tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14025538516732211142024-03-04T22:19:06.889-08:00The Literary ConnoisseurRebecca's online book review: A place for escapisms, criticisms, and guilty pleasures.The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.comBlogger310125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-6805116950336500702023-10-18T16:35:00.000-07:002023-10-18T16:35:34.421-07:00Father of the Future by Darren Dash<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYk4fb58RLnDccCdvNxFEpTuGIkGinQ8ejntth_ZVkiZ7xAPo6-LWLAXb1HpgTV2yFQlnwt2zF6F-ZiPTQWpiVeFPUzvdR_mxwutBWHGowDfcFlI7gEri1VFRV6xNX0Bei_mVFVga80J1zVXbropnPpxv8KCg4qYUSi5j8RaSYsA-9BJbOfbaGJn0RsFGx/w266-h400/71z06H7yAAL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="266" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b>“Father
knows best.”</b></span></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></i></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Eight hundred
and thirty years into the future is where our story begins; a point in time
where humanity has reached peak perfection. War is a non-entity, poverty is
non-existent. There is no hunger, no disease, no crime, no pain, and a human’s
basic needs are always met with the help of Father, a supercomputer solely
responsible for the upkeep of <a name="_Int_FTeZ4NUJ">the human race</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Cassique, a
Fixer and resident of this optimal Earth, is our protagonist. It is his duty as
a Fixer to travel back in time and help correct mistakes made in the past
before the inevitable collapse of the Time Hole, an event predicted by Father
to cause mass destruction. With his frequent journeys to set points in history,
Cassique can’t help but start to notice stark differences between his own
world, and that of the past. A contact-free life begins to feel sterile,
programming masquerades as progress, and all that appears ideal may instead be
taking from humans the one thing that is crucial to our existence...our
humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">As doubt
slowly creeps its way into Cassique’s mind, it brings along with it further
questioning and fear of the consequences for those who dare to challenge
Father.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Intrigue and
suspense sandwich this delicious post-apocalyptic, science fiction slow burner
in classic Darren Dash fashion. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Father-Future-Darren-Dash-ebook/dp/B0CD2Q74DY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2MHT646W2YPB4&keywords=father+of+the+future+by+darren+dash&qid=1697671479&sprefix=father+of+the+future+by+darren+dash%2Caps%2C155&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Father of the Future</a></i> promises to sink
its hook into readers on the very first page, and will refuse to let go until
it’s finished shocking, thrilling, and chilling. Darren Dash has a particular
talent for jotting down stories that will often occupy a reader’s mind when
their eyes are no longer glued to the page, and <i>Father of the Future</i> is
no exception. In fact, I myself cannot name a novel of his that has occupied
more of my headspace than this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">In a future
where everything from reproduction to intimacy, entertainment to cleanliness is
controlled, will we still be able to recognize the concept of free will? Will
we still recognize ourselves as human? At what point will we realize that
apathy can be a side-effect of ease and convenience?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">With
enthralling jumps into the past, a dystopian setting, a tortured hero, and a
race against time, <i>Father of the Future</i> practically begs to be adapted
to the big screen. And though Darren Dash’s latest nail-biter will hardly cost
you a weekend to absorb, I can personally guarantee that this story will stick
with you for a very long time...<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">...perhaps
even through the collapse of the Time Hole.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div><p><br /></p>The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-91097759280770626332022-07-10T22:19:00.002-07:002022-07-10T22:29:08.926-07:00Archibald Lox and the Legion of the Lost by Darren Shan <p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIaXTQIbnwpBYScD3B9KqO5nNACOG6srHStBTwu-l5eONhw1Iq4FNKlfb9aZJ3T0r-o9M_1aS_UY0LKYNdXxaAhR-mzr1yUah-1nEfjLauelOn4fSaUUd57BiiLD3CWlYKXuFUE2MTygXFlrgMr5KQurbyisXamiq2OBCKCPLw1GRK2u_IlDe2VM8Kw/s500/51aLQSg1lVL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIaXTQIbnwpBYScD3B9KqO5nNACOG6srHStBTwu-l5eONhw1Iq4FNKlfb9aZJ3T0r-o9M_1aS_UY0LKYNdXxaAhR-mzr1yUah-1nEfjLauelOn4fSaUUd57BiiLD3CWlYKXuFUE2MTygXFlrgMr5KQurbyisXamiq2OBCKCPLw1GRK2u_IlDe2VM8Kw/w250-h400/51aLQSg1lVL.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b><i>"I look deep into those eyes--those warm, wise, friendly eyes, which won me over the first day I set foot in the Merge--and can't say no. She's guarded and instructed me to the best of her abilities while I've been here. Inez is the closest friend I've ever had, and I know she wouldn't ask this of me if there was any other choice.</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b><i>'It's been a ride, hasn't it?' I smile.</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b><i>'There'll be other rides in spheres beyond this one,' she says."</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: georgia;"> Everything from the moment Archie stumbled across the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Archibald-Lox-Bridge-Between-Worlds-ebook/dp/B086LKBHD6/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=archibald+lox+and+the+bridge+between+worlds&qid=1657514994&sprefix=archibald+lox+and+the+bridge+%2Caps%2C865&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Bridge Between Worlds</a> has led to this point. Every lock he's picked, every friend he's made, every set of walls that have closed in on him--from kidnapped princes to rescued princesses, from mad kings to devious empresses--has led us to this: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Archibald-Lox-Legion-Lost-book-ebook/dp/B09ZLJQZJ1/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2G5ZHVGJH1VZ9&keywords=archibald+lox+and+the+legion+of+the+lost&qid=1657514253&sprefix=archibald+lox+and+the+legion+of+the+los%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Archibald Lox and the Legion of the Lost</a>, the ninth and final story in the Archibald Lox series.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I do not say this lightly... This is one <i>epic</i> book.<i> </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i> </i>From the moment we pick up from book 8, the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Archibald-Lox-Pick-Loxes-book-ebook/dp/B09ZLG4TPS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38JO5HRGGNZVU&keywords=archibald+lox+and+the+pick+of+loxes&qid=1657515067&sprefix=archibald+lox+and+the+pick+of+loxes%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Pick of Loxes</a>, to the moment I tearfully tapped my phone to access the last page, I was enthralled. Utterly and completely enthralled. I was surrendering work, television, socializing time, <i>and </i>other books to just read one...more...page. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The brilliance of this conclusion I have no doubt, stems from the attachment Darren Shan has built between his readers and his characters. Like a speeding car desperately slamming on the brakes, I realized too late that there was no stopping. The acceptance that this book was going to end before I was ready was inevitable. I tried to slow down my pace, to savor the story before its end, but I couldn't stop clicking to get to the next page. I was tearing holes in my bottom lip from tension, fretting over just what Darren Shan had in store for these characters I'd grown to consider family. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Oh, this book. This book is a masterpiece with a "coming of age, fantasy novel" label. If installments 1-6 are the thrilling anticipation of climbing the long climb up a rollercoaster, 7 & 8 are the twisty, turning (or "Tourney"), speeding, whips and tosses up and down, left and right, and book 9 is the out-of-breath, euphoric, dizzying reminder of why you got on in the first place. Archibald Lox and the Legion of the Lost, in fact, Volume 3 as a whole, is the very epitome of the phrase, "saving the best for last." </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Darren Shan has, once again, done what he does best; deliver an epic ending to an epic book series.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Through his words, I was transported into Archie and Inez's shoes, facing the same dangers they were facing. Finding myself in predicaments that only miracles of the Merge can solve. And when his readers reach that all-too-familiar, classically Shan, "aha" climax of the series... Well. Let's just hope they handle it better than me. Darren Shan is notorious for messing with my head and permanently scarring my emotions in the best way possible, and thanks to the Legion of the Lost, the saga of Archibald Lox is no exception. I have a pile of drying, snotty tissues that can attest to this.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I hope you, whoever's reading this, will take a chance on Archie and his venture into the Merge. I am so grateful I did, and I am even more grateful to Darren Shan for providing this humble reviewer the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a peek through the boreholes before the rest of the world. Archie's story is one that will forever hold a special place in my heart, and hold permanent residence in my head. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I won't say goodbye to my fictional friends, because that's not what's done in the Merge. So, here's to this sphere, and, to paraphrase our favorite camel, to the <i>"rides in the spheres beyond this one</i>."