Book Blitz: They Call Me Alexandra Gastone by T.A Maclagan

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Books can show us visions. Have you ever found your mind beginning to imagine the characters you meet within the pages? Have you experienced a film projector of scenes in your head as you read about the girl who travels to the fifth dimension, or the boy who’s trying to graduate from being a wallflower? When you read, your mind naturally creates images, almost like watching a movie.  Why not turn those images into a reality by making a movie poster?

Full Fathom Five and T.A. Maclagan are hosting a movie poster design contest to celebrate the release of T.A.’s debut, They Call Me Alexandra Gastone, a novel heralded by Booklist as “An intricate, debut spy thriller…” The contest will run from July 7th to August 15th.

One winner will receive a $100 gift card to the retailer of their choice, a book from FFF’s list of authors, and Alexandra Gastone swag! All participants will be featured on T.A. Maclagan’s blog and tumblr and the winner will be featured on the Full Fathom Five website! Artists may use any medium from crayon to photoshop.


They Call Me Alexandra Gastone
by T.A. Maclagan 
Release Date: 05/20/15
Full Fathom Five Digital
226 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
When your life is a lie, how do you know what’s real?

Alexandra Gastone has a simple plan: graduate high school, get into Princeton, work for the CIA, and serve her great nation.

She was told the plan back when her name was Milena Rokva, back before the real Alexandra and her family were killed in a car crash.

Milena was trained to be a sleeper agent by Perun, a clandestine organization from her true homeland of Olissa. There, Milena learned everything she needed to infiltrate the life of CIA analyst Albert Gastone, Alexandra’s grandfather, and the ranks of America’s top intelligence agency.

For seven years, “Alexandra” has been on standby and life’s been good. Grandpa Albert loves her, and her strategically chosen boyfriend, Grant, is amazing.

But things are about to change. Perun no longer needs her at the CIA in five years’ time. They need her active now.

Between her cover as a high school girl—juggling a homecoming dance, history reports, and an increasingly suspicious boyfriend—and her mission in this high-stakes spy game, the boundaries of her two lives are beginning to blur.

Will she stay true to the country she barely remembers, or has her loyalty shattered along with her identity?

Rarity From the Hollow by Robert Eggleton

audience


Target Audience:
Piers Anthony found that my novel was “…not for the prudish.” Kevin Patrick Mahoney, editor of the once noteworthy site, Authortrek, found that it was, “…not for the faint hearted or easily offended….”   An early voice in the 1st chapter speaks about things that no child should know. It is that of a traumatized child – a voice most of us never listen to, or want to hear, but in real life is screaming. This passage is mild in comparison to some of the stuff that kids have said during actual group therapy sessions that I facilitated over the years. By child developmental stage, it is similar to the infamous early adolescent insult in E.T: “penis breath.” It is tame in comparison to the content of the popular T.V. series, South Park , which was devoured by millions of teens.  

Except for a scene involving domestic violence in the 3rd chapter, this early dialogue is the only mildly graphic content. There are no graphic sex scenes in the novel. The renewed romance between the protagonist’s parents does include sexual reference. The android coming of age during his pursuit of humanity is reality based. However, Lacy Dawn never lets the android get farther than to kiss her on the cheek. The android expresses no interest in sex – he falls in love, all consuming love by the middle of the story. The “F word” is used once, but there is no other profanity.

Rarity from the Hollow is A Children’s Story for Adults.

Synopsis:
Lacy Dawn is a true daughter of Appalachia , and then some. She lives in a hollow with her worn-out mom, her Iraq War disabled dad, and her mutt Brownie, a dog who's very skilled at laying fiber optic cable. Lacy Dawn's android boyfriend, DotCom, has come to the hollow with a mission. His equipment includes infomercial videos of Earth's earliest proto-humans from millennia ago. DotCom has been sent by the Manager of the Mall on planet Shptiludrp: he must recruit Lacy Dawn to save the Universe in exchange for the designation of Earth as a planet which is eligible for continued existence within a universal economic structure that exploits underdeveloped planets for their mineral content. Lacy Dawn’s magic enables her to save the universe, Earth, and, most importantly, her own family.

