the bookworm's spot

Sneak Preview: My First Novel

2012-05-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

As many of you know (or may have heard me talk about), I'm currently writing an urban fantasy novel for young adults. Writing this book has been such a wonderful experience for me; I've learned so much about my strengths and weaknesses as a writer, and I've grown in ways I never expected. My writing has truly evolved, and I've established my own, defined style throughout the process. I've always loved creating with words, but the journey with this particular story has truly led me to believe that I have a chance at making this dream a reality - whether it's with this book or any of the others that I plan to write after it. Please enjoy this small glimpse into the project that continues to mold me and shape me as an author. Thanks :)

Introduction

In the rear view mirror, I can see the fire in my eyes. It dances there, quietly contained for now by a ridiculously uncomfortable pair of tinted contact lenses, a honey brown that flares golden when the flames are at their worst. Here in the darkness, they seem to glow. I won’t be safe here much longer.

“This will be fine,” I say to the driver, a dirty, overweight Italian sporting a five o’clock shadow and a jacket that reeks of stale cigarettes. “Just let me out here.”

He starts to turn around and protest, but catches a glimpse of my face in the mirror before mumbling “All right” under his breath and steering the car to the curb. When he stops, I give him enough to cover both me and the person who might ride after me. He says nothing. I don’t expect him to argue.

A drizzling rain falls outside, and I tuck myself deeper inside my knee-length trench coat as I shut the door to the cab. The night is dark, the stars and moon hidden by a thick blanket of clouds that make the sky look like it’s about to cave in. My body shivers involuntarily, protesting the chill of the rain drops that touch my pale cheeks.

I assess my surroundings. Trash litters the narrow street, highlighted in certain areas by pools of yellow light illuminating from streetlamps. The buildings lining either side of the road are concrete and cold, devoid of color and life. Their windows are covered with rust-laden bars. A ragged, hungry man with white hair and missing teeth leers at me from his perch a few feet away, begging with a shriveled hand. Avoiding his eyes, I place a few small bills in his outstretched palm. He mutters a “bless you” and fades back into the shadows.

I begin to walk as goosebumps dance on my skin. I can feel the fire behind my eyes now, threatening to burn too bright for disguise. The place between my shoulder blades tingles, warning me of what I already know; I’ve waited too long this time. Cut it too close. I narrow my golden eyes and pick up my pace.

My cell phone vibrates in the pocket of my coat and, trembling, I pick it up and answer.

“Get home now,” Nuriel says in my ear, his velvet voice laced with anger. “I can feel you. Your time is almost out.”

I shudder, clenching my teeth and forcing the fire to remain at bay as I walk even faster. My heels hit the ground with loud, constant taps on the wet pavement.

“I’m trying,” I gasp out, trying to save my energy. “I’m injured.”

He sighs on the other side of the phone. “I know,” he says, his voice slightly less severe. “I can feel that, too. Just…get here.” I hit end as the phone line goes dead and slide the phone back into my pocket. I can sense him. I know how close I am to being safe and under his protection. I can see the building, only four blocks up the street.

It won’t be close enough. Not this time. The mark between my shoulders is burning me now, and I know that I am out of time. I search the concrete prisons around me, looking for a place to hide. Nearby, a street rat skitters into the street from underneath a heavy wooden door covered in white and black graffiti. Even the art here is cold.

I run, slamming hard into the door and screaming out in pain as it gives way into a dank, dark concrete hallway. The hallway leads to a large room, empty and abandoned. I close my eyes and lean against the cold wall, listening for any sign of life within this dull, broken structure. I hear nothing.

I am alone, hands shaking, shoulders burning, eyes beginning to blur. I pull my coat off. The puncture wound in my side is healing quickly, my blood seeping thick and dark to seal the opening. I know that the fire will heal the rest.

My eyes flash a bright white and I am blinded as the burning mark between my shoulders becomes a searing pain that brings me to my knees. My skin explodes, releasing the fire building up inside me. A fantastic pair of strong, transparent wings burst through my clothing, ripping it to shreds. They crawl with fire, a bright yellow blaze that transforms me, burning my human persona and exposing me for what I really am.