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-43504852427292673392022-06-14T18:26:00.001-07:002022-06-21T13:50:32.132-07:00Archibald Lox and the Pick of Loxes by Darren Shan<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghITVjH-a9OrP3s13SylXIyWsFg0uxTNuMHXERNOVkyjaGysHuVlWC13RMCG2dYA8-o1sx3l61O_V-g6R1m5KYognuCgPNk6z9IY_C0fRuuMNawTooA7FHOjaYJkUptdM4h2s2ktuUFT6yndKbObWP0nVwwJOP6xTuoNPTXrqypDImoY4tG4tfY-FZCg/s2048/288759317_625238445638680_7459768731919714767_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghITVjH-a9OrP3s13SylXIyWsFg0uxTNuMHXERNOVkyjaGysHuVlWC13RMCG2dYA8-o1sx3l61O_V-g6R1m5KYognuCgPNk6z9IY_C0fRuuMNawTooA7FHOjaYJkUptdM4h2s2ktuUFT6yndKbObWP0nVwwJOP6xTuoNPTXrqypDImoY4tG4tfY-FZCg/w250-h400/288759317_625238445638680_7459768731919714767_n.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b><i>"I know you for what you are, prince of locks and lies, and now it's your time of reckoning." </i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When we last left the endlessly twisting and disorienting world of princes, princesses, red skies, vines, boreholes, and Lost Zones, we helplessly watched from our paperbacks and ereaders as our Born hero, Archie, dangled like a worm on a fishhook at the edge of pure peril...almost quite literally. As I'm certain it did for everyone eager to see what Darren Shan had in store for our master of locks, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Archibald-Lox-Sinkhole-Hell-book-ebook/dp/B09Z2MTCZD/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=archibald+lox+and+the+sinkhole+to+hell&qid=1655255581&sprefix=Archibald+Lox+and+the+sinkhole+to%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-1">Archibald Lox and the Sinkhole to Hell</a></i> (book 7) had me practically salivating to sink my teeth into the next installment.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Book 8, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Archibald-Lox-Pick-Loxes-book-ebook/dp/B09ZLG4TPS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=23420P0B588LD&keywords=archibald+lox+and+the+pick+of+loxes&qid=1655255711&sprefix=archibald+lox+and+the+pick+of+loxes%2Caps%2C116&sr=8-1">Archibald Lox and the Pick of Loxes</a></i> did <u>not</u> disappoint. Not in the very least. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that this chunk of Archie's story is now my favorite of the series, as it further convinces me that before this fantastical tale comes to an end, it's only going to get <i>better</i>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Is that even possible? This is a Darren Shan novel. Of course it's possible. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Archibald Lox and the Pick of Loxes is an unbridled example of the delight this author feels when he lures his hungry readers down a rabbit hole of magic and mischief, making them realize far too late that they've been trapped in a story that will keep them up until the wee hours of the morning to finish. The time for Darren Shan to hold back is no longer. He is done pulling punches, and that is clear to me now more than ever since it's been just over 12 hours since I finished the book. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> I feel like I'm repeating myself, but I can't help it when in all honestly, I feel as if I can't praise this book enough. From the moment we're introduced to an unlikely ally of Archie's, to the very last paragraph which, unironically, is the same moment my jaw hit the floor, I was hooked. I was stuck in a purgatorial state of wanting to read another chapter in each and every waking hour of the day, and wanting this book to last ten times longer than it was meant to last. Was it because I know that the end of the story of the Merge is nigh? Or is it because Archibald Lox and the Pick of Loxes is just plain and simple, a very, <i>very </i>good story? I'll let you, readers of The Literary Connoisseur, figure that one out for yourselves. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Truth be told, even though it started with undeniably adrenaline-pumping chapters, I grew more and more infatuated with this book as it went on, finding myself lost from the real world and entirely immersed in the sobering, thought-provoking conversations between Archie and the mad King Adil. Of course, it wasn't long after that that I graduated to feeling as if the rug had been pulled out from under me as each loose end began to be tied off and cauterized.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Who <i>was</i> Stefan? </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Will King Adil succeed in carrying out his mad plan? </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Where does Archie's fate lie? Back in the Born where he belongs, or in the Merge with his friends, his destiny...and that strange voice that knows his future better than he knows it himself? </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Two things are for sure: One, I can't reach the conclusion to this series soon enough. Even now, as I'm sitting here jotting down my thoughts on book 8, I'm wondering how soon in hours it'll be before I can jump into book 9 with both feet. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> And two, there's no doubt in my mind that Archibald Lox will soon be going back on my "To Be Read" shelf. I would be doing him and Darren Shan a serious disservice if I didn't give this saga a reread. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-61421494592261791392022-05-15T16:51:00.002-07:002022-05-15T17:02:13.235-07:00Archibald Lox and the Sinkhole to Hell by Darren Shan<p><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></b></p><p><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></b></p><p><b><i></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGeaLtzBDbWokeWmMbGdfR19RWWHhuDUQzDWVAfiSsMzTFebeFuzLNfoP9kjwKOqrzu5tf3CfcKlqVm_jPkUef_IdQTRtS3S9L59cka9KuX5hfctMWIAS0UN-x93Cnld0ozX-SP_h5NxDdEKJvky9vSkrjMwi8WjXXdCvKZ-OYMJZ62RApY7i8-JWSA/s500/51fN+lOFkmL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGeaLtzBDbWokeWmMbGdfR19RWWHhuDUQzDWVAfiSsMzTFebeFuzLNfoP9kjwKOqrzu5tf3CfcKlqVm_jPkUef_IdQTRtS3S9L59cka9KuX5hfctMWIAS0UN-x93Cnld0ozX-SP_h5NxDdEKJvky9vSkrjMwi8WjXXdCvKZ-OYMJZ62RApY7i8-JWSA/w250-h400/51fN+lOFkmL.jpg" width="250" /></a></i></b></div><b><i><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></b><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br />"I tried to forget about the Merge after my first visit. I hoped to slip back into my old way of life and put that sphere of wonders behind me, figuring I’d enjoyed my adventures in another universe, but that was that, time to focus again on my foster family, school and the 'real' world. But the Merge had other ideas. It reached out for me and I was dragged back in."</span></i></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> There's a warm, welcome, and familiar feel to cracking open the first installment of an Archibald Lox trilogy, but proceed with caution, because unlike volumes 1 & 2, volume 3 is accompanied by a sinister shadow.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> As our beloved tale of Archie and the Merge continues on, the stakes grow higher, the price to pay for realm-rescuing, life-threatening adventures becomes more costly, and around every corner, there's an unsettling reminder that Archie and Inez's story is coming to its final conclusion. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's clear to the eyes of both new and seasoned </span>Archibald<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Lox readers alike that Darren Shan is enjoying teasing his audience with anticipation, playfully dangling the shoe that's </span>inevitably<span style="font-family: inherit;"> going to drop as we hurdle at Slides-of-Bon-Repell-pace towards the climax of the story. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Although every epic saga must come to a close sometime, the fantastical, mind-bending wonders of the Merge are far from over. In <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Archibald-Lox-Sinkhole-Hell-book-ebook/dp/B09Z2MTCZD/ref=sr_1_1?crid=34HT0R1Q3JO29&keywords=archibald+lox+and+the+sinkhole+to+hell&qid=1652651652&sprefix=archibald+lox+and+the+sinkhole+to+hell%2Caps%2C286&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Archibald Lox and the Sinkhole to Hell</a></i>, we are honored with the acquaintances of new royals, we journey to outlandish territories of the Merge like New Agartha (my now favorite capital city, followed closely by Niffelheim), and once again, we are overwhelmed with a seemingly endless supply of enchanting corners of this magical land that we have yet to explore. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> With an absolutely astonishing sphere like this to call our second home, one can understand why Archie doesn't return to the real world, the world of the born, for long. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Whether you're aware of Darren Shan's knack for building worlds in the minds of his readers because you yourself are a fan and can give a firsthand account of his extraordinary ability to weave a tale, or you've witnessed my many, many testimonies through my reviews, it can be said with certainty that this Archibald Lox installment is a clear and simple example of this writer's capabilities. Darren Shan has a way of using words to paint a picture so clearly on paper, it's as if a movie you've seen a hundred times before is playing in your head. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Archibald Lox and the Sinkhole to Hell is an emotional, thrilling, and wonderous tale of friendship, adventure, self-discovery, and loyalty prevailing over corruption. With the </span>exhilarating<span style="font-family: inherit;"> lead-up that we have in this, book one of volume three, there is no doubt that readers will be rabidly scrabbling to get their claws into book two. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Pssst! Before you go!</span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Does this reusable shopping bag remind anyone else of the wrap zone? Watch out, Winston! It's not safe anymore!