Link for excerpt: http://www.wattpad.com/12596126-rarity-from-the-hollow-excerpt


1.
 The most enjoyable science fiction novel I have read in several years

Rarity from the Hollow by Robert Eggleton is the most enjoyable science fiction novel I have read in several years. Who could think of an intergalactic handbook for entrepreneurs? Who could turn a tree-hugger into a paranormal event of death-defying significance? Who could create characters so believable, so funny, so astonishingly human (and not)?
Robert Eggleton, that’s who.
I put this book on my IPhone, and it followed me everywhere for several days. Strangers smiled politely at my unexpected laughter in the men’s room toilet stall. They looked away as I emerged, waving the IPhone at them as if it might explain something significant.
Oddly, the novel explains a great deal that has become significant in our society. Rarity from the Hollow is satire at its best and highest level. It is a psychological thriller, true to traits of mankind (and other species). It is an animal rights dissertation (you will laugh when you understand why I write that). It celebrates the vilest insect on earth (make that Universe).
The characters created by Robert Eggleton will bug your brain long after you smoke, uh, read the final page. Thanks for the laughs, the serious thoughts, the absolute wonder of your mind, Mr. Eggleton. A truly magnificent job.

by Temple Emmet Williams Author, former Reader’s Digest  Editor
http://warriorpatient.com/blog/2015/05/18/58/

2.

A Universe On the Edge

RARITY FROM THE HOLLOW.  Robert Eggleton. Doghorn Publishing.  Published 2012. 

Lacy Dawn is a little girl who lives in a magical forest where all the trees love her and she has a space alien friend who adores her and wants to make her queen of the universe. What’s more, all the boys admire her for her beauty and brains. Mommy is very beautiful and Daddy is very smart, and Daddy’s boss loves them all.
Except.
Lacy Dawn, the eleven year old protagonist, perches precariously between the psychosis of childhood and the multiple neuroses of adolescence, buffeted by powerful gusts of budding sexuality and infused with a yearning to escape the grim and brutal life of a rural Appalachian existence. In this world, Daddy is a drunk with severe PTSD, and Mommy is an insecure wraith. The boss is a dodgy lecher, not above leering at the flat chest of an eleven-year-old girl.
Yes, all in one book.
Rarity From The Hollow is written in a simple declarative style that’s well- suited to the imaginary diary of a desperate but intelligent eleven-year-old – the story bumping joyfully between the extraordinary and the banal.
The central planet of the universe is a vast shopping mall, and Lacy Dawn must save her world from a menace that arrives in the form of a cockroach infestation. Look again and the space alien has made Daddy smart and happy – or at least an eleven year old girl’s notion of what a smart and happy man should be. He has also made Mommy beautiful, giving her false teeth and getting the food stamp lady off her back.
About the only thing in the book that is believable is the nature of the narrative voice, and it is utterly compelling. You find yourself convinced that “Hollow” was written as a diary-based autobiography by a young girl and the banal stems from the limits of her environment, the extraordinary from her megalomania. And that’s what gives Rarity From The Hollow a chilling, engaging verisimilitude that deftly feeds on both the utter absurdity of the characters’ motivations and on the progression of the plot.
Indeed, there are moments of utter darkness: In one sequence, Lacy Dawn remarks matter-of-factly that a classmate was whipped to death, and notes that the assailant, the girl’s father, had to change his underpants afterward because they were soiled with semen. Odd, and often chilling notes, abound.
As I was reading it, I remembered when I first read Vonnegut’s “Cat’s Cradle” at the age of 14. A veteran of Swift, Heller, and Frederick Brown, I understood absurdist humour in satire, but Vonnegut took that understanding and turned it on its ear.
In the spirit of Vonnegut, Eggleton (a psychotherapist focused on the adolescent patient) takes the genre and gives it another quarter turn. A lot of people hated Vonnegut, saying he didn’t know the rules of good writing. But that wasn’t true. Vonnegut knew the rules quite well, he just chose to ignore them, and that is what is happening in Eggleton’s novel, as well.
Not everyone will like Rarity From The Hollow. Nonetheless, it should not be ignored.

by Bryan Zepp Jamieson

 http://electricrev.net/2014/08/12/a-universe-on-the-edge/

Unfortunately, we were unable to read this book because we think that it isn't for us. BUT, we would really like to broadcast this to others because we think that for people who are into this genre, this book might actually be a book to remember, and some of the author proceeds goes to a charity for child abuse prevention program in his home state. This post is really important to us because we want to help out even in just a simple way like this. We hope you guys give this book a try, and if you do leave a review anywhere you can whether it's in your blog or Goodreads, Amazon, etc. However, if you think that this book is not right for you, or you simply don't have the time then you can also help out by just spreading the word, maybe a post like this or even just a tweet about it.

