Strike Out hits the ball waaaay out of the park! Don't get me wrong, I still love Maddie and Holden, but wow... Max and Cairo! Max has lost her love for baseball, but has no idea how to tell her father when all his hopes and dreams rest on her. That's a lot of pressure on a young woman. On her first day at school, she gets lost and finds herself in the music room. There is a red Stratocaster in the room, and she can't help but be drawn to it. Cairo, the resident rock star, finds this strange blonde girl near to his precious guitar, but he doesn't think that she is there to steal it. Instead, it comes about that he offers to teach her how to play guitar - and Max finds something, and someone, who brings her alive.
Now, there are parts to this book that I didn't like - for example, how Max keeps Cairo a secret. I didn't like it, but I completely understood it, and my heart broke for both of them. Like I said in the first paragraph, Max is under a lot of pressure from her father, and doesn't want to disappoint him. The thought of losing the music though, and having to play baseball forever, hurts her more than she can say. Jordan Ford did an amazing job of making this so real. My emotions were swinging like a pendulum as I read, just like Max and Cairo's were.
The first part of the book takes you over ground already covered in Maddie and Hayden's story, but from Max's perspective. You never feel like you are bored reading this, because something is always happening that you didn't know about before.
This book had no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The scenes changed smoothing, flowing from one to the next. The characters continue to engage the reader's interest, and you get updates on how things are going for characters you have met previously. No middle book slump for this series. Highly recommended by me, and I can't wait for Chloe's book.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Michael is a 14-year-old who gets bullied in school, and just so happens to have electrical powers? The tale seems familiar until the exciting addition of having these special abilities is introduced. One of my favourite superpowers or forms of magic is one that is based on the elements, so I was very curious to see how electricity would be represented here. It was fascinating to see how it could manifest itself differently and be used in a variety of situations.
The overall idea of this story was very intriguing, although I found the writing to be lacking at times. One of the biggest elements that drew me out of the story was the author's inability to choose a word other than <i>said</i> to describe when a person was speaking. It became frustrating to listen to the characters talk when the entire page just repeated, "he said... she said... then they said... he said again." By that point, I was pretty over the word said. It definitely detracted from the story, which I found enjoyable overall.
It was definitely very trope-y, but that's not necessarily a bad thing - it completely depends upon your reading preference. I personally enjoy some tropes but when they're overused you tend to connect with the characters less because they're no longer unique. The biggest one for me in this book was the characterization of our three leads and how one dimensional it made them. I don't want to spoil the story, but once you read the book you will understand my issues with the characterization. I would love to see more character development over the next few novels.
As there are six other books in the series, I expect that the character development and world building will be improved upon. It wasn't until the end of the book that I started to feel more of a connection to the characters and curiosity about the world. The author definitely writes for a younger audience; the writing style was not as developed or mature as I would expect for a young adult reader.
I would recommend it to middle-grade readers, as well as young adult/teen readers who enjoy their fantasy books in a familiar setting. Don't expect flowery writing or deep characterization, just let the story take you on a fun, easy journey.
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>
<i>The Paper Magician</i> is the first in a trilogy of fantasy books by Charlie N. Holmberg. Set in London in the early 1900s it explores the idea of magic in a unique and original way. The protagonist, Ceony Twill, is only nineteen and has recently graduated from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined. For the next few years of her life she is to be apprenticed to a magician who will teach her to use the magic of their chosen material. To Ceony’s disgust she is paired with Magician Emery Thane, a Folder. She is going to spend the rest her life bonded to an extremely boring object: paper.
Ceony and the reader soon discover that there is a particular art to folding paper correctly in order to produce something (e.g. a paper bird) that lives and breathes. But there is something peculiar about Mg. Thane and he ends up in a life and death situation that only Ceony can save him from.
The originality of the plot made this book fascinating to read. A large variety of magical abilities have been explored throughout novels over the years but until now I have not read one that focuses on the material paper. The author has taken something that exists in the known world – origami – and given it a whole new purpose.
Both Ceony and Mg. Thane are likable characters that have a variety of character traits that appeal to a range of different personalities. There were times when their behaviour and speech felt too contemporary for the historical setting resulting in the time period being completely irrelevant to the narrative. Despite this the general storyline was still exciting.
Fantasy novels naturally involve ideas a little beyond the average person’s comprehension, however the middle of <i>The Paper Magician</i> became so far fetched that it was a little confusing for a while.
Overall, <i>The Paper Magician</i> is a fast paced, easy to read book suitable for young adults and fans of fantasy and magic. The story continues in <i>The Glass Magician</i> and the third and finally book can be expected in 2015.