</span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DkEg_MSL9rb6gM4AM2dq81hVgqlyrWnsZ5dpQI3Z82Sye-rfqajqJ3jw6KF_wcx6zWah0BKhPr0N0Zm8QFC1W97WAlfZ1cim8B9IpGXyrDFHYHWGHgfUg8z2tXaKqt-Dofar45CSmTJOZ-BdKJoaDafO9oFNdL1sV6WMKUXFqRngmWMgkR_tldbvuw/s2048/280045974_413190033705931_6698199692841019336_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DkEg_MSL9rb6gM4AM2dq81hVgqlyrWnsZ5dpQI3Z82Sye-rfqajqJ3jw6KF_wcx6zWah0BKhPr0N0Zm8QFC1W97WAlfZ1cim8B9IpGXyrDFHYHWGHgfUg8z2tXaKqt-Dofar45CSmTJOZ-BdKJoaDafO9oFNdL1sV6WMKUXFqRngmWMgkR_tldbvuw/w400-h300/280045974_413190033705931_6698199692841019336_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-34425348631156897072021-11-20T16:59:00.002-08:002021-11-20T17:11:25.055-08:00Archibald Lox Volume Two: The Kidnapped Prince by Darren Shan<div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNGZUAsVEHMbglbUryR6eefCVBS38-x7ec3YSvOry3F_k8B6_kHlQCwFlcju4Hx8HzgQk7F0XksAHrRzklGMBZNoDShY_axwCGk8C6RgBovopx3D-xNo0E72Y80Q4Jvq_sEUq0VnJ94v9/s500/41XNlM2btfL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNGZUAsVEHMbglbUryR6eefCVBS38-x7ec3YSvOry3F_k8B6_kHlQCwFlcju4Hx8HzgQk7F0XksAHrRzklGMBZNoDShY_axwCGk8C6RgBovopx3D-xNo0E72Y80Q4Jvq_sEUq0VnJ94v9/w250-h400/41XNlM2btfL.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: georgia;">Archibald Lox, better known as "Archie" to his readers, has faced quite a lot since that fateful school day, when he first followed a mysterious girl pursued by two killers into an unknown realm. Our unlikely hero has had the misfortune of being thrown into near fatal run-ins with nightmarish creatures, deadly assassins, and rivers of blood, while at the same time, relishing in the jaw-dropping wonders the Merge has to offer to a living boy like him. It's been quite a ride so far for our locksmith protagonist, but his role to play in plans way beyond his comprehension have just begun, and continue in Volume Two of the Archibald Lox chronicles, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Archibald-Lox-2-Kidnapped-Prince-ebook/dp/B09HXT5WFB/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">The Kidnapped Prince</a></i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Just as eager readers hope to experience while diving into any epic young adult story, Archibald Lox fails to disappoint. Whereas the first omnibus (<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Archibald-Lox-1-Missing-Princess-ebook/dp/B08LCC2SW8/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=archibald+lox+volume+1&qid=1637455620&s=digital-text&sr=1-2" target="_blank">the Missing Princess</a></i>) introduces us to a wide variety of characters, and takes us on a tour of the fantastical and precarious corners of the Merge, Volume 2 digs its grip into its readers tightly as the other shoe begins to fall, preparing us for what is sure to be an epic conclusion. If Darren Shan's talents of successfully hooking a reader are showcased in Volume 1 (books 1, 2, and 3 of the series), Volume 2 (books 4, 5, and 6 of the series) is absolute proof of his ability to send said reader's world into a tailspin. Darren Shan's classic formula of capturing the attention of bibliophiles, young and advanced alike, has once again been proven to be a triumph in his latest young adult series, Archibald Lox. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I, a self-proclaimed Darren Shan fanatic, have been lured time after time again into his stories of magic, horror, and heartbreak, and through Archie and Inez's journey, I find myself comforted by being once again embraced in the welcome majesty of his weird and wonderful worlds.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> There is something for everyone in this latest release from the masterful mind of Darren Shan. Whether you're a returning Shanster, or a newcomer to the curiosities of the Cirque Du Freak, Demonata, and the Merge, the adventures of our heroic locksmith are guaranteed to take you on a ride you'll never want to disembark. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-45503454590997682402021-08-29T22:02:00.000-07:002021-08-29T22:02:33.744-07:00Archibald Lox and the Rubicon Dictate by Darren Shan<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIluFEGGHX5oslBdhTiHb5ICBJ9ZvwTjP-nM1i1VAwtdQSh03KERHehHUJnGZTc9WORW7iMAegOTCt3RMmK2Xl3fIhLJjfivzw0HyllDafFdVveI0AhVLe_yGJmSYRVB2XZtS5TmtQnfs/s500/517A7TMMqaS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIluFEGGHX5oslBdhTiHb5ICBJ9ZvwTjP-nM1i1VAwtdQSh03KERHehHUJnGZTc9WORW7iMAegOTCt3RMmK2Xl3fIhLJjfivzw0HyllDafFdVveI0AhVLe_yGJmSYRVB2XZtS5TmtQnfs/w250-h400/517A7TMMqaS.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;"> "They say he fell in battle, but demons like him don't fall, just rest up in the shadows, then come back stronger than ever."</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tensions between the Merged and SubMerged realms are precarious at best, but there's no bad blood a little game of grop, or even the event of a lifetime can't help mend...<i>right? </i>With the Tourney matches in full swing, our main character saved from the unforgiving grip of merciless killers, and the plot to kidnap a young prince underway, one might believe that all is peaceful in the capital city of Niffelheim. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But the wheels of perilous plans are constantly in motion in the Merge, and sinister forces beyond our heroes' control are growing stronger by the moment. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">With a heart-pounding cat-and-mouse chase that takes us on a quest to the Born's New York City, the Rubicon Dictate is an epic conclusion to Darren Shan's second Archibald Lox volume, that readers will be sure never to forget. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I maintained throughout my reading experience of the Archibald Lox series that book two in volume one, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Archibald-Lox-Empress-Suanpan-book-ebook/dp/B086LLRZFH/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=archibald+lox+and+the+empress+of+suanpan&qid=1630294589&sr=8-1" target="_blank">the Empress of Suanpan</a> (that I've yet to write a review for), was by far, my absolute favorite. The way Darren Shan transported us with his words to worlds unknown was just extraordinary. Pure magic. But even as he painted a verbal portrait that made it easy for readers to place themselves directly in the narrator's shoes, I found myself going the extra mile by closing my eyes and fully immersing myself in the wonders of the Merge. Although each and every one of Archie's adventures so far has been an absolute delight, the Empress of Suanpan alone had this particular effect on me. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">That was, until the Rubicon Dictate. A quarter of the book in, and the Empress of Suanpan was riding her unicycle the long way down to second place. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Archibald-Lox-Rubicon-Dictate-book-ebook/dp/B093JDVM8R/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1630277476&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Archibald Lox and the Rubicon Dictate</a> has a different flavor than the other books in Archie's story, and it's a flavor I savored quite a bit. The twists and turns, political intrigue, and masterful moves and countermoves between the Merged and SubMerged kept me coming back for more, day after day after day, even well after the book was finished. I feel as if in some ways, the series is maturing as Archie himself is maturing. It's subtle, and the shift from childlike wonder to sobering adulthood is gradual, but it's beautiful, and it receives a commending Literary Connoisseur ovation from me. There was a point of no return in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Archibald-Lox-Slides-Bon-Repell-ebook/dp/B093J9TF73/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3SBFAGY6J6FC3&dchild=1&keywords=archibald+lox+and+the+slides+of+bon+repell&qid=1630294767&sprefix=archibald+lox+and+the+slides+o%2Caps%2C271&sr=8-1" target="_blank">the Slides of Bon Repell</a> (book 5) for our hero and his dutiful readers, and I think it's at that exact point where we've made the switch from a <i>good</i> series, to an unforgettable one. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If the first six books of this mad roller coaster of magic and mischief are any indication of what Darren Shan has in store for the final three, I think we're in for quite the landing. Darren Shan truly manifests a perfect balance of the whimsy of fantasy and the grittiness of reality, and no other young adult book of his highlights that talent more than Archibald Lox and the Rubicon Dictate. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As each new installment of Archibald Lox is released to be devoured by readers, a new mystical pedal of the Merge and all its curiosities unfurls. I for one, cannot wait to see what awaits us. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-80593705966240245312021-08-02T20:15:00.001-07:002021-08-02T20:16:35.037-07:00Archibald Lox and the Slides of Bon Repell by Darren Shan <p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_XWuPnx2-bHY-VLniayY-nzgwkyJPvhstzRF3ClZxypZFHlJeq6pboVTtc-vom7ji5_QSxjE8ewXKFcEiMR9zP-Hnka6SOJsTM9pZP6tULq0OG6Oivq5QqRWW1nprdCshS-1LRztaWhR/s500/519oCrpBzGS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_XWuPnx2-bHY-VLniayY-nzgwkyJPvhstzRF3ClZxypZFHlJeq6pboVTtc-vom7ji5_QSxjE8ewXKFcEiMR9zP-Hnka6SOJsTM9pZP6tULq0OG6Oivq5QqRWW1nprdCshS-1LRztaWhR/w250-h400/519oCrpBzGS.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>"There's always a next time, in grop, as in life. Never forget, second chances are what the Merge was made for."</b></span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The whispers travel like whistling winds from zone to zone. From SubMerged mouth to Merged ear and vice versa, everyone is talking about one thing, and one thing only. The sole affair in the Merge that can bring people of opposing sides of a war together. The Tourney.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Each standing realm is sending their star players to compete in this once in a lifetime game, which, under normal circumstances, would be the event of a millennia for our main characters to attend...if it weren't for an underlying mission that Archie and his friends are risking their safety and sanity to complete. Together, they must avoid suspicious eyes, journey into the forgotten territory of a foreign realm, and try <i>and</i> succeed to fly under the radar of anyone who's determined to ensure that they fail.