A little effort goes a long way.

Have a great day everyone! x

*This post is not sponsored in any way.

Book in Review: Love and Profanity by Nick Healy

2/5


Title: Love and Profanity
Editor: Nick Healy
Format: ARC
Hardcover: 232 pages
Expected Publication: March 1, 2015
Publisher: Switch Press
Rating: 2/5

 Summary: 

 Here are more than forty short, brilliant, and unforgettable true stories from writers famous and on-the-rise. Here is the intensity of daily life. Here are transformative moments arising from the mundane. Here are strange and surprising tales that tap into universal truths. Here are teenagers in full splendor and horror. Here they are, bursting with love and profanity.




Honestly, I love the title of this book, and I had high expectations.  But, the title was misleading since the stories weren't really about love and profanity. The short stories tackled teenage life and growing up. I also thought I could relate to it, but I didn't. I don't know if it's just me or it's really not that relatable.

 Most of the stories were beautifully written, but it felt like there were many aspects lacking. It's as if those stories were made up and not based on real experiences. Also, I wished that the authors' bio were already included in the uncorrected copy, so I could understand the stories more. Lastly, I found the divisions of the book off. The stories were divided into four sections- "Love and Profanity", "Love and Physics", "Love and Madness" and "Love and Apologies" Although, I felt that only the first few stories correspond to its section.

This book could have been better if the editing was tight, and it chose the right stories in the book.
There was like one story that could be removed, and there were some that are just anti-climactic and pointless.

I gave this book 2 stars because I felt that it has potential, but because of the not-so-great stories and the placement of the stories that failed to excited the readers, the entire book seemed to fall flat

If you love personal essays then this book is for you!

Have you read Love and Profanity? What did you think? Leave a comment!



Book in Review: My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

2015 books

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Title: My Heart and Other Black Holes
Author: Jasmine Warga
Publisher: Balzer + Bray 
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
Format: ARC Kindle Edition
Rating: 5/5

Summary via Goodreads
A stunning novel about the transformative power of love, perfect for fans of Jay Asher and Laurie Halse Anderson.

Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There's only one problem: she's not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel's convinced she's found her solution—Roman, a teenage boy who's haunted by a family tragedy, is looking for a partner. Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other's broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together.

THIS BOOK IS JUST BEAUTIFUL.

I LOVED the plot, the characters and basically everything! I have no regrets reading this book. I never expected that a book with a theme of suicide and depression could be this good and could be this full of hope. But My Heart and Other Black Holes completely denied my expectations. Aysel and Roman were really dedicated to help each other die, but truly one spark can change everything. 

Aysel's voice in this book is vivid yet messy at the same time. It's very easy for a reader to relate to her and situations in her life. Same goes with Roman, Aysel's suicide partner.

Among all of the things that I liked about this book, what really stood out to me was the message that the author wanted us to have. Suicide is not the answer to depression. Sometimes we are put into situations just like Aysel and Roman, and we feel like those could ruin our lives forever. We shouldn't keep on blaming ourselves for the wrong things we may have done. Instead, we should start forgiving ourselves and learn from those. If ever we are put into these situations, or depression triggers us, the best way is to talk to someone, and maybe find inspiration from them. 

I am hands down impressed with Jasmine Warga, and I can't wait to read more of her works in the future!


Quotes:
“Maybe we all have darkness inside of us and some of us are better at dealing with it than others.” 
“I once read in my physics book that the universe begs to be observed, that energy travels and transfers when people pay attention. Maybe that's what love really boils down to--having someone who cares enough to pay attention so that you're encouraged to travel and transfer, to make your potential energy spark into kinetic energy.” 
“You're like a grey sky. You're beautiful, even though you don't want to be.” 

