAQd2m3R08xGX9ONWT1L5r0xPjI1TW2gnZqRBDkQTEICwYYnq0_bVjeap2M10ns0IhYJrI7WqKtZZA/w400-h300/READ%20Sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reading in 2023, all things considered, was abysmal, if I do say so myself. According to Goodreads, I only read 17 books in total, and of those 17, only 7 of them were Reader’s Reviews books. That is why I chose to divide up my usual “complete Upstream Update” post into two parts, instead of talking about all of everything on one long post. So, without further ado, here’s a ranked list of all 17 books I read in 2023!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>17–A Tree of Bone and Mist by Melissa E. Beckwith</b></span></span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-0b6220f4-7fff-08a1-2227-b018f1b2554a"><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71KY2eH2BgL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71KY2eH2BgL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>Starting off fairly strong with this one! Just your garden-variety portal fantasy with a female MC with a chip on her shoulder thrust from her mundane Montana ranch life with her domesticated pet wolf (which was never explained </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">how </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">she ended up with an actual </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">wolf</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, not a “wolf-like dog” or even a “wolfdog”, just a straight-up </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">wolf!</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">) into a fantasy world where she’s somehow connected to the lost royal family and possessing special powers and hence all the evil forces that would like to have said power for themselves are all gunning for her and she has to find her footing and get to safety even though </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nothing </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">in this new world is remotely </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">safe </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">because she has no idea where things are or what she’s supposed to be doing… it was a trip, the world-building was awesome, but it just didn’t hit me in the fantasy feels. To read my full review, follow ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2023/04/readers-review-tree-of-bone-and-mist-by.html">this linked text</a><</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div></span><span><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;">16–What The Chat Dragged In by Cyn Mackley</b></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/817MsDTRfLL.SR160,240_BG243,243,243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="160" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/817MsDTRfLL.SR160,240_BG243,243,243.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>With as much as I really enjoyed the Goode-Grace Mysteries, I was hoping to put this a little higher on the list… but with all things considered, and how few books are on this list in the first place, this isn’t half bad! It carries Mackley’s signature charm in her main characters and the pages of tantalizing food that’s introduced throughout the adventure–but I think the thing that sort of downgraded it for me was the subject matter. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">FMC is a federal forensic investigator, so she sees (and thus the reader “sees”) a lot of really sick and twisted stuff… and MMC turns out to be a survivor of abuse and trauma himself, so while on the one hand it makes for a really sweet story of being vulnerable and trusting one another… on the other, it’s a </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">lot </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">of secondhand trauma for the reader to experience, albeit in a fictional book with fictional characters! To read my full review, click on ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2023/01/readers-review-what-chat-dragged-in-by.html">this linked text</a><</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div></span><span><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>15–A Change in Crime by D. R. Perry</b></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1542987969i/42936774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="518" height="144" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1542987969i/42936774.jpg" width="93" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>Not my first vampire novel, but my first time reading this indie author! Don’t get the wrong idea about its placement on this list… yes, it’s not a “top 10”, but the 4.5-star rating should speak for itself. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In fact, if you want a more in-depth review of this book, follow ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2023/06/readers-review-change-in-crime-by-d-r.html">this linked text</a>< for my full Reader’s Review.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>14–The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum</b></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71iTLihXhML._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="559" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71iTLihXhML._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>I was a little excited to find the whole Bourne trilogy at a book sale a couple years ago, thinking of how much I enjoyed the movies and wanting to see how the books compared.<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Imagine my surprise to learn that the film trilogy had very little to do with the book trilogy at all! Movie Bourne is innocent, instinctual, young, with an altruistic streak. Book Bourne feels much older, is more jaded, more traumatized, and seems to just react to things with little thought except for how it might benefit him. Movie Bourne goes on the run because he wants to find out the truth of himself and he wants out of the life he finds attached to his name; Book Bourne is on the run because he wants to escape the truth of himself, but he cannot escape all the trauma and baggage attached to his current identity. Almost as if Movie Bourne finds his aim to seek out and establish a new iteration of “Bourne”, the independent citizen, while Book Bourne is obsessed with finding </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">any </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">sense of “Identity”, and that becomes his driving motivation, whatever rises against him. <br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Still rather interesting though, and I’d keep reading the trilogy, now that I know it is completely separate from the film trilogy’s arc. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>13–Saturday The Rabbi Went Hungry by Harry Kemmelman</b></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/21E5DKCCDHL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="486" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/21E5DKCCDHL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="122" /></a></div>The second book in the delightful Jewish-centric cozy mysteries my grandma recommended and gifted to me! I’m quite enjoying this series, Rabbi David Small is just the right mix of Poirot and Father Tim from the Mitford series: more American than European Poirot, but also heavily integrated into the relatively small community like Father Tim. He leads his synagogue with studious grace, and yet he’s not so steeped in the religious traditions like some of the other synagogue leaders that he misses important details and changes among the people. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This time, it’s the middle of a Yom Kippur fast, and a man is found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in his garage–but the Rabbi happens to notice that the car wasn’t on by the time the police arrived, which means someone had to have turned it off before the man was dead… and what does this stranger have to do with an ailing wealthy Jew and a pharmaceutical testing lab where the man supposedly used to work? Can Rabbi Small put the pieces together before the members of the temple board find grounds to fire him as their Rabbi?<br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s quaint, it’s fun, and it lays out all the clues beautifully before matching them to their respective part of the solution as a whole.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>12–The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware</b></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81aHy+ij2uL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="514" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81aHy+ij2uL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>I’ll say it, I’m a fan of Ruth Ware. While this wasn’t her best work, there’s just something poignant about reading a book about a travel writer embarking on a North Sea cruise where nothing is as it seems, while sitting on a beach in Hawaii. Yes, I brought this one along with me on our beach vacation–and it was well worth it. What started out as an innocent moment of “I forgot which cabin door was mine” turned dark very quickly when the titular Woman of Cabin 10 disappears on the same night the travel writer is convinced she saw someone toss a body overboard… but when all the guests are accounted for, and no evidence of the woman she’d seen the night before, how can she prove what she saw? There were some parts I was easily able to predict, and probably a savvy reader will pick up on the clues much quicker than I did–but if you’re looking for a beach-read or a titillating mystery to entertain you while on vacation–this is definitely a good one!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">11–"V" is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton</span></b><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/71OJ3uJGf6L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="513" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/71OJ3uJGf6L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>I can’t believe I’m almost finished with this series! While yes, there are 4 more letters of the alphabet, unfortunately the author passed away shortly after releasing the book for “X”, and so the final book is letter “Y”--which means I have only 3 books to go and I’ve finished this series that I started literally 10 years ago. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This one had a lot of flashbacks, as Kinsey starts out investigating a potential shoplifter she busts who might be part of an organized ring connected to the Mob, and gets embroiled in the death of a woman who ostensibly jumped–or was thrown–off a bridge. A lot of the story is told through flashbacks of the woman’s point of view of the circumstances that led to her ending up on that bridge, and also the Mob family’s point of view, so Kinsey is more of an additional or backup player in the whole narrative, but it’s interesting, the latest in a long line of plots that manage to be distinct and intriguing enough to keep one guessing all the way through!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">10–The Seven Towers by Patricia C. Wrede</span></b><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51vuUXxAQmL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51vuUXxAQmL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>This was one I found at the same book sale I bought the Bourne trilogy at, and I was excited because it looked really intriguing and I remembered how much I’d enjoyed Wrede’s take on Snow White and Rose Red. <br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The ensuing adventure was entertaining enough in the moment, but even now as I write this I’m struggling to remember any stand-out parts. The magic system was pretty cool, and the conflicts were suitably devious, if I recall… but that’s about it. A nice, fun sword-and-sorcery novel that I can recommend to friends if they’re interested in that sort of thing. (Although really, if they’re into sword-and-sorcery, there is <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/04/readers-review-someday-ill-be-redeemed.html">a whole indie series</a> I think I’d rather recommend over this one!)</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>9–Moonblood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl</b></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71d6yQl66eL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="518" height="154" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71d6yQl66eL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="100" /></a></div>Now that we’re solidly in the top ten, I’m feeling many more memories of the individual stories coming back! Like this one, a tale in which a goblin princess is trying to remain in exile from her manipulative father, while there’s conflict with the human kingdom brewing that may yet give the Goblin King power over that kingdom while he waits for his daughter to inevitably fall within his clutches again… </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There’s just something so ethereal and enchanting about the way Stengl writes that never fails to drag me in and captivate me, no matter how long it’s been since I’ve read the previous book in the series!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>8–Undying Light by Aurora Wildey</b></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/92e104a5-c92d-405e-a093-294412f25d32.2f1bf37ac5d0deb34afabf53aeb7b4e5.jpeg?odnHeight=320&odnWidth=320&odnBg=FFFFFF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="200" src="https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/92e104a5-c92d-405e-a093-294412f25d32.2f1bf37ac5d0deb34afabf53aeb7b4e5.jpeg?odnHeight=320&odnWidth=320&odnBg=FFFFFF" width="200" /></a></div>This one was quite fun! A random contact through my author page netted me an advance copy of this new release, and I quite enjoyed it more than anticipated! I'm not usually a fan of PNR (paranormal romance) because it’s </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">always </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the angsty immortal that can’t keep himself in check around the innocent, naive mortal… but come to find out, she’s got secrets of her own! </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">For a full review of this book, click on ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2023/05/readers-review-undying-light-by-aurora.html">this linked text</a><.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>7–Sahara by Clive Cussler</b></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/21dH1e+f3kL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="580" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/21dH1e+f3kL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>Yet another book I picked up because of how much I enjoyed the movie adaptation–but unlike The Bourne Identity, this adaptation at least managed to hit the highlights of the original plot! </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Most of the main cast is still there, and although the book descriptions differed greatly from the actors’ appearances a lot of the time, I had no trouble inserting the actor into my “headcanon” anyhow! Yes, I </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">did </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">roll my eyes at the over-campy descriptions of Dirk Pitt (small wonder McConaughey was drawn to the role!) and I found myself giggling at Cussler’s own self-insert scene… but it was a pretty well-told story itself, and I enjoyed going even deeper into the lore and the technical aspects that the movie could only gloss over!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>6–The Ask and The Answer by Patrick Ness</b></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534502975i/20758103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="413" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534502975i/20758103.jpg" width="127" /></a></div>Two books down, one more to go and I’ve completed the trilogy! (Whereupon I will be ready to watch the film! Although I have little hope that it will be anything like what I’ve been reading) Ness is a fantastic author and I kind of like the unorthodox, nearly-stream-of-consciousness style he’s adopted for this series. The plot development is fascinating, I wish Prentiss would die in a hole and never come back, and I’m really invested in the survival of both Olivia </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Todd at this point!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>5–King of Hearts by Patricia Loofbourrow</b></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781944223168_p0_v1_s600x595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="396" height="155" src="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781944223168_p0_v1_s600x595.jpg" width="103" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></div>You’d think I’d be a little bored with a book that deals in courtroom trial scenes almost the whole time, in the midst of a series with such phenomenal world-building, superb characters, and an intriguing plot that keeps me on my toes the whole time. But no, this book caught me in a time when I was watching a lot of random scenes and episodes of Law & Order: SVU. Didn’t bore me a bit! For my full review, follow ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2023/07/readers-review-king-of-hearts-by.html">this linked text here</a><.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>4–The Twist of a Knife by Anthony Horowitz</b></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71QoN9xa7YL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="527" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71QoN9xa7YL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>Booyah! I found this on a library shelf when I was least expecting it! This series is turning out much longer than I expected–but I am not at all mad! Yes, I’m talking about the Gratuitously Self-Insertionist Inspector Hawthorne series. This time, “Tony” is invited to the performance of a play </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">he himself wrote</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, and not long after, one of the actors is found murdered, and the only prints on the murder weapon belong to </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Horowitz himself! </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He’s got to find Hawthorne (they’d parted on bad terms after the last adventure) and beg the inspector to exonerate him, before Scotland Yard puts him behind bars for “finally committing that perfect crime he’s always writing about in his books.” It’s hilarious, there are </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">so </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">many Princess Bride references, and there’s hints at the end of more to come, so I’m here for it!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>3–The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman</b></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456508529i/29345916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="395" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456508529i/29345916.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div>This series continues to surprise and delight me! It was very fun getting back into it after it being a while since I read </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Masked City</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. Irene and Kai are still dealing with shifty Fae and overly-scrupulous Dragons–and this one is probably my fastest-read of 2023 (from what I can tell… it’s hard to know sometimes on Goodreads when you’re inconsistent with your “Currently Reading” status, as I am!). Irene has to find answers and stop Alberich from destroying the Library from within–all while not knowing who she can trust, and who has been turned against their own organization, threatening the stability of all worlds in the Library’s network. It was very enjoyable!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>2–The Wendy by Erin Michelle Sky</b></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81wMFljkpVL._AC_UL600_SR600,600_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="144" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81wMFljkpVL._AC_UL600_SR600,600_.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div>And here we are at the Best Featured Indie Read of 2023! I love a good retelling–and this one had a unique take on </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Peter Pan </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">lore that I really enjoyed! To read the complete review, click on ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2023/02/readers-review-wendy-by-erin-michelle.html">this linked text</a><.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>1–Supernova by Marissa Meyer</b></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81+lEQiKzxL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="526" height="165" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81+lEQiKzxL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="109" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And finally, the Best Read of 2023! This trilogy was absolutely masterful. I loved the uniqueness of the powers, both their strengths and the limitations presented with each. The character development was excellent, and the build up matched with the payoff every time! I am immensely satisfied with how this series turned out, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a YA superhero-themed series!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>So there you have it, my Ranked Reading List of 2023. Here’s hoping I’ll be able to finish even more books in 2024! What was your favorite (or Top 3!) from 2023? What are you looking forward to reading in 2024? Let me know in the comments!</i></b></span></span></div></span>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-63068288812349621992024-01-19T13:26:00.000-08:002024-01-19T13:26:04.626-08:00The Upstream Writer Birthday Update 2024: A Look Back, And A Look Ahead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmleOHcu-DGCIb47qIw2CCbYDOjE5uXYL32d3CzLVJBNQnxad4qze6XMuGgvsivj_svtp1v6bOhgLrkkghoebz7Zk65PTgmlSpv3KTEeFFCmj62Z1wnCUgpAdkzwSSPXI7BKa7_H1ODb2S-1HOzqLjJbO4Z0mzFrILgTtwZ9ibEeI60PGalyf92kYGg/s959/Happy%20Birthday%20Upstream%20Writer!.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="959" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmleOHcu-DGCIb47qIw2CCbYDOjE5uXYL32d3CzLVJBNQnxad4qze6XMuGgvsivj_svtp1v6bOhgLrkkghoebz7Zk65PTgmlSpv3KTEeFFCmj62Z1wnCUgpAdkzwSSPXI7BKa7_H1ODb2S-1HOzqLjJbO4Z0mzFrILgTtwZ9ibEeI60PGalyf92kYGg/w400-h261/Happy%20Birthday%20Upstream%20Writer!.jpeg" width="400" /><br /></a></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">Wow! It's been a while since I've given an update... Pretty much all of 2023 was pretty hectic, so let me get you caught up!<br /> <br /><h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Life Stuff</span></span></h4></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First of all, this year hasn’t quite gone as expected, in good ways and bad.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJJu1nXx0ArshqhaywAtrgDmKus3FNp5MU0fu3Wsw03NZyPfm9wSk_ROgVUI8465guZ6urAm9bNv40lRBE-yWf_PoRqbh58fSWH3WywYD1zn1nZ3TO0zj4LPF3utezj2vC3EiddlAnkdB2W4tS_V6DGu857dTU4yd3yGZFt9QaRmU9RE6aBlQTJ8Trw/s1280/IMG_3668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJJu1nXx0ArshqhaywAtrgDmKus3FNp5MU0fu3Wsw03NZyPfm9wSk_ROgVUI8465guZ6urAm9bNv40lRBE-yWf_PoRqbh58fSWH3WywYD1zn1nZ3TO0zj4LPF3utezj2vC3EiddlAnkdB2W4tS_V6DGu857dTU4yd3yGZFt9QaRmU9RE6aBlQTJ8Trw/w150-h200/IMG_3668.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>It started in February, during a family vacation in Hawaii. With seven people (Mom, Dad, Me, Sister, Brother-in-law, and their two kids) in a 2-bedroom condo, I ended up sleeping in the main area on an air mattress. Hence, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">everybody </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">could hear me snore. That had never really bothered me before, since I sleep alone. I had always struggled with fatigue, thinking that it was just a byproduct of my hypothyroidism when that was diagnosed, but even with the proper medication to bring my thyroid levels into balance, the snoring habit and the fatigue were still there. I had long accepted it as just “my normal”, and thought that it was just something I would always have to deal with. I could be “rested” without experiencing actual “deep sleep.” Or so I thought.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who am I kidding? I’m not normal. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, finally one day on the vacation my Mom informs me that she’d heard me snoring very loudly the night before, and even a couple times it sounded like I stopped breathing very briefly! I of course had no idea that my body was even doing that. This prompted me to start seriously considering consulting with a sleep doctor, something I didn’t want to do until school was out for the summer, just in case there was a barrage of tests or something. I had no idea what to expect. I managed to survive the end of the school year (nodding off if I was sitting inactive for more than ten minutes, struggling to get enough rest at night, and still snoring, in spite of trying things like the mouth-taping method and a silicone nose insert to hold my nostrils open at night; I’d usually end up taking the tape off or pulling the insert out of my nose </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in my sleep</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and then waking up in the middle of the night with the tape around my fingers and whatnot) and scheduled an appointment at a nearby sleep center. </span><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even during that appointment, after weeks of summer and not having to get up early for work, I was struggling to stay awake and alert for my consultation. The doctor set me up for an at-home sleep test, just a silicone ring that I would wear, equipped with a microchip that would transmit data wirelessly to track my oxygen saturation, my respiratory levels, and track movement or activity while I slept.</span><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The results scared me badly.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For perspective, someone with mild sleep apnea will experience up to five “sleep disruptions” per hour. Ten to fifteen disruptions is considered average sleep apnea, and 30 or more disruptions would be severe apnea.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Folks, yours truly clocked in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">almost one hundred disruptions per hour </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in a single night. The oxygen saturation graph registered as low as 70% oxygen saturation, and I bottomed that right out multiple times over the course of the night. The diagnosis was severe obstructive sleep apnea. The way one technician described it was that as my muscles relaxed in sleep, some part of my respiratory system would relax too much and close off, prompting my brain to think that I’m drowning, and so my brain would “wake up” my body to breathe, disrupting my sleep and flooding my system with cortisol. I was basically in “fight or flight” mode all night, every night. No wonder I wasn’t ever getting good rest, no matter how long I slept! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wasn’t truly resting at all!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Luckily, the diagnosis opened up the potential for a CPAP machine. I’d seen my mom use one, and my late brother whose multiple health crises and a partially-paralyzed diaphragm necessitated the use of a Bi-PAP machine, but I never imagined having to use one myself. The doctor administered an in-lab sleep test where they could hook me up to a bunch of sensors and put me on a CPAP machine to see if that resolved the issue. I had to report to the sleep center at night, and the test would last until early the next morning.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ajlRDcAvTENrhpPvCzkRsQc0I53rVwzV3ViupxW9KaJudNwJ0Ncl7G7A4kcpxUwwqTmXF4Q8B9hd5P4XS_XOel-1ZWw1tQ9mPpKSmu8TIQcnWRI5rvkK7XO5w6PQ6Wf1NWZEE8NbDbFF2rZQemBIbaR2qeY7yHv59t-sp3GeSqsmv7GzG3nqKtxvzA/s3088/Sleep%20Test.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ajlRDcAvTENrhpPvCzkRsQc0I53rVwzV3ViupxW9KaJudNwJ0Ncl7G7A4kcpxUwwqTmXF4Q8B9hd5P4XS_XOel-1ZWw1tQ9mPpKSmu8TIQcnWRI5rvkK7XO5w6PQ6Wf1NWZEE8NbDbFF2rZQemBIbaR2qeY7yHv59t-sp3GeSqsmv7GzG3nqKtxvzA/w150-h200/Sleep%20Test.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div>It took a bit of finessing to get the mask to fit right, and I admit, I was a bit paranoid at being closely monitored while sleeping… but it was the best sleep I’d had in my life to that point.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The administering tech roused me after about seven and a half hours–during which time I’d experienced all 4 stages of sleep, including two and a half hours of REM sleep, and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">twenty whole minutes’ worth of deep sleep!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It was early in the morning, which I usually hated those early hours, but I felt amazing! <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The euphoria of a great night’s sleep lasted for about two days, and then the fatigue started to set in again, but I felt that relief was in my grasp! Wearing a mask while sleeping wasn’t nearly as disruptive as I thought it was going to be, and I liked how I felt afterwards, too! I had to wait about a month to get my own machine, but as soon as I started using it, I felt the difference.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I stopped feeling “in a fog” and I no longer struggled against nodding off so much. I felt residual energy even after a full day of work, enough that I could engage and participate in things instead of just withdrawing to doze and drowse alone. Nowadays, I’m getting anywhere from half an hour to an hour of deep sleep on average nights, and on “short” nights (when I’m getting six hours or less of sleep) I’m still averaging ten to thirty minutes of deep sleep. That’s going from </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">never getting deep sleep </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">deep sleep every night, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and what a difference it’s made!</span><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m especially glad to get this sleep thing figured out because this school year, the administration has shifted elementary start times back half an hour, so instead of needing to get to the school before 8 AM in the morning, which meant I had to get up at 6 AM to be able to get everything ready and go, now I have to be there at 7:30 AM, which means I have to get up at 5:30 every morning! I dislike it very much, but at least I can still get decent sleep, using my CPAP at night! </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Going into 2024, I resolved to channel the newfound energy toward more accountability and productivity. I have attempted to utilize a planner every year since like 2018, and I’ll generally do okay for a couple months and then something happens and I get distracted and fall out of place, and the planner ends up blank for several months. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year, I kind of looked back over the previous year and saw myself being overly ambitious, setting goals for myself without any sort of habits in place to back them up. In light of that, I chose targets for myself that I know I could accomplish, and am looking more into breaking those targets down into achievable parts that contribute to the overall goals. The first week of 2024, while not completely according to plan, didn’t end up too badly, so I’m optimistic that ensuing weeks will enable me to build up the habits I need to reach my goals!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></b></span><h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WRITING</span></span></h4></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8Un59zt9-S8i4bNVLngfgzYjs8x_lySNgfIE3jfSCnNq53pNStouOPNuKB2JvwTlnMMdZmloLLtmydGSKZxKRIAr9x8NM_lywHVvdLKV6OOgv0SMPRpQH6lYmEeTO-0u3e7nu2RkDOHbsx8aqmhEmiUJuyxOWnBWYpNLbYUkx2viomZjzOBAuYAspA/s1280/Me%20and%20Joe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8Un59zt9-S8i4bNVLngfgzYjs8x_lySNgfIE3jfSCnNq53pNStouOPNuKB2JvwTlnMMdZmloLLtmydGSKZxKRIAr9x8NM_lywHVvdLKV6OOgv0SMPRpQH6lYmEeTO-0u3e7nu2RkDOHbsx8aqmhEmiUJuyxOWnBWYpNLbYUkx2viomZjzOBAuYAspA/w150-h200/Me%20and%20Joe.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The last picture I have of<br />him, on his 29th birthday<br />a month before he passed</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Anyway, writing has not been going as well as I’d hoped over the last year. I’d been dealing gently with myself since my brother’s passing in summer of 2022 (which was a large part of the reason I haven't really given an update since about that time, honestly...), and I’d started the year with more of a resolve, wanting to get the series finished up at long last, so that I could actually call it a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">series </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and not just </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">one book</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. But then the whole thing with the sleeping habits happened and I didn’t get much writing done over the spring… or summer… I will say, I was able to get "over the hump" as it were during NaNoWriMo, and do much better than I had been the year before, so that’s a plus!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Fugitive Of Crossway</i></b></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_phdNxhvc9q3y4RXsgyoSuqS_fLOu7GhAMt7az2qhKLAlaPPcNvAgNWvYOg5Xi7nDXwOH09nNjgxzfeiO4Qx89I_BmzGX4Zov0FNxVplGXT8-TQdaeQ8SzCmMAFVwFz-vYNsRsJc-VAy2ZAbaJH5x9YKxo_S5tdmqBeQotywFrvGqCMeQ48B489TnQg/s4032/Fugitive%20Story%20Map.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_phdNxhvc9q3y4RXsgyoSuqS_fLOu7GhAMt7az2qhKLAlaPPcNvAgNWvYOg5Xi7nDXwOH09nNjgxzfeiO4Qx89I_BmzGX4Zov0FNxVplGXT8-TQdaeQ8SzCmMAFVwFz-vYNsRsJc-VAy2ZAbaJH5x9YKxo_S5tdmqBeQotywFrvGqCMeQ48B489TnQg/w150-h200/Fugitive%20Story%20Map.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Ta-daa!! Story map--<br />the whole thing contained<br />on about 30 cards!</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Speaking of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fugitive</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I’d hoped to perhaps finish it, or at least get close to finishing it before November, but that didn’t happen. During NaNoWriMo this year, though, I managed to get past the really difficult part, the part of the story where a lot of things were happening simultaneously and I had gotten stymied for at least a month the first time around… This time I managed to get beyond it in just over a week, so I’ve got that going for me! This was due in part to a new strategy I’ve been implementing since starting this new draft, a story map! Getting all the moving parts visually synched up and organized has really helped me discern where things could be moved around so I’m (hopefully) not spending too much time on one character over another, and keeping things chronologically in order so it flows a lot better. I must inform you all that I’ve abandoned making it as short as </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Princess of Undersea</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, it’s definitely going to be a longer book, I just hope I don’t have to make it </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">too </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">long!<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My goal for 2024 is to be able to finish </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fugitive of Crossway </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">before springtime, so that I can get the marketing launched for it to release in early springtime. The time is finally here, folks! Only three and a half years later… but I’m hoping that giving myself a deadline will encourage me to press through to the end!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES</b></span></span><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, the motivation to finish Fugitive as soon as possible is very high, because at this point I’ve had some new anthology opportunities coming up in 2024! </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Adt1NMA7WnqI1BCLARzBTRYQZxBBnr3onGW5dvhNGY3Fuya7tpqgNi5dltoTDDjb8rJ3X97bJLkYwobF9EAstCJSin-SN01cQLoBhb8wufbPiHn2d0mYewqp29onDFpc0Wgw6im5rUE95CXwfe8BFTK2ycCGg_3QJtzGMDVYDtfMINKwbYfq0pE0ug/s820/Upcoming%202024%20Anthologies%20Banner.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="820" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Adt1NMA7WnqI1BCLARzBTRYQZxBBnr3onGW5dvhNGY3Fuya7tpqgNi5dltoTDDjb8rJ3X97bJLkYwobF9EAstCJSin-SN01cQLoBhb8wufbPiHn2d0mYewqp29onDFpc0Wgw6im5rUE95CXwfe8BFTK2ycCGg_3QJtzGMDVYDtfMINKwbYfq0pE0ug/w466-h194/Upcoming%202024%20Anthologies%20Banner.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The theme for the first anthology is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Genie-Bottle-Indie-Authors-Advocate-ebook/dp/B0CLJDPNW3">“Genie In A Bottle”</a>, and that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">happens </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to coincide with Book 3, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fury of Outwest</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which is going to be a Steampunk/Western retelling of Aladdin, anyway! I already have the 3 “Tales from Outwest” that I’m going to include in the book itself, but I came up with a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">brand new idea </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that not only fits in with the narrative, but also does not spoil anything that I’ve already planned to happen in the book! I’m almost finished with it at this point, and then I’ll have a few months to edit it and polish it up before I submit it in April. The anthology will be released in June.