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">However, a competition that people have traveled all across the sphere to attend is likely to draw vengeful enemies as well as allies. Archie has narrowly escaped the treacherous clutches of death more times than he can count since he's ventured into the Merge, but when a SubMerged king sets his sights on him, this time may very well prove to be too much for our hero.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I have no shame in admitting that <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Archibald-Lox-Slides-Bon-Repell-ebook/dp/B093J9TF73/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1627945639&sr=8-3" target="_blank">Archibald Lox and the Slides of Bon Repell</a></i>, book five in Archie's story, is a slow-burner. Until about three quarters in, I considered this story of Darren Shan's to perhaps be a "bridge" book, a book that connects two <i>more</i> adventurous, <i>more</i> heart-pumping stories together with a bit of a breather in between. Which is quite how I view Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; not a favorite, just a bit of a break, an independent adventure if you will, before the story reaches an epic arc that quickly ascends into the series' climax. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Little did I know that as I was leisurely observing matches of grop, gnawing on hotcats, and exploring the icy terrain of Niffelheim, Darren Shan was luring me into a false sense of security. Call the Slides of Bon Repell a "bridge" book if you must, but no ending to an Archibald Lox story has slapped me across the face like this one. Unfortunately, that's all I can reveal at this time without blatantly spoiling the entire ending for you, my dear unsuspecting reader. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">By about 63%, I could not put the book down--reading in such short bursts I'd pace around my kitchen, book in hand, chewing the inside of my bottom lip with nerves. I found myself in such a constant, frantic state of distress, I'd positively search my brain to think of someone, anyone, on my friend's list who's also read this series so that I'd have someone to talk to about it. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As you all very well know by now, I am an avid Darren Shan fan. I spent many months of my teen years absolutely devouring his dark tales. Mentally envisioning his fantastical worlds, shivering at the thought of his nightmarish villains, and celebrating his heroes as said villains are destroyed and defeated. I've witnessed his characters blossom from terrified children, to unstoppable forces of nature, and I have found that familiar, "David and Goliath" comfort in Archie. There came an intense point for our main characters in the Slides of Bon Repell where I stopped dead in my tracks, looked up from my book, and thought to myself, "He's grown. He's actually grown. Our beloved scaredy cat is now a ferocious lion." It was the type of moment in a young adult book that makes a reader say, "If he can be brave, so can I." I can't help but believe that this is a trait of an excellent storyteller. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This series truly showcases Darren Shan's abilities as a writer. Like Archie, I find myself thinking less about the Born, and spend more of my time thinking about the Merge and what other layers of marvels and mystery are waiting to unfurl. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The epic conclusion of this story cannot come soon enough. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-23509188181407982552021-06-27T14:17:00.000-07:002021-06-27T14:17:54.171-07:00Archibald Lox and the Forgotten Crypt by Darren Shan <div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZ26Q0cAyeS6DDhQeLy0Fql6DqEONm-94_Ny_UA_kCzhqLkUXiq3srIn31p9yxB8i3kmrRrvy0R497wd_e03cPm-SfEZ78zeJNwVx7OxDatfOmeQIXJ0DDdxHepTV5P5JdisbxUhOcEL3/s776/198522898_967957770644859_7372365378289538433_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="485" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZ26Q0cAyeS6DDhQeLy0Fql6DqEONm-94_Ny_UA_kCzhqLkUXiq3srIn31p9yxB8i3kmrRrvy0R497wd_e03cPm-SfEZ78zeJNwVx7OxDatfOmeQIXJ0DDdxHepTV5P5JdisbxUhOcEL3/w250-h400/198522898_967957770644859_7372365378289538433_n.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>"But our story's forever evolving," Argate says.</i>
<i>"We've started a new chapter, and unluckily for you, you're part of
it."</i></span></b> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The day Archie first spotted the girl on the bridge,
outrunning her pursuers and disappearing into thin air, life as he knew it had
changed forever. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The day he returned to the bridge to say goodbye--hell
jackals defeated, a King saved, an Empress outsmarted, a vote of alignment
decided--he thought his time in the "weird, welcome otherworld of the
Merge" was over. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But the Merge needs him back, and this time, Archie may
never return to our sphere. The world of the living. The world of the Born.
Archie's mind-bending adventures continue in book one, volume two of <i>Archibald
Lox</i>, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Archibald-Lox-Forgotten-Crypt-book-ebook/dp/B093H8DPQZ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=archibald+lox+and+the+forgotten+crypt&qid=1624827806&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Archibald Lox and the Forgotten Crypt</a>, </i>and things are
only getting more dark, more intense, and more dangerous from here. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">For loyal readers of <i>Archibald Lox</i>, <i>the
Forgotten Crypt</i> is an unnerving welcome back to a world that we've
come to love, and for new readers, it is a story that will grab you, hold you
tight...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">...and never let go.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was approached by Darren Shan a few months ago to read and
review the upcoming books in his new young adult series, and I fear that at the
present moment, there are no words to properly express the level of excitement
I was experiencing at the time. I'd reviewed Darren's work in the past when he
was publishing books under his pseudonym Darren Dash, but to be asked for my
honest input on his young adult works is an honor I never expected to be
given. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As someone who's been a fan of his stories for the better
half of twenty-five years, I will say with full disclosure that Archibald Lox
does not disappoint. As we, the avid readers of Darren Shan have matured over
time, so has his writing. The whimsical, magical, "run off and join the
circus" captivation and intrigue is still there, with its hold on you as
powerful as ever, but Darren has moved on from the young adult world of
vampires, spiders, and demons, and is now dabbling in the more sobering art of
life, death, and life <i>after</i> death. Darren Shan masterfully
crafts a story that opens a door (or borehole) into a universe previously
unknown and undiscovered to us, and takes us on a journey through realms, war,
politics, and the psychedelic wonders of the Merge. From whimsy to terror, from
despair to peace, from a game of Grop to political intensity between realms,
this could only be the signature work of a true master of horror. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In <i>Archibald Lox and the Forgotten Crypt</i>, Darren
Shan does what he does best. He spins a chilling tale of wonder, enchantment,
and intrigue, and leaves us bewildered and breathlessly reaching for the next
book. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">While reuniting us with beloved characters, and setting us
on a new, treacherous mission, <i>Archibald Lox and the Forgotten Crypt</i> is
sure to ensnare, mesmerize, and astound readers of all ages.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-8398699264577193132019-12-06T01:20:00.001-08:002019-12-06T01:23:48.015-08:00Molls Like It Hot by Darren Dash<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Brutal, raw, disturbing…and positively addicting</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082D1K7C1/" target="_blank">Molls Like it Hot</a></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is
unlike any Darren Dash novel I’ve ever read. It has the dark and suspenseful
intrigue that a reader can expect from any story of his, absolutely, but
it took me on a wild ride that I wouldn’t have expected from an expert horror
writer like <a href="http://www.darrendashbooks.com/" target="_blank">Darren Dash</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> As I read, my mother would ask me, “How are you liking the book?” I honestly
couldn’t reply with a cohesive answer. My mind whirled with questions,
emotional pleas, and even more confused, frantic questions. I wasn’t a fan of
the female protagonist, Toni, but I was hooked on her story… Just </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">how</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">
she was added to the mix. I was desperate to find out more about this character
that I didn’t even like. Without giving away too much information, I felt as if
I had as much of a love/hate relationship with the two main characters (Eyrie
and Toni) as they had with each other. Was this on purpose? Was I supposed to
admire these characters one minute and despise them the next?</span><i style="font-family: inherit;"> Did</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Darren
Dash want me to feel all of these things? If so, bravo. They certainly garnered
a reaction out of me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Although the
question of, “Where do my feelings about this book lie,” was uncertain and went
unanswered as I read the book, one thing is for certain now that the story is
over. </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Molls Like It Hot </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">stuck with me like you wouldn’t believe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> There comes a certain risk with books that you adore from the very beginning.