Have you read My Heart and Other Black Holes? What do you think? Leave a comment! 

Top 10 of 2014: Best Book Boyfriends

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Top 10 of 2014 is hosted by Jamie of Two Chicks on Books, Mindy of Magical Urban FantasyReads, Nancy of Tales of a Ravenous Reader, and Rachel from Reading YA Rocks. It's a yearly event where bloggers participate and make lists about top 10 things in relation to books. 

 Today's topic is Best Book Boyfriends of 2014!

 1. Ben from Aspen by Rebekah Crane

 2. Trevor & Connor from Split Second by Kasie West

 3. Josh Wasserstein from Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins 

4. Peter from To All the Boys I've Loved Before Jenny Han

5. Zeke from The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

6.  Jason Brody from Whatever Life Throws at You by Julie Cross

7. Noel from Midnights by Rainbow Rowell in My True Love Gave to Me

 8.  Frank from Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

 9. Ridge from Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

 10.  Dante from Talon by Julie Kagawa

 Merry Christmas!! We hope you liked this post! Who are your book boyfriends this 2014? Leave a comment! :)

Feature Follow Friday: What We Read When We're Happy/Sad/Angry

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The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work?

The goal is to increase blog followers and make friends. First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools — keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them “hi” in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you! What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to WordPress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don’t have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed. All features are chosen randomly to be the feature. They are not chosen by content or name.
Do you have a go to genre when you're happy, sad, or angry?

So we don't really have any particular genre that we always go to when we're in a particular mood, but we can say that we have a go to genre. It's not only for a particular mood but for whenever we need something to read. The first genre that we check out if contemporary YA. For Beryl, maybe feel-good YA, since she doesn't really like being sad when she reads books. We don't really know the reason why it's like this, but we're so used to this genre and that may be the reason why. Although Kimi, sometimes, when she's feeling sad, she tends to read a book that is also quite sad. She kinda just wallows in her sadness. As for Audrey, she's usually feels more like reading happy books, whether she's happy, sad, or angry.




Interviewing Celine: Week 8

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Hi guys! It's already week 8 which means it's our eight featured blogger! 
Meet Celine, a fellow book blogger who also lives in the Philippines. Cool right? Get to know her by reading her answers from our questionnaire. :) 

1. Share your favorite joke or chat-up line.
Oh, this joke might be a little too dirty, so I won’t share. I’m so sorry BUT IT’S REALLY DIRTY. 

2. Most embarrassing moment?
Okay, so there’s this time I was like stalking this girl. We have 0 mutuals. I accidentally added her and I didn’t find out until she accepted me. Totally embarrassing. I don’t even want to think about it. The only good thing about it is that now I know I’m not fit to be a detective.

3. Zodiac sign?
Virgo!

4. Most daring thing you've ever done?
There was this time when I was a kid. My friend and I went in front of her crush’s house and we started yelling “*inserts my friend’s name here* likes you!!!” and “*inserts my name here* like you!”….. I’m never doing it again. This is a warning for you kids out there not to try it. Seriously. 

5. If you were about to be dropped in a pit of lava, what would you
choose as your last words?
I don’t want to die yet, so I’ll probably yell ‘Help me!’or something like that. 

6. Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Mr. Bean. He’s the best. 

7. When you were a kid, what was the thing that was understood by
everyone but misinterpreted by you? (Example: ______ used to wonder
why people said that there was 0% interest. She means why would anyone
buy it if it wasn't even the slightest bit interesting?)
When I was in grade school, my busmate asked me “If a rooster who is facing north lays an egg, where will the egg drop?”, I answered “South”. They all laughed at me, and I didn’t understand why. I was really proud of my answer but turns out roosters don’t lay eggs. So yep, shame on me.  

8. Who is your favorite blogger?
A lot. But all I can think of right now are Hazel from Stay Bookish (she takes amazing pictures! If you don’t know what contemporary book you should read next, then check out her blog!), Emily from The Book Geek, and Natasha from Natasha is a Book Junkie. 