Fire dances across my flesh and heals me, making me whole again. I can feel my limbs loosening, the tilt of my eyes rising, the lengthening of my ears as they form to a point. My shoulder-length brunette human hair shifts colors to reveal wavy black strands that fall to my waist. My pale skin lightens almost to the point of translucency and my jaw muscles protest as my teeth strengthen and sharpen inside my mouth.

Slowly, the white glare in my eyes fades and my vision returns, rimmed with a fading red light leftover from the change. I watch my skin as the fire fades out everywhere except my wings, which tower above me, smoldering in the darkness.

Comments are welcome and appreciated. Until next time...happy reading!

Pandemonium (Lauren Oliver)

2012-03-21T06:44:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a love-hate relationship with a story? I've had that experience with several books in the past (The Host by Stephenie Meyer and The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold to name a couple), and, unfortunately, this book falls into that category for me. Pandemonium is the second book in the "Delirium" trilogy by Lauren Oliver. I was so blown away by the first book (as you can read in my previous blog post here) that I was both excited and worried about reading this one - excited to continue along in the heart-in-your-throat, gut-wrenching story that was presented in the first book, but worried that it would never measure up. Well, the tally is in...and here's how it looks.

Aesthetics
The cover art is beautiful, hands down. I would argue, though, whether or not it actually communicates anything about the plot of the story. The title is perfect for the overall tone of the book and carries over nicely from the ending of the first installment in this trilogy, reminding the reader with a simple word of all the emotions evoked by the Delirium experience.

Plot
Amazon's description of Lauren Oliver's Pandemonium:

"I’m pushing aside
the memory of my nightmare, pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana
and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame."

Sometimes, as readers, we want the story to go the way we expect. Some of us even feel a need for the story to go that way, as if during the course of the book we've formed relationships with the characters and want to see them prosper, triumph, achieve a form of happiness no matter how dire the situation...etc. Other times, however, I find myself wishing that I hadn't come up with the ending, or at least, in this case, the next path that the author would take. I wanted Oliver to wow me with this book, to take her characters to a level I'd never imagined, to blow my mind as she did in the first book. Hell, I would've been okay with the extreme disappointment that I felt after reading Mockingjay (the last in trilogy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins), just so that the experience would have been raw and new. I'm sorry to say that it didn't happen - no sorrow, no shock, not even disappointment. If I had to describe this book in one word, I would use predictable, and I'm so sad about that fact that I don't know if I'll read the third book. There's a large part of me that wishes that I'd stuck to the gut feeling that I should have stopped with book one. When I say I have a love-hate relationship with this book...you guessed it. It's (very unfortunately) the plot that I "hate." Don't get me wrong, though...I enjoyed the read. I think my expectations were extraordinarily high because the first book moved me so much. I'm hoping that this book suffers from "middle book" syndrome, and that the last installment will wrap things up for me in a way that makes me fall in love with the story all over again.

Overall Readability
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Oliver is a master of words. Despite the predictability of plot, I loved the writing. It's truly beautiful. I wish it was enough to save the story. However, the book is written in a series of "then" and "now" chapters, and I wish it had just been written as a sequential series of events. The flashbacks made the story seem choppy, and since the first book wasn't written this way, it serves to further break apart the two instead of allowing them to flow nicely together.

Recommendation
If you read Delirium and loved it, you're going to be very tempted to read this book. At the end of the day, I know I'll read the entire trilogy, if not for any other reason but that I simply have to finish, to allow the author to play out the story and to give her one last chance to wow me again like she did in book one. That being said, my recommendation on this one will be "give it a chance," because there is still great potential in the trilogy as a whole.

If you do decide to read, be sure to pick up Hana - A Delirium Story and read that first. This is a super short, easy read written from Hana's (the main character's best friend) perspective. I mentioned before that Oliver has not just created a story but an entire world, and this novella only serves to expand that world for the reader. I love when authors do this, and I think you'll find that it will enrich the reading experience of this trilogy as a whole if you take part in this "bridge" story, too.