The protagonists can lose character development, the ending is sometimes
disappointingly predictable, the author can ramble into uncharted territory
that only makes sense in their own mind and lose the readers’ interest
(although I’ll never reveal which book/author I’m talking about in
particular…), and so on. That is a risk I never have to take with a novel from
Darren Dash. No matter how surprising or unexpected a book of his is, I always
walk away feeling as if my mind has been blown. </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Molls Like It Hot </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">in
particular. I have no idea what happened, I have no idea where the time went as
I read, I have no proper words to describe what this book has done to me, but I
do know this: </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Molls Like It Hot </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">is a book I will never forget. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It angers, it captivates, it intrigues, and it is everything one would desire
from a Darren Dash novel.</span></span></div>
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<b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Want to read<i> Molls Like It Hot? </i>Click<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082D1K7C1/" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank"> here</a><i>!</i></span></b></b><br />
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</b>The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-52498433808508205642018-06-21T14:23:00.002-07:002018-06-21T14:23:48.101-07:00Midsummer's Bottom by Darren Dash<br />
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Whimsical, touching, witty, and unlike anything I have ever read by Darren Dash, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Midsummers-Bottom-Darren-Dash-ebook/dp/B07CHVFL1K" target="_blank">Midsummer's Bottom</a> is a delightful read, and one I will surely remember for a long time.<br />
Before Master Shakespeare had published his magical tale of fairies, love, and mischief, he sought help from some beings who were well-versed on the subject... actual fairies. In exchange for their help, the Bard himself thanked them in a way that would soon make them regret ever lending a helping hand in his work.<br />
They would have to endure <i>every </i>incarnation of the play. The good and the bad...and the <i>very </i>bad.<br />
As the 20th anniversary of a local community's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream approaches, the fairies seek help in a human who thrives on chaos, in hope of destroying any future production of the local play.<br />
Accepting the challenge, Del Chapman pulls out all the stops, and becomes the play's and the players' very worst nightmare.<br />
I didn't need to know what the book was about before I accepted Darren Dash's book review request. I trust him and his work, and I would read his edition of the dictionary, then reread it again. That being said, once I started Midsummer's Bottom, I was baffled! This did not sound like the author I'd come to love all those years ago. This was a new formula for him--a formula that <i>worked. </i><br />
Although, during the first few chapters, I was preparing myself for the worst. What if I didn't like it as much as his darker work? I would, of course, still be honest in my review, but it would have slowly killed me to admit that I didn't love everything Darren had written.<br />
Thankfully, that wasn't the case. I found myself constantly thinking about this book. Mourning reading time I lost cooking, or sleeping, or spending family time. (Sorry, family.)<br />
Darren Dash has once again, stunned me with his talent of storytelling. I did not want this book to end.<br />
I found myself laughing out loud, audibly gasping, and furrowing my brow when tensions got thick. (Which, when a book is about a main character who causes chaos, happens A LOT.)<br />
It warmed my heart, it had me clicking for more--even when the book was over, and it confirmed one thought in my mind, that was a distant whisper until now--<br />
---Darren Dash can do anything. <br />
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<br />The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-77516822175899618992017-07-10T15:07:00.000-07:002017-07-10T15:07:59.995-07:00The Truth About Thea by Amy Impellizzeri <br />
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Amy Impellizzeri continues to stun her readers in her latest novel, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-Thea-Amy-Impellizzeri/dp/1942545800/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1499722152&sr=8-1&keywords=the+truth+about+thea&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=19f1e8d4e6861087d54d00700f2b2689" target="_blank">The Truth About Thea</a>.<br />
Thea has been diagnosed as an addict. Her drug of choice? Social media. After a fatal scandal is linked directly to her business <i>Alibis</i>, Thea has been sentenced to a rehab facility, where she will learn that creating fake personas and profiles for strangers isn't as safe as it sounds.<br />
Will is a recovering addict himself, now turned counselor at Thea's rehab facility. Will has deep, dark secrets of his own, and he uses his own experience to help those in need of a new beginning. But with Thea's manipulative nature, Will may have bitten off more than he can chew.<br />
This book floored me. Amy Impellizzeri weaves her words into magnificent tapestries of stories. She ties loose ends together to create a masterpiece. She is a genius.<br />
I savored every word of The Truth About Thea, fully knowing that they were intricate pieces of a puzzle I had yet to reveal. Amy Impellizzeri's work is powerful. You know that when you start a novel of hers, you are in for a good ride. You will go in, oblivious to the story. Something will hook you, and you begin to crave the next chapter.<br />
Then, as soon as you reach that peak, that pinnacle of the roller coaster, the air is knocked out of your lungs. Breathless, you can only think, "I need to start this book over again."<br />
I have never read any author who can capture that magic like Amy Impellizerri. Each book I read by her, packs a powerful punch. I will say it again:<br />
<i>No author can tell a story like Amy Impellizzeri. </i><br />
<i> </i>As soon as I finished her book, I wanted to reread it, and only it, so I can truly savor her story again. If you want to get lost in a story, get lost in The Truth About Thea.<br />
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The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-19625082705029286782017-07-02T12:17:00.000-07:002017-07-02T12:17:55.347-07:00The Rise of a Cherub by Tezi Beach <br />
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Tia was just a normal girl. She went to school, hung out with her friends, and lived a normal teenage life, like all typical teenagers do. Little did she know that there was a whole invisible world waiting for her to accept her fate.<br />
Tia is a Cherub, a spiritual being that, when risen to full power, can either choose to fight for light, or for darkness. This is what surrounds Tia as she walks this earth. Angels, fighting to keep her soul pure and stay within the light, and demons fighting to sway her to reject her chosen path, and fight for evil.<br />
The coin has been tossed, and whatever side it lands on is up to Tia, and Tia alone.<br />
This book. Oh boy, was I conflicted with this book.<br />
I admit that I went into <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Cherub-Tezi-Beach-ebook/dp/B072FK3DYX/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1499019417&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=6ab1c3d72a14991e5419d94547e80e45" target="_blank">The Rise of a Cherub</a> not truly knowing the entire premise. I read a brief blurb, but accepted the request not fully understanding what genre it was, and what the story entailed. That being said, in all honesty, if I knew that the book was Christian Fiction and had such a religious influence, I don't know if I would have picked it up.<br />
But...I accepted the request, received the book, put it on my TBR list, and, when it was time to read it, picked up the book and began Tia's story.<br />
I'll say this now: If it weren't for that first chapter, I would not have been as hooked as I was.<br />
That introduction hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt as if no matter how much I could have prepared for Tezi Beach's book, it would not have been enough. I should have known then that I was in for a ride of a lifetime.<br />
I read on, and was fully prepared to put the book down as soon as I got uncomfortable with the "message."<br />
The only problem was...I didn't want to put it down.<br />
Every time I would start to question myself, something exciting would happen. A new plot, a new character, a twist--it was always something amazing in this book that kept me going. I would find any brief moment in the day to read, even if it was just one more page. <br />
While we're on the subject, Tezi Beach may write Christian Fiction, but she has some serious potential to become a master of horror. Her scary scenes were genuinely TERRIFYING. Sickening, shudder-worthy, disgusting, amazingness. (I know that's not a word, but when I get excited about books, you can't expect me to make perfect sense, okay?)<br />
So, I read on. And on. And on and on and on.<br />
It was so worth it. Even now, when I look back at it, I think, "Wow."<br />
Believe me, the book had its faults, I won't sugar-coat that. I would definitely do some extra editing, just to polish it up a bit, but for a new(ish) author, it's definitely not bad.<br />
All in all, I loved this book. If I had judged a book by its cover (or its genre), and kept myself from reading it because I was afraid of the plot, I would have seriously missed out on an amazing read.<br />
Now all I need is the second book!<br />