<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Imagine my surprise, when scrolling through the Facebook group posts to find the submission form for the Genie anthology, and finding two others that could fit with other stories I’ve already written! <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cracked-Fairy-Tales-Authors-Advocate-ebook/dp/B0CLKC9FHB">“Cracked Fairy Tales”</a>, which of course reminded me of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cracks in The Tapestry</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">–but since </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tapestry </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is still in circulation I can’t necessarily use “Heartsong”... but what I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">do </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">have is a certain “Cinderella” retelling with, I don’t know, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">DRAGONS, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and set in 1920’s Italy, so I’d say that’s pretty “cracked”, wouldn’t you say? At any rate, I have till July to polish that one up for a September release. It’s a little over the word count limit, but hopefully I can get it down below, or the editor can allow me to stretch the limit a bit!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The other is called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Disgrace-Indie-Authors-Advocate-ebook/dp/B0CR8QGLZF">“Roses of Disgrace”</a> and the guidelines specify that “a rose must be central to a conflict or resolution”, reminiscent of “Beauty and The Beast” and whatnot… which I’ve already cooked up a retelling with “The Prince and The Rose”, serialized on this blog. And </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bonus</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I’m pretty sure it’s within the word count limit! I’m really excited to be able to share that story with a reader base I haven’t reached yet. That one is due in October for a December release.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So if I get everything together for all three anthologies, I’ll have short stories coming out in June, September, and December! Bring it on! Even better, if you’re curious at all and looking for a new batch of stories from authors you maybe haven’t read before, all three anthologies are already up for pre-order, so you can reserve your copy ahead of time and get it right when it releases!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>BLOG SERIALS</b></span></span><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvDZsbicFjp5zRbEqjVDpFmMXUpAAp4tAoSMTUcgXXBqzF_H6Erlw-ZlJeQxxgumikOewa89ZEmhuWt0lRSJPx8EDyPKU9VIFdepXgQ6kcF1nxeOJtumSs1k7aYw3s8mwjWJCiG97drTrtrGT3xH9s3owwJssQSXuvGTAiYHRPwYzVGqb5ZgBon-Jvw/s780/Fairies%20Under%20Glass%20Mock%20Cover.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvDZsbicFjp5zRbEqjVDpFmMXUpAAp4tAoSMTUcgXXBqzF_H6Erlw-ZlJeQxxgumikOewa89ZEmhuWt0lRSJPx8EDyPKU9VIFdepXgQ6kcF1nxeOJtumSs1k7aYw3s8mwjWJCiG97drTrtrGT3xH9s3owwJssQSXuvGTAiYHRPwYzVGqb5ZgBon-Jvw/w138-h200/Fairies%20Under%20Glass%20Mock%20Cover.png" width="138" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">To revive, or not to revive,<br />that is the question...</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>Meanwhile, in addition to the short story madness and the WIP deadlines, I haven’t forgotten about my beloved Serial Saturday tradition! I know there is always </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/02/serial-saturday-fairies-under-glass.html">Fairies Under Glass</a> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I could return to, when I’m not running directly up against deadlines that are perilously close due to poor time management that I am trying to rectify… Also it might help if I knew if people were interested in seeing how that story resolves? I’m pretty proud of the way I reformed an old story in the first place, just with what I’ve written so far, anyway… but there was just something about it (and also some personal stuff I was dealing with at the time) that just drew me away from it. What do you all think? Let me know in the comments!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If something new is in order, then let me reassure you I have a fresh project waiting in the wings. I actually came up with it earlier last year, but I just had no way of breaking the idea down into actionable “episodes” for a serial… until pretty much the last bit of 2023. I have the first few episodes planned out by now, but just haven’t gotten around to turning those plans into an actual draft. That will come later, I assume, along with the rest of the plot! I figure once I have a few episodes written, in between the more serious writing projects, I can recommence the serial Saturdays, and then you’ll have something regular to look forward to on this blog!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Speaking of “something regular”, you can expect more <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-knitting-book-blog-tag.html">blog tags</a> out of me in the future. I’ve sourced a few from a couple other book bloggers, and I’m on the lookout for more. My plan is to be able to post at least twice per month, if not more, so I’m hoping to at least have enough blog tags to do one a month! I tried to start that last year, and it didn’t work out so much–here’s hoping I’ll do better this year!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So that’s it, that’s all the updates on my life and writing projects from 2023, and what to look forward to in 2024. Coming up on Monday, I made a post ranking all 17 books I read in 2023. Stay tuned for that! </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">How about you? What are your goals for 2024? Share them in the comments, and let’s encourage one another to achieve success this year! As always... </b></div></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Catch You Further Upstream!</i></b></span></span></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-52596228477451301232023-12-30T17:08:00.000-08:002023-12-30T17:08:16.406-08:00The Knitting Book Blog Tag<p><span style="color: #111111;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #111111;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-p4gWUaTNNZj60BM7Ap-NjCHyn4TtrkQnVi_61eCygZRFH7AF5rN6QHtCF3g_Y4pf3Y_JFOSE5LGm36cicz9NmCOo97KZo28bJMOaNqprLCFEtpWGS1dmAeBpZfdO8R9MEmh9KqWWBpU63yelj1_vha5au1ydl8sUWujLWuyRA884OzNCaBLDaKslQ/s1259/Knitting%20Blog%20Tag%20Thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="1259" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-p4gWUaTNNZj60BM7Ap-NjCHyn4TtrkQnVi_61eCygZRFH7AF5rN6QHtCF3g_Y4pf3Y_JFOSE5LGm36cicz9NmCOo97KZo28bJMOaNqprLCFEtpWGS1dmAeBpZfdO8R9MEmh9KqWWBpU63yelj1_vha5au1ydl8sUWujLWuyRA884OzNCaBLDaKslQ/w550-h240/Knitting%20Blog%20Tag%20Thumbnail.jpg" width="550" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #111111;"><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">This tag was created by Cara (</span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYsIpN-tuKs&t=274s"><span style="color: #1c0000;"><span style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Wilde Book Garden</span></span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">) on YouTube. I was tagged for it by <a href="https://enthralledbylove.com/2023/04/05/the-knitting-tag-book-tag/">Raina at Enthralled By Love</a>. </span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Cast On: The first section you scope out in a bookshop</span></b><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://thats-normal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/dlod-at-bn-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://thats-normal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/dlod-at-bn-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">When I enter a bookshop, I'll usually make a beeline for the Fantasy section, especially if they have something like a Young Adult or Teen section. Then I might meander over to Mystery/Thrillers, because I know a few authors whose works I very much enjoy. Depending on how the store is arranged, I may also peruse the Science Fiction section, in case a particular title grabs my attention. Altogether, it should keep me occupied for a while. It's rare that I go into a bookstore and don't find anything I want to own!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Knit: A super-hyped book that completely delivered for you</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/816JhuO1cyS._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/816JhuO1cyS._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">When Netflix announced that they were going to produce <a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/80236319?source=35">an adaptation of Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone</a>, I was immediately interested. It was a book that I'd seen occasionally (while checking out the Teen Fantasy section at Barnes and Noble) but hadn't read quite yet. I went into watching the show without much of an inkling as to what I was getting myself into, and utterly <i>adored </i>the casting! Of course, I immediately placed a hold on <i>Shadow and Bone</i> at the library. I'd hoped to actually pick it up before I got too far in the series, but out of three visits to the library, it was never on the shelf! Finally, it came to my turn to check it out, and I found the same scenes and characters from the show now brought to mind anew by the novel itself! I have seen adaptations done badly, so I was very pleased to find that Netflix had done the book justice, at least as far as I got in that first book. Turns out, the adaptation also included the storyline from <i>Six of Crows </i>as well, working in tandem, so just the first book in the Grishaverse trilogy wasn't everything I'd already seen in the first season! I'll definitely be reading more of that series, though!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Purl: A character you believe deserves more love</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaCf7gu6mvDl5azLTa1l65iqkLGbLRU9dYgC7U7xhEsNp8LMpKsar-0QGgPLgWOwae5R0s4F6ObiNOZ4AGd-vv4LoxofuJgK3JUqkzhLni49OluhIio41IC_pRljoLEa1JSwFJ8TUWV_3oM_Q31kynSBgZWPbE-2gHdQ9sl5FZrH0VwVdfo-evgtgaA/s3356/2022%20READ%20Thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3356" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaCf7gu6mvDl5azLTa1l65iqkLGbLRU9dYgC7U7xhEsNp8LMpKsar-0QGgPLgWOwae5R0s4F6ObiNOZ4AGd-vv4LoxofuJgK3JUqkzhLni49OluhIio41IC_pRljoLEa1JSwFJ8TUWV_3oM_Q31kynSBgZWPbE-2gHdQ9sl5FZrH0VwVdfo-evgtgaA/w180-h200/2022%20READ%20Thumbnail.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />So many! I enjoy at least one or two characters in each of the books I've ever read, and I've noticed a trend that the characters I am most drawn to are the side characters. These are the "unsung heroes" of the book, often carrying their own arcs and backstories that we don't get to see because the author needs us to focus on the struggles and strengths of the main character--but it's often in those interactions with the side characters that we see the development of the main character. Without side characters, the book would be a dull, dragging slog through self-importance and and an echo-chamber of singular thoughts. Side note: I've read just such a book, and there was almost <i>no </i>character development to speak of, and the book was so insufferable that I abandoned the whole series then and there. Give me an interesting side character over the most charismatic hero, any day!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chart: A book or author you've been meaning to read but haven't got around to<br /></span></b><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://target.scene7.com/is/image/Target/GUEST_19d71189-82a0-497b-b56d-23cc6dcb0040?wid=488&hei=488&fmt=pjpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="488" height="200" src="https://target.scene7.com/is/image/Target/GUEST_19d71189-82a0-497b-b56d-23cc6dcb0040?wid=488&hei=488&fmt=pjpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I am terrible about getting through my TBR list in any kind of timely fashion! I'm about 90 books deep, and that's just the indie books that I intend to feature on this blog under the Reader's Reviews--but I'll at least mention a couple of them here!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">First of all, there is <i>The First Binding </i>by R. R. Virdi. Longtime followers of this blog will recognize the name for sure, but that would be from his start as a self-published indie author of a <i>roaring good </i>paranormal investigator series,<i> </i><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/11/readers-review-grave-dealings-by-r-r.html">The Grave Reports</a>. Readers would follow the snarky main character Vince Graves, a disembodied soul doomed to inhabit the bodies of Recently-Deceased-Under-Suspicious-Supernatural-Circumstances, assigned the task of discovering the murderer and avenging the person's death, and dealing with his own personal demons along the way! I have been a fan from the very start, so when he announced that he'd been signed with Tor Publishing (a <i>very big-deal traditional publishing house</i>!) for an epic-fantasy trilogy, I was absolutely thrilled at the notion. I did end up pre-ordering the ebook, but it's been sitting on my queue until I can wade through all the <i>other </i>books I've acquired over the years. He's already gearing up to release the sequel, and I still haven't read the book I bought! What gives?<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The other book I'll mention is one by a friend of mine. Many years ago she saw my blog, saw the serial stories I'd post on there, and got inspired to start blogging her own serials. There was one story in particular that I followed avidly, completely enamored with her writing style and creativity in story development. That all fades and I don't hear from her for a while.... and then lo and behold she's written her own fantasy story, a duology, in fact! The book is called <i>Empire of Blood </i>and my friend is Olivia Cornwell--I have no doubt she's done an amazing job with it, and I can't believe it has taken me so long to even acquire her book, much less getting around to reading it at long last! (Remember how I have <i>so many </i>books on my TBR??)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />Whew! Maybe this confession is just the sort of accountability I need to really buckle down and read more!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Double-Pointed Needles (DPNs): A book you can read out of order AND a series people might think you can but you actually can't</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7fpE0xWjpTlcMopG10jgOZjsOAh9WRnoCDiCNQeSEOsdIlcdXiljY9AwtM9knTGLu2KIJszxv7eZc9VUj9m2B6inTcgksf2cCfLamyu152BLGQ_n8Kvkdkygg6AVcGLU3JVJ4ru-Thq_BmovpPrQlogM3ShOZnibJrxplXtTzZ4pOODlYpU07gTYZA/s4032/Small%20Bookshelf.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7fpE0xWjpTlcMopG10jgOZjsOAh9WRnoCDiCNQeSEOsdIlcdXiljY9AwtM9knTGLu2KIJszxv7eZc9VUj9m2B6inTcgksf2cCfLamyu152BLGQ_n8Kvkdkygg6AVcGLU3JVJ4ru-Thq_BmovpPrQlogM3ShOZnibJrxplXtTzZ4pOODlYpU07gTYZA/w150-h200/Small%20Bookshelf.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />Ooh, this was a hard one to answer at first because I'm one of those "weird" people who <i>hates </i>to read a series out of order if I can help it! I'll flat-out refuse to read a series till I can get the books in the right order! (Which means I've not read a lot of Terry Pratchett's Discworld, sorry folks!)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />That being said, I did a quick Google search to see if any series I've read qualifies as those that <i>other people </i>might say one could read out of order. Such as a series that I, myself, have not strictly adhered to the chronological order, namely Agatha Christie's <i>Poirot </i>series, or Brian Jacques' <i>Redwall </i>series. My local library would only have a smattering of titles on hand at any given time, so for both of those it was really a matter of "Get what you can while you're here." To this day, I believe there are a handful of books in both those series that I haven't read, maybe the odd few that I never quite found during my library visits, or didn't know about to specifically place on hold--but I'm none the worse for wear, and you can be, too!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />Then there's a series like Sue Grafton's ABC Mysteries series, where she has each book named for a letter of the alphabet. I started reading the series from <i>A is for Alibi</i> and I'm nearly done by now, but I can say that although it's in "alphabetical order", the mysteries themselves are really self-contained and only occasionally are there side characters that carry over from one book to the next, and especially there are some side characters that show up in some way in <i>every </i>book, so they can really be read in whatever order you find them.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />Lastly, we finish with a series that definitely <i>cannot </i>be read out of order, and one that I think applies here very much is the Lorien Legacies series by Pittacus Lore. It may seem like a flexible series because first of all it has numbers in the titles and the numbers are not in order, but it's definitely a sequential series and there is so much happening in each book that if you want to skip ahead or if you don't know about the actual order of the books and try to read them by the order of the titles, then you'll miss large parts of the story and it won't make sense till you can put it all in order.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Cables: A book you heard negative reviews for but you ended up loving</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/71pjU7wfZFL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="487" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/71pjU7wfZFL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="122" /></a></div><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Outlander</i> by Diana Gabaldon. It wasn't so much the negative reviews as everyone making a <i>huge deal </i>about the copious amounts of steamy sex scenes in it! Those who enjoyed it most were the type who enjoyed smutty romance books. I'm not really that type, but it wasn't till someone recommended it while telling me about the <i>interesting </i>things that happen in it--the time travel, the stunning visuals, the bravery of the main character Claire to face historical issues with modern solutions--that finally convinced me to give it a try.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />I read it, and I wouldn't say I <i>loved </i>it the way I love stories that I would recommend to everyone else and read over and over again, but I definitely enjoyed it more than I thought I would! The sex scenes were definitely there, but I would say, for as many sex scenes I've read in novels that don't necessarily make a huge deal about there being sex scenes in their books, Diana's writing style was definitely not as crass as some descriptions have been. She makes a multi-sensory experience, talking about the sensations of the setting, the emotional component, and what's going on around the deed, so that someone who doesn't much care for the activity of the scene can still read the conversation happening without, as it were, "dwelling on the visuals." I heard negative things about it, but it wasn't at all what I thought it was going to be, and I enjoyed it more than I expected to!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Skein: A trope you can't stand</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />Speaking of romance novels.... I started thinking about tropes that irked me to no end, and the ones that came to mind first all tended to be most prevalent in romance novels!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />Things like "<a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NotLikeOtherGirls">She's Not Like Other Girls</a>", or "<a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DesignatedVictim">Always The Victim</a>"--those tropes placed on protagonists (male as well as female) where <i>everybody else </i>in the world is exactly the same, <i>BUT PROTAGONIST IS DIFFERENT, </i>and that's what's going to kick off the action and change the world. "Always The Victim" speaks to the tropes where the protagonist is a "noble" character who is picked on mercilessly by absolutely <i>everyone</i>, so when it comes out that he or she is "special" or "important", he or she has to "fight to be heard" because no one takes him or her seriously and whenever something terrible happens, somehow it's always aimed at the protagonist in some way.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />I get annoyed with romance novels--especially in supernatural/paranormal/anything fantasy-adjacent genres, because invariably they're going to use the <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TrueLoveIsExceptional">"Fated Mates"</a> trope, the one where the hardened, snarky, "strong" female type sees the ugly/abusive/secretive/"lone wolf"/outsider male "love interest" and the two of them are overtaken by "forces beyond their control" and it doesn't matter how terribly the Big Strong Important Inhumane Man behaves, the female protagonist is "consumed" by her desire for him, or "resigned to her fate" because she's his mate so she has to just take it because there's no other way.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />I'll talk about two more tropes, and these generally tend to occur in novels where some kind of magic or super-power is involved: <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlotArmor">Too Important To Die</a>, and a trope I call <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies">Boyfriends With Superpowers</a>.<br />Too Important To Die is irritating because it's a character that the author is <i>obviously </i>attached to, so it is evident they expect the reader to care as much as they do, so much that they <i>forget </i>to actually put in the effort to <i>make </i>the reader care as the story develops... but at the same time, all the perils and death-defying situations and sacrificial moments the "chosen hero" faces that end up killing everybody around him always seem to be things that he recovers from, although he might pass out a few times. Why? Because he's "Too Important To Die." So things that would definitely snuff out anybody else, he just passes out and wakes up to go after the antagonist one more time. Or something happens to protect him so he doesn't die. Heck, I've even stopped watching certain shows because the writers decided that the <i>antagonist </i>was "Too Important To Die"!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />The last trope I'll talk about is something I see most often in TV shows that makes me groan so hard, "Boyfriends With Superpowers." You know it when you see it: the story always begins with the protagonist and their love interest in a close friendship, maybe even an amorous relationship. Then one of them develops/discovers some Big Important Secret, like a lost fortune or superhuman ability, and all of a sudden they push their romantic partner away, saying "it's safer if we're not together anymore." Of <i>course </i>then what happens is the antagonist (who knows about the previous relationship but not necessarily about the breakup) ends up capturing the "normal" ex-partner, so the "hero" has to choose between revealing the Big Important Secret to the world and facing up to "betraying their loved one", or keeping that secret and losing the "most important person in their life." (who they had just broken up with, but obviously still had feelings for!) The moment I see the super-powered hero push away the love interest partner, I can pretty much predict that the partner is going to be captured or threatened somehow, and the Big Important Secret is going to come out anyway, so why didn't the characters just choose to be open about their struggles anyhow? I've also seen books and shows that have actually done this, where the couple is honest with each other, and it's fantastic and both characters are stronger for it, and it in no way inhibits the storytelling at all, so why don't more authors choose to do it this way?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />Okay, rant over!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Gauge Switch: An author who is always a good fit for you</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RtITrhvpMpHKlp-ZzdlhElOaSvF0uSNOQ5Gb5xj7vYerlMwLBTB1tchURUyvgrfXu9tgaRL78Uzlfpz5yr6CB1k4e9CByKm2I7L9GX79KLxnjpEPg9UgYL8inbJc9ei6fd3xoR9v8wce3qDNhJDU2vby9LJ2Zi2h4BTiyBWfwCMFlrxTVe4PQfRDdA/s3564/Tall%20Bookshelf.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3564" data-original-width="2877" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RtITrhvpMpHKlp-ZzdlhElOaSvF0uSNOQ5Gb5xj7vYerlMwLBTB1tchURUyvgrfXu9tgaRL78Uzlfpz5yr6CB1k4e9CByKm2I7L9GX79KLxnjpEPg9UgYL8inbJc9ei6fd3xoR9v8wce3qDNhJDU2vby9LJ2Zi2h4BTiyBWfwCMFlrxTVe4PQfRDdA/s320/Tall%20Bookshelf.jpeg" width="258" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">There's a handful of authors whose styles I know well enough that whenever I see the names on the spine, I can recognize them at once and know that I'm in for a spectacular time, even if I haven't read that particular title!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />Five common authors whose names come to mind at once are Naomi Novik, Anthony Horowitz (especially his more recent stuff! I've tried reading some of his middle-grade titles and they just weren't as good!), Marissa Meyer, Mark Lawrence, and Cornelia Funke in particular. The vibes of their books always seem to resonate with me in a certain way. Even somebody who doesn't know me personally all that well will usually succeed in getting a book that I enjoy if it's by any of these authors!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />But I am a prolific reader and I don't just go to the public library or a big-name bookstore to find authors to love! Over ten years of featuring reviews on my blog of more than a hundred titles, at least five authors stand out above the rest: <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-dream-stalker-by-amy.html">Amy Hopkins</a>, <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/04/readers-review-someday-ill-be-redeemed.html">Kelly Blanchard</a>, <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2014/05/readers-review-grave-beginnings-by-r-r.html">R. R. Virdi,</a> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/11/readers-review-leopards-heart-by.html">Kimberly A. Rogers</a>, and the various amazing members of <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/04/what-weve-unlearned-english-class-goes.html">the Writerpunk Press Group</a>. I'd highly recommend anything from these names!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Stitch Marker: A specific scene that stands out to you</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51u8D7tKmvL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="279" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51u8D7tKmvL.jpg" width="112" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I'm not altogether sure I have a definite answer to this one, since my reading habits make it hard for any one scene to stand out among the rest--I tend to "vibe" with the book as a whole while I read!<br />That being said, as I type this one particular scene comes to mind, from Brandon Sanderson's <i>Firefight, </i>the second in the Reckoner Novels trilogy. I cherish the scene because it really cemented the series as one of my favorite series to use Portland, Oregon as a principal location.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />In the scene, the main character David is talking with Megan, a character he's trying to get to know, while she's been fairly cold to him for a while. He has just learned that Megan can't swim and avoids going near the water for some reason. He asks her how that could be, since she's from a "port city", after all. He, being from Chicago, at least knows there are a few rivers around the city. David assumes she would have gone swimming a lot there as a kid. Megan takes one look at him, screws up her face and utters the most "authentically Portland" response I have ever read: "<i>In the Willamette?!?!?"</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><br /></i>Locals know why I laughed so hard when I read her reaction. That one moment stays in my memory to this day.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Yarn Weight: Bookish taste buddies</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />This was an interesting question, but I think I picked out a few people from whom I've had book recommendations that panned out very well! They all have blogs, and the recommendations I've seen from them are definitely worthwhile!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><a href="https://thebookishalix.com/">Bookish Alix</a>, <a href="https://enthralledbylove.com/category/enthralled-by-love-blog/">Raina Nightingale</a>, <a href="https://www.jenelleschmidt.com/">Jenelle Leanne Schmidt</a>, <a href="https://www.jolinsdell.com/p/book-tags.html">Jo Linsdell</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Novelty Yarn: A book that looked perfect on paper but just didn't work out</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1275694232i/6050678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="290" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1275694232i/6050678.jpg" width="122" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Oh, this one took a few tries to figure out what to answer, but I landed on the book <i>Leviathan </i>by Scott Westerfield.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />It started out so lovely, and I do like a good steampunk adventure! He had the population divided into two factions, one that developed their "machinery" by biologically "growing" it from animals with the right sort of characteristics. These were the Darwinists. Then there were the "Luddites", the ones who used more of the conventional mechanical means for their "technology" and vehicles, with steam-powered machines and factories.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />Where it "went wrong", I think, was that the whole premise of the book was that the Big Evil Luddites were dominant over the Darwinists, and had declared a war, with the "peace-loving" Darwinists seeking merely to defend themselves. The Luddites were boorish, cruel, and obstinate, while the Darwinists were community-oriented, contented, and understanding. There was no in-between, which is where I drew the line. It was very obvious which side the author wanted you to hate, and which side was supposed to be the "heroes" of the tale, and I have to say I <i>really </i>dislike books like that! The sort where the author doesn't let the reader identify with characters on their own terms, doesn't let the reader evaluate the characters' choices for themselves to decide who is "right" and "wrong." I came away from the book with intense disappointment, and ultimately I found nothing else in it that I would begrudgingly say made the story at all acceptable. So much so, that I would genuinely question the tastes of anyone who touts <i>Leviathan </i>as "good steampunk." I have most certainly read better-planned stories than that one!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Scarf: A good book for getting into a genre</b></span><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://assets.penguinrandomhouse.com/series-images/series-BPM-triad.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="505" height="156" src="https://assets.penguinrandomhouse.com/series-images/series-BPM-triad.png" width="200" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I couldn't think of "good books" for getting into any of my favorite genres, so for this one I actually chose a book (or rather, a trilogy) that I feel was a good introduction to a genre I don't read very much.<br />That genre is grimdark fantasy, and the trilogy is The Red Queen's War trilogy by Mark Lawrence. I hadn't read too much grimdark fantasy before I read his first trilogy, the Broken Empire trilogy--and that one was intense and I found most of the characters rather disturbing, but at the same time, I kept on reading because <i>wow</i>, the story was fascinating and the prose was stunning!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That being said, I feel like The Red Queen's War is actually a much better introduction to the genre because first of all, it errs more on the side of humor than true violence; second, it's still set in the same post-apocalyptic world as Broken Empire, and it definitely still qualifies as grimdark in much respects. If you're looking to get into grimdark, I can't speak for any of the other authors famous for that genre (like Brent Weeks or Joe Abercrombie) but Red Queen's War in particular is a great way to find a few giggles in between the more visceral stuff that grimdark fantasy features!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Socks: An under-appreciated author who deserves more hype</b></span><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/512VSzZbfPL._CLa%7C588%2C500%7C51KZ5nehmRL.jpg%2C51bDKTStqzL.jpg%7C0%2C0%2C267%2C500%2B321%2C0%2C267%2C500%2B133%2C0%2C321%2C500__.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="588" height="170" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/512VSzZbfPL._CLa%7C588%2C500%7C51KZ5nehmRL.jpg%2C51bDKTStqzL.jpg%7C0%2C0%2C267%2C500%2B321%2C0%2C267%2C500%2B133%2C0%2C321%2C500__.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Being a reviewer of indie books, I encounter a <i>lot </i>of authors that definitely fit this bill! But for the sake of this post, I'm going to pick one author in particular whose books I've loved, who could definitely use some extra attention from readers who've never heard of her!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Amy Hopkins is the author of the Talented series, a story I've billed as "if Hermione Granger settled down after Hogwarts and opened a tea shop where she sold enchanted teas, and crossed paths with lots of magical shenanigans in the process." I absolutely adore the characters she created for this series, so varied and yet so vivid. When I'm reading her books, I can picture her characters so clearly that even if I were to see an isolated line of dialogue, I could probably picture who said it, from the manner of speaking alone! I've read four out of the five book series, and I am so excited to read the final book! I would definitely recommend her books to anybody who likes books with quite a bit of magic, a bit of intrigue, a lot of humor, a fantastic variety of characters, and a spectacular plot line with twists that keep you guessing!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Cast-Off: A weirdly specific thing you love</span></b><br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Weirdly specific? I'd probably go with "books that flip the tropes." It's one thing if I am reading a character interaction and I know <i>exactly </i>where the scene is going to go... it's ANOTHER if I'm reading a scene and I have predictions--and then the story twists in a completely different direction! I love stories like that. I get the most excited when I encounter stories that are unpredictable, that do the unexpected, or take what other writers usually do in a story and do something completely unique. It's what draws me to certain fairy tale retellings over others, and the surest way to get me to put down a book is to make it predictable in the opening scene. (Just check out my answer for "tropes you can't stand")</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Crafting Party: Tag people!</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This was a very fun blog tag to do! If you're reading this and you have a blog, consider yourself tagged! And if you don't have a blog, feel free to comment with your own recommendations in any category from this post! If I see the title of a book I've read in any comments, there's a high probability that I will respond! Let's see those book titles, people!</div></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-28197054114409647262023-09-30T13:27:00.002-07:002023-09-30T13:43:56.196-07:0020 Fun Facts About "Steal The Morrow" by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8ifS8HmJrg5dtAKzqoEidGZZGFUulWJrqkC32_-vBFmNXv9tAWYzXwSJxflBdkCmUAD-AAlze6qtCVuKsxdgddcdqkMIwPdmcM77YKAGyV9hSUvtU1Nfql3C5baXi2HTQBDX3LR8b3CyX6McRC6m4K4FM_7XppitlZ8gof88frDMn6rNLLMD4t3RbA/s3024/Custom%20Fall%20Pic%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8ifS8HmJrg5dtAKzqoEidGZZGFUulWJrqkC32_-vBFmNXv9tAWYzXwSJxflBdkCmUAD-AAlze6qtCVuKsxdgddcdqkMIwPdmcM77YKAGyV9hSUvtU1Nfql3C5baXi2HTQBDX3LR8b3CyX6McRC6m4K4FM_7XppitlZ8gof88frDMn6rNLLMD4t3RbA/s320/Custom%20Fall%20Pic%203.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The city may be dangerous, but it holds his only hope…</i></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Abandoned on a remote highway after bandits murder his parents, young Olifur finds safety with Fritjof. The gruff woodsman teaches him and other orphans to live off the land. When Fritjof falls ill, Olifur will risk everything to save his mentor—even travel to far-off Melar seeking a doctor.</i></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>However, the city of Melar is more perilous than Olifur imagined, and doctors aren't cheap. His quest leads him first to a hazardous job working on the elevated trains high above the city. But the dangers in the clouds are nothing compared to those on the ground. Olifur soon finds himself ensnared in a web of professional thieves, and he must think fast if he is to survive the day and bring the much-needed aid to Fritjof before it is too late.<br /></i></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Schmidt reweaves Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" into an exciting tale of integrity and perseverance in this gaslamp-fantasy adventure.</i></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Book Link:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="http://mybook.to/stealthemorrow" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mybook.to/stealthemorrow</span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Series Link:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="http://mybook.to/aclassicretold" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mybook.to/aclassicretold</span></a></span></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">I had never read Oliver Twist until I decided to retell it for this project. I was quite familiar with the story, having watched various movie versions and directed the play at the school I taught at, but this was my first time reading the actual novel.