Warm Bodies (Isaac Marion)

2012-03-08T06:06:00.002-08:00

I'll admit it: I hate horror movies. When I say I hate them, I really and truly mean that I hate them, so much so that I will literally walk out of a room if one is on TV, or opt out of a night with friends if watching one is on the itinerary. I don't find them entertaining, and I've always been that way. So, honestly, I find myself wondering why in the world I read the description to this book and thought to myself "Hmm. This actually sounds like it could be interesting. Why not? I'll give it a try." That being said, here are my thoughts...

Aesthetics
The cover and title for this book get two thumbs up from me. There's no question that this is a zombie novel. The Kindle version of this book, however, bothered me a bit - there are a lot of breaks in the book (it's written in three parts), and the blank pages between each break were a bit of a distraction from reading. I'll explain more below, but the story isn't broken up enough between the three parts to truly warrant an entire blank page between each one.

Plot
Amazon's description of Isaac Marion's Warm Bodies:

"R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between."

I spent a large portion of this book feeling extremely disgusted, to the point that I had to put the book down and do something else to get my mind off of it. Oddly enough, the prose is not overly descriptive; I'm just that kind of reader. There's something about a first person narrative that describes consuming a "pink" and "warm" brain that just makes me squeamish. For those of you who have stronger stomachs than I have, this might not bother you. For those of you who love zombie movies, this might intrigue you. And I will say that the story itself is interesting. I'll give it that much. But it's entirely unbelievable, and a little cliche. If you've seen a zombie movie (let's say 28 Days Later, which is actually the only "zombie" flick I've ever seen that I even somewhat liked), you've pretty much read this book; the only real difference between the two is that instead of spending most of your time with the still-living humans, you're experiencing everything through the mind of the Dead. Character-wise, though, you've got a Dead narrator who can't remember his past, which unfortunately (for me anyway) made it a little harder to truly connect with and care about, a damsel in distress who is not entirely weak (but also clearly has issues), and supporting characters who seem expendable at best. I know I'm being a little harsh here; however, all of this being said, the book gets a 4 1/2 star rating (out of a possible 5) on Amazon. It seems that I'm very clearly in the minority when it comes to my opinion on this story.

Overall Readability
This is Mr. Marion's first novel, and while I'm not wild about the subject matter, there are glimpses (however brief) of great potential in his work. If he strays from the zombie theme in his next book, I'd love to read another one of his stories. As mentioned above, the story is broken into three parts, and while these steps do progress in a way that makes sense (and honestly, I do like the titles of these pieces as they have potential to impact the story and aid the reader in a more substantial progression of plot), I just don't know that it works as well as it should. It is my opinion that, if a book is broken up into "parts," then each of those parts should stand on its own in some way; these parts don't ever wrap themselves up in a manner that feels as if you have closed one chapter and are starting another, with the exception of the odd placement of third person prose in the paragraphs directly following each break.

All in all, I have to wonder if I was so distracted by my disgust over the whole brain-eating thing that I just couldn't see past it to appreciate the story. I honestly don't know.

Recommendation
I wanted to like this book. I really, really did. I just...didn't. The story wasn't powerful enough to overcome my disgust, in the end. I was looking for something truly different, and I wanted this book to be it, for it to cure my hatred of the zombie "genre" forever. I think I may have expected too much.

Still, if you think you might like it (I know there are plenty of people who did!), here's the link - if you read it, let me know what you think.

Next up: YOU DECIDE! Is there a book you've been wanting to read but just haven't had the time? Let me tell you if it's worth it! E-mail me at thebookwormsspot@gmail.com and let me know what you want to see on my next entry!

Delirium (Lauren Oliver)

2012-01-25T15:18:00.000-08:00

After reading The Hunger Games, I was on the hunt for another dystopian story to dig into (glutton for punishment, I know!) when I came across Delirium. I was intrigued by the idea of the book, so I figured I'd give it a shot - and wow, I'm really glad I did.