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The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-45510712885737235622017-06-14T18:19:00.000-07:002017-06-14T18:19:37.636-07:00Alive by Stephanie Erickson<br />
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They saw it all happen. The fear, the panic, the carnage. They saw it all...<i>from up there.</i><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Alive-Dead-Room-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B01N7ZWMWV/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1497477094&sr=8-1&keywords=alive+stephanie+erickson&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=4effe15a0f2ded2d29d48385bea5f3a5" target="_blank">Alive</a> is the third and final book in Stephanie Erickson's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072Q7DM7Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=bdafb0a21a1fa7bc42e3c84abaa62999" target="_blank">Dead Room trilogy</a>, and I almost have to say that it is my favorite. It certainly has my favorite main Dead Room character, the no-nonsense, strong, independent Vega Fowell. <br />
When I read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UIP1BJG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=cea757f284a4d4674b38631a7eb43d23" target="_blank">The Dead Room</a> (book one), I knew Stephanie Erickson was going somewhere great with her story. Did I know it was going to be "stay up late and be overtired the next morning" great? No. But it was. In fact, it may even bump <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unseen-Trilogy-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00P0B0ZPO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1497479287&sr=1-1&keywords=unseen+stephanie&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=918530986d688d790ccec0a928e031e6" target="_blank">Unseen</a> down to second place for me.<br />
I was warned by Stephanie herself that Alive is not a fan favorite. I went into it cautiously, fully prepared for something to sour it, but all I found was satisfaction. As a reader and reviewer, I was very happy with how Ms Erickson ended her trilogy.<br />
I haven't met an Erickson book I haven't liked. Each one is exciting, scary, and addicting. Although, I have to say...this trilogy takes the cake. It had me gripping its pages at 4:00 in the morning, fully aware that I was not going to get any sleep that night. How she packs so much action into so little pages, I will never know. When I read book two, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M1IWTXM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=d40a1e9b34d654840b604a939bff47fc" target="_blank">The Dead World</a>, I was pretty confident that it was going to be my favorite, even after reading Alive. But now, after some serious thought, Alive nudges it down a notch.<br />
Stephanie Erickson's books only get better.<br />
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The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-8573266222003918062017-05-27T15:10:00.001-07:002017-05-27T15:10:17.782-07:00The Dead World by Stephanie Erickson<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dead-World-Room-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B01M1IWTXM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1495922839&sr=8-1&keywords=the+dead+world&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=a32164ca8e36bcfedfab76130fa48466" target="_blank">The Dead World</a>, Stephanie Erickson's second book in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Room-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00UIP1BJG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9ZJTEGXHPHM23ASF0TS5&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=ef4bf23cd26485eece9afeaf1f8a1de3" target="_blank">The Dead Room</a> trilogy, will haunt you to your very core.<br />
Without giving too much away, we began the series with book one, The Dead Room, and learned that what used to be civilization is now something out of our worst nightmares. Told during two different points in time, The Dead World teaches us what led to this turn of events, and what our main characters can possibly do to reverse it.<br />
If I thought The Dead Room was "good," The Dead World was even <i>better</i>. I finished the entire book in one sitting (4 1/2 hours to be exact). I could not stop reading. It may have been because I've been in a serious reading lull lately (because, of course, work gets in the way of precious binge-reading time), but I am willing to bet than anyone who picks up The Dead World will be sucked in to Ms Erickson's story immediately.<br />
I was so hooked, I even considered starting book three, Alive, at 4:30am. Who needs sleep when a story is <i>this </i>good?<br />
I am absolutely addicted to the Dead World. I have to know what's going to happen, so pardon me if I cut this review short to make room for more reading time later.<br />
Ms Erickson's books can only be compared to remarkable episodes of The Twilight Zone. When she sets up a story that is sure to captivate you until the very end, it would be an injustice to put it down.<br />
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The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-36411213323425418532017-03-28T15:21:00.000-07:002017-03-28T15:21:02.798-07:00Bury Me by Dianna Dann <br />
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Lenore Hawn is a hoarder. Surrounded by piles and piles of knick knacks, boxes, and garbage, Lenore is slowly building a tomb for herself. Hannah, a seventeen year-old neighbor of Lenore's, has agreed to help uncover piles of junk, in hopes of finding a box long lost in one of the over-stuffed bedrooms. Hannah is clueless as to what it is, and the last thing she wants to do is to be punished by having to sort through her older neighbor's extremely stuffed and dusty house. But she agrees.<br />
In the process of searching for this lost piece of Lenore's history, Hannah and Lenore begin to grow close...and begin to share stories. In Dianna Dann's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bury-Me-Dianna-Dann-ebook/dp/B01M172VLU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1490734719&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=0e8cb6cdecc560f613ef15e52532cd96" target="_blank">Bury Me</a>, Hannah and Lenore not only uncover years and years of accumulated junk, but also uncover each other's deep, dark secrets.<br />
Bury Me was a satisfying read. Dianna Dann still has a way to go before she contends with the big dogs, but her stories are always quite satisfying to read. Bury Me was meaningful, and deep (a common theme with Dianna Dann novels). As the story goes on, and Lenore and Hannah peel back the layers of each other's past, you find yourself becoming more and more emotionally invested in their histories.<br />
Bury Me packs a powerful punch. The intrigue of Lenore's story will keep you hooked and anxious for more, and the ending does not disappoint. Dianna Dann has successfully written another book that leaves a large impact on its readers.<br />
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The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-47587852308238675872017-02-18T16:01:00.000-08:002017-02-18T16:01:48.183-08:00The Year's Best Graphic Novels, Comics & Manga: From Blankets to Demo to Blacksad by Byron Preiss, Howard Zimmerman, and Neil Gaiman<br />
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It seems as if I have become quite lucky with <a href="http://www.bookcrossing.com/" target="_blank">BookCrossing</a> finds within the past few months, because lo and behold! I have found another. The book Gods were smiling down upon me on that snowy and slushy winter's day, when I ventured to the <i>same </i>park where I found my previous BookCrossing book, and stumbled across <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Years-Graphic-Novels-Comics-Manga/dp/0312343264/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1487446024&sr=8-10&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=c83b7e14461050dbc21efdb760ff9d34" target="_blank">The Year's Best Graphic Novels, Comics & Manga: From Blankets to Demo to Blacksad</a>.<br />
"Really?" I thought. "Another book about graphic novels and manga? Someone must <i>really </i>want me to expand my literary palate even more..." (Even though I clearly already admitted that I now like manga.)<br />
Even though I had already picked up a BookCrossing book from that spot, and from that BookCrossing member before, I figured the book would be better off being read and re-released into the wild, rather than it sitting in the cold, wet snow for another few days. I brought it home.<br />
When I picked up <a href="http://theliteraryconnoisseur.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-discovery-of-bookcrossing-booksweet.html" target="_blank">my first BookCrossing book</a>, which happened to be manga, I was excited to go on an adventure into a genre of literature I had never experienced before. When I picked up my <i>second </i>BookCrossing book, I was less excited. I always imagined that I would read every BookCrossing book I found, because I felt that in some cosmic twist of fate, I was meant to pick it up and read whatever was left for me, but...a book summarizing comics and manga? Do people actually read these books, or are they just books left over from garage sales that eventually find themselves on secondhand shelves? Is this a coffee table book? I didn't think this book was actually readable.<br />
But every time I thought about moving on, re-releasing the book, and diving back into my Harry Potter reread (which, I'm ashamed to say, I have not finished yet), I felt guilty. How could I pick up this book and take it home just to have it sitting on my couch for two weeks before returning it to the wild?<br />
I had to read it. So I did. (It didn't hurt that one of the forewords was written by Neil Gaiman.)<br />