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">My original goal when I sat down to write the story was mostly to save Nancy, as she is the only character in the book who comes close to being 3-dimensional, and she gets quite a raw deal from Dickens.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">My dad actually wrote the outline for this book. I knew that I wanted to redeem some of the villains from the original plot and give them better roles, but even after reading the whole book, I was feeling at a loss for ideas. I chatted with my dad on the phone about it one evening, and several hours later he sent me a fairly complete outline, which I followed pretty closely for the rough draft… several things changed in the edits, though.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are two Easter-egg characters mentioned in this book that readers of the Turrim Archive series will recognize.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">When Olifur shows Nneka some tricks for keeping animals away from her plants, that is completely wishful thinking. I would really love to know Olifur’s secrets, as the wildlife in my neighborhood make it impossible for me to have a successful garden.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the original rough draft, Fritjof dies rather than falling ill. This created a problem in the story, because Olifur absolutely refused to leave the forest and go to the city, where he needed to be for the second half of the book. My content editor recommended having Fritjof fall ill and need expensive medical care, and that solved the problem.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">While I did change many things, there are definitely some places I tried to weave in staying true to Dickens’ original story. Olifur getting framed for picking a pocket he didn’t pick is there, as well as him getting abducted by the thieves and them wanting to use him to help them in their heist.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another main goal I had in this story was to prevent Olifur himself from being a helpless little waif-child. I wanted him to represent a stronger, more self-sufficient sort of character.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">From the get-go, I knew I wanted to redeem Fagin and Dodger. This was mostly due to the fact that the version of this story I grew up with was the musical, Oliver! and I fell in love with both of those characters there. The book versions are far more despicable and you sort of feel that they deserve the endings they get… but for the sake of the musical versions, I wanted to change their arcs. Fagin’s arc became a complete mirror image, in which he actually saves orphan boys and teaches them truly useful skills, as well as how to live honorably. Dodger’s story became more one of redemption.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because Steal the Morrow is set in the city of Melar in the world of my Turrim Archive series, I had to give it a slightly Nordic flare. Observant readers will note the dirt (rather than cobblestone) roads, the wooden construction of the buildings and their tiled, rather than thatched roofs, and the various baked goods (pepperkakor, saffron buns, and apple tarts) scattered throughout the story.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Since I had already done most of the world-building for the Turrim Archive, setting the story in the country of Malei meant that I just had to include the malkyns and grymstalkers (two breeds of giant cats that people can ride).<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">I knew I had to get the, “Please, sir, can I have some more?” line into the book somehow (after all, what is Oliver Twist without it?) but I did not expect it to end up where it did.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">I dedicated this book to my sister, because she is the sweetest person I know.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fritjof’s malkyn is named Bet because there is a Bet in the original novel.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">My kids are all in archery, so when I was trying to think of things Fritjof could teach Olifur, the idea of him making his own bow jumped into my head. I knew a lot of the basics about shooting a bow and arrow, but actually learning how to make one required rather a lot of research!<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">I named the nearby town Elbian because I love Stephen R. Lawhead’s “Song of Albion” series and this was my little way to nod to him.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">I often have little jokes with myself inside my books. The conversation Olifur and Aric have about what life would be like with the train roads being built on the ground is one such place.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">I really hope that my readers laugh when Dojhur tells Olifur that both his parents died before he was born.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Writing Bale Sowke was extremely difficult for me. I have a much easier time writing villains who want to rule the world, or villains who are just insane, but writing someone who is just truly, truly unkind was very tough.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">My dad wrote the last line of this book. It is meant to be a kind of parallel to the end of the Creation account in Genesis, where God declares what He has made to be “good.”</span></li></ol><div style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-ce435074-7fff-0ace-b49e-571a689737a5"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Follow Jenelle online:</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Website: </span><a href="http://www.jenelleschmidt.com" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; 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margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Goodreads: </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3636.Jenelle_Leanne_Schmidt" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3636.Jenelle_Leanne_Schmidt</span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Amazon: </span><a href="http://author.to/JenelleLeanneSchmidt" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">author.to/JenelleLeanneSchmidt</span></a></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-79007547541223410582023-07-17T16:32:00.002-07:002023-07-17T16:32:46.317-07:00Reader's Review: "King of Hearts" by Patricia Loofbourrow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51aT3sG5SRL._SY445_SX342_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="296" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51aT3sG5SRL._SY445_SX342_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/King-Hearts-Part-Red-Conspiracy-ebook/dp/B07F79GLL2">Amazon</a>:<br /></i></b><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>She knows she's been framed. Getting anyone to believe her is another story.</i></div><i><br />Thousands of gentlemen have gone bankrupt in Bridges and trouble brews between the Diamond and Spadros crime families. Yet the city is united in its desire to exact vengeance for those murdered in the zeppelin disaster.<br /><br />Penniless and alone, private eye Jacqueline Spadros confronts the lowest point of her life. Seen as an accomplice in the financial crisis and accused of a crime she didn't commit, Jacqui faces trial in front of a hostile jury - and could receive the death penalty.<br /><br />Jacqui knows she's been framed by the illusive Red Dog Gang. But will the jury believe her?</i><br /><div><i>>>>>>>>>>>>></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>My Review:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What does one do when one has a massive, tangled web of intrigue, murder, and conspiracy that's supposed to be spread over the course of thirteen books, yet one has managed to pack such epicness into the first three books that there needs to be a moment to build up the background and lay the footwork for future shenanigans without completely running the overall plot off the rails, nor does one want to lose the reader's interest, but it has become necessary to essentially hit "pause" on the big and flashy points of near-peril and fill a book in itself with character development, callbacks to previous plot points, and set things up to really start taking off in the ensuing books?</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />If you're Patricia Loofbourrow, you take the opportunity to place everything that has happened in the last three books into the context of a highly-public trial. I've been watching random episodes of <i>Law & Order </i>lately, so this kind of felt like par for the course--but at the same time, Loofbourrow's finesse for placing clues and revelations exactly where they are needed in the narrative, her penchant for hinting at <i>something bigger going on beneath the surface</i>, and her willingness to put main character Jacqui through some very desperate experiences added just that extra bit of flair that made it less about the trial, and more about the continued threats from the Red Dog Gang.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Removing Jacqui from the glamorous fakery and shiny veneer of civility she experienced in high society marks an interesting turn for the rest of the series. She's left Spadros Manor with no intention of ever returning to her position as Mrs. Anthony Spadros, she's striking out on her own now... or at least attempting to, if she can wether the charges being brought against her.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />In the midst of trying to get out from under the Spadros roof, Jacqui has to face charges brought against her, blaming her for the catastrophic events at the end of <i>Queen of Diamonds. </i>Meanwhile, she has to figure out who she can trust around her, and keep the ones who she knows she can't trust at bay--a fitting conundrum that keeps a reader's interest in between the court scenes.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The "action" in this installment may be emotional and psychological rather than physical, but the energy keeps flowing all the way through. We see the fallout from past choices, and moves in play that will impact the future--just like a real card game!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />This series just keeps delivering one fantastic twist after another. The world-building, the character development, and the twists and turns keep coming! <i>King of Hearts </i>gets a well-deserved <b>*****5 STARS***** </b>and I can't wait to continue on in this series! Team Jacqui all the way!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Also By The Author/Steampunk/Investigations)</u></i></b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow</b><br /><b> </b>-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-red-dog-conspiracy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Gutshot (Novellette) </a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/07/readers-review-alcatraz-coup-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Alcatraz Coup</a> (Novella) <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-red-dog-conspiracy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Vulnerable</a> (Short Story) <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/01/readers-review-jacq-of-spades-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Jacq of Spades </a><br /> -<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/03/readers-review-queen-of-diamonds-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Queen of Diamonds</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/10/readers-review-ace-of-clubs-by-patricia.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ace of Clubs</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Punk Anthologies--Writerpunk Press Group</b><br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/04/readers-review-sound-fury-shakespeare.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Sound & Fury: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 1</a><b> </b><br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/12/readers-review-once-more-unto-breach-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Once More Unto The Breach: </a><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/12/readers-review-once-more-unto-breach-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 2</a><i> </i><br /><b> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/04/what-weve-unlearned-english-class-goes.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/04/what-weve-unlearned-english-class-goes.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-What We've Unlearned: Classic Literature Goes Punk</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Alexander Legacy--Sophronia Belle Lyon</b><br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2014/05/readers-review-dodge-twist-tobacconist.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">-A Dodge, A Twist, and A Tobacconist<b> </b></a><br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/06/readers-review-pinocchio-factor.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Pinocchio Factor</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Jill Andersen Series--J. D. Cunegan</b><br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/06/readers-review-bounty-by-j-d-cunegan.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Bounty</a> <br /> -<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/12/readers-review-blood-ties-by-j-d-cunegan.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Blood Ties</a> <br /> -<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/08/readers-review-behind-badge-by-j-d.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Behind the Badge</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/12/readers-review-behind-mask-by-j-d.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Behind The Mask</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/07/readers-review-speaker-of-words-by-e-g.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Speaker of Words--E. G. Stone</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/01/readers-review-adaline-by-denise-kawaii.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Adaline--Denise Kawaii</span></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/06/readers-review-sky-knight-by-sandra.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Sky Knight--Sandra Harvey </a><br />-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/12/readers-review-amster-damned-by-nils.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">AmsterDamned--Nils Visser </a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/02/readers-review-wolves-daggers-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Wolves And Daggers--Melanie Karsak</a> </span></div><div><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/12/readers-review-girl-and-clockwork-cat.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-The Girl and The Clockwork Cat--Nikki McCormack</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Talented Series--Amy Hopkins</b><br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-dream-stalker-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-A Drop of Dream</a> <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/07/readers-review-barrow-fiend-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-A Dash of Fiend</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/04/readers-review-splash-of-truth-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-A Splash of Truth</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/03/readers-review-promise-due-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -A Promise Due</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Grave Reports--R. R. Virdi</b><br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2014/05/readers-review-grave-beginnings-by-r-r.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">-Grave Beginnings</a><b> </b><br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/04/readers-review-grave-measures-by-r-r.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Grave Measures</a> <br /><b> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/03/readers-review-grave-tidings-by-r-r.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/03/readers-review-grave-tidings-by-r-r.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Grave Tidings (novella) </a><br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/11/readers-review-grave-dealings-by-r-r.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Grave Dealings</a></span></div></div></div></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-52274670135452108112023-06-13T17:48:00.005-07:002023-06-13T17:48:38.515-07:00Reader's Review: "A Change In Crime" by D. R. Perry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/415ymHaRmEL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/415ymHaRmEL.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Change-Crime-Famiglia-Mostri-Book-ebook/dp/B01MFALHJY">Amazon</a>:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><i>In one night, change comes with the strike of a match as Leo Riley loses everything.<br /><br />Giacomo Bianco's hitmen burned his home to the ground with his family inside. Leo will pay any price for his revenge. He will need power. Oguina, the mythical woman turned monster, can give it to him. But at what cost?<br /><br />Bianco gazes into an abyss that stares back. His fall to madness is a one-way trip Leo aims to stop at all costs before Bianco kills again. In his quest for vengeance, Leo teeters over that same cliff.<br /><br />Monster and Mafioso fight for dominance over Fall River's streets. Bianco’s got more up his sleeve than anyone suspects, including the means to make his power absolute. Even new powers and strange allies might not be enough to ensure Leo’s victory.<br /><br />Who is the real monster? Bianco, Oguina, or Leo himself?</i><div><i>>>>>>>>>></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>My Review:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">This is my first D. R. Perry book, although not my first vampire novel!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />That being said, the vibes in this book were absolutely on point! From the unscrupulous Mafioso and his shady dealings with a rogue “Changed” (the in-universe term for fanged, predatory immortals), to a young man’s quest for revenge against said Mafioso, to the Changed crew making the discovery that there exists a weapon that can defeat them…</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />On the surface it reads like your typical Prohibition-era crime noir novel, but with the vampire elements stretching back the Crusades and earlier, their inclusion adds a deft sprinkle of fantasy that infuses every scene with the notion that absolutely anything can happen.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />Perry’s characters are varied in their personalities and moral codes. Not everyone beholden to the Mafioso agrees with his methods, and not all the Changed view the mortal humans in the same way.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />There’s plenty of brutal fights, death, rebirth, shape shifting, speakeasies, and a labyrinthine hedge maze—but there is also character development, thought-provoking discussions on guilt, morality, redemption, and revenge, and on the whole a fantastic vampire tale for those who love a good monster novel without the angsty, brooding romance angle.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />I rate <i>A Change In Crime</i> a solid <b>*****4.5 STARS*****</b>, and I definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes crime noir and vampires, but prefers a story without a steamy romance as the main motivation. This one wins!</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Vampire Novels/Crime Noir/Other Immortal Cryptids/Shapeshifters)</u></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/02/readers-review-tannis-project-by-daryl.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">The Tannis Project--Daryl J. Ball</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/09/readers-review-immortal-codex-petra-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Immortal Codex: Petra--Cheri Lasota</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/07/readers-review-beasts-of-babylon-by-e.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Beasts of Babylon--E. A. Copen</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/08/readers-review-notna-by-j-d-cunegan.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4;">Notna--J. D. Cunegan</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/02/readers-review-death-rites-by-e-copen.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">The Lazarus Codex: Death Rites--E. A. Copen</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Alexi Sokolsky: Hound of Eden--James Osiris Baldwin</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/04/readers-review-three-stellar-novellas.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Burn Artist </a><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/09/readers-review-blood-hound-by-james.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Blood Hound</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Judah Black Series--E. A. Copen</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/04/readers-review-novella-double-feature.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Fortunate Son (prequel novella) </a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/04/readers-review-guity-by-association-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Guilty By Association</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/10/readers-review-blood-debt-by-e-copen.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Blood Debt</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/04/readers-review-three-stellar-novellas.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Tomoiya's Story: Escape to Darkness</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Bhinian Empire--Miriam Forster</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/02/readers-review-city-of-thousand-dolls.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">City of A Thousand Dolls</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/05/readers-review-empire-of-shadows-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Empire of Shadows</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/05/readers-review-purple-door-district-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-The Purple Door District--Erin Casey</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Therian Way--Kimberly Rogers</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/11/readers-review-leopards-heart-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Leopard's Heart</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/07/readers-review-wolfs-path-by-kimberly.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Wolf's Path</a><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/04/readers-review-three-stellar-novellas.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4;">-Tiger's Shadow</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Firebird Fairy Tales--Amy Kuivalainen</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/09/readers-review-cry-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -The Cry of the Firebird</a><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/06/readers-review-ashes-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/06/readers-review-ashes-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ashes of the Firebird</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/08/readers-review-rise-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Rise of the Firebird</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-75522283881783331122023-05-20T18:12:00.010-07:002023-05-20T18:12:55.236-07:00Reader's Review: "Undying Light" by Aurora Wildey<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41i7KJYan1L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41i7KJYan1L.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><b><i>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Undying-Light-Stella-Maris-Book-ebook/dp/B0BSMSSRW8">Amazon</a>:</i></b><div><b><i><br /></i></b><i>A violent attack could have marked Kaela Morrow’s end, had Terran Montgomery not intervened. The mysterious stranger, with powers of his own, saves her but is badly wounded in the process. Fearing his injuries could prove fatal, Kaela risks everything and uses her powers of light to heal him.<br /><br />If discovered, they would be hunted and killed. With their secrets and their lives in each other’s hands, Terran vows to keep her safe. With no other options, Kaela reluctantly agrees.<br /><br />Yet there is another.<br /><br />An immortal named Seth Lazarus senses Kaela’s presence as one of his own kind, the first newly born in millennia. After another attempt is made on her life, Seth offers Kaela refuge and a job to keep her close enough to protect her, while searching for a way to teach her about her true parentage. If only Terran were not standing in his way…<br /><br />No one is what they seem. Danger is closing in from all sides. How can Kaela decide who to trust with her life… when the two men protecting her don’t even trust one another?<br /><br />>>>>>>>>>>></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>My Review:</b></div><div><br /></div>A few times since starting this blog, I've been contacted by authors who want to send me copies of their books to review. Most of the time it's an open solicitation, sometimes I put my bid in and say I'm interested (and then proceed to not get around to reading it until years later...) but this was one of those times when the author herself requested my services. I opted to insert the book into my planned TBR, and when the time came, I read it. Fun fact: this is actually the closest to a book's release that I've ever actually been able to have a review ready, so YOU'RE WELCOME!!<br /><br />This story managed to be interesting right from the very start. The first character you meet is definitely a werewolf, but Wildey manages to imply the fact, as he hunts and dispatches his quarry. The second character you meet is the female lead, and while she is a teenager with a unique superhuman ability, again Wildey lets the revelation unfold naturally, implying it all while presenting us with a perfectly normal teenage girl struggling with the loss of her mother and the subsequent emotional distance of her father. A third main character is introduced, and the overlap between the three characters becomes plain. The stage is set, and the intrigue begins!<br /><br />Now, normally when a book has two male characters and a teenage female character at the forefront, the story might follow a predictable pattern: the female character has something that sets her apart from "other girls" and she is immediately smitten with one male character, while the other is more ardently pursuing her from the sidelines. The tension increases as she seems to be getting attention from someone she has no interest in, while the one she wants seems only to push her away. Purely based on their physical descriptions it becomes obvious which guy the author wants us to root for, which one the girl will inevitably end up with, despite any reader who forms an opinion to the contrary...<br /><br />To be honest, I spent the first few chapters waiting for it to do just that so I could cringe and move on--but then I was just so fascinated by the side characters and intrigued by the actual story, that I just kept right on reading!<br /><br />Kaela's story twists and tangles itself around the two strangers who enter her life and become intrinsically involved with just about every part of it--meanwhile side characters give actual stakes to the characters, provide an extra dimension to keep them from being too entangled with just themselves, and add their own splash of color to the plot, besides! <i>Undying Light</i> sustained my interest all the way through, keeping me interested as Kaela's life is threatened by a known criminal, thus making it necessary to move her somewhere safe--a haven both Terran and Seth are only too willing to provide, at the exclusion of each other. On top of that Kaela has her own secret that she's been keeping from everyone around her... except Terran, who finds out, and Seth, who knows more about Kaela's origins than even she does. And that is only the beginning!<br /><br /><i>Undying Light</i> is an excellent start to a series, sets up plenty of material to explore, and does a good job letting the reader become acquainted with the characters, so that watch their stories unfold feels natural and organic, and we're picking our own sides, as opposed to whatever side the author picks for us! In light of all that, I rate it a solid <b>*****4.5 STARS***** </b>(less half a star because of the threads that were left incomplete by the end of the story!) and I can't wait to see how the Stella Maris series develops from here!<div><br /></div><div><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Urban Fantasy/Balanced Heroines)</u></i></b></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Vemreaux Trilogy--Mary E. Twomey</b><span style="background-color: white;"></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> -</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2014/04/readers-review-way-by-mary-e-twomey.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Way<b> </b></a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/01/readers-review-truth-vemreaux-trilogy-2.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Truth</a><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/07/readers-review-lie-by-mary-e-twomey.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4;">-The Lie</a></span></div><div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow</b><br /><b> </b>-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-red-dog-conspiracy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Gutshot (Novellette) </a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/07/readers-review-alcatraz-coup-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Alcatraz Coup</a> (Novella) <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-red-dog-conspiracy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Vulnerable</a> (Short Story) <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/01/readers-review-jacq-of-spades-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Jacq of Spades </a><br /> -<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/03/readers-review-queen-of-diamonds-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Queen of Diamonds</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/10/readers-review-ace-of-clubs-by-patricia.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ace of Clubs</a></span></div></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Fair Folk Chronicles--Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins</b><br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/08/readers-review-foul-is-fair-by-jeffery.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Foul is Fair</a> <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/01/readers-review-street-fair-by-jeffrey.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Street Fair</a> <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/10/readers-review-fair-fight-by-jeffrey.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-A Fair Fight </a><br /><b> </b>-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/12/readers-review-alls-fair-by-jeffrey.html" style="color: #cb29d4;">All's Fair</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Firebird Fairy Tales--Amy Kuivalainen</b><br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/09/readers-review-cry-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -The Cry of the Firebird</a><b> </b><br /><b> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/06/readers-review-ashes-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/06/readers-review-ashes-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ashes of the Firebird</a> <br /><b> </b>-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/08/readers-review-rise-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Rise of the Firebird</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Talented Series--Amy Hopkins</b><br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-dream-stalker-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-A Drop of Dream</a> <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/07/readers-review-barrow-fiend-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-A Dash of Fiend</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/04/readers-review-splash-of-truth-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-A Splash of Truth</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/03/readers-review-promise-due-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -A Promise Due</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/05/readers-review-purple-door-district-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-The Purple Door District--Erin Casey</span></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-anamatus-by-derrick.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Anamatus--Derrick Tribble</span></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2023/02/readers-review-wendy-by-erin-michelle.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-The Wendy--Erin Michelle Sky</span></a></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-38616295500988483592023-04-28T18:29:00.001-07:002023-04-28T18:31:07.399-07:00"Paws" For Thought: Book Blog Tag!<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5G8mIk3xf1AShobgwruSmX2EMzQG-PPeSLLz58X6dYtpRdCKNZN5lAvMoS0EyFGmHMc4fBkdYOPLubSZ8Xf8swioldA6s84IoAy2bS5VaOTRbu0p5oSvzGV4CUS7QIBUvbG-r6RavNW0wbZF_GiFmeDb-MRvWD0vn70OoCitoA1-3_7-K-Ws4P4/s2291/hannah-lim-U6nlG0Y5sfs-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1990" data-original-width="2291" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5G8mIk3xf1AShobgwruSmX2EMzQG-PPeSLLz58X6dYtpRdCKNZN5lAvMoS0EyFGmHMc4fBkdYOPLubSZ8Xf8swioldA6s84IoAy2bS5VaOTRbu0p5oSvzGV4CUS7QIBUvbG-r6RavNW0wbZF_GiFmeDb-MRvWD0vn70OoCitoA1-3_7-K-Ws4P4/w320-h278/hannah-lim-U6nlG0Y5sfs-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Designed by me. Photo Credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/U6nlG0Y5sfs">Unsplash</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">(Originator: <a href="https://lynns-books.com/2022/10/15/paws-for-thought-book-tag/">https://lynns-books.com/2022/10/15/paws-for-thought-book-tag/</a>)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Thank you to Raina at <a href="https://enthralledbylove.com/category/enthralled-by-love-blog/">Enthralled By Love</a> for tagging me!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1600804340584-c7db2eacf0bf?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8Nnx8cHVwcHl8ZW58MHx8MHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1600804340584-c7db2eacf0bf?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8Nnx8cHVwcHl8ZW58MHx8MHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>The puppy:</b> illegally cute, will eventually grow into it’s paws and ears, will chew your shoes, <br />possibly your clothes and the table legs and demand all your attention before curling up to sleep exhausted.<br />Photo Credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/atOlntWcO4k">Unsplash </a></span></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. The most recent book that you read and loved</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ui4iaLdYL.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="334" height="144" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ui4iaLdYL.jpg" width="97" /></a></div><i><br /></i><i>The Wendy</i> by Erin Michelle Sky. I picked up this book as a freebie during a random giveaway event, because your girl loves a good retelling, and with this one seemingly focusing on Wendy herself as the main character, I hoped it would be good.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">I won't spoil too much about it, since you can read the full review by clicking ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2023/02/readers-review-wendy-by-erin-michelle.html">this hyperlinked text</a><, but suffice to say that it was a brilliant re-telling and all the references were absolutely on-point!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1558788353-f76d92427f16?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MTR8fHJldHJpZXZlcnxlbnwwfHwwfHw%3D&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1558788353-f76d92427f16?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MTR8fHJldHJpZXZlcnxlbnwwfHwwfHw%3D&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" width="151" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>The Retriever:</b> intelligent, hard working hunters with a love of life. <br />Believed to have originated in Scotland. <br />Photo Credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/x5oPmHmY3kQ">Unsplash</a></span></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. A book that was carefully planned, clearly well researched and was intelligent and thought provoking </b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fWGgbcDcL._SY346_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="128" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fWGgbcDcL._SY346_.jpg" width="85" /></a></div><i>Diamond Stained</i> by J. M. D. Reid. I had a lot to say about this book and its world-building (which you can read by clicking ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/10/readers-review-diamond-stained-by-jmd.html">this hyperlinked text</a><) in my featured review, but suffice to say, the thought-provoking nature of the conversations and observations between the main characters, the pacing and the development of the characters themselves as they go on an entire arc, with so much more adventures left open to exploring in further installments, I really thought of this book first when I read the prompt!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1661065522875-3810861def9d?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=1320&q=80" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="800" height="161" src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1661065522875-3810861def9d?