9. Future plans?
As of now, my future plans involve me being a Psychologist and having lots of books. (Note: That’s not definite. I’m still debating what course will I take in college.)


10. Animal that you would own as a pet? (Birds, cats, dogs, fishes,
bunnies, and guinea pigs not allowed)
PANDA. OR PANDAS. They’re so fluffy!!! Well, at least I think they are. 

11. Do you believe ants are nutritious?
Yes! I ate one when I was a kid. :p

12. Star Wars or Star Trek?
Oh… I don’t watch Star Wars and Star Trek. (Don’t judge me!)

13. Favorite superhero?
I don’t really watch movies nor do I read comics, but my favourite superhero is Superman only because Henry Cavill portrays him. (Did you know? I haven’t watched the Avengers yet. -_-) 

14. Favorite super villain?
*SINGS DOOFENSHMIRTZ EVIL INCORPORATED* Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz from Phineas and Ferb! 

15. Name one thing you love about yourself?
The ability to cram things in just one day. Or night.

16. TBH…
TBH, anime > books. Sorry. But I just love anime. 

17. What is your favorite shirt/dress/pants/jacket/hoodie/any piece of
clothing? 
My favorite pair of jeans!!! Fun fact: It used to be skinny. I’m still not sure how it became baggy. PS: Ignore my feet. 



18. Word that best describes you?
Divergent. Haha! Kidding. Diverse, maybe? Because I have a lot of hobbies. I love to read books, to play online games, to watch anime, and to draw. 

19. Favorite app?
I have tons of favorite app but if I have to choose one, it would be VSCO. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, then do it now. You have to get that app. The filters are just frickin' amazing.

20. What food do you crave right now?
Strawberry yogurt!!


21. What's the thing you can't live without?
Ummmm, a lot. I can’t live without my books, my laptop, and my iTouch. 

22. What's your happy place?
Forgive me for this, but this is my happy place: 


DON’T YOU JUST SHIP US?

23. You just murdered someone. How would you dispose of their body?
(Examples: throw it in the ocean, bury it, dissolve it Breaking Bad
style) We're just curious, promise. :)
I’ll probably burn the body. Hehe I wouldn’t want to leave any evidences. 

24. Attach a selfie!
Not sure if this is a considered a selfie, but here it is!  

25. Links on where to find you?
You can also find me @ home sleeping. 

Follow follow follow and she will love your 5ever! <3 


Interviewing Deadly Darlings: Week 5

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Week five's featured blogger is Aimee a.k.a Deadly Darlings! You know the drill, we interview different bloggers and we feature them in our blog every week. 

Get to know Aimee, an awesome book blogger who's almost just the same age with me. Hahaha. 
1. Share you favorite joke or chat-up line. "When I see lovers' names carved in a tree, I don't think its cute. I just think it's crazy how many people bring knives on a date."

2. Most embarrassing moment? LOL. There are so many. Well, something book related... When I attended the Mafi/Riggs/Rossi signing, I carried 7 books on stage and dropped them! It was embarrassing since there were hundreds of people watching the signing.

3. Zodiac sign? Leo. :)

4. Most daring thing you've ever done? Tricked and messed with my teachers even if it wasn't April 1st, lol.

5. If you were about to be dropped in a pit of lava, what would you choose as your last words? I would bring my phone out, look for wi-fi and tweet something like "#dying #literally."

6. Who is your favorite cartoon character? Winnie the Pooh!

7. When you were a kid, what was the thing that was understood by everyone but misinterpreted by you? Why women have periods. Basically I thought my mom was dying when I saw a patch of blood on her shorts.

8. Who is your favorite blogger? Tough question. I don't have a favorite, since all bloggers have different styles, personalities and topics. It all depends, really.

9. Future plans? Get a job. Get rich. Buy all the books.

10. Animal that you would own as a pet? All the pets we've ever had always end up dead. (We've had 2 frogs, 1 hamster and a lot of fish.)

11. Do you believe ants are nutritious? Um, well. No?

12. Star Wars or Star Trek? I've never watched either, but I like Yoda and Darth Vader, so Star Wars, I guess.

13. Favorite superhero? Iron Man. Tony Stark has sass.

14. Favorite super villain? Poison Ivy or the Joker.

15. Name one thing you love about yourself? If we're being honest, my voice is one of the only things I love about myself. I love public speaking and the likes, so my voice is definitely something I love.