The forewords sold me, and it wasn't just because one was written by Neil Gaiman. In the forewords, these writers and comic-enthusiasts alike wrote about what comics and graphic novels meant to them when they were younger. How they aspired to write comics one day, to meet Stan Lee, and to collect and collect comics until their little geeky hearts were full to the brim with joy. These are feelings I have had for many things in my life, and I recognized their passion, like a zebra recognizing a similar black and white-striped pattern.<br />
I understood their passion, and I thought to myself, "I must find out what makes these dorks so passionate about word bubbles, cartoons, and flying super men in tights and capes."<br />
Since the "Year's Best" book was a decent variation of samples of different comics, graphic novels, and manga flavors to taste, it's easy for me to say that there were some stories I loved, some I found amusing, and some I would be satisfied to never see ever again in my life. For instance, Hsu and Chan? HIT. Any of the manga? Miss. Owly? Hit! Serenity Rose? Miss, miss, miss. Miss, to the point of me reading two pages, and skipping the rest. (And I never skip in books.) I also loved Family Reunion and Robot in the Rain. Yossel and Demo were incredibly dark (and creepy--especially Demo), but the artwork was exceptionally done. Some of these comics and graphic novels (I leave out the manga but none of them particularly tickled my fancy) were lacking in story, but were beautiful to gaze upon, and some were simple drawings with a story deep enough to bring you to tears. I found Secret Identity fun and easy to read, along with Blankets, Queen and Country, Ex Machina, and Sandman (bravo, Neil Gaiman).<br />
After I finished the book, I read the reviews of it on Goodreads, and was disappointed to see that many readers gave it low ratings due to the size of the samples per comic, graphic novel, and manga. (Each sample was a page to 5 or 6 pages long.) I definitely disagree. I feel that the sizes of the samples were more than satisfactory, because they gave the reader a chance to move on to something different without becoming bored.<br />
I won't credit myself more than I deserve, and say that I am an expert in this genre of books. I don't think I would even be able to tell the difference between a graphic novel and a comic, given the chance. But I will say this: My mind has been opened even more to this field, I now have some obvious favorites (and obvious un-favorites), and I look forward to reading more from these writers and artists.<br />
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<br />The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-75282406272141474972017-02-01T15:10:00.000-08:002017-02-01T15:10:00.812-08:00A Wizard's Forge by A.M. Justice <br />
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Victoria of Ourtown is the heroine the world needs right now. Snatched from her peaceful life of becoming the youngest Logkeeper Ourtown has ever seen, Vic must survive the torment of being sold into slavery, learn to rebuild a life after losing her identity, grow the courage it takes to lead an army of men five times her size into battle, and fight against the half of her that feels pulled to return to her vindictive master... In <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wizards-Forge-Woern-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B01I0L8LV0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1485985269&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=79e6493d14ec65287561b987328015e3" target="_blank">A Wizard's Forge</a>, Vic will face trials of life, magic, and death, and it's up to her, and her alone, to survive.<br />
When A.M. Justice told me that she had re-written her novel Blade of Amber (one of my favorite review requests), and asked if I could read it and give her my two cents, I was thrilled to hear that I would be revisiting one of my most favorite stories. Apprehensive, in fear that my favorite characters would be put in danger they didn't face in the original story, but thrilled nonetheless. Blade of Amber was such a wonderful book, I was beyond curious to see what A.M. Justice had done to A Wizard's Forge (the re-write) to make it different.<br />
As a reviewer, I read every review request <i>like </i>a review request, unless an author's writing is impressive enough to mask the real world around me, and fully submerge me into fiction. As I read A Wizard's Forge, I disappeared into its pages. I felt reconnected with the familiarity of a beloved story, but at the same time, I felt as if I was reading it for the first time. When I read Blade of Amber, I would keep track of minor imperfections in my head (which I can't help, because I have been asked to edit many books since I became a reviewer), and I would ask myself, "This book is amazing, but does it compare to books one would find in a bookstore?" Blade of Amber was one of the best review requests I had ever read, but in all honesty, it still had enough imperfections to be categorized only as a review request from an indie author. I say this with brutal honesty, because I have to make it known, the volume of improvement A.M. Justice has made with her book.<br />
In A Wizard's Forge, I found no imperfections. If I hadn't known that A.M. Justice was an indie author before I read this, I would have never guessed that she is not a Barnes and Noble bestseller. With her updates and new corrections that turn Blade of Amber into A Wizard's Forge, she has evolved from indie author into an up-and-coming author. I do not say this lightly, because if you ask me honestly, I will tell you that most of my review requests come from authors who all need some tips, tricks, and editing before they contend with the big dogs. I would have said the same for A.M. Justice if I was going solely based on her first draft of Vic's story.<br />
I write this long, drawn-out review in hope of making it clear to all, that A.M. Justice has improved her story on an impressive level. She is ready to be published professionally. She is ready to have her books on bestseller shelves around the world. I highly encourage her to pursue getting A Wizard's Forge published, because this book should not be overlooked.<br />
I gush a lot about books I love, I know I do, and I'm sure my reviews can come off like I'm crying wolf, but please believe me when I tell you that this is a good one. A really good one. I will happily back up Ms Justice if she decides to take her editing and publishing further, because I believe in this book. I believe in its success. I look forward to the day when I get to boast about my autographed rough draft of A Wizard's Forge, while the rest of the world is racing to the bookstore to find a copy of their own.<br />
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The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-90522132521606777312016-12-20T15:07:00.002-08:002016-12-20T15:07:58.199-08:00The Discovery of a BookCrossing Book/Sweet Rein Vol. 3 by Sakura Tsukuba <br />
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Alright, I freely admit that this was my first crack at reading Manga.<br />
For some reason, when my friends discovered Manga and started delving into the interesting world of Japanese Animation, the fascination skipped over me. (As did High School Musical--sorry.) I went right from Goosebumps and American Girl books to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Saga-Book-1-ebook/dp/B000QRIGLW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1482275105&sr=1-1&keywords=twilight&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=caa7a34b33049a7c55333d008405ab06" target="_blank">Twilight</a> and the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013TXA5Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=bd64590a8f90654960773cdcf2244b0b" target="_blank">Mortal Instruments</a>. I don't say this insinuating that getting into Manga was a rite of passage that I missed, but in a way, it was, since I seemed to be the only young adult who didn't understand the fascination.<br />
That being said, years later, an opportunity presented itself (literally) for me to finally try my first copy of Manga.<br />
There is a wonderful little bookworm program called <a href="http://www.bookcrossing.com/" target="_blank">BookCrossing</a>. Readers will find a book they love (or a book they want to read, a book they don't like so much, etc.) put a BookCrossing tag in it (with a code), and cast it off at a random public spot for someone to find, read, and drop off again so someone else may find it. As each person logs in that they found said book, readers come together and discuss (online) how they liked or disliked the book they found. It is incredibly neat. Ever since I discovered BookCrossing (around five or so years ago), I have been dying to find one myself. Finding one while I was living in Florida had slim chances, since the state is so big, and not many people (at the time) were casting out books. My one chance of finding one was to make a trip to Disney, and I really only ventured into Orlando for one thing--the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.<br />
I have a point to this blog post, I promise.<br />
Once I moved to New England, the chances of finding a BookCrossing book had become much higher, but I honestly had given up on finding one once I found out how difficult it would be to find one in Florida. I could have cast one out myself, but that took an effort, and I can be extremely lazy. (Yes, I admit it!)<br />
Fast-forward to living in New England. About a week ago, as I was doing a photo shoot for my business HerShelves Elves, I was wrapped in as many sweaters and jackets as possible, scouring a park, placing my elves in front of giant Christmas decorations for my Facebook page. As I walked to the center of the solid, icy, packed snow, I placed my elves on a bench covered in bows and wreaths. But something else was in my shot, wrapped in a plastic zipper bag.<br />
My very first BookCrossing book.<br />
With a fleeting glance, I noticed it was Manga, but I didn't care. I finally found one! I quickly took my pictures, and shivered as I ran back to my car. I knew I had to read it. I found this book for a reason. It had to be the book gods' way of telling me to expand my literary palate even more.<br />