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=1320&q=80" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Poodle: </b>the aristocrat of the canine world. <br />A proud and elegant athlete. <br />Photo Credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/wHXiLzUKHx0">Unsplash</a></span></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. A book with a beautiful cover. </b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Och3tSrvL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" height="165" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Och3tSrvL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="107" /></a></div>Time Tree: The Emergence </i>by Lisa Rae Morris. I can still remember the day I was sitting across from my friend, a housewife and mom of three, and listening spellbound as she expounded upon an "idea for a novel" she "just happened to have on hand"... and the more she talked about it, the more I was like "You <i>have </i>to write this!" And so she did, and I couldn't be prouder of her, because now it's a trilogy with some <i>gorgeous </i>covers. So what if I've only read the first one? I have the others, and I'll get to them (hopefully sooner rather than later!) If you want to find out what captivated me so, you'll have to read my review by clicking ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/11/readers-review-time-tree-emergence-by.html">this hyperlinked text</a><, and believe me, you won't be disappointed in the least!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://plus.unsplash.com/premium_photo-1661962850828-0ebd5c3be7b1?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MXx8R2VybWFuJTIwU2hlcGhlcmR8ZW58MHx8MHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="400" height="133" src="https://plus.unsplash.com/premium_photo-1661962850828-0ebd5c3be7b1?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MXx8R2VybWFuJTIwU2hlcGhlcmR8ZW58MHx8MHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" width="200" /></b></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>The German Shepherd</b>: an all-purpose working dog, <br />loyal and courageous.<br />Photo Credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/wuH0bWRxmqU">Unsplash</a></span></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. A book that gave you a strong case of the heebie-jeebies. You needed all your courage to pick this one up. </b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41r6gSlTwgL.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="310" height="165" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41r6gSlTwgL.jpg" width="102" /></a></div><i>Prince of Thorns</i> by Mark Lawrence. This one was a completely random recommendation from a total stranger, and a completely accidental first encounter with "grimdark fantasy"--I tended to be a pretty squeamish reader up to that point, shying away from anything too graphic or visceral because of the images it left in my brain, so when the person was describing the novel to me, I was picturing one thing in my head... and when I read it, I found it to be quite something else! Yes, there were the "medieval fantasy archetypal characters, but in a modern post-apocalyptic setting with like skyscrapers and electricity and stuff", as was first described to me, (that's not too much of a spoiler... you'd just have to read the book itself to find out <i>how </i>the author combines those two images!), but at the same time... there's murder and cussing and uncouth behavior and creepy imagery and altogether stuff that made getting through those first ten chapters a <i>struggle</i>... but the thing that kept me coming back was the amazing prose of the narration, and the intriguing nature of the plot, the mystery surrounding it all, and the one or two characters with enough redeeming qualities to keep me invested in their ultimate survival! This series ended up becoming the gateway to a few more trilogies by the author that I ended up finding much more enjoyable, and one that I don't hesitate to recommend to friends whom I know would enjoy that sort of thing!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1293258655/photo/lakeland-terrier.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=4N-UWRv6rKq6E0eGNwrsmOOvbpMfSSoLNc1jyTNDt-Y=" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" height="133" src="https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1293258655/photo/lakeland-terrier.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=4N-UWRv6rKq6E0eGNwrsmOOvbpMfSSoLNc1jyTNDt-Y=" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Lakeland terrier:</b> a "big dog in a small package"<br />Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/lakeland-terrier-gm1293258655-387732361">iStock</a></span></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">5. A book with great characters </span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxnOI_vQ3bXzg5moker68w9xMB10EveRuGtptM9ylRwVpTQ_pj9aaUe3y16nNprrZH_RiJgfbEpRqXACJ4DmdUR1hswoxxLPNrZf1FcGd0IrGQ-CbASkE5c6-haqtKwSXGOoPbxAfjT_B-polr8RWS76WaEn0AJnzmb8RWRumOJ6c3XDvVoJQ6vuI/s746/firebirdfairytales%20Trilogy.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="746" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxnOI_vQ3bXzg5moker68w9xMB10EveRuGtptM9ylRwVpTQ_pj9aaUe3y16nNprrZH_RiJgfbEpRqXACJ4DmdUR1hswoxxLPNrZf1FcGd0IrGQ-CbASkE5c6-haqtKwSXGOoPbxAfjT_B-polr8RWS76WaEn0AJnzmb8RWRumOJ6c3XDvVoJQ6vuI/w241-h121/firebirdfairytales%20Trilogy.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><i>The Firebird Fairy Tales </i>by Amy Kuivalainen. This one, I'm excited to hype all over again, because shortly after I read the trilogy for the first time, the author ended up needing to pull it out of production and I waited at least a couple years for her to re-release it. By now, the whole trilogy is available once more, so you can read them all and hopefully you'll be as enchanted as I was! You can read my review of Book 1 by clicking ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/09/readers-review-cry-of-firebird-by-amy.html">this hyperlinked text</a><, the review for Book 2 is at ><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/06/readers-review-ashes-of-firebird-by-amy.html">this hyperlinked text</a><, and the review for Book 3 at ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/08/readers-review-rise-of-firebird-by-amy.html">this hyperlinked text</a>< to get specifics on what I enjoyed each time, but for the sake of this blog hop, I will say that the varied and intriguing cast of characters this author included in her books has a lot to do with how much I enjoyed it!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1640262653842-3da89bc3e9b0?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MTB8fHJvdHR3ZWlsZXJ8ZW58MHx8MHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><b><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1640262653842-3da89bc3e9b0?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MTB8fHJvdHR3ZWlsZXJ8ZW58MHx8MHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" width="162" /></b></i></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Rottweiler</b>: descendent of the Roman mastiffs, <br />playful and protective. <br /></span>Photo Credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/pgZ84X4Z4yM">Unsplash</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>6. A book based on ancient history. </b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://theprotagonistspeaks.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/b1amuz40ws._sl250_fmpng_1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="250" height="131" src="https://theprotagonistspeaks.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/b1amuz40ws._sl250_fmpng_1.png" width="164" /></a></div>Interesting that the Roman empire should be mentioned, because although the book that springs to mind is not exactly <i>based </i>on history, it's definitely set in an historical period! Ancient Rome, to be precise! The <i>Stories of Togas, Daggers, and Magic series</i> by Australian author Assaph Mehr is a delightful mashup of the standard "paranormal investigator" fare... meshed with ancient culture and its associated superstitions! I've read two books in the series so far, <i>Murder in Absentia</i> (which you can find the review ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/05/readers-review-murder-in-absentia-by.html">here</a><) and <i>In Numina</i> (which you can find also ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/12/readers-review-in-numina-by-assaph-mehr.html">here</a><) and every time, I get vibes of contemporary "wizard investigating paranormal crimes", but set securely in a culture well-researched and long-extinct! It's brilliant.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1612177343573-477e0ea8fa7d?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8OHx8Z3JleWhvdW5kfGVufDB8fDB8fA%3D%3D&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1612177343573-477e0ea8fa7d?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8OHx8Z3JleWhvdW5kfGVufDB8fDB8fA%3D%3D&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Greyhound:</b> gentle and independent, a dog that embodies the saying <br />"form follows function." Bred for speed. <br /></span>Photo Credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/XjV9D7wOEXs">Unsplash</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>7. A book that was fast paced and kept you racing to the end. </b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/T3UAAOSwtrxkIjBg/s-l1600.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="800" height="154" src="https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/T3UAAOSwtrxkIjBg/s-l1600.png" width="200" /></a></div>The <i>Lorien Legacies</i> by Pittacus Lore. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Oh yeah, if there was ever a series that kept me spellbound until I finished it... I read half the first book before watching the film adaptation (which, even at that point, was a sore disappointment!) and I had no idea that it was going to be a series until I found it at a bookstore... alongside <i>two </i>more books! "Oh joy!" I thought, "It's a trilogy!" I trundled my way through it, returning to the bookstore day after day until I reached the end of book 3... and discovered a <i>cliffhanger</i>!! I had to wait <i>months </i>for each ensuing book to come out, and when they did, you can bet I read it as quickly as possible, only to discover <i>yet another cliffhanger </i>until I reached the last book in the series! But if there was ever a series worth plowing through, it would have to be this one!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1565042081499-89cb1246c819?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MTB8fHNhdXNhZ2UlMjBkb2d8ZW58MHx8MHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1565042081499-89cb1246c819?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MTB8fHNhdXNhZ2UlMjBkb2d8ZW58MHx8MHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Dachshund:</b> these dogs are not necessarily built for speed but they are relentlessly persistent. <br />Quite often known as "the sausage dog." <br /></span>Photo Credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/sy7hBaKkn3Y">Unsplash</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">8. A book that made you hungry; this is a book that you need to stock up on treats before you crack it open. </span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81oO+VhNI0L._CLa%7C2585,2250%7C81Q9hwrMNpL.jpg,71iIWfDszFL.jpg%7C0,0,1175,2250+1410,0,1175,2250+587,0,1410,2250_._SY300_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="345" height="143" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81oO+VhNI0L._CLa%7C2585,2250%7C81Q9hwrMNpL.jpg,71iIWfDszFL.jpg%7C0,0,1175,2250+1410,0,1175,2250+587,0,1410,2250_._SY300_.jpg" width="165" /></a></div><i>Goode-Grace Mysteries/What The Chat Dragged In</i> by Cyn Mackley The second title is more a recent read than the series mentioned first--but the recipes are definitely more plentiful, since it features a food blogger! I don't know why Mackley chose to include so many tantalizing dishes in her books, but <i>holy moly</i>, you're really going to want to stock up on the snacks, because the dishes she describes will have you <i>salivating!</i> Cakes, breads, pastries, salads--everything you could think of, all unique and inventive, and charmingly described! Read my reviews of the Goode-Grace Mysteries by clicking ><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/05/readers-review-american-goth-by-cyn.html">here</a>< for Book 1, and ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/06/readers-review-maze-and-grace-by-cyn.html">here</a>< for Book 2, and read my review for <i>What The Chat Dragged In </i>by clicking on ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2023/01/readers-review-what-chat-dragged-in-by.html">this hyperlinked text.</a><</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://st2.depositphotos.com/1606449/5658/i/600/depositphotos_56588787-stock-photo-australian-shepherd-mix-breed-dog.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="133" src="https://st2.depositphotos.com/1606449/5658/i/600/depositphotos_56588787-stock-photo-australian-shepherd-mix-breed-dog.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>The Mixed breed: </b>Or “Heinz 57” as its sometimes affectionately known, this is a dog of indeterminate breed. Generally speaking such dogs are believed to live longer and suffer less hereditary diseases. </span>Photo Credit: <a href="https://depositphotos.com/stock-photos/mixed-breed.html">DepositPhotos</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>9. This is a book with a bit of everything going on. Could be lots of different elements/POVs or a collection of stories.</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/jonathanpongratz.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Image-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C1050&ssl=1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="211" src="https://i0.wp.com/jonathanpongratz.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Image-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C1050&ssl=1" width="139" /></a></div>The <i>Chronicles of Lorrek </i>by Kelly Blanchard. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">This series really does have it all! It starts out your typical sword-and-sorcery setting, with castles and wizardry and magic and battles... but then as the series develops and expands, there's cyberpunk thrown into the mix, with mech-suits and artificial intelligence... and then it hops off-world with the use of <i>spaceships </i>as the simple beginnings of different <i>continents </i>on the same planet expands to whole <i>galaxies </i>that are connected to one another! Yet in spite of it sounding like the series spreads all over the place, Blanchard manages to keep things relevant, with each of her characters serving a specific purpose, and even the function of the new technologies fitting seamlessly alongside the magic elements, as well! To read my reviews on each book, just click ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-find-me-if-you-can-by.html">here</a>< for Book 7, the most recent book I have reviewed in the series, and scroll to the bottom for access to all the others!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1521907554502-7440e4702fc3?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8NHx8ZnJlbmNoJTIwYnVsbGRvZ3xlbnwwfHwwfHw%3D&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1521907554502-7440e4702fc3?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8NHx8ZnJlbmNoJTIwYnVsbGRvZ3xlbnwwfHwwfHw%3D&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>The French Bulldog:</b> enjoying great popularity at the moment. Playful and adorable and loved by <br />City dwellers who have less space. </span>Photo Credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/jVOkrxUSzAQ">Unsplash</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>10. A book that is irresistibly cute. </b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41ASaONLknL._SY346_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="141" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41ASaONLknL._SY346_.jpg" width="94" /></a></div>Verona: The Complete Mermaid Tales </i>by Pauline Creeden. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">At first glance, it may seem like a contemporary re-telling of The Little Mermaid... but Creeden infuses her story with popular local Virginian legends, especially concerning the wild ponies of Assateague and Chincoteague (for example: the ponies are rumored to be sympathetic to Merfolk, since their keen senses can detect the presence of werewolves and issue a warning) It's a sweet tale, full of endearing characters, and a story that will have you gasping at each plot twist and give you a warm, bubbly feeling as you read it! To check out my complete review of all the books, click ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-verona-complete-mermaid.html">here</a><</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/portuguese-podengo-dancing-happy-little-hound-grass-80753959.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="800" height="143" src="https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/portuguese-podengo-dancing-happy-little-hound-grass-80753959.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>The Portuguese Podengo:</b> alert and independent. A breed of hunting dog believed to have descended <br />from dogs brought to Portugal by Phoenician merchants. </span>Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/podengo.html">Dreamstime</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>11. A book that is a standalone. </b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51I3fkKJQSL.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="160" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51I3fkKJQSL.jpg" width="106" /></a></div>Black Train </i>by Clareesa Savka. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">This is another book by a friend of mine, sort of like if <i>Hunger Games </i>was told in more of an allegorical sense. This community is restricted to living in the massive Train Station, assigned to clean the windows of the train and shovel coal for the train, but never allowed to ride the train... unless they are given a ticket, and those people are never seen again. It's a simple premise, but Savka does well with it, giving readers a cast of diverse and unique characters, with their own goals and personalities, and the choices and struggles they face are very much relatable. You can read my full review on my blog by clicking ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/04/readers-review-black-train-by-clareesa.html">here</a><</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1613210595795-4a4681b35e68?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=387&q=80" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="387" height="200" src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1613210595795-4a4681b35e68?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=387&q=80" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel:</b> the nobility of Dogdom with a silky coat, <br />mild temper and graceful athleticism. </span>Photo Credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/NCAwquMck40">Unsplash</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">12. A book with Kings and Queens or something historic.</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHHUHwS2dLGyZbo9WW6cQ-VGK3BZ3Y7U8BnVoHN6pqPDQB7_TSFKQHAeRw98VXGpbl-C9k_vrEZQp32v1Tv17haowl6ILLc10T2v77ND6advw2l7TEdwNP-fi0Qo-k-9KSRXWiiJFGtBQC5t9XooHoSFXKqGsehv7VWTKJiYHftFOmwIIieVZQcQ/s807/Bhinian%20Empire%20Covers.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="807" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHHUHwS2dLGyZbo9WW6cQ-VGK3BZ3Y7U8BnVoHN6pqPDQB7_TSFKQHAeRw98VXGpbl-C9k_vrEZQp32v1Tv17haowl6ILLc10T2v77ND6advw2l7TEdwNP-fi0Qo-k-9KSRXWiiJFGtBQC5t9XooHoSFXKqGsehv7VWTKJiYHftFOmwIIieVZQcQ/w200-h156/Bhinian%20Empire%20Covers.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i>Bhinian Empire Duology</i> by Miriam Forster. This was one I acquired early on in my book-blogging days due to a "friend-of-a-friend" connection to the author... and I confess, I waited <i>way too long </i>to read it! When I did, though, it was shortly before I actually discovered a copy of the book itself at my local library, and as for the story... It was far from disappointing! A kingdom of shifters, intrigue between royal families, conspiracies and peril at every turn--this duology colorful and while its social structure is more reminiscent of Eastern empires than Western kingdoms, it fits the bill for this category and I definitely recommend it! To read my reviews for both books, just click ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/02/readers-review-city-of-thousand-dolls.html">here</a>< for Book 1 and ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/05/readers-review-empire-of-shadows-by.html">here</a>< for Book 2!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1498892156743-6d5da30bab8b?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MjQzfHxzZW5pb3IlMjBkb2d8ZW58MHx8MHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1498892156743-6d5da30bab8b?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MjQzfHxzZW5pb3IlMjBkb2d8ZW58MHx8MHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=400&q=60" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Old Faithful:</b> This is the dog that has been your steadfast companion over the years. Lies with it’s head on your foot so that it knows when you move, scents you out no matter where you are and waits patiently. Is the first to greet you in the morning and the last at night and is always happy to see you. <br /></span>Photo Credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/WphP036Zuvg">Unsplash</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">13. A book that you’ve read many times, you could pick this book up and just let the pages fall open to where they may and dive right in. </span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51yazpJjL8L.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="304" height="143" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51yazpJjL8L.jpg" width="87" /></a></div>The Princess Bride</i> by William Goldman. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">This is one of those stories that I grew up watching as a film so many times that I could probably quote the entire thing from memory, never realizing that it was <i>an actual novel that existed. </i>I remember reading it for the first time, and enjoying it so much that I was rolling on the floor laughing at some scenes--and not all of said scenes were even in the film itself! It's near and dear to my heart, as a campy, flamboyant fantasy classic that, really, everybody should read. (And if you've read it, you should know what I mean when I say: Chapter 4 is my favorite!)<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><><><><><><><><></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />So there we go, a list of thirteen recommendations of books I've read--I hope I've contributed to somebody's TBR list at this point!<br />Speaking of recommendations, I'd like to tag the following bloggers, and I highly recommend that you check out their responses to this tag!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><a href="https://heidiangell.com/for-readers/">Heidi Angell</a><br /><a href="https://www.jolinsdell.com/p/book-tags.html">Jo Linsdell</a><br /><a href="https://quillandpen.com/blog/">Quill and Pen</a><br /><a href="https://wittylibrarian.blogspot.com/">WittyLibrarian</a><br /><a href="https://www.jenelleschmidt.com/blog-2">Jennelle Schmidt</a></div><br />Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-3240261638213188742023-04-06T12:36:00.003-07:002023-04-06T12:36:19.308-07:00Reader's Review: "Tree of Bone and Mist" by Melissa E. Beckwith<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51EOO79VGKL._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51EOO79VGKL._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tree-Bone-Mist-Sword-Rhiannon/dp/0692981314">Amazon</a>:</b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Looking for clues to a past she cannot remember, Rhiannon stumbles into a dangerous new world. Can she survive the evil that hunts her long enough to fulfill her destiny? </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Suffering from vivid nightmares, Rhiannon Kossi is sure that she’s been lied to about her childhood. Seeking the answers to long forgotten questions, she is mysteriously taken from her quiet, simple life on a Montana cattle ranch and thrust into a new, violent world where she is forced to either fight or die. In her quest for answers to her past Rhiannon must accept hard truths that will forever change the course of her life… that is, if she can stay alive.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">>>>>>>>>></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My Review:</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Chalk this up to one of those I picked up during a giveaway event, it looked really cool and I started following the author... and then just kept postponing reading it again and again, until finally it comes time!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />The very first scene is stellar, setting up the world, the antagonist and protagonist, in absolute heart-thumping intrigue. Then the scene switches to a young woman in a cabin on a farm with a pet wolf--in rural Montana?? From that point, I knew it was going to take me a while to warm up to this author's style. Just how easy is it to domesticate a wolf, and why a wolf, in particular? Why not just a wolfdog or something more credible? Main Character Rhiannon (<i>love </i>that name!) is set up as someone who just wants to find her dad and stay out of trouble, and this leads her to a portal that brings her into this alternate world--which makes for a fairly straightforward portal fantasy, right? Except that the author seemed a bit indecisive about the actual age of her main character.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />When she's panicking about being in a strange world all of a sudden with everyone depending on her as some mysterious savior of some sort, or adamant about finding her father, it feels like she could be in her mid-teens. But then there are events that happen, situations she finds herself in that are in no way suitable for a mere teenager (including, but not limited to: unwanted sexual advances, going berserk and killing grown men on multiple occasions, and getting her clothes ripped off to display a birthmark on her chest) that make me think that she could be in her early twenties, which would make this more "Young Adult" or even "New Adult" and less "Middle-Grade" than I was expecting. I mean, I guess I should have been more aware of the fact that the series is called "The Sword of Rhiannon", but at the same time she is presented as someone very scared and remarkably tender-hearted, in no way a killer until she starts... you know... <i>killing</i>. The way, too, that Rhiannon is brought from "rejecting the call" to "accepting her fate" happens very fast and very near the end of the book, almost <i>too</i> late, as it were... She left a lot to be desired, as far as main characters go!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">But I have to say, the fantasy world-building itself was everything I hoped for. I loved the rich lore, the different biomes, the varying vistas described over the course of the story. The antagonist, as mentioned above, is well-written as well, and if it were anybody else I just wish it could have been populated by more varied and interesting people! The epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter were a nice touch, as well. It lent an air of ancient mystique to the whole vibe of the book--although it didn't do much to help me understand what was going on any better.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />Taking all of the above into consideration, I'd say <i>Tree of Bone and Mist </i>earns itself at best a <b>****4 STAR**** rating</b>. Good world-building, the dialogue wasn't <i>too</i> forced or contrived (maybe repetitive sometimes when Rhiannon would still be trying to figure out what was going on...), the conflict and resolution did their jobs, and the plot did deliver on the premise.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">All I know at this point is that this is definitely a book that is setting up the rest of the series. I can only hope that the downsides to this story are the result of "debut novel jitters" and perhaps as the series progresses, the writing improves as well--but at this point, I am honestly not as invested in the success of the protagonists as I'd like to be, and I could take or leave the series.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Tough Heroines/Compelling Plots/Portal Fantasies)</u></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Vemreaux Trilogy--Mary E. Twomey</b><span style="background-color: white;"></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> -</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2014/04/readers-review-way-by-mary-e-twomey.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Way<b> </b></a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/01/readers-review-truth-vemreaux-trilogy-2.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Truth</a><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/07/readers-review-lie-by-mary-e-twomey.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Lie</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Untamed Series--Madeline Dyer</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/05/readers-review-untamed-by-madeline-dyer.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Untamed</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/10/readers-review-fragmented-by-madeline.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Fragmented</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow</b><br /><b> </b>-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-red-dog-conspiracy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Gutshot (Novellette) </a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/07/readers-review-alcatraz-coup-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Alcatraz Coup</a> (Novella) <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-red-dog-conspiracy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Vulnerable</a> (Short Story) <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/01/readers-review-jacq-of-spades-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Jacq of Spades </a><br /> -<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/03/readers-review-queen-of-diamonds-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Queen of Diamonds</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/10/readers-review-ace-of-clubs-by-patricia.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ace of Clubs</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/04/readers-review-ugly-girl-by-mary-e.html" style="color: #cb29d4;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Ugly Girl (Faite Falling Series)--Mary E. Twomey</span></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/08/readers-review-seventh-crow-by-sherry-d.html" style="color: #cb29d4;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-The Seventh Crow--Sherry D. Ramsey</span></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/09/readers-review-chasing-rabbits-by-erin.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Chasing Rabbits--Erin Bedford</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/05/readers-review-mythical-doorways-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Mythical Doorways--Fellowship of Fantasy</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/11/readers-review-youre-not-real-goth.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-You're Not A Real Goth Until You Sack Rome--Jeffrey Cook & Katherine Perkins</span></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Fair Folk Chronicles--Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins</b><br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/08/readers-review-foul-is-fair-by-jeffery.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Foul is Fair</a> <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/01/readers-review-street-fair-by-jeffrey.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Street Fair</a> <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/10/readers-review-fair-fight-by-jeffrey.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-A Fair Fight </a><br /><b> </b>-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/12/readers-review-alls-fair-by-jeffrey.html" style="color: #cb29d4;">All's Fair</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Firebird Fairy Tales--Amy Kuivalainen</b><br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/09/readers-review-cry-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -The Cry of the Firebird</a><b> </b><br /><b> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/06/readers-review-ashes-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/06/readers-review-ashes-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ashes of the Firebird</a> <br /><b> </b>-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/08/readers-review-rise-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Rise of the Firebird</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser</b><br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/03/readers-review-escape-from-neverland-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Escape From Neverland</a> <br /><b> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-dance-into-wyrd-by-nils.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-dance-into-wyrd-by-nils.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Dance Into The Wyrd</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Portal Prophecies--C. A. King</b><br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-keepers-destiny-by-c-king.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -A Keeper's Destiny</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/02/readers-review-halloweens-curse-by-c.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -A Halloween's Curse</a> <br /> -<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/05/readers-review-frost-bitten-by-c-king.html" style="color: #cb29d4;">Frost Bitten</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Talented Series--Amy Hopkins</b><br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-dream-stalker-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-A Drop of Dream</a> <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/07/readers-review-barrow-fiend-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-A Dash of Fiend</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/04/readers-review-splash-of-truth-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-A Splash of Truth</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/03/readers-review-promise-due-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -A Promise Due</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Bhinian Empire--Miriam Forster</b><br /><b> </b>-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/02/readers-review-city-of-thousand-dolls.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">City of A Thousand Dolls</a> <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/05/readers-review-empire-of-shadows-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Empire of Shadows</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></div></div></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-60219520980776959382023-02-23T15:46:00.005-08:002023-02-23T15:48:45.788-08:00Reader's Review: "The Wendy" by Erin Michelle Sky and Stephen Brown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1514783247i/35510314.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="557" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1514783247i/35510314.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wendy-Tales-Book-ebook/dp/B07WDDJXLV">Amazon</a>:<br /></i></b><span class="a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><i>When the world doesn't want you to be who you are, you must become more yourself than you knew you could be.<br /><br />London. 1789. More than anything in the world, Wendy Darling wants to be the captain of a ship, but women aren't allowed in the Royal Navy. When she learns the Home Office is accepting a handful of women into its ranks, she jumps at the chance, joining the fight against the most formidable threat England has ever faced. Magic.<br /><br />But the secret service isn’t exactly what she hoped. Accompanied by a reimagined cast of the original Peter Pan, Wendy soon discovers that her dreams are as far away as ever, that choosing sides isn’t as simple as she thought, and that the only man who isn't blinded by her gender ... might be her nation's greatest enemy.</i><div><i>>>>>>>>>>></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>My Review:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">I picked this up during a giveaway event. Goodness knows I cannot resist the idea of a fairy tale retelling--and a twist on one of my favorite fantasy tales, featuring Wendy in a much more prominent role than she had in the original novel was <i>too good to resist.</i><br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">I had a few other books to get through before its turn came along, but it finally happened, and oh the cleverness of the authors!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">It's a truly splendid retelling, keeping relatively close to the original in matters of time period (late 18th-century) but at the same time, tweaking all the right details to come up with an entirely new context for each of the characters that still manages to fit.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Wendy, John, and Michael aren't siblings in this one, they are more "siblings-at-arms", as it were. Wendy is an orphan anxious to prove herself in a social landscape that tends to pigeonhole its women (and, in a way, all genders) into a limited array of homemaking positions. She encounters a captain in the Royal Navy who encourages her to break boundaries and make her own niche where she can, and when she hears that the Home Office has been accepting women into its ranks, she seizes the opportunity. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">As an agent of the Home Office, Wendy meets John and Michael, two officers in her unit, and together they brave an encounter with the fearsome and secret enemy they're actually fighting, while feeding the public a very different story: a race of magical beings known as simply the "Everlost"--savage creatures who strike at night, are rumored to drink the blood of their victims, and are near impossible to kill, as conventional weapons have no effect on them and they seem for all intents and purposes to be immortal. Their leader? His name is Peter Pan.<br /><i><br /></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><i>See where the author is going with this???</i> It only gets better from there. Wendy's unit is helmed by one Captain James Hook, who lost his hand in an altercation with Peter, and has since vowed revenge, searching not only for the island of the Everlost, but also desiring to have for himself one of those magical flying ships they use. (and just <i>wait </i>till you find out the peculiar device that allows them to fly! It's not just happy thoughts and fairy dust!) When Hook hears that Peter is fascinated by Wendy, he immediately has her sequestered at his family estate, under the guise that she is his fiancée and he wants to keep her safe until the Everlost have been conquered.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Wendy herself teeters on the fine edge between being a "self-absorbed, pathetic Mary-Sue", and the converse of "the-only-capable-person-in-the-scene, tough-as-nails, gender-norm-breaking, sarcastic rule-breaker who will immediately fall in love with the devastatingly handsome Bad Boy just because she has to, and end up betraying everybody because she has to follow her heart" without committing to either of those archetypes. Wendy is strong and she has her encounters with plenty of "outsider" characters, but she also knows when to make decisions by herself, and when she needs to have help from others on her team. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">The whole story is enchanting, magical fun, and it is only the beginning of the Tales of The Wendy series! I'd rate this book <b>*****5 STARS*****</b>, and I'll add an <b>Upstream Writer Certified TOTALLY RECOMMENDED </b>endorsement, as well! If you love fairy tales, retellings, and period-style adventures, and especially <i>Peter Pan</i> lore, I can almost guarantee that you'll love <i>The Wendy</i>!</div><p style="text-align: left;"><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Fairy Tales/Fantasy Adventures/Retellings/Capable Heroines)</u></i></b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/11/readers-review-severance-by-m-smith.html">-Severance--M. A. Smith</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Vemreaux Trilogy--Mary E. Twomey</b><span style="background-color: white;"></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> -</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2014/04/readers-review-way-by-mary-e-twomey.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Way<b> </b></a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/01/readers-review-truth-vemreaux-trilogy-2.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Truth</a><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/07/readers-review-lie-by-mary-e-twomey.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Lie</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/02/readers-review-wolves-daggers-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Wolves And Daggers--Melanie Karsak</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Punk Anthologies--Writerpunk Press Group</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/04/readers-review-sound-fury-shakespeare.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Sound & Fury: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 1</a><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/12/readers-review-once-more-unto-breach-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Once More Unto The Breach: </a><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/12/readers-review-once-more-unto-breach-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 2</a><i style="background-color: white;"> </i><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/04/what-weve-unlearned-english-class-goes.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/04/what-weve-unlearned-english-class-goes.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-What We've Unlearned: Classic Literature Goes Punk</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/07/readers-review-dreamtime-dragons-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><i>-</i>Dreamtime Dragons--Dreamtime Fantasy Authors</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/09/readers-review-chasing-rabbits-by-erin.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Chasing Rabbits--Erin Bedford</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-anamatus-by-derrick.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Anamatus--Derrick Tribble</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/05/readers-review-mythical-doorways-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Mythical Doorways--Fellowship of Fantasy</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/06/readers-review-cracks-in-tapestry-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Cracks in The Tapestry--The Tapestry Group </span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/05/readers-review-purple-door-district-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-The Purple Door District--Erin Casey</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Fair Folk Chronicles--Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/08/readers-review-foul-is-fair-by-jeffery.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Foul is Fair</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/01/readers-review-street-fair-by-jeffrey.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Street Fair</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/10/readers-review-fair-fight-by-jeffrey.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-A Fair Fight </a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/12/readers-review-alls-fair-by-jeffrey.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4;">All's Fair</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Verona: The Complete Mermaid Tales--Pauline Creeden</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-verona-complete-mermaid.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Scales</a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/11/readers-review-salt-and-submerged-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Submerged</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/11/readers-review-salt-and-submerged-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -Salt </a><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-verona-complete-mermaid.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4;"> -Surfacing</a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Firebird Fairy Tales--Amy Kuivalainen</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/09/readers-review-cry-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -The Cry of the Firebird</a><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/06/readers-review-ashes-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/06/readers-review-ashes-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ashes of the Firebird</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/08/readers-review-rise-of-firebird-by-amy.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Rise of the Firebird</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/03/readers-review-escape-from-neverland-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Escape From Neverland</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-dance-into-wyrd-by-nils.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-dance-into-wyrd-by-nils.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Dance Into The Wyrd</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Wonderland Guardian Academy Series--Pauline Creeden</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> -</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/12/readers-review-red-wolf-tracker-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Red The Wolf Tracker</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Time Tree Chronicles--Lisa Rae Morris</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/11/readers-review-time-tree-emergence-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Emergence</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-85135266027902466072023-01-10T16:37:00.000-08:002023-01-10T16:37:09.538-08:00Reader's Review: "What The Chat Dragged In" by Cyn Mackley<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51sBiTk8xEL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51sBiTk8xEL.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/What-Dragged-Martha-Garrett-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01KU9RS9Q">Amazon</a>:</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><i>A romantic suspense story balanced on the point of a knife.<br /><br />FBI Special Agent Martha Garrett spent her career protecting children from predators, but one night she saw something so awful that it broke her mind and her spirit.<br /><br />Starting a new job and a new life, she’s found a kindred soul in Seth Christopher, a man who photographs flags, daisies, and food for a living and spends his time creating recipes for his food blog. Her tattooed, handsome soulmate is ready to whisk her away to a dream house in the Texas Hill Country, but unspeakable childhood abuse has left him with scars of his own and a dark side he warns Martha she never wants to see.<br /><br />But the past refuses to leave them alone. When child predators that escaped justice start to die, cops think there's a vigilante at work settling her old scores. Now, Martha has hard questions to ask about herself and her newfound love.<br /><br />With her name at the top of the suspect list, can Martha stop the killing before it destroys her second chance?</i><div><i>>>>>>>>>>>></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>My Review:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Well, this one was different than I was expecting, for sure! I picked it up because Cyn Mackley is an excellent "cozy" author, I really enjoyed her Goode-Grace mystery series. I figured this one was going to be a bit like that, except from the perspective of a federal agent who specializes in sussing out pedophiles in chat rooms and whatever. I was all set for a gripping mystery, sudden plot twists, and high peril all the way.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />What I got was more of an emotional journey than a physical thriller. <i>What The Chat Dragged In </i>kind of flips the usual emphasis of cozy mysteries. The crime itself and the investigation becomes almost a backdrop to the budding romance and the personal journeys of the two individual characters, Martha (the Fed) and Seth, a food blogger who seems to have his own past trauma that keeps coming back to haunt him. After a particularly harrowing case that results in a mental breakdown, Martha needs to find ways to relax and take it easy, and at the behest of a couple trusted friends, starts the process of healing and mending by pursuing a relationship with Seth.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />I suppose it was partially due to the fact that I was expecting something like the relationship between Trinity Goode and Bobby Grace that I found Martha and Seth's relationship a little bit uninteresting, and at times uncomfortable. She may be "retired" in a way, but Martha still finds herself digging into different unsavory characters in between speaking engagements where she can share her skills and explain her processes to other law enforcement groups--and especially when she meets Seth, and learns about the abuse that happened in his past, things kind of converge in crazy ways. Simply based on the title, I thought for sure the cat named Chat would feature more prominently than it did. I kept waiting for a scene where Martha's conversation with a prospective criminal might dredge something up, or Chat would physically <i>drag something in </i>that would launch an investigation... but no dice.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />But in spite of the disappointments, I will say that Mackley does <i>not </i>fail when it comes to the food references in her books, nor the sweet, sultry, slow-burn romance that builds between characters! Seth's occupation as a photographer and food blogger provides ample opportunity for him to cook up dish after dish of tantalizing food for Martha's enjoyment. Their bonding over that aspect in particular is very sweet and endearing, a sort of "oasis" in the midst of the chaos that is the rest of their lives. I do acknowledge that this feels like more of the main thrust of the story rather than any kind of mystery: Martha's and Seth's own journey through healing and recovery, and the way they support each other in it, and the threat of the way their own pitfalls could drag each other down if they're not careful. The criminals are suitably reprehensible, and the community surrounding both characters is unique and relatable, and provide their own breeds of "setbacks" as well as support that both Martha and Seth need at varying times.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />On the whole, I'd rank <i>What The Chat Dragged In </i>with a fairly-decent <b>****4 STAR**** rating.</b> There wasn't much in the way of an <i>actual </i>antagonist (more like the past abuse and psychological trauma is the villain in this piece!) and thus not a whole lot in the way of a linear plot with clear trajectory and a satisfactory resolution, but honestly, the food references were great, the characters are awesome, and I do think a story like this could speak volumes to readers who can relate to the trauma. Mackley does an excellent job crafting a sympathetic story that lets every reader find themselves in the story. Despite it not going the way I expected, this book goes to show that when the reader can relate to the experiences of the main character, the message comes through loud and clear, <i>"You are seen. You are heard. You are not alone." </i>And that's the best kind of cozy fiction of all.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Also By The Author/Clean Romance/Thrilling Mysteries/Cunning Conspiracies)</u></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Goode-Grace Mysteries--Cyn Mackley<br /> </b><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/05/readers-review-american-goth-by-cyn.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-American Goth</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/06/readers-review-maze-and-grace-by-cyn.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -A Maze And Grace</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Painter Place Saga--Pamela Poole</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/10/readers-review-painter-place-by-pamela.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Painter Place</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/02/readers-review-hugo-by-pamela-poole.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Hugo </a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The LouisiAngel Series--C. L. Coffey</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/12/readers-review-angel-in-training-by-c-l.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Angel in Training</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/readers-review-angel-eclipsed-by-c-l.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Angel Eclipsed</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> -</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/06/readers-review-angel-tormented-by-c-l.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Angel Tormented</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Time Tree Chronicles--Lisa Rae Morris</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/11/readers-review-time-tree-emergence-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Emergence</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow</b><br /><b> </b>-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-red-dog-conspiracy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Gutshot (Novellette)</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/07/readers-review-alcatraz-coup-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Alcatraz Coup</a> (Novella) <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-red-dog-conspiracy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Vulnerable</a> (Short Story) <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/01/readers-review-jacq-of-spades-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Jacq of Spades </a><br /> -<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/03/readers-review-queen-of-diamonds-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Queen of Diamonds</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/10/readers-review-ace-of-clubs-by-patricia.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ace of Clubs</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Jill Andersen Series--J. D. Cunegan</b><br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/06/readers-review-bounty-by-j-d-cunegan.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Bounty</a> <br /> -<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/12/readers-review-blood-ties-by-j-d-cunegan.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Blood Ties</a> <br /> -<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/08/readers-review-behind-badge-by-j-d.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Behind the Badge</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/12/readers-review-behind-mask-by-j-d.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Behind The Mask </a></span></div></div></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-1708444728312508912022-12-28T14:20:00.001-08:002022-12-28T14:20:29.563-08:00Reader's Review: "The Girl and the Clockwork Cat" by Nikki McCormack<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51T6Z3ysLrL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51T6Z3ysLrL.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><p><b><i>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Clockwork-Cat-Enterprises-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0DKMGP">Amazon</a>:</i></b></p><i>Feisty teenage thief Maeko and her maybe-more-than-friend Chaff have scraped out an existence in Victorian London's gritty streets, but after a near-disastrous heist leads her to a mysterious clockwork cat and two dead bodies, she's thrust into a murder mystery that may cost her everything she holds dear.<br /><br />Her only allies are Chaff, the cat, and Ash, the son of the only murder suspect, who offers her enough money to finally get off the streets if she'll help him find the real killer.<br /><br />What starts as a simple search ultimately reveals a conspiracy stretching across the entire city. And as Maeko and Chaff discover feelings for each other neither was prepared to admit, she's forced to choose whether she'll stay with him or finally escape the life of a street rat. But with danger closing in around them, the only way any of them will get out of this alive is if all of them work together.</i><div><i>>>>>>>>>>>>>><br /></i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>My Review:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This one might have been a book I expressed interest in ahead of time. Certainly at the time, I wasn't intending to pick it up. Usually when I get a book by a new author, it's usually after I've interacted with them or a review of their book online. In this case, I went to a local craft expo intending to pick up the three books in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/177584-fair-folk-chronicles">a series I really loved</a>--and, lo and behold, it was a "buy-three-get-one-free" deal, and the seller (an author I heartily support, and who has supported me ever since he was so supportive of me when I was just starting out as a review blogger) heavily recommended it to me, so I figured, "Why not?" I added this fun steampunk adventure with a spunky heroine and a cat with a mechanical leg to take home with me, sight-unseen!<br /><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Having read it, all I can say is, it's a good thing I love steampunk so much, because that is this book's best feature! Most of the world-building was your standard Victorian-era fare, to the point that it wouldn't really look out of place in a British period film--but then McCormack adds touches like the quasi-police force known as the Literati to bring a touch of otherworldly whimsy to the story as a whole.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The mystery at the heart of it was deliciously twisty. Plenty of conspiracies and intrigue, the story took a while to build itself, but eventually we arrived at the scene--a mother and child murdered in a swanky penthouse, and a man--brilliant inventor, notorious scientist--gone missing. The only clue is a cat left behind, with a mechanical hind leg.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That cat, and its inventor were probably the two most interesting characters in the whole novel. Possibly in a pinch, I would recall a few instances in which the main character, a half-Japanese "street rat" named Maeko, made herself relatable and almost interesting. Frankly, I cared more about her dysfunctional relationship with her only surviving relative that she blamed for abandoning her to her current situation than the <i>two </i>"love interests" that were made into a whole thing in this story. Frankly, I didn't know one well enough to root for him, while the other seemed a lot more interesting, but somehow the author didn't think it was in Maeko's best interest to go with him... we'll see how the "romance that doesn't want to be a romance" plays out in future installments, sure.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For all of the downplaying I've been doing, <i>The Girl and The Clockwork Cat </i>is some decent storytelling. I give it a <b>*****4.5 STAR***** </b>rating, and yes, as I mentioned, I would be interested in seeing how the series develops from there! Certainly the aesthetic and the world-building makes Clockwork Enterprises a series to watch! If you're looking for a light, fun, steampunk adventure, start here!</span></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Steampunk/Conspiracies/Teenage Heroines)</u></i></b></span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Dawn of Steam Trilogy--Jeffrey Cook<br /></b><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;"> -</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2014/12/readers-review-first-light-dawn-of.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">First Light<br /></a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/03/readers-review-dawn-of-steam-gods-of.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Gods of The Sun</a><b style="background-color: white;"> <br /></b><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/08/readers-review-dawn-of-steam-rising.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Rising Suns<br /></a><b style="background-color: white;">The Alexander Legacy--Sophronia Belle Lyon<br /></b><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2014/05/readers-review-dodge-twist-tobacconist.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">-A Dodge, A Twist, and A Tobacconist<b> <br /></b></a><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/06/readers-review-pinocchio-factor.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Pinocchio Factor<br /></a><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/06/readers-review-sky-knight-by-sandra.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4;">-Sky Knight--Sandra Harvey<br /></a><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/12/readers-review-amster-damned-by-nils.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4;">AmsterDamned--Nils Visser<br /></a><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/02/readers-review-wolves-daggers-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Wolves And Daggers--Melanie Karsak</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow</b><br /><b> </b>-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-red-dog-conspiracy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Gutshot (Novellette) </a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/07/readers-review-alcatraz-coup-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Alcatraz Coup</a> (Novella) <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-red-dog-conspiracy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Vulnerable</a> (Short Story) <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/01/readers-review-jacq-of-spades-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Jacq of Spades </a><br /> -<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/03/readers-review-queen-of-diamonds-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Queen of Diamonds</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/10/readers-review-ace-of-clubs-by-patricia.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ace of Clubs</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Fair Folk Chronicles--Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins</b><br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/08/readers-review-foul-is-fair-by-jeffery.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Foul is Fair</a> <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/01/readers-review-street-fair-by-jeffrey.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Street Fair</a> <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/10/readers-review-fair-fight-by-jeffrey.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-A Fair Fight </a><br /><b> </b>-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/12/readers-review-alls-fair-by-jeffrey.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">All's Fair </a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser</b><br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/03/readers-review-escape-from-neverland-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Escape From Neverland</a> <br /><b> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-dance-into-wyrd-by-nils.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-dance-into-wyrd-by-nils.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Dance Into The Wyrd</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/05/readers-review-purple-door-district-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-The Purple Door District--Erin Casey</span></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The PSS Chronicles--Ripley Patton</b><br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/12/readers-review-ghost-hand-by-ripley.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ghost Hand</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/06/readers-review-ghost-hold-by-ripley.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ghost Hold</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/07/readers-review-ghost-heart-by-ripley.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ghost Heart</a><b> </b><br /><b><b> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/09/readers-review-ghost-hope-by-ripley.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/09/readers-review-ghost-hope-by-ripley.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ghost Hope</a> </span></div></div></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-88227237886888175032022-12-09T07:00:00.017-08:002022-12-09T07:13:11.946-08:00Blog Tag: Get To Know The Fantasy Reader!<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eMMK6aE_auBoH_nA9-XmWMiIzuDDGC6mhGpNXUy5fu4Ds7y3PIQdi6nwqNfb7gxWfIerd346ZhRQnNovqOGAL6Bo3KA0c6RDroNkM1ODjLnAEdShkjzZSmfgaIDaP6GKS49Rn3rXkd-CsQoeOdu5lf2BbEYcuxPmlAyOsNwiLGyQw0cqFP2WQIE/s1558/Blog%20Tag:%20Get%20To%20Know%20Fantasy%20Reader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1558" data-original-width="952" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eMMK6aE_auBoH_nA9-XmWMiIzuDDGC6mhGpNXUy5fu4Ds7y3PIQdi6nwqNfb7gxWfIerd346ZhRQnNovqOGAL6Bo3KA0c6RDroNkM1ODjLnAEdShkjzZSmfgaIDaP6GKS49Rn3rXkd-CsQoeOdu5lf2BbEYcuxPmlAyOsNwiLGyQw0cqFP2WQIE/w245-h400/Blog%20Tag:%20Get%20To%20Know%20Fantasy%20Reader.jpg" width="245" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />I haven't really gone and joined one of these outside an established group... but I've just been invited to a couple different tags, so you're getting some "insider information" on me!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The blogger who invited me was <a href="https://enthralledbylove.com/2022/10/26/book-tag-get-to-know-the-fantasy-reader/">Raina Nightingale over on Enthralled By Love</a>, and the tag itself originates as a romance reader tag, from <a href="https://fallingforromance.wordpress.com/2019/07/22/get-to-know-the-romance-reader-original-tag/">Bree Hill on Falling For Romance</a>.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>*Quick note about the thumbnail image: I made it myself, with an AI-generated image. Feel free to use it if you are participating in this hop!*</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">1-What is your Fantasy Origin? (The First Fantasy you Read) </span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I grew up homeschooled, so aside from the usual (<i>Mossflower </i>by Brian Jacques, and the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis; I actually didn't get into Lord of the Rings until later) there are two titles in particular that I know influenced my early stories. One was <i>Brill of Exitorn </i>by Peggy Downing, about a boy who gets conscripted to be the companion to a spoiled, selfish son of the wicked emperor who has been oppressing the land. The boy uses cleverness, honesty, and compassion to win over the "emprince", as his title went, and although he and another girl were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned when they tried to liberate others who had been wrongfully imprisoned, they manage to survive and set off to have more adventures--unfortunately, I never knew that there was more to the story, but it definitely ignited my imagination to read it several times!<br />The other was <i>The Ordinary Princess </i>by M. M. Kaye<i>,</i> and trust me, I had plenty of thoughts about what I would do if I encountered a King that was secretly masquerading as a footman in his own castle! I certainly identified with the titular Princess, her being so "ordinary" and "mousy", while her gorgeous sisters didn't want anything to do with her... Feeling quite plain, myself, I felt inspired to use this to my own advantage, improving my mind and my character while not worrying overmuch about my looks!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">2-If you could be the hero/heroine in a fantasy novel, who would be the author and what’s the trope you’d insist be in the story? </span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Me? Well... That's a tough hypothetical! There are so many authors whose style I very much enjoy... but I might not survive as a character in their books! But as far as "writes beautiful prose and excellent at world-building", I'd probably go with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/64620-tales-of-goldstone-wood">Anne Elisabeth Stengl</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/8730.Naomi_Novik">Naomi Novik</a>, or <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56378676-the-talented-series">Amy Hopkins</a>. In the scope of their books, I'd probably want the role of a wise counselor or mentor-figure, like a "fairy godmother" type. I don't always need to be the center of attention all the time, but I like having the position of influence, to be the "hub of knowledge and information", as it were. One of my favorite tropes and the one I hope is in the book I am a part of is that "Truth Wins." Like, for the discovery of truth to be the key to the undoing of the antagonist. Also, I love the "found family" trope, as well as the "strong silent softie archetype" trope, so I'd want those to be present as well!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>3-What is a fantasy series you’ve read this year, that you want more people to read? </b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">To be honest, 2022 hasn't been my best year for reading. I've been doing a lot of discovering of new crime thriller authors, some stand-alones... but for the sake of having a response, I will say that I've at least read <i><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/03/readers-review-promise-due-by-amy.html">A Promise Due</a>,</i> the next (fourth) book in the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FK889MP">Talented series by Amy Hopkins</a>. It's an urban fantasy series that I've described as "If Hermione Granger decided to use her talents in Herbology to open a tea shop just outside London." The main character, Emma, is a "Half-Talent", where her full-magic father married a "normal" woman. As such, she's too "normal" for the magic community, and too "magic" for the normal community, she's kind of in a social limbo that tends to be very uncomfortable... particularly in the circumstance <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/readers-review-dream-stalker-by-amy.html">when the series starts</a>, in which someone capable of dream-walking has been killing people off. At first she's a suspect, because her enchanted teas are a well-known staple--but as the mystery deepens, Emma figures out that the killer is going after Half-Talents like herself... and she's been getting disturbing imagery in her dreams that could indicate she might be the next target. Of course, that's just how it <i>starts</i>, and the mysteries just get deeper and bigger and more twisty from there. The characters and world-building are wonderful. Emma lives with her faithful dog Lenny and the "family boggart", sort of like a monstrous cryptid butler, and she meets two Talent Lords, brothers who kind of take her under their wing as an honorary sibling when she navigates the Talent high society, a Fae stylist named Bee who is absolutely delightful, a hound shifter who works on the police force... and so much more! If I were to recommend any series I read this year, that would definitely be the one!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">4-What is your favorite fantasy subgenre? </span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I have lots of favorites! Fantasy is definitely the biggest genre I read. Fairy tales, Portal fantasy, urban fantasy, sword and sorcery and noblebright fantasy are among my favorites. I love a good shifter fantasy as well!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>5-What subgenre have you not read much from? </b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Dark fantasy and especially grimdark fantasy are subgenres I have only a "dabbler's" interest in. I tend to be pretty squeamish, so if the violence is too intense and there isn't a secondary feature like amazing world-building or thought-provoking prose to kind of take my mind off the gore, then I don't enjoy it for its own sake. And I will say, that while I like romantic stories like fairy tales and whatnot, "fantasy romance" is not what I would go for, in its own right. I like romance as a subplot, but if it's the <i>only </i>thing the novel has going on, frankly that bores me!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>6-Who is one of your auto-buy fantasy authors? </b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One author whose books I'm always looking for, and definitely know that I want to read as soon as I see her name on it is Marissa Meyer. Her series <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/62018-the-lunar-chronicles">The Lunar Chronicles</a> was one of the first series I ever actually bought to own. I have at least one of her stand-alones, too--but I'm ashamed to admit I haven't gotten into her new series yet! (But that is to come, for sure!) In the indie realm, the author I've immediately bought when I had the money to spare and she's come out with a new book is Kelly Blanchard. I have signed copies of the entire <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/209562-chronicles-of-lorrek">Chronicles of Lorrek</a>, which I promised myself I needed to read before I got her spin-off series, the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09D8NCD91">Hand of Sorrow</a>. Her books are <i>so good, </i>though!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>7-How do you typically find fantasy recommendations? (Goodreads, YouTube, Podcasts, Instagram, etc.)</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Goodreads is usually how I find out about a lot of books, since I can see what my friends are reading and how they've enjoyed books--even titles I find randomly at the library that I find exciting, I typically look them up on Goodreads just to see what the reviews are like, and what people enjoy or object to in a given title, and what my friends have said about it. My library also has a "staff picks" shelf, where they feature books in a few different genres that staff members recommend--a few times I've found books that I ended up really liking on that shelf as well!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>8-What is an upcoming fantasy release you’re excited for? </b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Well, if you'd asked me that a few months ago, I would have said <i>The First Binding </i>by R. R. Virdi--he's an author I've reviewed <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/02/readers-review-dangerous-ways-by-r-r.html">many times on this blog</a>, ever since I read and loved <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2014/05/readers-review-grave-beginnings-by-r-r.html">his debut self-published novel</a>. This year, he got picked up and published by Tor Books, a massive publisher, and since its release in August, the book is already making waves! By now, though, I'd have to say: <i>Over The Moon </i>by S. E. Anderson! She's an author I've been in a few groups with (and on a podcast panel, too!) and although I haven't read a <i>lot </i>of her works, I absolutely <i>love </i>her creativity and the ideas she comes up with. For example, this upcoming release of hers is a sort of "cyberpunk remix" of the Wizard of Oz, replete with secret royal twins, aliens and AI versions of the different character archetypes from the source material, and I'm betting there will be <i>tons </i>of entertaining references throughout! I still remember catching the social media update when she was talking about the concept in the "infant" stages of the idea, back when it was under a different title... and <i>for sure </i>I will be hyping it upon release!