16. TBH... I like marshmallows. So if you see me, feed me.

17. What is you favorite shirt/dress/pants/jacket/hoodie/any piece of clothing? Although I've never worn one, I love this:

18. Word that best describes you? Bipolar.

19. Favorite app? Depends on the phone, haha! Maybe Twitter.

20. What food do you crave right now?

21. What's the thing you can't live without? Oxygen.

22. What's your happy place? Anywhere that isn't over 20 degrees Celsius. Or anywhere with air conditioning.

23. You just murdered someone. How would you dispose of their body? I'd hide it under someone's car.

24. Attach a selfie!


Follow follow and follow! Hope you enjoyed this week's featured blogger and stay tuned next week!!! 

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there! <3 

Book Tour: Forever Layla by Melissa Turner Lee

4.5/5


BOOK DESCRIPTION:
What if the woman you envied most is the person you are destined to become?

In 1994, high school senior David Foster was the lackey and soundboard geek for his best friend's grunge band. During spring break, the band lands a dream gig playing at a motel in Myrtle Beach, SC. David expected all the girls to ogle the guys on stage, but when a beautiful blond "Bond Girl" approaches him and calls him by name, he's shocked to find out she knows more about him than a stranger should.

She even knows about his notebooks and his visions of time travel.

What she thought was a quick time-travel-sightseeing trip takes a surprising turn when she meets the young adult version of the man she'd heard stories about as a child. His fairy-tale romance with the woman he'd loved, Layla, inspired her to accept nothing less than a love just as strong...but hopefully not as tragic. When she won't tell the younger version of him her name, he calls her Layla--and the world as she knows it changes forever.

BOOK REVIEW:
 Melissa has wrote a book so unique, that it would just keep you reading non-stop. I mean it. I highly recommend this book since it's a mixture of a lot of genres ( YA, Contemporary, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance and time-travel)  When I started reading Forever Layla, I already knew it was going to be amazing, and definitely worth reading. These first impressions of mine didn't turn me down. I loved how the book was well-written and how the plot had the perfect development. The thing that I love most about David and Layla was even though there relationship was moving too fast, you would feel their hearts telling them that they have a connection. A connection, so deep that they wouldn't and couldn't leave each other even though some people are against them. One of the things I realized too was that the story seems to be predictable, but it's totally different from what you would think will happen next. This is the first time I have read any of Melissa Turner Lee's books, and I now know who my next favorite author would be. I would say that all the beautiful adjectives there are, aren't even enough to describe how brilliant this book is. 

Rating 4.5/5

BOOK PLAYLIST:
 1. Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana
2. Man In the Box- Alice in Chains
3. Heart Shaped Box- Nirvana
4. You & I - One Direction
5. Come as You Are- Nirvana


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melissa Turner Lee holds a BA in Communications with a concentration in Journalism from the University of South Carolina. She has studied fiction writing since 2008, attending various writing conferences and workshops, along with guidance from professional writing coaches. She resides in Spartanburg, SC with her husband and 3 sons.
Twitter: @MelissaTLee1975

Book in Review: Hexed by Michelle Krys

2 stars
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Title: Hexed
Author: Michelle Krys
Hardcover: 384 pages
Format: ARC
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: June 10, 2014 
Rating: 2/5

Witchcraft is one of the many paranormal elements that I've always been curious about, especially because it is a folklore that is rarely explored in popular culture aside from the famous Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I was very glad to pick up Hexed because i haven't read as much witch books compared to any other obscure paranormal book ranging from unicorns, zombies, vampires, werewolves etc. 

Generally, Hexed follows the normal paranormal/supernatural genre formula: girl is normal then one day when she comes of age she becomes supernatural and becomes exposed to a whole new world. While we see her learn to use such supernatural ability, good and bad forces collide and she has to save the world because of a prophecy or because of any other responsibility that was thrust upon her by external factors. Along the way, she meets a hot guy who is also paranormal, may be a bad guy, or add some other twist here. He ends up to be actually good and they save the world and wait for their next adventure in book 2!