Aesthetics
Hardback and Kindle covers for this book leave something to be desired; that being said, the paperback copy of this book will be released in February 2012, and the cover art for this version is beautiful. One of my favorite elements of this story is that Oliver is not just telling you a tale - she's creating an entire world for you. Each chapter begins with an excerpt from "educational textbooks" and "required readings" that the society has been built around (and, if you visit the author's website, you can learn even more about this literature). This really makes it feel that this society, while not necessarily real, is at least possible. For me, this added a new and interesting level to the reading experience.

Plot
Amazon's description of Lauren Oliver's Delirium:

"They say that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever. And I’ve always believed them. Until now. Now everything has changed. Now, I’d rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie"

This book is relatively long, in YA terms (it's a whopping 480 pages - and, unlike Twilight, NOT printed in super large font), and there's a lot going on. I, for one, devoured this novel the first go around, before I even knew that it was the first of a trilogy. The explanations and details of the everyday life of the characters draw a connection not only to the narrator but to her friends and family. Because of this, I found myself caring not only about the decisions made by the main character but by her supporting cast as well. The romance is sweet without being cheesy, and I loved watching the main character grow as she steadily learned the truth about her life.

I will say that I was slightly disappointed when I found out that this was the first of a trilogy and not a stand-alone novel. The story has so much power on its own that when I finished it I was just - in awe. Speechless - which, for me, says a lot (at least when it comes to books!). I truly hope that the other two books are just as wonderful as this one.

Overall Readability
Wow. WOW. Oliver was born to write. She weaves words together lyrically, as if writing a song that you could listen to over and over again. I love the metaphors and anecdotes that she includes within her prose. I felt like I could highlight the whole book with quotes that I loved.
That being said, I have recommended this book to a couple people who just couldn't get into it. The story starts somewhat slowly, and really stays relatively sluggish until the halfway point - some readers will find themselves wishing that they could fast forward past the details and get to the point. I, however, was sold by the first chapter.

Recommendation
This book ranks up there as one of my favorites. I've read this book twice (so far), and I loved it even more the second time. Even though I knew what was coming, the ending still knocked me off my feet and brought tears to my eyes. I hope that you all pick it up and give it a chance - and are as strongly affected as I was. What a journey!

Next up: Warm Bodies (Isaac Marion)
Remember, if you have any suggestions for me, e-mail me at thebookwormsspot@gmail.com!

The Scorpio Races (Maggie Stiefvater)

2012-01-18T09:12:00.000-08:00

Some people say that the first line of a book defines the entire story. This is one of those cases.

"It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die."

The book starts dark and tragic, and the story is no different. That being said, it is also one that gripped my heart. Here are my thoughts:

Aesthetics
The cover art for this book is beautiful, dark and mysterious, conveying the theme and overall feel of the story itself beautifully. The title is simple and functional, with no hidden meanings or metaphors.

Plot
Amazon's description of Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races:

"Some race to win. Others race to survive.

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.

Some riders live.
Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen."

Honestly, this book will not speak to everyone in the way it spoke to me. I happen to love horses. Even though the animals in this book are supernatural, the story spends a good deal of time discussing the relationships between humans and horses as well as the every day chores that are related to the care of the animals. People who are familiar with this may appreciate it, while others may not. The story itself is strong enough to surpass this aspect, however, and there are many levels of the plot to appreciate. Poverty, duty, strength, loss, love...all are prevalent in this book, and all are handled in different ways (particularly by the two main characters). This book isn't about circumstance; it's about doing what you must to change a situation, and the truth that "fate" rarely deals out easy hands. One of my favorite aspects about this story is that it blends fantasy with realistic fiction in a way that makes it easily accessible to readers. Lovers of Stiefvater's fae fiction and her Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy will gobble up the lore and fantasy elements of the water horses, while those new to fantasy won't feel too forwardly thrust into that world.