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>9-What is one misconception about fantasy you would like to lay to rest? </b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That it's somehow "just for girls." Or that it's all one thing (like fairies and unicorns and dragons and tall and graceful Elves...); or even further, that it's "just escapist stories that have no bearing on reality, but are really a distraction from actual real-world problem solving."<br />On the contrary, I believe that fantasy is necessary because it allows one to see real-world problems out of their real-world context, so maybe aspects of that problem are more readily apparent. Reading fantasy could allow you to read a situation or an issue you may relate to, but in this new context it gives you the ability to see it from another perspective.<br />Fantasy isn't all castles and princesses and unicorns; it's not all girly romance and damsels in distress. Fantasy can be worthwhile for all genders and ages, not just to escape reality and chase after flights of fancy, but to exercise one's mind and learn to view situations from new and inventive ways of thinking. I've met people who only read nonfiction because they don't see "the point" of fiction... I would argue that their objection is precisely <i>why </i>fiction and especially fantasy is necessary, because the real world is too vast for just one way of linear thinking; we need to learn to see beyond the surface, beyond our empirical (or senses-based) interactions. Fantasy gives shape to the abstract, and allows us to grasp the invisible.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>10-If someone had never read a fantasy book before and asked you to recommend the first three books that came to mind as places to start, what would these recommendations be? </b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Ooh, this is a tough one! Namely because fantasy is such a broad spectrum. I might select a few from different subgenres, just to see what more I could give them. Maybe I'd start my friend out with Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis as a good portal fantasy—if they like that one, then I know that they’ll like books with lots of magic, they don’t mind talking animals, and they definitely want to see good win out sooner rather than later. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, I would recommend to somebody who watched a lot of Disney films growing up, but they don’t see how the fairy tales could be “upgraded” for even more entertainment. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And thirdly, I’d want them to read Inkheart, because Cornelia Funke has an amazing way with bringing fantasy so close to the real world that it’s kind of amazing, that book in particular captures an “outsider’s” perspective of fantasy literature.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>11-What is the most recent fantasy retelling content creator you came across the you’d like to shout out?</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />As a matter of fact, the most recent featured review I've posted here on the blog happens to be a retelling, and yes, I did enjoy it very much!<br />The book was <i>Severance</i> by M. A. Smith, and it came off as sort of a re-telling of The Little Mermaid--but very much along the lines of "if Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale had truly been told entirely from the mermaid's point of view", rather than just the surface things described as a human would. I would go on, but you can read my full review by clicking ><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/11/readers-review-severance-by-m-smith.html">This linked text</a><. Bottom line, she deserves a shout-out for her excellent work!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />And finally, I'll close out this post by tagging five more bloggers to talk about their reading experiences!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><a href="https://katiewritesfantasy.blogspot.com/">Katie Writes Fantasy</a><br /><a href="https://selenekallanfantasywriter.blogspot.com/">The Obscure World</a><br /><a href="https://cjbrightley.com/">C J Brightley</a><br /><a href="https://www.landsuncharted.com/">Laurie Lucking</a><br /><a href="https://kmcarrollblog.wordpress.com/">K. M. Carroll</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Feel free to offer your own answers to any of these questions, or comment about any of these titles you've read, or you might want to read! Join the conversation!</span></i></b></div></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-14202981730838366302022-11-15T18:50:00.003-08:002022-11-15T18:50:43.782-08:00Reader's Review: "Severance" by M. A. Smith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51SXH-FKZ9L._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51SXH-FKZ9L._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1987561341">Amazon</a>:</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>With the earth long diseased, humanity has evolved back into creatures of the water. Beneath the waves, the folk, fearing the corrupted land, remain within the boundaries of their world. One among them, though, is different. One of them is prepared to make a bargain. A life for a life. A severance for a blood debt. The truth for one deep breath.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>>>>>>>>>>>></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b>My Review:</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">For as much as I enjoy a good mermaid tale, there have only been a few that have made it onto my radar for Reader's Reviews.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">One such is of course this, <i>Severance</i>, an innocent-looking novella that I knew involved mermaids at some point--but that was all that I knew about it. I've been looking forward to it, curiosity duly piqued--what I didn't want was just another story of a mermaid who becomes curious about the surface world and ends up falling in love with someone from there, until the twist comes and she finds out that the love will never be requited.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">This is not your typical mermaid tale.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">First of all, Smith sets up her fantasy world with the epic grace and poise of a master world-builder. References are made of a nuclear/radiation/pollution cataclysm that drove some humans down below the water, where the radiation couldn't reach them, and there they adapted and became the creatures commonly known as merfolk. But Smith does all this in such a way that when you are reading it from the perspective of the narrator, the young mermaid who fills the role of main character, you are plunged into the depths of The Keep and you find your breathing patterns matching those of the merfolk. The descriptions of the ravaged surface world are so real, it makes your skin crawl. You start to smell that briny sea scent.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Second, I love the detail and immersion Smith pours into her writing, using terminology and metaphors that only someone who has lived underwater would use, right down to the scientific jargon that lends credibility to her fantastic theories. This is a technique I attempted to use when writing <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L42TPHF">my own retelling of Little Mermaid</a>, but Smith takes it to a whole new level that I absolutely loved! From the technique of using kelp butter to keep her scales smooth out of the water, to referring to crucifix necklaces as "souls", everything about this story was beautiful and fascinating! The distinctive characters she has designed are pretty awesome as well.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">I was spellbound through the whole thing. <i>Severance </i>earns itself a full <b>*****5 STAR***** rating</b>, and I'll add to that the <b>Upstream Writer Certified DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED</b> endorsement. It rings true with Hans Christian Andersen's original, but told entirely from the perspective of the mermaid herself, rather than a "land-dweller" attempting to write how one might assume a mythical creature might feel. M. A. Smith is a talented author with incredible skill to her credit!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Mermaids/Fantasy/Immersive World-Building)</u></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Verona: The Complete Mermaid Tales--Pauline Creeden</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-verona-complete-mermaid.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Scales</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/11/readers-review-salt-and-submerged-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Submerged</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/11/readers-review-salt-and-submerged-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -Salt </a><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-verona-complete-mermaid.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -Surfacing</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Valiant Series--Joanna White</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/08/readers-review-hunter-by-joanna-white.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Hunter</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/06/readers-review-cracks-in-tapestry-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Cracks in The Tapestry--The Tapestry Group</span></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/10/readers-review-captives-heart-of-caveat.html" style="color: #cb29d4;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-The Captives--Precarious Yates</span></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow</b><br /><b> </b>-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-red-dog-conspiracy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Gutshot (Novellette) </a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/07/readers-review-alcatraz-coup-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Alcatraz Coup</a> (Novella) <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-red-dog-conspiracy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Vulnerable</a> (Short Story) <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/01/readers-review-jacq-of-spades-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Jacq of Spades </a><br /> -<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/03/readers-review-queen-of-diamonds-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Queen of Diamonds</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/10/readers-review-ace-of-clubs-by-patricia.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ace of Clubs</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/01/readers-review-adaline-by-denise-kawaii.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Adaline--Denise Kawaii</a> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Vemreaux Trilogy--Mary E. Twomey</b><br /> -<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2014/04/readers-review-way-by-mary-e-twomey.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Way<b> </b></a><br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/01/readers-review-truth-vemreaux-trilogy-2.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Truth</a><b> </b><br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/07/readers-review-lie-by-mary-e-twomey.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Lie</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Bhinian Empire--Miriam Forster</b><br /><b> </b>-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/02/readers-review-city-of-thousand-dolls.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">City of A Thousand Dolls</a> <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/05/readers-review-empire-of-shadows-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Empire of Shadows</a> </span></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-38983729826905762342022-10-29T17:02:00.004-07:002022-10-29T17:02:37.901-07:00NaNoWriMo 2022: Announcing This Year's Novel!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ndFJPYBcTBrw3y-oEV3Oj6Nsl4L0FtRQnEz6ArutpS0bXPtwUNn-zRNyvkS1TzJ6krwY5Sg1KzFyN6Mbk8M_qL5TmwjnI2eIvDO5E84rZWilE0eGn6sxrhaYdhQowmaPoyPbTxBReFMznYhvT1xiKrsIreYlvAErwt9vFVQ-9jjhmtXibSXNi64/s1110/Nano-2022-Writer-Badge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="1110" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ndFJPYBcTBrw3y-oEV3Oj6Nsl4L0FtRQnEz6ArutpS0bXPtwUNn-zRNyvkS1TzJ6krwY5Sg1KzFyN6Mbk8M_qL5TmwjnI2eIvDO5E84rZWilE0eGn6sxrhaYdhQowmaPoyPbTxBReFMznYhvT1xiKrsIreYlvAErwt9vFVQ-9jjhmtXibSXNi64/w320-h320/Nano-2022-Writer-Badge.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Whew!! How is it almost November already?<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBWtyvzD2W8MxT7DLhal8DdzyaeypSPSdz39dIn2e8uEWg03n1HUtQ0i9iFbL4k0SouOSV7__t5J0jwwl4Q_tF_liF-6oa2i6Oq978eQo1c48R76AudSBLEtA1VbqYxNZKG_SUyFvtUTCjkND9ZXquoZof0D0iczS3PYusuaEIyglQhJFn1Ia0c8/s1280/Me%20and%20Joe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBWtyvzD2W8MxT7DLhal8DdzyaeypSPSdz39dIn2e8uEWg03n1HUtQ0i9iFbL4k0SouOSV7__t5J0jwwl4Q_tF_liF-6oa2i6Oq978eQo1c48R76AudSBLEtA1VbqYxNZKG_SUyFvtUTCjkND9ZXquoZof0D0iczS3PYusuaEIyglQhJFn1Ia0c8/w150-h200/Me%20and%20Joe.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>This year has been... not quite like I thought it would be. Starting with battling Covid in January that set me back several months as my physical health recovered quite quickly, but my mental health (namely the psychological wherewithal to write) took a nosedive for several months... and then, just when I was getting to the end of a very stressful school year and looking forward to a summer of really hitting the second draft of <i>Fugitive of Crossway </i>very hard, my brother's health took a turn for the worse, and he passed away near the end of summer.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">I've stopped a bunch of projects since then, but The Undersea Saga is here to stay, and here's why: I now see it as a small way to honor my brother's memory. It's on account of him that the piddly little stand-alone novella became a full-fledged series, anyway, and I'd hoped to be able to involve him in the development of <i>Fugitive of Crossway</i> as it unfolded... but although that's not going to happen, I'm still going to finish the thing, for sure!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">At this point, honestly, I'm nowhere near where I planned on being at the end of last year. If everything had gone the way I'd hoped, I'd be making my final tweaks on <i>Fugitive of Crossway, </i>already sent it off for professional editing,<i> </i>and into the formatting/ design stage.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">In reality... I've got three chapters actually "done", I'm headed into the really tricky part of the story that had the most changes and is definitely the middle part of the book that I'm the most iffy about... but where does that leave me for NaNo?<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Why not go ahead and give myself a running start on Book 3?<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">That's right, folks, this November, I'm taking my first crack at <i>Fury of Outwest</i>, the third book in the Undersea Saga, and I'll admit, I'm excited to be able to return to <i>actually </i>pulling off a retelling, rather than "inspired by", as <i>Fugitive of Crossway </i>is!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">So what story am I retelling for this third book?<br /><i><br /></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><i>Well, </i>back when I was devising the series as longer than like two or three books, I knew that I wanted to use the four different "kingdoms" as the settings for the various books, and as such, this one would be Outwest.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">This would be the most different of the four kingdoms, as it wouldn't exactly <i>be </i>a kingdom, per se... no kings or castles here! I envisioned Outwest as a combination of the American Wild West and the Australian Outback--just hot, desert-y landscape with scattered towns, villages, and ranches throughout, but mostly empty, barren desert.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">And what sort of fairy tales take place in the desert? Why, Aladdin, of course!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">This one was a bit tricky, as I'd already decided I wanted to write a "steampunk Aladdin", and I'd been jotting down plot ideas for that... but when it came to creating an "Undersea Saga" version of it, I came to the realization that there needed to be a lot more to the story than the "traditional" sense--a street rat comes across a magical item that gives him access to riches beyond reason... but then what?<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">In particular, I decided to gender-swap the main character. "Aladdin" became "Delaina", an outlaw who survived by raiding stagecoaches that dared cross the desert wasteland. Instead of a lamp with a genie inside... there's going to be a special "magical" device found by our intrepid protagonist, one that provides her with access to riches beyond belief. (I'm not going to go into any detail about the device, because <i>spoilers!</i>) I had already decided on an object back when this was "Steampunk Aladdin", but everything I'd thought of was only confirmed when I saw this premade and knew I <i>had </i>to have it!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyHeV_PID_40joob7HmPBrljgD2YsDfWyhLGb57yQDzziyGA6fPhOSyWRUkZv9m_P_zYxvWFXvY94RHY3mUA1VpDBpVa6r7It8IaPabUkqYkfMQ5t7qkyGWvXlL6RTJRaxW3_lzZKLAPkoFzyF02Ee6jZrANd6y0KMgK_qS9yLkq7D0Uj1H5-C5Y/s2560/Toymaker's%20Daughter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyHeV_PID_40joob7HmPBrljgD2YsDfWyhLGb57yQDzziyGA6fPhOSyWRUkZv9m_P_zYxvWFXvY94RHY3mUA1VpDBpVa6r7It8IaPabUkqYkfMQ5t7qkyGWvXlL6RTJRaxW3_lzZKLAPkoFzyF02Ee6jZrANd6y0KMgK_qS9yLkq7D0Uj1H5-C5Y/s320/Toymaker's%20Daughter.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">I love the look of the device in her hand! I am still deciding whether to give her a prosthetic limb, so that may change by the time the cover design comes around, but there you have it!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Instead of the street rat going through all this charade to win the eye and heart of the princess of the realm... Well, <i>that </i>part I'm going to keep to myself for now, but here's hoping that readers will find my alternative worthwhile still! Suffice to say, I don't think this one will have much romance in it--at least, not where it is just now. I don't know, a character could crop up and catch Delaina's eye as I'm writing the thing. I only have the bare-bones notes at this point. After posting this announcement, that is next on the "writing docket", fleshing out chapter-by-chapter the notes I have. If I see fit to include a romantic subplot, I just might, but for now, it seems that <i>Princess of Undersea </i>is the only book with romance in it, in the series.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Wouldn't that be fitting, though? Making Ylaine and Nathan my <i>only </i>romantic couple in the series? I don't know. I'm still thinking on that one.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Meanwhile, there will be gunfights, subterfuge, and all manner of fun things--including, by way of connection to the rest of the series, an appearance by none other than "Calamity Jacqui" from <i>Fugitive of Crossway</i>. Due to the events of that book, she's no longer a performing carnie... but her role in <i>Fury of Outwest </i>is more that of a bounty hunter. She's been dispatched to track down and "retrieve" the thing that Delaina has... but can the outlaw last long enough to find out the truth?<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Hang on to your bowler hats, everyone... this is going to be a wild ride!</div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-60553963886070931712022-10-08T12:03:00.002-07:002022-10-08T12:03:44.347-07:00Reader's Review: "Diamond Stained" by JMD Reid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/IMAGERENDERING_521856-T2/images/I/51fWGgbcDcL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/IMAGERENDERING_521856-T2/images/I/51fWGgbcDcL.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Stained-Jewels-Illumination-Book-ebook/dp/B08WBSW8HP">Amazon</a>:</i></b> </div><i><div><i><br /></i></div>Burdened by regrets, a disgraced guard turns to a magical blade he is reluctant to wield.<br /><br />Life had gone wrong for Obhin. Once a respected palace guard, now he sells his sword as a bandit. Trapped by his missteps, he little reason for hope...<br /><br />Until one young woman sees more in him.<br /><br />Passionate and headstrong, Avena has no patience for bullies. Haunted by her own bleak past, the healer sees in Obhin a chance for escape...a chance for them both.<br /><br />This misfit pairing must learn to trust each other as they struggle to survive in a city of poverty and vice, for dark sorcerers, underworld crime bosses, and brutal bandits scheme to destroy them.<br /><br />Can they polish clean their stained souls?</i><p></p><div><i>>>>>>>>>>>></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>My Review:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I've been getting more and more into the grimdark genre, in spite of how squeamish I usually am. Take any movie with above-average violence (for example, if they show the wound actually happen, or the limb actually breaking...) and I'll usually hide my face behind a pillow or turn away from the screen when I know a particularly visceral visual is coming. It's less striking in novels, as I can just "jump" my eyes right over the paragraph detailing the exact moment of injury... but still, when I have to do that in every other scene, it begs the question: am I actually reading the novel, or just skimming it, and where is the enjoyment in that?<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The one thing I have noticed, though, in the really <i>good </i>novels-with-a-surplus-of-violence, is that the ones I will continue reading have really great prose! That's what keeps me coming back, more often than not, is the fantastic character arcs, and the meaningful, thought-provoking prose that happens between fight scenes. Those are the parts I slow down and relish; that's what I keep in my mind every time I think of those books.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Guess what? JMD Reid is one of those "good authors" I mentioned a bit ago.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This may be less "grimdark" and more "sword and sorcery with extra violence", but there is quite a bit that I absolutely loved about this book, to counter those things that came across as too intense for me! </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">First, can I just rave about the magic/religious system that he's invented for this world, one based on gemstones that grant different abilities based on the type of gemstone--that's the magic part. The society views these gemstones as gifts from their deity, and the colors of each gemstone are associated with a specific virtue--and there's a whole set of religious beliefs based around that. The adherents seek to build their lives around pursuing these "color" virtues, while shunning the Black: all that is wicked and evil and colorless.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But that's just one dimension of it. Another group takes these "colors" and interprets them as "tones": the virtuous Tones exist in harmony with one another, and the Black represents dissonance and disharmony. Both belief systems stem from the desire to emulate these virtues, as a sign of their commitment to their respective deity, the highest standard of morality.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And that's just one facet of what makes this story fascinating! Another is the characters Reid has crafted: Obhin, the dark bandit with his unorthodox views on modesty and his strange personal moral code that permits him to kill and run with gruff and uncouth mercenaries... and yet wracks him with guilt the whole time he's doing it. Avena, with her deep personal trauma that colors her every step and haunts her every moment, that drives her to recklessness and danger... yet it's also that trauma that gives her such keen insight into the nature of wounds and a drive to alleviate even the hurts that the healing topaz won't reach. Normally, the two wouldn't have anything to do with each other, but their fates converge and Obhin switches from attacker to protector, as dark forces conspire to wreak havoc among the people and twist the benefits of these gemstones to amass power for themselves and accomplish their nefarious goals.<br /><i><br /></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Diamond Stained </i>is a brilliant adventure with top-notch storytelling, plot twists that will make you hold your breath, characters that make you laugh and send shivers down your spine at the sight of their name, and all-around a magnificent tale set in a spellbinding world full of richness and depth, the way a fantasy novel should be! I give it <b>*****5 STARS***** </b>in rating--if you're looking for a new world to immerse yourself into, and you don't mind a hefty side of graphic violence in between paragraphs of singing prose, then may I say, Welcome to Kash! The Jewels of Illumination series awaits!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Sword and Sorcery/Excellent World-Building/Strong Characters)</u></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Chronicles of Lorrek--Kelly Blanchard</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/04/readers-review-someday-ill-be-redeemed.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Someday I'll Be Redeemed</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/12/readers-review-i-still-have-soul-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/12/readers-review-i-still-have-soul-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-I Still Have A Soul</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/07/readers-review-im-still-alive-by-kelly.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-I'm Still Alive</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/readers-review-do-you-trust-me-by-kelly.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/readers-review-do-you-trust-me-by-kelly.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Do You Trust Me? </a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/07/readers-review-you-left-me-no-choice-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">You Left Me No Choice</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/05/readers-review-they-must-be-stopped-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-They Must Be Stopped</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-find-me-if-you-can-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Find Me If You Can</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/07/readers-review-dreamtime-dragons-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>-</i>Dreamtime Dragons--Dreamtime Fantasy Authors</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">A Tune Of Demons Series--J. E. Mueller</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/05/readers-review-fires-song-by-j-e-mueller.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Fire's Song</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/12/readers-review-spirits-lullaby-by-j-e.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Spirit's Lullaby</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/09/readers-review-dawn-of-destiny-by-amy.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Dawn of Destiny--Amy Hopkins and Michael Anderle</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/03/readers-review-son-of-no-one-by-daryl-j.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Son of No One--Daryl J. Ball</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/05/readers-review-mythical-doorways-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Mythical Doorways--Fellowship of Fantasy</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/08/readers-review-kings-warrior-by-jenelle.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-The King's Warrior--Jenelle Leanne Schmidt </span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Jill Andersen Series--J. D. Cunegan</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/06/readers-review-bounty-by-j-d-cunegan.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Bounty</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> -</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/12/readers-review-blood-ties-by-j-d-cunegan.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Blood Ties</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> -</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/08/readers-review-behind-badge-by-j-d.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Behind the Badge</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/12/readers-review-behind-mask-by-j-d.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Behind The Mask </a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow</b><br /><b> </b>-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-red-dog-conspiracy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Gutshot (Novellette) </a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/07/readers-review-alcatraz-coup-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Alcatraz Coup</a> (Novella) <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-red-dog-conspiracy.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Vulnerable</a> (Short Story) <br /><b> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/01/readers-review-jacq-of-spades-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Jacq of Spades </a><br /> -<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/03/readers-review-queen-of-diamonds-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Queen of Diamonds</a> <br /> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/10/readers-review-ace-of-clubs-by-patricia.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Ace of Clubs</a> </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></div></div></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-73191232765913183582022-08-27T13:30:00.002-07:002022-08-27T13:30:22.053-07:00Reader's Review: "Hunter" by Joanna White<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Q1zsK9fIL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Q1zsK9fIL.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p><b><i>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0952XYXYX">Amazon</a>:</i></b></p><i>A reckless young woman named Averella does what no woman has ever done. She disguises herself as a man and purposefully gets herself arrested and thrown into Zagerah. Her brother Gabriel was taken, and with his disease, he will not survive on his own. She has no idea what to expect inside the prison; all she knows is that once men get taken, they never come back.<br /><br />The Hunters will find her.<br /><br />Genetically altered to be faster and stronger than humans, the Hunters use their powers to find and kill every prisoner who enters Zagerah. The only ones who can defeat them, are in fact, themselves.<br /><br />Jared is a Hunter. It’s all he’s known, all he remembers. He kills ruthlessly and without regret, one prisoner after another. When a new prisoner Dalex shows up, everything begins to change. Jared goes undercover to make Dalex and the other prisoners believe he is one of them, a prisoner himself.<br /><br />No one knows the truth. He will trick them. Toy with them. Then, he will kill them.</i><br /><div><i>>>>>>>>>>>>>></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>My Review:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Going by the blurb, one might reasonably expect this story to read like a "Mulan"-type knockoff, right? At least, if Mulan met, say, Shan Yu's son and the two were plunged into an "enemies-to-lovers" type situation. Basic storytelling at its most basic, am I right?</div><div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But this is not that. From the very beginning, Joanna White gives us a story that feels familiar, yet plays out in unique and unpredictable ways. All of my expectations were blown away by the end of the first chapter, and I could just settle in to enjoy a thrilling tale with plenty of twists, and no idea where or how it would end up, eventually. Would the slaves really escape? Would Averella's identity be uncovered? Could Dalex be the one to stop Jared from killing all the slaves, or would the story end with everyone dead, and the Hunters succeeding in doing their dark master's will, with any sort of resolution left to the sequels?</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">White keeps the suspense going by dividing the point of view between Jared and Averella. Occasionally, readers will see the same scenes repeated from each perspective, but other times the new point-of-view picks up where the other left off--and yet no matter which way it goes, the energy never wanes. The story keeps rolling at a brisk pace, captivating the reader's attention as they piece together what's really going on as a combination of the two narratives. I really enjoyed the fact that doing this allowed the reader an extra dimension as to the motivation behind their choices and responses, one that we wouldn't get just from one perspective or another.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I also really loved the whole concept of the Hunters. Their origins, the unique superpowers they are given, and the significance behind the reason they exist. Each of them has a unique power that gives them an advantage (and White's creativity in designing each ability cannot be understated!) yet with it comes a flaw that will render all their Hunter abilities inaccessible. The fugitives take a Hunter captive at one point and then run into a choice of whether to render the Hunter incapacitated through his flaw, or let him keep his abilities, so that the fugitives could use them as an advantage against their pursuers. An extra level of intrigue that opens the door to many plot twists the reader won't see coming!</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Finally, the world-building in this novel is top-notch. I could picture each of the environments clearly as I read, and the various threats and struggles faced by the fugitive slaves as they attempt to escape Zagerah were astonishing--even including some mermaids at one point! Although these Merfolk were nothing like the ones I was used to, more the conniving, vicious, Siren-type of creatures. But still awesome!</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Hunter </i>easily earns a full <b>*****5 STARS***** </b>and I'd even add to that an <b>Upstream Writer Certified WHOLEHEARTEDLY RECOMMENDED.</b> There are some good moral lessons to be learned in this clean fantasy adventure, all wrapped up and woven through an amazing story with dynamic characters and the potential for wonderment in every book in the Valiant series!</p><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Clean Reads/Fantasy Adventure/Awesome World-Buidling)<br /></u></i></b><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/01/readers-review-countless-as-stars-by.html" style="background-color: white; text-decoration-line: none;">-Countless As The Stars--Steve Trower<br /></a><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/05/readers-review-secret-king-lethao-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Secret King: Letháo--Dawn Chapman</a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/04/readers-review-black-train-by-clareesa.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Black Train--Clareesa Savka</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Alexander Legacy--Sophronia Belle Lyon</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2014/05/readers-review-dodge-twist-tobacconist.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">-A Dodge, A Twist, and A Tobacconist<b> </b></a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/06/readers-review-pinocchio-factor.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Pinocchio Factor</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-anamatus-by-derrick.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Anamatus--Derrick Tribble</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/05/readers-review-mythical-doorways-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Mythical Doorways--Fellowship of Fantasy</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/10/readers-review-out-of-darkness-rising.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Out of Darkness Rising--Gillian Bronte Adams</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Chronicles of Lorrek--Kelly Blanchard</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/04/readers-review-someday-ill-be-redeemed.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Someday I'll Be Redeemed</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/12/readers-review-i-still-have-soul-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/12/readers-review-i-still-have-soul-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-I Still Have A Soul</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/07/readers-review-im-still-alive-by-kelly.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-I'm Still Alive</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/readers-review-do-you-trust-me-by-kelly.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/readers-review-do-you-trust-me-by-kelly.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Do You Trust Me? </a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/07/readers-review-you-left-me-no-choice-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">You Left Me No Choice</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/05/readers-review-they-must-be-stopped-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-They Must Be Stopped</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-find-me-if-you-can-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Find Me If You Can</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Verona: The Complete Mermaid Tales--Pauline Creeden</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-verona-complete-mermaid.