Hexed sure was an interesting read and I was never bored reading it, but I felt like it is a bit too laughable even in parts that are supposedly serious.

I really wanted to like this book. I really did.

Instead, I'll just slam my face to the wall.

Following the formula for writing a supernatural book is okay, but Hexed adds NOTHING to what we already have in witch lit. The plot is not at all unique and the characters aren't even extraordinary. What I can say though is that they are realistic. Realistic if most teenagers today are complete assholes and whiney douchelords who only care about their problems. I tried really hard to like Indie, but I guess she's just not likeable. At first, I liked the fact that she is a popular girl who is concerned about her clothes and looks and that she's not a loner emo girl who's trying to find her place in this world like most other protagonists. However, her development as a character is slow if nonexistent. So she finally breaks up with her asshole boyfriend and ends her 9 year friendship with what's her name. Her mom dies. It was nice to see her cutting off all the toxic people out of her life and doing something for herself, but throughout the book that is ALL she does - doing things for her own benefit. Everything she does is for her own personal gain, and even befriending Paige is a selfish act on her part and I hated how everything that happens she makes it all about her and what she wants. In the end, she doesn't become any smarter or a better person.

Bishop is also one of the worst love interests ever because he is a sexist pig who keeps objectifying Indie and making disgusting misogynistic statements. I was disgusted with his naked Betty Boop tattoo and all his sexual innuendo and it's not because I'm a prude, but because I really can't stand jerks who "get the girl" in the end when he doesn't deserve anything at all. The part when they are stuck in the sewers and he practically drools over Indies half naked body and he gives her clothes which Indie describes as "short and skanky" and is actually amused with himself is just the most disgusting thing ever. He also starts out as this stalkerish kid who follows Indie around, and all the backhanded comments he gives her, like remarking about cheerleaders have a brain after all, laughing at how Indie butt shaked during the game,  are just annoying and makes him irredeemable as a love interest.

I also found the world building incredibly lacking. I was very interested about the magic part and the battle between the witches and sorcerers. But they didn't even address what they are fighting about in the first place- all we know is that there was a war and that there are these cartoon villains out to get the witches. What baffled me even more about the book is how little the magic there actually is. I really wanted to see more of her training as a witch but there is next to zero magic involved in it (there's more kissing between her and Bishop) and the magic they possess is actually laughable and not just believable. I mean magic is not realistic at one bit but there must be laws, like how could you conjure creatures out of nothing? I just couldn't seem to understand the folklore of their magic.

Hexed could've easily been one of the best paranormal books I've read in a while, but the treatment of the story is not at all executed properly. 

Honestly? It is by far one of the biggest disappointments this year and it just read to me like bad fanfiction.




Random Saturdays: Kimi's Best Book Boyfriends

anna and the french kiss

This Saturday I am going to talk about my favorite book boyfriends in YA! :) I don't normally talk about this subject because I'm not really the kind who reads for the guys in the books - they're just usually a plus point! But for this Saturday, I'll be enumerating the guys who make YA a lot better.

Etienne (Anna and the French Kiss)
Swoon! I've always loved French boys and Etienne is my absolute favorite because of his charm.

Ben (Aspen)
This guy is popular hot and everyone loves him. But he is just a natural good guy; he's the kind of guy who's gonna lie down with you on the street, and I love him because of that.

Levi (Fangirl)
A guy who's willing to listen to you read your fanfiction? Hello? What more could I ask for?

Ron (Harry Potter series)
Weasley is our king, alright! I've always admired Ron for being loyal, brave, outspoken, funny, brilliant and just being a good person! 

Peeta (The Hunger Games trilogy)
I just can't get enough of this guy. He's gentle, kind and beautiful. He has one of the biggest hearts and his views in life are just admirable. He always stands up for what is right and he will never leave you.

Sam Henry (Catching Jordan)
Oh, Sam Henry. A good best friend but an even better boyfriend. He doesn't look down on women and you can just be yourself around him.

Who are your favorite book boyfriends? Tell us below! :)

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2015 Reading Challenge

2015 Reading Challenge
Kimi has read 3 books toward her goal of 100 books.
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