Sometimes love hurtsand sometimes it can heal in the most unexpected way. Camden Grayson loves her challenging career, but the rest of her life could use some improvement. Moving on is Cams mantra. But theres a difference, her two sisters insist, between one who moves on . . . and one who keeps moving. Cams full-throttle life skids to a stop when her father buys a remote island off the coast of Maine. Paul Grayson has a dream to breathe new life into the islanda dream that includes reuniting his estranged daughters. Certain Dad has lost his mind, the three sisters rush to the island. To Cams surprise, the slow pace of island life appeals to her, along with the localsand one in particular. Seth Walker, the scruffy island schoolteacher harbors more than a few surprises. With On a Summer Tide, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher begins a brand-new contemporary romance series that is sure to delight her fans and draw new ones.
My Thoughts: This is a wonderful story about how family roles and events mold a person and their life. Welcome to a story that brings a family back together again, where they begin to see each other for who they are and what their abilities or gifting is; how they learn to work together and learn to love one another again. It is also a story about learning to forgive, that people do grow as they live their life; that people do learn from their mistakes. It is a story about being honest with one another.
Suzanne Woods Fisher will does not disappoint in this novel. Once again she has spun a wonderful true to life tale. Living on a small island is quaint. I know, I come from a small island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay; Smith Island. This novel reminds me so much of where I come from, no police, a small school, etc. and a small population. The author has spun a tale that makes the reader want to come to visit this place and take home some of the distinctiveness it gives the residents and visitors.
Readers will enjoy this new series, I certainly look forward to more from Suzanne Woods Fisher!
Characters – Evelyn is the mother that is preparing to start her own internet business, she redecorates the random door they find and starts experiencing the events, she learns the truth and sets out to get help. Redd is the father that has moved here to start a new job hunt, he tries to help with the behavioural problems and joins Evelyn searching for the truth. Uriah is a pastor that has come to bless the house, he is turned to, to help deal with the hauntings knowing how to end the problems they are facing. Kane is the troublesome child that often finds himself getting into trouble at school, becoming the target of the sinister nature of the door.
Performances – When we look at the performances, we don’t have the strongest ones here, Jennifer Pierce Mathus and David Rees Snell do struggle to make us believe the situations and life they have lived with these characters, while CJ Jones is the standout performer in the film.
Story – The story here follows a family that are looking to start a new life in a small town only to find a door in the woods, inviting evil into their own home needing to get rid of it before it is too late. The start of this story is really good, with creepy elements of hauntings in the house, the problems start when the story tries to break out of following this trend and spends way too long with the final act that is more talking than anything thrilling, which is could have been. This is a story that could have become a lot deeper, but gets caught up in the middle of the two ideas and not using enough of the horror involved.
Thriller – The opening half of the film does offer plenty thrilling horror moments, only to spend more of the second half of the film trying to make up and discuss what has been happening.
Settings – The film uses the small town setting for everything to unfold, showing people can try to escape for a new life, but every small town has a secret.
Scene of the Movie – Background walking.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Would you really take that door home.
Final Thoughts – This is a film that has a lot of potential only to fall short in how everything unfolds.
I was in the process of getting another book entirely at the library when I noticed Mari Mancusi's Gamer Girl peeking out from its hiding place between two other books. Being the occasional gamer myself (though currently I'm being a little too scholarly to even focus on gaming), I could definitely relate to the title (not so much the synopsis).
There's much to love about Gamer Girl: the synopsis made the book sound like a very happy book something that I've been on the hunt for awhile. The cover is simplistic and gorgeous it definitely puts down the entire idea of the book with the drawing of the main character, Maddy, and the avatar she uses in a game (Fields of Fantasy) she gets for her birthday shortly after her parents divorce. The interior is just as gorgeous as the cover the chapter headings depict Maddy's main emotions she's feeling by the end of the chapter.
Mancusi's writing style and use of Maddy's voice is great as well Maddy is a very relatable character and she has an attitude that isn't annoying, making the book feel perfectly paced as Maddy gets to know SirLeo in Fields of Fantasy and falls in love with him. For awhile it probably feels as though Maddy will find out SirLeo is really an online predator.
Much as I really loved Gamer Girl and Mancusi's writing style, the book feels as though it's aimed more toward middle grade than a high schooler my age. The book is stereotypical with Maddy being bullied by the "Royal Court" as soon as she starts a new school and Maddy tries to escape from the troubles of her reality by entering the gaming world and playing Fields of Fantasy with an elfin character named Allora, someone she would rather be. It all leads to a very cute and adorable ending with the popular guy falling for the outcast very happy and light-hearted, and certainly not something you're likely to come across in real life, compared to the realistic drama of Margo Kelly's Who R U Really.
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Review originally posted at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-gamer-girl-by-mari-mancusi.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
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