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Scales</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/11/readers-review-salt-and-submerged-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Submerged</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/11/readers-review-salt-and-submerged-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -Salt </a><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-verona-complete-mermaid.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -Surfacing</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Bhinian Empire--Miriam Forster</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/02/readers-review-city-of-thousand-dolls.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">City of A Thousand Dolls</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/05/readers-review-empire-of-shadows-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Empire of Shadows</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Wonderland Guardian Academy Series--Pauline Creeden</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> -</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/12/readers-review-red-wolf-tracker-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Red The Wolf Tracker</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Time Tree Chronicles--Lisa Rae Morris</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/11/readers-review-time-tree-emergence-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Emergence</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-77007931997065906192022-08-02T15:24:00.001-07:002022-08-02T15:24:40.444-07:00Reader's Review: "King's Warrior" by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51UwoE5qbVL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51UwoE5qbVL.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /> <b><i>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kings-Warrior-Minstrels-Song-Book-ebook/dp/B008UCLDV0">Amazon</a>:</i></b><p></p><i>The hope of their world rests on the steel at his side...<br /><br />Threat of invasion looms. Oraeyn dreams of glory on the battlefield. Instead, he must engage in a battle of wills with a headstrong princess while ushering her to safety (and boredom) in a small village. But they must put aside their differences to save their homeland and complete the second part of their mission: seek out the legendary King’s Warrior to persuade him to take up arms once more.<br /><br />When their journey leads them to the lost realm of the dragons they get more adventure than either of them bargained for!</i><div><i>>>>>>>>>></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>My Review:</b></div><br />There is something to be said for a good, forthright, low fantasy novel! In fact, it plays into a genre I'm just learning about, "noblebright" fantasy, sort of set up as the opposite of "grimdark." Where grimdark fantasy is depressing, dystopian, gritty, and hopeless, usually populated by thugs, thieves, duplicitous noblemen, vagabonds, and antiheroes at best... Noblebright plays into the opposites of that: the characters are typically virtuous, the setting is peaceful and picturesque, challenges do exist, but they're often morally corrupt, and the virtuous heroes and heroines band together to outsmart and defeat the wicked villains.<br /><br /><i>King's Warrior </i>is a shining example of noblebright fantasy. King Arnaud rules Aom-igh fairly and well, the most recent in a line of kings who established the kingdom after deflecting Dark Warriors from the Dark Country and preventing them from overwhelming and subjugating the people. This is done with the help of the Dragons, who subsequently disappear after promising that, should the Dark Country threaten again, they will lend their aid.<br /><br />That time is now, but where are the dragons? One person might know where they are, but no one has seen this former King's Warrior in many years. To seek out the King's former friend, King Arnaud sends his own daughter, a trustworthy squire, and the Princess' faithful maidservant. They must travel across the kingdom, braving storms, suspicious villagers, treacherous magic-users, and the first indications of Dark Warrior "strike teams" hitting entire villages and burning them down in preparation for the invasion that looms ever closer with each day they spend looking for the King's Warrior.<br /><br />It's a clean enough adventure, suitable for middle-grade readers, and I very much enjoyed the plot twists and the plot that was only <i>somewhat</i> predictable. There were some twists that I could see coming the minute the character came on the scene and the other characters expressed their clear assumptions about said character; there were other twists that were on the one hand so delightfully unexpected that I gasped while reading, yet at the same time wondering why the pacing and the narrator kept everyone in the dark for so long.<br /><br />But that, I think, is the inherent pacing problem that every noblebright fantasy adventure contends with: that protracted journey that is designed to test the predetermined mettle of every specific character, not so much because a group of otherwise-capable people traveling in this region would naturally encounter such a challenge or come into conflict with each other <i>just so</i>... but because there was a point to be made, and the author needed it to be "just so" in order that the point <i>could</i> be made. I am guilty of such a thing myself in my own writing, and I'm trying to be better, but I also recognize how jarring it is to encounter it, as a reader.<br /><br />That being said, speaking of twists, there are at least three specific twists that happened that were so aptly timed, well-placed, and brilliantly-executed that I'm definitely still interested in seeing how things develop in the rest of the series! I'd give King's Warrior a modest <b>*****4.5 Star Rating*****</b> and I'll include an <b>Upstream Writer Certified RECOMMENDED </b>endorsement. I know there's more in store, from how much I loved Schmidt's short story in a previous anthology (linked below), and I can acknowledge that first books are hard, but it's a decent start, and The Minstrel's Song has only just begun!<div><br /></div><div><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Also By The Author/Clean Reads/Noblebright Fantasy/Sword and Sorcery)</u></i></b></div><div><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/05/readers-review-mythical-doorways-by.html">Mythical Doorways--Fellowship of Fantasy </a>(*Contains a story by the author)</div><div><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-anamatus-by-derrick.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Anamatus--Derrick Tribble</span></a></div><div><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/10/readers-review-out-of-darkness-rising.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Out of Darkness Rising--Gillian Bronte Adams</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/07/readers-review-dreamtime-dragons-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><i>-</i>Dreamtime Dragons--Dreamtime Fantasy Authors</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/09/readers-review-dawn-of-destiny-by-amy.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Dawn of Destiny--Amy Hopkins and Michael Anderle</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/03/readers-review-son-of-no-one-by-daryl-j.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Son of No One--Daryl J. Ball</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Chronicles of Lorrek--Kelly Blanchard</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/04/readers-review-someday-ill-be-redeemed.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Someday I'll Be Redeemed</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/12/readers-review-i-still-have-soul-by.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/12/readers-review-i-still-have-soul-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-I Still Have A Soul</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/07/readers-review-im-still-alive-by-kelly.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-I'm Still Alive</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/readers-review-do-you-trust-me-by-kelly.html" style="color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/readers-review-do-you-trust-me-by-kelly.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Do You Trust Me? </a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/07/readers-review-you-left-me-no-choice-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">You Left Me No Choice</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/05/readers-review-they-must-be-stopped-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-They Must Be Stopped</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/08/readers-review-find-me-if-you-can-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Find Me If You Can</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Time Tree Chronicles--Lisa Rae Morris</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/11/readers-review-time-tree-emergence-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Emergence</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Painter Place Saga--Pamela Poole</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/10/readers-review-painter-place-by-pamela.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Painter Place</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/02/readers-review-hugo-by-pamela-poole.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Hugo </a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">A Tune Of Demons Series--J. E. Mueller</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="http://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/05/readers-review-fires-song-by-j-e-mueller.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Fire's Song</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-<a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2021/12/readers-review-spirits-lullaby-by-j-e.html">Spirit's Lullaby</a></span></span></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-16001194192195235882022-07-23T14:31:00.002-07:002022-07-23T14:32:02.258-07:00Serial Saturday: "Fairies Under Glass" Part 19<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mS6ms_0WZOce04JX__V_TIoLw0xWiV76P3_cOXXN9VOst3quGnXgYDk-cUSFjE-fyEeHjrIoR2_hPXo-S9YZkY-3Jv4PhuFtFHiybCGLit9_PRduSeN1zLNHaFEHkvJI3XluY-ky1AgoEVnXM5OadAJs2h553iHI35Pn-FNIDbnMu82M_BA3RUs/s780/Fairies%20Under%20Glass%20Mock%20Cover.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mS6ms_0WZOce04JX__V_TIoLw0xWiV76P3_cOXXN9VOst3quGnXgYDk-cUSFjE-fyEeHjrIoR2_hPXo-S9YZkY-3Jv4PhuFtFHiybCGLit9_PRduSeN1zLNHaFEHkvJI3XluY-ky1AgoEVnXM5OadAJs2h553iHI35Pn-FNIDbnMu82M_BA3RUs/s320/Fairies%20Under%20Glass%20Mock%20Cover.png" width="220" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Part 19</u></span></b></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"The Dean's Office"</span></b></div></b><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis groaned and rolled onto his side. Why was his bed suddenly so uncomfortable? He opened his eyes, rubbing away what little sleep he'd gotten. Somehow he was laying on top of his bedding, fully clothed, and his shoulders ached terribly, like he'd pulled a muscle or two.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">He reached up to his shoulders and felt the small tears in the fabric. The pain that lanced through him at the mere touch of his fingertips brought everything in the last twelve hours rushing back in painful clarity. The museum!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis rocketed awake and sat upright, glancing down at his hands. The Chain rested against one palm, and there was the Gyth shining up at him from the blanket down at his feet. On instinct, he went to set the two pieces of the Phantasmagyth beside each other, but the memory of the chaos the restored Phantasmagyth wrought prompted him to keep them as far apart as possible. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, noticing that he was still wearing his warehouse jumpsuit, and there were definitely tears in the shoulder. He quickly slipped that outer layer off, noting the further damage to his own clothes underneath.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">A small hum of chatter had begun in his closet, and when Lewis opened the door, a whole throng of tiny bodies tumbled out, sparkling as they zipped through the air, and crawling along the ground. Every inch of space was now filled with strangely-shaped gourds, and it smelled strongly of bubblegum.<br />Lewis snatched a shirt and shoved it over his face, pinching his nose shut as he staggered backwards. "What the heck are those things?" he spluttered.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">The elves around his feet were giggling and running through the carpet fibers. A passing fairy paused to answer his question.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">"They're special houses we make for ourselves in a safe, dark place. Our word for them is <i>misti</i>."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">"Yeah, well now my closet smells like an air freshener factory!" Lewis complained, throwing the shirt over his head and storming to the bathroom to brush his teeth and hair.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Queen Evalia sat on the tile countertop, attended by a gaggle of fairies. "Ah, good morning, Lewis!" she called up to him. "I hope you slept well after yesterday's ordeal."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis groaned as the smell of the <i>misti </i>wafted up from his own shirt. He wrinkled his nose. "Okay, but did your fairykind <i>have </i>to build those funny-smelling gourds in my closet, with all my clothes in there? I don't want to walk around smelling like a girl!"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Evalia tilted her head, then nodded. "Ah, you must be referring to the <i>misti.</i> I'm sorry, the smell is actually quite pleasant when we can spread them out over a larger area--and it is strongest when the <i>misti </i>are fresh. It should wear off in a few days or so."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis returned to the room to fold up his ruined cover-alls and grab his backpack for the day's classes. "Here's hoping, anyway," he muttered. "I'm going to see what the damage is over yesterday's catastrophe. I think all of you should stay out of sight till I can figure out if Krasimir Schlimme is on the lookout for you or not."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">He returned to the bed and put the Chain safely in the small pocket at the top of his backpack. The gyth, he wrapped in his ripped shirt and stuffed in a shoebox, which he placed on the shelf lining the top of the closet. He'd have to figure out someplace more secure for what looked like a diamond the size of his fist, but that would have to do for now.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Out in the hallway of his dorm, Lewis glanced at everyone who passed him, his ears picking up on snatches of conversations, listening to what people might be talking about. There were plenty of people mentioning "the museum", and "what the heck happened yesterday", but other than a large poster declaring that Moulton House was "CLOSED FOR REPAIRS", he didn't see much.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Out on the streets of the Browning Academy campus, it was a different story. Warehouse 31 trucks rumbled up and down, along with dumpster trucks for hauling construction debris. Lewis saw a team of Warehouse 31 workers heading toward the museum and walking past him, but when he tried to wave, one of them stopped and pointed.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">"You!" she snapped. "You're that kid who did the ride-along yesterday, when the whole building went berserk!"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, but it did seem like everyone who caught her comment was infinitely more intent on ignoring them and keeping out of it, than expressing any interest.<br />"Um, yeah," he stammered. "I was just going to trade in my jumpsuit--"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">"Don't," she said, yanking the bundle out of his hands. "Stanley's pretty steamed; word is he's already been to the Dean and complained. You're off the roster, kid. They've never had a student ride-along go so badly. Guess you have to find a posting somewhere else." She shrugged and kept walking, taking his ruined jumpsuit with her.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis stood on the sidewalk, feeling so much like a rowboat set adrift in choppy water. What was he going to do about a job, now that working at the warehouse wasn't an option? The semester had already started, but surely there were openings somewhere! He shrugged and headed to the educational facilities. If he didn't have work duties to report for, the least he could do was attend his classes for the day.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">In the Algebra classroom, many students held quiet conversations, spinning theories as to what might have caused the uproar on the day before. Some chalked it up to a prank, others said that the building was old and it just collapsed all of a sudden, while others seemed to think it was sabotage somehow.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">"Whatever it was," said one knowledgeable young man with sharp features and sleek, dark hair, "The museum's just going to stay closed for the rest of the year. I hear a bunch of really expensive artwork got damaged by the rumpus."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis could feel his heart thumping, and he wanted more than ever to just melt into a puddle and fade away. How much longer could he hold out until someone figured out he was to blame?<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">After class, Lewis found Melanie waiting for him in the quadrangle just outside the building. Keats was being his usual adorable self, yapping and rolling onto his back for belly-pats.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Melanie chuckled. "Glad to see he still wants to be friends with you," she remarked. "Come with me. The Dean asked me to bring you to his office for a chat."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis felt the blood drain from his cheeks. The Dean! Stanley had complained about him specifically, hadn't he? Of all the people on campus to know that Lewis Grant had caused the wanton destruction of priceless displays, the Dean would definitely know it was him--and then what? Would Lewis be expelled from Browning Academy? Would he tell Lewis' parents? Evading Krasimir Schlimme was one thing, but trying to hide the truth from his own parents? Lewis didn't think he could, if they asked him at this point.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">He felt nothing but trepidation and fear all the long way to the Administrative Block at the far end of campus. Here, there were few students walking about, if any. Mostly faculty tended to have any business at all being in this region of campus, as there weren't any shops or classrooms here, just private offices.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">The Dean's office was at the end of one of these buildings, with a plaque bearing his name bolted to the wall just beside the door: "William J. Rushford, Dean of Students." Lewis had only met Mr. Rushford once, at Orientation Night the year before, when he'd first arrived at Browning Academy. He remembered being intimidated by the man, almost terrified of him, but whether that was because Dean Rushford was a terrifying person, or the whole Academy experience had just been dreadfully new to the young man, he couldn't recall. But he was duly terrified now, all things considered.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Melanie led Lewis into the building, and pointed to a few chairs placed alongside the wall while she approached the secretary's desk.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">"Lewis Grant is here to see Dean Rushford," she said.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">The secretary nodded. "I'll let the Dean know he's here," she answered.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Melanie gave Lewis a small wave as she left. The secretary stepped softly over to the imposing door along the far wall, tapped on it, and poked her head in briefly to say something Lewis couldn't hear. After a moment, she left the door and nodded to the petrified young man. "He's ready for you," she said. "Go ahead."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis took a deep breath to steady his nerves as he crossed the room and entered the door.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Dean Rushford sat at his massive oak desk, but he left his chair to meet Lewis at the front of the room with a ready smile and a firm handshake. He had brown hair streaked with silver and receding a bit from his face, but his straight teeth and clear blue eyes bespoke welcome, not disappointment.<br />"Lewis Grant," he said warmly, gesturing to one of the chairs placed in front of his desk. "Please take a seat. Good to see you."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis swallowed the lump forming in his throat as he dropped into the seat. He couldn't keep his hands from fidgeting as the Dean returned to the tall leather armchair behind the desk. He shuffled a few papers from a file in front of him. Lewis had a pretty clear idea what those papers might contain.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">"Okay, so you're a second-year student here at Browning Academy, it looks like," Rushford murmured. "Grades are looking good, class attendance fulfills expectations..." He set the paper down and clasped his hands in front of him, looking right at Lewis. "It seems that your job security is the part that you've been having trouble with. Why don't you fill me in on why that seems to be the case?"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis opened his mouth, but any words he might want to say seemed to scramble on contact with his brain. "My jobs..." he stammered, but he couldn't finish the sentence. What could he say? <i>I was just fine working in the janitor position until I found out that the artist whose exhibits I cleaned was a sadistic maniac who got away with trapping and displaying creatures from another dimension simply because they weren't human. </i>"Well, uh, it's been... tricky, you know, sir..."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Dean Rushford nodded. "The second year is always the hardest--just when you get the hang of classes, school policy throws you another curve by adding in a work shift you have to keep track of, a job you might not have any experience in, and I know it can be tough." His eyes dropped to the papers on his desk. "Now, from what I can see here, Daniel Gilroy had no issues with your work ethic. He confirmed that you always showed up on time, and wanted to do the best you could with whatever assignment he gave you."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Just hearing the adult saying good things about him was enough to quiet Lewis' nerves.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">The Dean continued. "The trouble, it seems, centers around the guest artist we allowed to open an exhibit at Moulton House. I received a letter from Mr. Krasimir Schlimme this morning, telling me that he'd found your skillset sub-par, he has accused you of stealing his artwork, of intentionally defacing some of his displays, and he seems to think that yesterday's debacle had something to do with you." He furrowed his brow in confusion. "Is there anything you'd care to explain to me? Who am I to believe? Mr. Gilroy, who says you're an admirable student and a trustworthy employee, or Mr. Schlimme, who seems to think you are a thief and a troublemaker? Don't worry; nothing you say here will be communicated in any way to Mr. Schlimme, or even Gilroy, for that matter. You can speak freely and in confidence, Lewis."<br /><i><br /></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><i>Actually I can't,</i> Lewis thought to himself miserably. Not one syllable of his true motives could ever be shared, or else the fate of these creatures would be sealed! "Well, sir... I--" Lewis swallowed hard and tried to come up with the right words to say how earnest he was. "I would say that every time I entered Moulton House and put on the uniform, I made it my goal to do my best work, every time."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">"And did you, at any point, end up bumping or breaking a display or two, no matter how slight or even accidental?"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis slumped his shoulders. "There were a few times," he began slowly. "Once, when a group of children came into the space during a birthday celebration, they broke a lot of displays and caused a lot of mess. Maybe he was referring to that. There was one other time when I was cleaning and Mr. Schlimme came up behind me and I accidentally knocked a display off the wall... but he was there, and he said not to worry about it."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Dean Rushford leaned back in his chair and tapped his chin. "And at any point, to the best of your knowledge, did you ever see any displays go missing?"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis gulped. How much did Schlimme really know about his attempts to rescue that first group of fairykind? "Well, um," he stammered, "The exhibit hall changed many times, and displays would be in new configurations, or whole new sets of exhibits replacing old ones, but I always assumed it was those Warehouse 31 techs that were responsible for taking the old things down and putting the new ones up. I never did anything like that, as the janitor."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">A glint flickered in Dean Rushford's eye. "Except the day Mr. Schlimme was preparing to add the giant sculpture, correct? He enlisted your assistance in transporting the displaced art--"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">"To storage, yes," Lewis supplied quickly. It occurred to him that in all of this he never really considered the cameras, the way they were watching him even if Krasimir or Adolf wasn't in the room. "But I never took the pieces out of the museum itself." <i>Because they weren't pieces, they were fairies! </i>His thoughts justified.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Dean Rushford nodded. "Yes, that does seem to coincide with what we saw on the security camera footage. Thank you for your honesty, Lewis." He clasped his hands on the desk in front of him. "Unfortunately, that brings us to Warehouse 31, and Stanley Finch's complaints. He said that you asked a lot of strange questions at the beginning, but that he never expected any issues--until the ride-along where everything went wrong. Stanley insists that he's never had a ride-along that resulted in such a fiasco, yet from everything you've told me, I can't help thinking that he's exaggerating when he tries to pin the blame on you. Again, I've reviewed the camera footage and it seems you weren't even in Exhibit Hall G when the displays collapsed. The foreman sent you to Hall B, didn't he?"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis felt his spirits lift. Really, not even the cameras had noticed his little detour with the Gyth! "He did," he nodded. "I was in there when I heard all the screaming and crashing and shouting." He wagged his head. "Was anyone able to figure out what happened?"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Rushford grinned. "The safety responders found evidence that some pipes running through the ceiling and the outer walls had burst, leaking water and particulate-laden air into the building and causing irreparable damage. It was nobody's fault, really. I just wanted to see what you had to say about it." The Dean nodded slowly as he allowed the news to sink in. "Anyway, that leaves you without a job to fulfill the student-work requirement for your grades, and I'm sorry to inform you, Lewis, that there aren't currently any job openings here on campus. It's after the start of the semester, as you know, so all openings have been filled, with the exception of the warehouse tech position you are of course vacating at this point."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis stiffened. His lack of employment would affect his grades? "What am I going to do, then?"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">A smile flickered around the Dean's mouth. "I said there were no openings <i>on campus</i>, but you're in luck! There's a carnival setting up nearby, one that Browning has worked with before, and the manager has said he's willing to employ Academy students while they're here. It's more of an evening shift, you'll need to take the bus to and from campus every time, and you might have to work a few extra days to make up the hours, but the school is willing to sponsor your bus ticket and waive any missing hours, so long as you can keep the job for the duration of the carnival." He stared at Lewis with his piercing gaze. "Can you manage that? No getting into trouble this time?"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Lewis nodded. Anything to keep his grades up! "I'll do my best to stay out of trouble, sir!"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Dean Rushford grinned and reached out to shake his hand. "Wonderful! The manager's name is Mr. Thaddeus Storm. You'll report to the carnival grounds on Friday, right after your classes for the day."<br />Lewis stood and nodded as he shook the Dean's hand. "Yes, sir. Thank you!"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">He exited the office in a much better mood than he'd been several minutes ago. Sure, it didn't sound like much of an arrangement, and leaving campus every day probably meant Lewis had a lot of late nights in his future--but his grades wouldn't suffer, and at least he'd have something to keep him busy while he figured out what to do next to help his Phantasmian friends.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><><><><><><><><><></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/07/serial-saturday-fairies-under-glass.html"><<<< Previous </a> Next >>>>>>></div></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-51805477465106285252022-07-02T14:50:00.001-07:002022-07-23T14:32:37.777-07:00Serial Saturday: "Fairies Under Glass" Part 18<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklwVMWl0sw7XT5Ed3mvSSjfR8LfLp_jbZkfA_OzVVQUbplKRGRVwA8UzuvbohTCYCg93qySLSFPeLkOD9NaiNNNOAr7cUdV9XMKpoP6SVfMpN0XPaC1QDPiudy1-Q-aqIvB4d6_Cjt0fkzrwMWh0_TpF2PN4A1V141KdbhnFSyNYRAb6oJJ0Yl5U/s780/Fairies%20Under%20Glass%20Mock%20Cover.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklwVMWl0sw7XT5Ed3mvSSjfR8LfLp_jbZkfA_OzVVQUbplKRGRVwA8UzuvbohTCYCg93qySLSFPeLkOD9NaiNNNOAr7cUdV9XMKpoP6SVfMpN0XPaC1QDPiudy1-Q-aqIvB4d6_Cjt0fkzrwMWh0_TpF2PN4A1V141KdbhnFSyNYRAb6oJJ0Yl5U/s320/Fairies%20Under%20Glass%20Mock%20Cover.png" width="220" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Part 18</u></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Things Go Sideways"</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />The truck shuddered to a stop, and the jump-suited workers disembarked.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"All right!" barked the man who'd invited Lewis along for the ride. He held a clipboard in his hand. "Let's get these crates out and unloaded in the correct exhibit halls. Half of it's going to Hall B, and the rest is going down into storage for Hall G."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Oh, hello! Can I help you?" stammered a familiar voice, one that made Lewis cringe and turn toward the wall. Mr. Gilroy!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The delivery handler gave the clipboard to the old curator. "Here's the manifest, sir. We've got some sculptures and paintings for display."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Hmm, yes," Gilroy skimmed the papers and nodded. "All right, everything seems to be in order. I'll just check things off as you unload."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The man nodded as the others loaded the crates onto flats and dollies. "You know more about where this stuff is going than I do."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Gilroy straightened the lapel of his jacket. "Yes I do--Oh! Young man?" He bustled over to two guys with a crate marked with Krasimir Schlimme's stamp. "Young man," said Gilroy, "this crate is going straight to storage. Take the short way around." He nodded toward a second entrance farther down the back wall of Moulton House.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lewis saw his chance. He couldn't be sure which crate from Krasimir's warehouse section he'd slipped the Gyth into, but he figured he had enough time to search through them once they were in storage. He flipped up his collar as high as it would go, and pulled his hat down to mostly conceal his face. Seizing the handle on a flat bearing a second crate of Krasimir's "stash", he followed his coworker down to the entrance Gilroy indicated.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Hey!" the handler barked. "New guy!"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lewis froze in his tracks and turned to face him. The man pointed to another crate. "Take this one over to Hall B and start unloading," he said.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Someone else stepped in to take the crate from him, and Lewis had no choice but to leave all that behind. He trundled the crate up the utility entrance and started going through the motions of blindly unloading the paintings meant for display, while museum staff set the frames in their predetermined spots.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After the crate was empty, Lewis found himself inside the museum with nothing immediately to do. As much as he felt the urge to stop by Hall G and revisit his friends, he suppressed it, instead heading over to the stairwell down to the storage area. He walked with intentionality, and yet kept his head bent to obscure as much of his face as possible. He arrived in that back room just in time to hear Gilroy becoming very worried.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Oh, dear, I wonder what this could mean..."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lewis squinted through the doorway, full of curiosity. Gilroy stood at the table with the delivery foreman. A crate stood open between them, and on the table amid other trinkets and "fairy sculptures", lay the immense Gyth!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Gilroy was examining the manifest very closely. "Hmm, no... I don't see anything about this on there. Where did you say you got this?"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The handler huffed. "I'm not saying anything! If it's in the crate, it had to have come from the warehouse, and if it's from the warehouse, it belongs to this Schlimme guy, so what's the big deal? He must have left it off the request when they entered the manifest to be filled."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Well," Gilroy hefted the large gem in his hand. "I suppose I'll just have to take it to him and ask what he intends to do with such a display. It's certainly nothing like anything else he has made!"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The curator headed for the door while Lewis was lost in thought, and there wasn't much time to think of an excuse for being down there before the door swung open and almost knocked him over.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Oh! Sorry, young man!" Gilroy gasped, as the collision knocked the glasses off his nose. The Gyth slipped from his grasp as the old man fumbled, and Lewis barely caught it.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"No harm done, sir," Lewis said, keeping his face pointed away from the curator's sight. "Shall I take this to Mr. Schlimme's office, myself?"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Eh?" Gilroy grunted, still fidgeting with his glasses and trying to get them on right. "Oh, of course; I'm a very busy man, and I don't much like to pry--but I suppose if you're working at the warehouse, then it would be your business if an item is left off the manifest!"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lewis pivoted and had his back to Gilroy by the time the old man had his glasses on straight. <i>Take it straight to Krasimir</i>, he thought to himself, <i>Yeah right!</i><br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Walking back into the hallway, he studied the Gyth back and front as he mulled over what to do with it. A fain set of grooves along the gold setting at the back caught his attention. The way they were shaped, they almost looked like--<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Links in a chain," Lewis muttered under his breath. Not just any links, though. He stopped in the hallway just outside Hall G and slid his backpack off his shoulder. Opening the small pocket at the very front, he pulled out the Chain. The links there had the same shape and pattern!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A faint fluttering sound overhead made him think of his fairy friends. He imagined actually being able to ask them about it, once they could converse in private. "Hmm, is this how they're supposed to go--"<br />While he mused, Lewis held the Chain in one hand and the Gyth in the other, and brought his hands closer. He felt the pull of attraction between the two metal surfaces, like a magnet, and as soon as he said the word, "together?" the two pieces connected with a satisfying snap.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The ground began to shake and rumble under his feet, and Lewis heard crashing and banging happening within Exhibit Hall G. He dropped the Phantasmagyth around his neck and slung his backpack over his shoulders as Warehouse 31 techs and museum staff came running.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lewis went straight for the doors of the exhibit hall, and when he flung them open, a scene of pure chaos erupted before him.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Fairies flew in all directions, while elves climbed up the walls and loosened displays from their shelves and frames. Glass panes shattered, and walls crashed as Lisa the giant stretched out her legs and boomed, "What's going on?"