Overall Readability
Even though the first sentence is a doozie, the book itself moves rather slowly. I wouldn't qualify this as an "easy read," simply because of the pace. The story isn't just about the action, though there are certainly moments that will bring your heart to your throat. The book is beautifully written, the descriptions taking the reader straight to the setting and allowing them to experience life on the island as if they too lived there. Relationships are built with care, which in turn builds anticipation for how the characters are affected by the ultimate outcome of the story. Chapters alternate between the perspectives of the two main characters, which, while functional, doesn't truly add anything to the telling of the tale.

Recommendation
Do I recommend this one? Yes. Absolutely yes. It's a beautiful, dark tale that will move you in ways you don't expect. Get it now!

Next up: Delirium (Lauren Oliver)
Remember, if you have any suggestions for me, e-mail me at thebookwormsspot@gmail.com!

Hello, bookworms!

2012-01-17T07:52:00.000-08:00

Since I was a little girl, books have been my life (not my WHOLE life, of course - I have the best husband/family/friends/dog in the world!). Reading has always been something that makes me feel alive, keeps my creativity moving, and inspires me to put my own words to paper. The stories I've discovered over the years have truly made an impact on me. I've laughed, I've cried, I've mourned and rejoiced. There's nothing quite like a great story, and I'm constantly on the search for new pages to delve into and devour.

A few years ago, a friend told me something that broke my heart: "No one reads anymore." I was crushed, partly for selfish reasons (if that's the case, who will read my book when it's finished and out there?) but partly because I honestly thought it was sad. True, unfortunately. Our world was so overcome with video games and YouTube and iPhones that books were being left by the wayside, pushed aside to sit and collect dust on our shelves.

All was not lost, however. Ah, the birth of the eReader. The Kindle, the Nook, the various tablets with ability to download digital copies of books in mere seconds...the saviors of the written word. Call me a dork, but I am overjoyed at the renewed love for reading, sparked simply by a technology that makes all of those wonderful stories available at the touch of a button.

Still, there are those who don't have the time that I do to read (or the patience, as I've heard in the past). The purpose of this blog is two-fold: to introduce amazing stories to those who are already avid readers so that they may add to their collections and, hopefully, to recommend books that are wonderful enough to turn even the biggest skeptics into believers. Maybe even turn them into bookworms themselves.

I'll write reviews for books as fast as I can read them, and provide you with commentary on each one, regardless of whether I recommend them. Not everyone will agree with my opinion all the time, and our tastes are all different; the same reasons that I may dislike a story may be the very aspects that another person loves. I won't give away any spoilers, and I won't write the type of review that simply provides a synopsis of the story (I find so many of these on Amazon, and it bums me out). I strongly believe that a person needs to experience the STORY of a story on their own, without already knowing what to expect. Take Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, for example; for those of you who have read it (and if you haven't, do it - NOW), I really hope you were given the opportunity to experience the entire trilogy on your own, without anyone giving you their opinion of the actual story first. Too many times, I think stories lose their personal impact because the reader already has an expectation based on what they've been told by others. These are not those kinds of reviews.

I'll review based on the following measures:

Aesthetics - This is where I'll comment on cover art, title, and formatting (particularly for eReaders).

Plot - As I said before, I won't give you a synopsis of what the story is about. If anything, I'll provide you with the product description of the book as it would appear if you were to buy the book on your own. Here, I'll let you know how much I think the storyline works, as well as its originality and flow. Generally speaking, I'll tell you what I liked or didn't like about the story, without giving you specific details of the entire book in a few short paragraphs.

Overall Readability - Here, I'll discuss writing style, quality of editing, speed and ease of the story. Some books move rather slowly, others are fast-paced and over before you can blink. Some utilize beautiful descriptions where others are straight and to the point. Some are more difficult to read than others, depending on the way they are written.

I'll go ahead and wrap this up - I am notoriously long-winded when writing and I could quite literally go on all day, but I know you've got things to do and I won't keep you any longer. I'll be writing my first review on The Scorpio Races (Maggie Stiefvater), and it will be up in a couple of days. I hope you'll come back to read it!

If you have any suggestions for me, e-mail me at thebookwormsspot@gmail.com. I'm open and willing to read and review anything you're interested in reading or just think I would love!