Heather Couch's "Reciprocal"

Title: First Draft

Reciprocal by Heather Couch

Reviewed by S. Davis

November 27, 2015

9:30 p.m.

Reciprocal by Heather Couch is a young adult novel about a high school student, Alicia, and the whirlwind she is thrown into when an alien race, Peregrinus, crash lands into her hometown. She falls in love with Stephen, a member of the Peregrinus, just when a war breaks out amongst the humans and the aliens. Reciprocal is a typical modern science-fiction novel set in an alternate universe that has become so popular within the last decade.

The idea for the novel is original and promising. However, the version of the novel I read was not worthy of anything but a first draft. There were multiple grammatical mistakes, words missing, and run-on sentences. The author also pulled definitions in the foreword of the novel from Wikipedia, which is extremely unprofessional. The novel was not yet ready to be published by any means.

There were also a lot of events happening within the novel that made it hard for the reader to distinguish what was happening, when, and to which characters. Too many overarching themes were crammed into one novel that made the content seem more cliché than clever. There was no linear plot that the reader could follow because the novel jumped around from one event, character, or timeframe without warning. The characters themselves were tremendously inconsistent as if they were not yet fully developed by Couch. The author also does a lot of “telling” rather than “showing;” she takes the time to explain every little detail rather than letting the actions of the characters explain itself.  

Once again, Couch has a really good start for a novel, but the action needs to be spread over multiple books so that the reader doesn’t feel rushed while reading. Couch also needs to go back and line-edit every sentence she wrote in the book and try publishing again.

This version of Reciprocal was a good first draft of the novel, but it definitely needs to be worked with more in order to be taken seriously.

I give Reciprocal 1 out of 5 stars.

Until next time,

S. Davis

Cassidy K. O'Connor's "Awakening Her Desires"

Title: An Irish-Folklore Twist on the Classic Coming-of-Age Story

Awakening Her Desires by Cassidy K. O’Connor

Reviewed by S. Davis

November 18, 2015

8:30 p.m.

Cassidy K. O’Connor’s Awakening Her Desires is everything one would want in a prequel. As one who is familiar with the other two books in the series, it was refreshing to hear Keara’s background story. The novella begins with Keara, a young feary who is about to embark on her coming-of-age ceremony, a ceremony that will determine the rest of her life. However, Keara is restless; she does not want the conventional life of marrying one man and raising a family with him for the rest of her life. Instead, she discovers fearies whose beliefs are the complete opposite of what she has been raised to trust and believe in.

The novella is told entirely from Keara’s point of view, which is invigorating and stimulating all at once. Keara’s young, naïve voice is completely different than what the other two novellas portray as Keara is coming into her own in this prequel. O’Connor does a nice job with combining Keara’s fledgling voice with that of old Irish folklore. The combination of the modern elements and the antiquated traditions of Keara’s clan make for a unique and believable coming-of-age tale.

While O’Connor’s novellas typically clip along at a quickened pace, Awakening Her Desires is no exception. While I wish at times that more scenes were drawn out so that Keara could be developed as a character more, this is not O’Connor’s style. However, O’Connor’s heightened way of telling a story works tremendously for the stories she tells. O’Connor’s detailed account of Keara’s experiences does not leave much to the imagination, but it is perfect for the story.

Awakening Her Desires combines enormously humorous moments with sad and romantic moments told through the lens of a young Keara, who followers of the Love Protector Series have come to love. The novella is full of surprising twists and turns that will keep the reader invested in the story from page one.

I gladly give Awakening Her Desires 4 out of 5 stars.    

Until next time,

S. Davis 

Lindsay Edmunds' "New Sun Rising"

Title: Another “Girl on Fire”

New Sun Rising: Ten Stories by Lindsay Edmunds

Reviewed by S. Davis

October 28, 2015

11:00 p.m.

New Sun Rising: Ten Stories by Lindsay Edmunds is not your typical dystopian novel. The novel follows Kedzie Greer, a sixteen-year-old girl who is sick of living in her hometown and leaves in search of adventure. Along the way, she sparks a movement that causes the people living in this futuristic, dystopian society, to finally think for themselves. However, each of the ten chapters is comprised of different voices telling Kedzie’s story.

The novel is set in a world run entirely by the Networld, which is basically the Internet on speed. People are governed by machines rather than people. However, Kedzie’s hometown of Stillwater is perceived as backward; namely, the inhabitants grow their own food rather than eating the processed food the government puts out, hold town meetings democracy-style, and appreciate things such as art, music, and beauty. For someone who has never read author Lindsay Edmunds’s previous novels, the concept of this future world was hard to grasp.

Edmunds does something unique in that she uses an extremely different voice in each of her chapters to tell Kedzie’s story, which is an interesting and brave thing to do. Edmunds is able to distinguish one character from the next simply by their voices, which is no easy feat. However, this took away from the meat of Kedzie’s story because the reader never really knows exactly what Kedzie was fighting for and arguing against. Rather, the reader receives how others perceive Kedzie and how they feel about her beliefs. In this area, the novel is lacking because readers thirst to know more about Kedzie as a character and the movement she was involved in.

The first half of the novel was slow compared to the last half, in which events happened rather quickly. And at the conclusion, the reader is left unsatisfied because it is clear that Edmunds has a sequel in mind. It will be interesting to see the next chapter in Kedzie’s life and how Edmunds presents her to the audience next time.

I give New Sun Rising: Ten Stories 4 out of 5 stars!

                                               

Until next time,

S. Davis 

Peter Bailey's "Walk in the Flesh"

Title: Nanobots Gone Wild

Walk in the Flesh by Peter Bailey

Reviewed by S. Davis

September 29, 2015

4:00 p.m.

Walk in the Flesh by Peter Bailey is a science-fiction/action thriller that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat throughout the duration of the novel. The book follows Neil, a troubled, ex-military man who has become the government’s secret weapon in order to carry out tasks that no individual could do. The very essence of Neil’s being has been “imprinted” into nanobots, which are then planted into the minds of different individuals to carry out specific tasks. However, once these tasks start to go awry, people on the outside of the government start to notice, including an Iranian pathologist named Ariana.

The novel centers on a futuristic World War III that begins with the bombing of London. The reader goes along with Neil as he carries out top-secret missions in various bodies, or “hosts,” in order to help his country win the war.

Bailey keeps the reader hooked right from page one and keeps the pages turning all the way until the end. One never knows what will happen next in the novel, as is proven by the ending which is left open for a possible sequel to the book. This read is not lacking in the action or graphic descriptions departments. Bailey offers the reader his specific visions of all of the gory details so that the reader can easily step into the story. Bailey also did not disappoint with medical and technical terminology throughout the novel, which pushes Walk in the Flesh into a higher intellectual category of science-fiction. It reminds the reader of old books and movies in which the impossible has become reality.

There were, however, many technical errors. The story itself was good, but it was shadowed by the mistakes.   

I would give Walk in the Flesh 3 ½ out of 5 stars.

Until next time,

S. Davis