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lewis located Gathlen in the midst of all the confusion and made straight for the unicorn.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Lewis!" whinnied the former Guardian. "Have you come to release us all?"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A spinning cloud of fairies zoomed out of the room chiming "FREEDOM!!" and sounding like a drunken bell choir.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Help me!" Lewis gasped. "All I did was put the Phantasmagyth back together. What's going on?"<br />Gathlen danced around to avoid stomping on the elves underfoot. "You mean," he blustered, "you don't know?"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"What is that supposed to mean?" Lewis retorted. "If Krasimir Schlimme finds everybody out of their displays, he's going to--"<br /><i><br /></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>"What is the meaning of this?" </i>Thundered a savage voice, and Adolf charged into the exhibit hall, followed by a gang of burly, flat-faced thugs. The thugs all spread out with bags and began rounding up the fairies, while Adolf pointed straight at Lewis. "<i>You!" </i>he roared, and he lunged toward the young man.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The bodyguard never got the chance. As Lewis cringed and braced himself for the impact, a high screech split the air, and Lewis looked up in time to see a fearsome lion with claws outstretched, swooping down on massive eagle wings.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Oh snap!" Lewis yelped, turning and taking off across the exhibit hall floor. Another rumble knocked him off-balance, and a portion of the ceiling crumbled, jarred by Lisa's shoulder.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lewis kept running, dodging falling pieces of rubble and doing his best not to trip over the fairyfolk and random goblins and ogres rushing around the area.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Something struck his shin and knocked his feet out from under him. Lewis rolled onto his back just in time for the gryphon to sink its claws into his shoulders.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Augh!" Lewis groaned. "I'm a friend! I swear!"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The talons dug in deeper, and the gryphon began beating its wings. Lewis felt the ground drop away behind him, as the gryphon carried him higher and higher above the milling crowd.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"No!" He reached up and grabbed the talons, his entire body weight now dependent on the creature's grip. "Please, no!"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The gryphon hovered in the air, almost level with the ceiling. It leaned in close, opened its beak, and shrieked right in Lewis' face. Then, as his entire head rang with the deafening noise, it let go.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"AAAAAUUUGGGGHHH!!" Lewis screamed all the way down.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Halfway to the floor, his back connected with something soft, and he saw fingers curl over him.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Caught you," Lisa murmured, lowering him gently to the floor.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The fairies and goblins were already pouring out of the gaps in the wall of the museum, and the screams of the unsuspecting public were increasing with each passing moment. It was Lewis' worst nightmare, unfolding before his eyes.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Gathlen galloped up to him. "Lewis! You've got to get that thing out of here!" he dipped his nose to indicate the Phantasmagyth still hanging around the young man's neck. "Come with me!"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lewis moved automatically, swinging onto Gathlen's back as the unicorn charged through a gap in the wall. A net hissed over their heads, draping around Lisa and trapping her arms at her sides.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">There were already so many people gathered on the far side of the street with their phones and cameras out, taking pictures of the destroyed museum and the glittering clouds pouring from it, not to mention the gigantic dark-haired woman wriggling frantically against her bonds.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Gathlen kept running till he reached the quadrangle on the far side of Browning Academy campus. There was a small forest there, thick with trees and highly adequate for hiding.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"How do I fix this?" Lewis demanded desperately. "I'm pretty sure every single Phantasmian in the area just woke up, and the Underworlders have rounded up most of the fairykind--but there's the gryphon who got loose, and who knows what they're going to do to Lisa..."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Gathlen bucked his head. "Take the Gyth off the Chain!"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lewis lifted the gem, but the chain and the back of the Gyth seemed to have fused into one piece. "How, though?" he wailed. "It's stuck! I can't--"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A menacing roar cut off his words, and Lewis dodged just in time to avoid the dark shape that hurtled out of the bushes toward him. A wolf! But not just any wolf.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lewis saw the way the beast glared at him, the way it snarled and slunk toward him.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"<i>Adolf!" </i>Gathlen whispered.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Give... me... the... Phantasmagyth, boy!" Adolf's deep, hollow voice issued from the wolf's mouth.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Take it off!" Gathlen repeated from his hiding spot, as Adolf's confident steps closed the distance between him and Lewis.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"I'm telling you, I--" Lewis felt his fingers close around the edges of the gem, and in the same moment, the Chain fell away, and Adolf launched himself at the defenseless boy.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lewis caught the full weight of a man slumping against him, and there was little he could do as Adolf's human head connected with a tree behind him, knocking the bodyguard out cold. Lewis worked his way to his feet.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Gathlen," he whispered, "it worked!" He heard no answer, so he wandered toward the last place he'd seen the unicorn. "Gathlen?"<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Inside a thicket nearby, he found the unicorn, cold and stiff, with his hooves poised in the air, just the way he'd been paralyzed. Lewis felt a twinge of disappointment, but he backed away and left Adolf and Gathlen behind. Krasimir's agents would find him eventually.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">On his way back to the dorms, Lewis glanced toward the section of campus where Moulton House stood. The jagged edge of the ruined wall still jutted against the sky under the setting sun, and there were still plenty of people and emergency services personnel on the scene.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">His shoulders ached where the gryphon had clawed him, and Lewis' whole body felt like it was made of jelly.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Within moments, a cloud of glittering, shimmering lights surrounded him, as all the fairies freed from their displays who managed to escape the goblins now gathered around the one responsible for their freedom.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">"Thank you, noble human!" chimed a fairy. "We have been dispatched by our Queen to carry you back to your place of rest."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lewis couldn't even concentrate enough to respond, but he felt the tug of dozens of tiny hands on his clothes, and his feet no longer touched the ground. Instead, he floated, borne on a cloud of light, all the way to the dorms.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The fairies didn't use the door, but the window to his room slid open on their approach, and the fairies carefully slid the backpack off his back before they deposited him safely on his bed. Sleep finally claimed him, and Lewis spent the rest of the night dreaming of hopping goblins, clattering fairies, angry gryphons clawing at him, and vicious werewolves chasing him through an endless labyrinthine museum that continuously crumbled around him as he ran and ran.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><><><><><><><><><></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/06/serial-saturday-fairies-under-glass_18.html"><<<< Previous</a> <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/07/serial-saturday-fairies-under-glass_23.html">Next >>>>>></a></div></div></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-86464025321355972062022-06-28T21:41:00.003-07:002022-06-28T21:41:30.179-07:00Reader's Review: "Threats By Numbers" by Kimberly A. Rogers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51BRyjxLG7L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51BRyjxLG7L.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JGNPS6V">Amazon</a>:</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span class="a-text-bold" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-weight: 700 !important;">Everyone has a number but only a few can see them. I’m one of those few. And now it might get me killed.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />I’ve been in hiding all my life. Working as a secretary for a paranormal relocation and PR firm is quiet, simple, and above all filled with low numbers. But then I see a man who’s registering as a Ten — They aren’t supposed to exist. To make matters worse, he’s the firm’s new security specialist.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />One incident changes everything. In protecting the firm, I’ve been exposed and now far bigger threats are closing in on me. Hunters who won’t stop until they’ve brought me down. I don’t know who to trust.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />The most dangerous man I’ve ever met is offering protection. But trusting him might be the last thing I ever do.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;">Threats by Numbers is a fast-paced Supernatural Thriller with romance and humor set in an urban fantasy world</span></i></span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;">.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;">>>>>>>>>>>>>>></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>My Review:</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br /></b>Back in 2015, I encountered Kimberly Rogers for the first time, through her series the Therian Way, which was part urban fantasy, part alternate-universe (where humans, Elves, and Therians--shifters--coexisted in the modern world), and part clean romance, and all of a sudden I had an author and characters I could obsess over! I didn't realize how much I actually enjoyed a good shifter story, because till that point the only shifter novels I'd heard of were Omegaverse smut, or just <i>really dark trashy stuff</i>. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But this? This was beautiful, enthralling, and absolutely wholesome.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But that is all to say that I have come into the "Rogue Spotter Universe" knowing that Rogers is an author I trust to deliver excellent twists, a well-paced plot, great characters... and the fact that she's currently re-vamping the Therian Way series, so this is pretty much the only way I'll be able to enjoy anything close to those characters for the immediate future! (Boo...)<br />That being said, in the absence of Therians Baran and Raina.... Lauren and Mathias are a reasonable substitute. I wouldn't say "comparable", but "reasonable."<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Not going to lie, I really enjoyed it. First of all, it's set in the Seattle/Olympia area, which very familiar to me, living in the Pacific Northwest my whole life! Rogers nails the vibe of that place, even with her paranormal twists to it--I get definite <i>Grimm</i> or <i>Supernatural </i>feels in this one! Whereas this series seems more focused on Fae factions than actual shifters, Rogers still displays a strong grasp of folklore and masterful ability to create her own original brand of "superpowers", such as the eponymous Spotter, a parahuman with the ability to see a person's threat level, depicted as a number from 1 to 10 hovering over the person's head.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lauren, a Spotter, has been keeping her head down and staying low-profile for a few years as she's worked for a PR firm that deals with relocating monsters and paranormal entities that threaten the safety of normal people living around them. She's a simple secretary, completely comfortable in maintaining a bubble of low-risk people around her.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Mathias arrives as a security assessor dispatched to the firm to ensure that intimate company secrets are not threatened, no leaks are imminent, and that they can continue their job of cleaning up and quieting down rumors and encounters with paranormal beasties and other sorts, maintaining the safety and status quo of their clientele... but in Lauren's eyes, he's the most dangerous person there.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It's kind of obvious from the start where the whole story arc is headed, at least where Lauren and Mathias are concerned. Just your bog-standard enemies-to-lovers, will-they-won't-they, wholesome romance. It's the part of the plot that doesn't deal with the relationship drama that I found most intriguing, though, and that I think is where Rogers shines. It's a web of mystery carefully constructed and patiently doled out one scenario at a time, with moments you see coming, and twists you don't. And it seems the partnership between Lauren and Mathias has only just begun!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I would give <i>Threats By Numbers </i>a hearty <b>*****4.5 STARS*****</b> and include for good measure an <b>Upstream Writer Certified WHOLEHEARTEDLY RECOMMENDED</b>, if only because it comes from very much a trusted source! It's a bit mundane in its plot in many ways, but if you come for the romance, guaranteed you're going to stay for the intrigue, the world-building, the fantastic lore, and the amazingness still to come!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><u>Further Reading: (Also by the Author/Urban fantasy/Wholesome/Romance)</u></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Therian Way--Kimberly Rogers</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/11/readers-review-leopards-heart-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Leopard's Heart</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/07/readers-review-wolfs-path-by-kimberly.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Wolf's Path</a><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/04/readers-review-three-stellar-novellas.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Tiger's Shadow</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Verona: The Complete Mermaid Tales--Pauline Creeden</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-verona-complete-mermaid.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Scales</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/11/readers-review-salt-and-submerged-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Submerged</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2018/11/readers-review-salt-and-submerged-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -Salt </a><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-verona-complete-mermaid.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"> -Surfacing</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Fair Folk Chronicles--Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/08/readers-review-foul-is-fair-by-jeffery.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Foul is Fair</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/01/readers-review-street-fair-by-jeffrey.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Street Fair</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2016/10/readers-review-fair-fight-by-jeffrey.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-A Fair Fight </a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2017/12/readers-review-alls-fair-by-jeffrey.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">All's Fair </a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Alexander Legacy--Sophronia Belle Lyon</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2014/05/readers-review-dodge-twist-tobacconist.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">-A Dodge, A Twist, and A Tobacconist<b> </b></a><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2015/06/readers-review-pinocchio-factor.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Pinocchio Factor</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Bhinian Empire--Miriam Forster</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/02/readers-review-city-of-thousand-dolls.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">City of A Thousand Dolls</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/05/readers-review-empire-of-shadows-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-Empire of Shadows</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Wonderland Guardian Academy Series--Pauline Creeden</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> -</span><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/12/readers-review-red-wolf-tracker-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">Red The Wolf Tracker</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">The Time Tree Chronicles--Lisa Rae Morris</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"> </b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2019/11/readers-review-time-tree-emergence-by.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;">-The Emergence</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2020/06/readers-review-anamatus-by-derrick.html" style="background-color: white; color: #cb29d4; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Anamatus--Derrick Tribble</span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111;"><br /></span></i></div>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33964584164774038.post-15987358129072689622022-06-24T11:19:00.000-07:002022-06-24T11:19:15.225-07:00Upstream Updates: Mid-Year Check-In<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1d_Xrpy-ODdoIGqPJDKtyH0EOfZgE33XLRq0ajP61OIsgkHUV6s2nA8yqBNMFhCPV0VdAHX47aRe2gyYlounyp4mTalgMVe6hSVP5m_9RSHE3F5zB4ipb0VrfbL-aUhZiIttBUb3S0cIk_aaI3KSeh0u02n31vMQ4I3QpPVRnt33zMRGaA_ESk8/s960/Upstream%20Update%202022%20Mid-Year%20Updates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1d_Xrpy-ODdoIGqPJDKtyH0EOfZgE33XLRq0ajP61OIsgkHUV6s2nA8yqBNMFhCPV0VdAHX47aRe2gyYlounyp4mTalgMVe6hSVP5m_9RSHE3F5zB4ipb0VrfbL-aUhZiIttBUb3S0cIk_aaI3KSeh0u02n31vMQ4I3QpPVRnt33zMRGaA_ESk8/w400-h300/Upstream%20Update%202022%20Mid-Year%20Updates.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><h4 style="text-align: center;">Life Stuff</h4><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Cb4Vv6VUcAEKIgJ-1200x640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="800" height="107" src="https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Cb4Vv6VUcAEKIgJ-1200x640.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Well! "What with one thing or another..." Six MONTHS pass! Where has this year gone?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />I'll just say it, getting sicker than you've ever been <i>really </i>sucks the life out of you! It eats up your time and your strength... Almost like being hooked up to The Machine!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">2022 started with me and all the rest of my family coming down with Omicron in various stages. Mine started with intense fatigue and a sore throat in the <i>second week of Winter Break, </i>(so, right around Christmas/New Years) and by the time school started again, I was moving slow and short of breath, but at least the joint-buckling aches had gone away! I thought if I just walked slow everywhere, I could get by, but by the afternoon, my principal stopped me and sent me home to recuperate. Y'all, I spent the rest of the week doing everything I could to fight it: taking meds, resting, drinking tea (me, a non-tea-drinker, managed to develop a taste for Throat-Coat tea (with lots of mallow root and slippery elm), albeit with an inordinate amount of Starbucks Cinnamon Dulce creamer mixed into it! By the next week, I could breathe and I wasn't coughing much, so I returned to work victorious and hoped things would get back to normal.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The trouble was, being sick for so many weeks <i>really </i>slowed down my writing and reading habits... like, almost completely stopped any sort of motivation or momentum I had going. My plans to hit the year running with the second draft of <i>Fugitive of Crossway</i>? Pfft. I didn't feel like reading much, so it was taking a long time to finish ebooks and such.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Then, in March, I all but confirmed that I wasn't just "shedding because my hair was too long and it had been three years since my last good haircut"... I was actually <i>losing hair from all over my scalp. </i>Like, I could hardly run my fingers through my hair without pulling out a few hairs, even just shaking my hair, I could watch them float away down my arms. And when I got my hair wet? Yikes... Whole palm-fulls of hair. I went from having "fine, thick hair" to a scraggly mane of "barely enough hair for a ponytail" in about a month. I took to buying a bunch of wide cloth headbands and wearing them to hide my <i>seriously janky </i>hairline, as spots around my temples had thinned enough to see my scalp through the hairs that remained. It was an awful couple months of not seeing any improvement at all, and wondering how long I'd have to coddle my own scalp... It finally stopped actively falling out by the end of April, and by now, I can see small one-inch spikes of new hair growth poking up through the longer hairs, so that's encouraging, to say the least!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Suffice to say, I have not hit my monthly writing goal of 25K a month even <i>once </i>this year... At last count, I've only just barely cleared 60K, all told so far. It's dismal, but here's to a better and brighter second half!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><h4 style="text-align: center;">Writing</h4><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fugitive of Crossway</b></span><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WhmIqEYu448Ksm2elteu5_TN6dzro16gh1vrWInRtaXGFQfsBTOBjq0Pt_BQdRvj666ZgDRGCtlODUqsZiumzX3Kz2H4m1Kho9JOqw6ps_6xYCfYbp1piDFnZs-zL80QFzkbrPJFvuL5liU48i9SEPVVYfuJZ_x5eBNzYV-TKhrzMnJvO4TD-ME/s1222/Fugitive%20Of%20Crossway%20Cover%20For%20Facebook.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1222" data-original-width="904" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WhmIqEYu448Ksm2elteu5_TN6dzro16gh1vrWInRtaXGFQfsBTOBjq0Pt_BQdRvj666ZgDRGCtlODUqsZiumzX3Kz2H4m1Kho9JOqw6ps_6xYCfYbp1piDFnZs-zL80QFzkbrPJFvuL5liU48i9SEPVVYfuJZ_x5eBNzYV-TKhrzMnJvO4TD-ME/w148-h200/Fugitive%20Of%20Crossway%20Cover%20For%20Facebook.jpeg" width="148" /></a></div>As I mentioned before, spending the start of the new year sick as a dog really threw a spanner in the works of my writing habit, as even after I recovered, I didn't want to push myself too hard and risk undoing the progress I'd made... especially when things turned from "recovering from illness" to "but your hair is still falling out" for three months!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I'm just glad I was able to plunk out all my notes and get those finished up before things went sideways, because no matter how many days passed without any kind of motivation or energy to write, I knew I could always come back to it.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The toughest thing about second drafts, though, is figuring out what to keep, and what to add, and specifically how the small details need to change. I think the thing I'm running into with <i>Fugitive </i>is something I've expressed before, that this wasn't like <i>Princess of Undersea</i>, where it was a short story told in separate installments with certain details and transitions glossed over. It was much easier going back through the pieces I had for <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/story/238799571-poor-unfortunate-soul-an-ouat-fanfiction">the fanfiction</a> and adding and embellishing scenes to more fit a novel's storytelling style, than it is to now take what is essentially a novel and figure out how to cut things down to size so it doesn't feel like it's dragging or overblown!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">With that being said, I think I probably won't make a big deal about how long it is anymore. I can't compare Book 1 and Book 2, when both are essentially telling enough of their own respective stories as it is. Perhaps Books 3 and 4 will end up a similar length to Book 2, and it will look more like I planned it this way all along!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">At this point, I've only just finished Chapter 1, and the thing that I've changed is putting more things right after one another in the first scene. Rather than starting in the evening and overlapping into the next day, I just started in the morning and put everything into the same day, using the events themselves to pass the time, rather than telling a story like "and then Main Character went over here and did this", "and then Main Character went Over There and Did That." The difficulty came in trying to figure out how to work the secondary plot and make it more related to the first! One chief complaint from my "alpha reader" (my brother, who read the first few chapters of the first draft) is that Mellisande, my secondary Main Character is rather confusing and he has no idea why the two stories are connected, so at first it feels like gratuitous self-insertion. (Which, if I'm being honest, it kind of is... but I don't want that to be the whole summation of her character!) The thing is, her connection to Simon and the others isn't really revealed until like Chapter 7 or so, which means I am faced with the challenge of trying to make her <i>relevant </i>in the chapters building up to that. It took me about six different tries to come up with an opening that is as attention-grabbing as the very start of the book, but at long last, I figured it out, and was able to complete the chapter. So now it's on to Chapter 2, and beyond!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I'm <i>really </i>hoping I can get the rest of the draft done in these next couple months. I am desperate to have a second book on the market!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fairies Under Glass</b></span><br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrAXUaFCMg5-WDW6zS5MTLUHXIwWcdzZ8VGgvkrSZYJ9pRcpel3iN5RKxbelmkgFbhGmzjfKx-AbQNWGGhXF_JkAbcLhX-d4_a92cxmjakbpnbAL54pwpHKznc7m7Co22RCG24jOnSKd0Q-EP_PdIj0Lnv1pRZDOSD0F2l0vJg7h3rlA4cicYMzY/s780/Fairies%20Under%20Glass%20Mock%20Cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrAXUaFCMg5-WDW6zS5MTLUHXIwWcdzZ8VGgvkrSZYJ9pRcpel3iN5RKxbelmkgFbhGmzjfKx-AbQNWGGhXF_JkAbcLhX-d4_a92cxmjakbpnbAL54pwpHKznc7m7Co22RCG24jOnSKd0Q-EP_PdIj0Lnv1pRZDOSD0F2l0vJg7h3rlA4cicYMzY/w138-h200/Fairies%20Under%20Glass%20Mock%20Cover.png" width="138" /></a></div>So... This is the other project taking up space in my imagination. I started it when I finished the first draft of <i>Fugitive</i>, and it's plugging away quite satisfactorily!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">There have been quite a few changes from the very first time I wrote it. I went through a couple different choices with the name of my main character, just because I wanted it to fit more into the new style--so "Casey" became "Lewis", and the fairy character whose name had always been more of a placeholder "Sheerya", became "Ashwyn." The names that didn't change, however, are those of Krasimir Schlimme--the villain--and his bodyguard, Adolf. Those names are just so diabolical and fitting, nothing will ever induce me to change them.<br />I think the most interesting aspect about going back and rewriting a story I wrote <i>so </i>long ago is the fact that when I wrote it--I hadn't even graduated college yet! My concept for "Browning Academy" was definitely something I'd made up without any concept of how a formal education worked, I was just making things up based on what I'd read in books and such.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Now, having worked in public schools for almost ten years, I feel like I am more able to infuse the story with some of my real-world experience. Sure, Browning Academy is really an odd institution with its closed campus and requirement for students to register for "work experience", but it's not completely outlandish. I think it also gave me the leeway I needed to give Lewis friends around him that he's meeting up with, or they're interrupting his day to hang out with him, so it's not just him all by himself with the fantasy folk.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I've nearly gotten to the point in the story where things are <i>really </i>going to go sideways (I suppose it would be the climax? I am trying to decide whether there is an actual point where everything in the story culminates before the actual ending... but that just goes to show the kind of stories I used to write when I first started!) and I've almost completed my notes for how the rest of the story is going to be revised in this serial... but if you haven't started it yet, <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/02/serial-saturday-fairies-under-glass.html">now is as good a time as any</a>!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><h4 style="text-align: center;">Reading</h4><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_VEnxm91eIMY1HsX5ww8YAnBIXm96RapgIcPCbDtnFF1L8kZJnNbykqbGsAOEjY_B84Iny91cCIJYG5I1OKOn9vgbWjf4ZAYdQfmmzyljORVBSnN2UJh0xOB18OYc7pFev1DAFXwgQLQCTyru2LY961f7yvFaRbtSD9Bx25DXEpQTX3FDmjGhx4/s3356/2022%20READ%20Thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3356" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_VEnxm91eIMY1HsX5ww8YAnBIXm96RapgIcPCbDtnFF1L8kZJnNbykqbGsAOEjY_B84Iny91cCIJYG5I1OKOn9vgbWjf4ZAYdQfmmzyljORVBSnN2UJh0xOB18OYc7pFev1DAFXwgQLQCTyru2LY961f7yvFaRbtSD9Bx25DXEpQTX3FDmjGhx4/w180-h200/2022%20READ%20Thumbnail.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>Reading was the other activity to suffer due to my illness and prolonged stress of this year!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In January I finished two books. <i>Pendragon: Merchant of Death </i>by <b>D. J. MacHale</b>, I wanted to be impressed with it, I was ready for a chaotic, fun adventure... but reading it kind of left me with the impression that it aimed for a reading audience much younger than what I was expecting. I mean, I know I'm not the age range for Middle Grade or Young Adult--but really, I <i>have </i>found selections of very good writing in spite of the target age range, and this... wasn't it. The narration felt very Middle-Grade-ish, but some of the events and scenarios felt more advanced, like it was directed more at Young Adult readers because it would be too intense or too graphic for Middle-Grade readers! I don't know. It just wasn't my thing. The other book was a Reader's Review featured read: <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/02/readers-review-death-rites-by-e-copen.html"><i>Death Rites </i>by <b>E. A. Copen</b></a>, and you can find my review of that title at the hyperlinked text.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Then in February, I only managed to finish one book, <i>Archenemies </i>by <b>Marissa Meyer</b>. It's the second book in her Renegades trilogy, and I really love what she's done with the story and the characters! I don't mind the romantic subplots she puts into her stories because the story is still compelling when you disregard it!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">March, I believe I actually managed to get out to the library, so I had more new books to read, and more motivation to finish them! I read <i>Library of Souls </i>by <b>Ransom Riggs</b>, the next installment in the Miss Peregrine series, and I think a satisfying conclusion to this particular story arc (as I believe the next three books kind of put the characters on another arc, while this one had a lot of closure for the mysteries presented throughout). I really enjoyed how he developed the lore and concepts, and the way Riggs uses strange antique photos that would normally be discarded as "flawed" somehow, or just ended up poorly exposed, damaged, or just aged, and turns them into illustrations for the scenes he describes in his narrative is highly inventive and really lends a dose of realism to his urban fantasy world!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That was also the trip to the library when I discovered that <b>Anthony Horowitz </b>had written a sequel to <i>Magpie Murders, </i>called <i>Moonflower Murders</i>! It was a thick book, but I powered through it. I love the way he gives it all the feel of a classic Doyle or Christie whodunnit, even going so far as to include the fictional "novel" said to have contained clues to the mystery at hand in the actual book itself, so readers can go "direct to the source" themselves, and venture to solve the mystery along with the characters. Brilliant.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The two indie books I read in March were <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/03/readers-review-argentum-by-debbie.html"><i>Argentum </i>by </a><b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/03/readers-review-argentum-by-debbie.html">Debbie Manber Kupfer</a> </b>and <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/03/readers-review-promise-due-by-amy.html"><i>A Promise Due </i>by </a><b><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/03/readers-review-promise-due-by-amy.html">Amy Hopkins</a>. </b>The former book came as somewhat of a surprise because it had been <i>so long </i>since I read the first book in the series that I kind of forgot that the tone was less "middle-grade" and more "Young adult" so some of the scenes were a little more graphic and intense than I anticipated! The latter, however, was just as delightful and enthralling as I wanted it to be--but for more specific impressions, you can click on the hyperlinked titles to read my featured Reader's Reviews.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">April, I finished reading the library books with <i>One By One </i>by <b>Ruth Ware</b>, <i>Dragon Teeth </i>by <b>Michael Crichton</b>, and <i>Skyward </i>by <b>Brandon Sanderson. </b>I've decided that I like Ware's style, she can really write a mystery! I thought I was reading the signs and following the clues, but the red herrings really got me this time around! <i>Dragon Teeth</i> was a bit of a departure from Crichton's signature "science fiction" and more along the lines of <i>The Great Train Robbery </i>in that he crafted a story around espionage, survival, and the human aspect of things, rather than science, technology, and speculation. <i>Skyward </i>was "Branderson" at his best, crafting a "City-of-Ember-esque" world where the society that lives underground is told certain things about the possibility of life on the surface that are supposed to keep them from going above, keep them in their prescribed roles for the benefit of the ruling class... until one plucky youngster (a girl this time) gives into her dissatisfaction and sets off to discover the truth... Some excellent, unique concepts at play here that I can't wait to read more of!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I only read one indie title in the month of April, and that was <a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/05/readers-review-danarko-by-maxina.html"><i>Danarko </i>by <b>Maxina Storibrook</b></a><i><b>. </b></i>You can read my official review by clicking the hyperlinked text.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Then in May, I didn't get out to the library for any more books, so the only other titles I read were two anthologies for which I wrote Reader's Reviews: <i><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/05/readers-review-mythical-doorways-by.html">Mythical Doorways</a> </i>which was an anthology by the <b>Fellowship of Fantasy</b>, and <i><a href="https://upstreamwriter.blogspot.com/2022/06/readers-review-cracks-in-tapestry-by.html">Cracks in The Tapestry</a></i>, the anthology I participated in along with the <b>Tapestry Group. </b>Again, check out the hyperlinked titles for the full reviews.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As for what I'm currently reading, I'm about three quarters of the way through <i>Threats by Numbers </i>by <b>Kimberly A. Rogers. </b>This Rogue Spotter Universe series ties into her Therian Way series which I loved--and also, which is getting a reboot, an update, if you will. The main characters, Lauren and Mathias, don't really strike the same chords in me as my favorite Therians, Baran and Raina, but the mystery she's setting up in this book is plenty intriguing, so I can't even be mad about that! I've also got two books on my nightstand: <i>Warbreaker </i>by <b>Brandon Sanderson, </b>which is sending off some <i>very </i>different vibes from anything else of his that I've read, and <i>Supernova</i>, the last book in the Renegades trilogy by <b>Marissa Meyer. </b>I also stopped by the library recently and picked out six books, but there's no telling how many of them I'll finish by the end of summer! So... maybe see you in the next quarter? Or perhaps I'll update again in December!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />At any rate, whatever happens, you can be sure I will...</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Catch You Upstream!</i></b></div></div><p></p>Leslie Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204391431692229234noreply@blogger.com0