So, with excited and giddy shaking hands (and a tad bit of trepidation), I started Sakura Tsukuba's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Rein-Vol-Sakura-Tsukuba-ebook/dp/B00LBHA6GY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1482272071&sr=1-1-spell&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=868567dccb2dac27dbaf77acdb869a3c" target="_blank">Sweet Rein Vol. 3</a>.<br />
I honestly didn't realize it was the last volume of the saga until I started reading about Kurumi (the Santa) and Kaito (her reindeer), and realized they were already well-acquainted with their readers. Nevertheless, I delved in anyway (against my inner OCD's shrieking will in the back of my head).<br />
It was difficult adjusting to the word bubbles and phraseology of the characters' dialogues, but surprisingly the order in which you read the word bubbles was extremely easy to understand. Right to left with the comic windows, just like reading Hebrew, but left to right because it's English. (It's much easier than it sounds.)<br />
Of course, with my mind being a tad more closed than I'd care to admit, I thought the way Kurumi, Kaito, and Sakura Tsukuba's reoccurring characters communicated with each other was a bit childish and silly, but, I admit, I gradually became amused with them.<br />
The book is told in four parts, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Some seasons I liked more than others (Summer and Winter), and I actually found myself picking a favorite character out of the bunch. In addition to those pleasant surprises, I was also shocked to find myself disappointed when the book ended suddenly. (The last few chapters, which I THOUGHT was another installment of Spring, was in fact a preview of another Tsukuba story.) I was so disappointed. Disappointed enough to casually look up Sakura Tsukuba on the internet...and, you know, just see how many Kurumi and Kaito books there were...and, you know, just check it out, just in case the story continued...<br />
Okay, FINE. I admit it. I became hooked. Horribly hooked. I want more of their story, I want the first few installments of the Sweet Rein books (because Vol. 3 is the LAST, apparently), and I want to casually stroll through the Manga sections of the bookstore (which I would never normally venture into unless it was attached to the YA section).<br />
I hate to sound a tad hippy dippy, but this fateful find of a BookCrossing book opened my eyes to a new universe of literature. Now that I've finished the book, I plan on dropping it off at a different park in the vicinity, and logging on to BookCrossing to thank the originator of the book for introducing me to Manga.<br />
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The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-74090209661757610632016-12-01T23:34:00.000-08:002016-12-01T23:34:03.580-08:00An Other Place by Darren Dash<br />
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I was contacted by Darren Dash about a week ago to read his upcoming novel, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Other-Place-Darren-Dash-ebook/dp/B01MXNBE8O/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1480663946&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=a9e83cfae9a2f3df0c8179f0249f2ed6" target="_blank">An Other Place</a>. Being such a huge fan of his, it was a surprise and an honor to receive an email from him, let alone hear that he wants <i>me </i>to review a book of his, before it's even released.<br />
Once the shock subsided, I was ready to sink my fangs- er- teeth into his new story.<br />
Newman Riplan is not who you would call a saint. He is successful at his work as a troubleshooter, well on his way to making his first million, but he is certainly not everyone's cup of tea. Easily hypnotized by the crook of sex, alcohol, and drugs' spindly finger, Newman is entirely out of it when his two friends send him on a plane to a mystery vacation.<br />
Little does Newman know, that on his way to his destination, he gets lost in An Other Place. Everything is wrong with this Other world. The currency is teeth, no glass is to be found anywhere in the city, and strange beasts run free with every corner you turn. No one there seems to know of anything relating to the world Newman has left, and he quickly realizes that he can never leave.<br />
I have never been so happy to be an outsider (looking in) so much in my life. Although I didn't care for Newman (at least at the beginning), I took comfort in the fact that I was not facing this nightmare of a journey on my own. I have been successfully terrified by Darren Dash's YA books (written in his alias, Darren Shan), but never to this extent. Darren Dash has opened a new artery of terror in An Other Place, and has let the adrenaline-laced blood flow into his readers.<br />
Several times this book made me shout, "What? WHAT?" I couldn't dig my heels into the ground far enough to slow this ride. I am not entirely sure if I can even categorize this book as a book I <i>loved</i>, as I have with his other books. Though, in all honesty, I know for a fact that this story will stick with me. As soon as I finished the last page, I felt as if I had been sucker-punched in the gut.<br />
"I liked it" or "I loved it" doesn't come close to summarizing the feelings I have for An Other World. I hated it, I wanted to leave Newman's head, I wanted to explore, I wanted to take a handful of Cheryl's sleeping pills, I wanted to tell Newman everything was going to be alright, I wanted to scream at him to run, I wanted to talk to the Alchemist, I wanted to stay, I wanted to flee, but most of all, I wanted to know more. I had to know how this city was born, and what Newman has to do to beat it.<br />
One thing you can say for Darren Dash's writing; he has you always wanting more.<br />
All in all, An Other Place is unlike any book I have ever read. It had hints of The Twilight Zone, Pines, and Station Eleven, but not quite. An Other Place was an entity of its own.<br />
So, Darren, I have one question for you: <i>Where do you think you are? </i><br />
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The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-16866447055751433392016-11-26T14:45:00.000-08:002016-11-26T14:48:06.309-08:00Secrets of Worry Dolls by Amy Impellizzeri <br />
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From the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lemongrass-Hope-Amy-Impellizzeri-ebook/dp/B00NZHP9OC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1480199787&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=624a58997cbd6e0126dd0fb8e1ac6b21" target="_blank">Lemongrass Hope</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Worry-Dolls-Amy-Impellizzeri-ebook/dp/B01MRNTNKB/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1480197328&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=74c8f5b3c9b7a2cdebc30ab2ed68b9f5" target="_blank">Secrets of Worry Dolls</a> takes us on a journey to the fertile orchid fields of Guatemala, through the devastating trials of a mourning family post 9/11, and into the past of a woman whose secrets can only be trusted in the hands of her tiny worry dolls.<br />
In Amy Impellizzeri's latest inspiring novel, we meet Lu, and are transported through time as she tells her story, and the story of her mother, and why her life has made her mother the way she is; distant and haunted.<br />
Secrets of Worry Dolls spins a sad tale, lights a spark of hope, and mends our broken hearts with the meaning of family, love, and courage. Together, Lu and her mother Mari will make it through this life, and in the process, inspire us all.<br />
Since I was so hopelessly in love with Ms Impellizzeri's debut novel Lemongrass Hope (full review <a href="http://theliteraryconnoisseur.blogspot.com/2014/06/lemongrass-hope-by-amy-impellizzeri.html" target="_blank">here</a>), I was a bit hesitant to jump to conclusions with Secrets of Worry Dolls. I was scared I wouldn't love it as much, and I would be comparing the two throughout the entire read-through. Cautiously going into the story, I slowly warmed to Lu and Mari's narrative, but still, I held off solidifying an opinion of the book until I was finished. I didn't particularly adore Lu or Mari, and although I tried not to compare the two in my mind, and although I loved Lemongrass Hope right off the bat, Secrets of Worry Dolls was not hooking me as quickly as I expected.<br />
I came to the end of the book, and the story, and the twists, the emotions--everything hit me so hard and so fast, I immediately rated the book five stars. I may not have had a love affair throughout the story as I did with Lemongrass Hope, but as for endings, Amy Impellizzeri's latest book takes the cake. As I said, I wasn't in love with Lu, but her character progression was impeccable. I wasn't too in love with Mari either, but her story...her story. Ms Impellizzeri did a remarkable job of painting a literary portrait of Mari, and why she is the way she is.<br />
I could honestly talk about this book for hours. I am just stunned at what a 180 degree turn this book took for me, and although I was lukewarm throughout, this story's end was well worth the wait.<br />
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The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-50172700525657044892016-11-03T17:05:00.001-07:002016-11-05T17:13:53.989-07:00An Interview with New York Times Bestselling Author Darren Dash<br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>I have been a fan of Darren's for quite a while. He was extremely influential in my love of reading as a young adult. So, when he approached me and asked if I would help spread the word about his new adult novel, An Other Place, how could I say no?</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>So, without further ado...</i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Literary Connoisseur: <span style="color: #45818e;">Hello, Darren! Thank you for joining my readers and me here at The Literary Connoisseur! I know we’re all very excited to find out more about your new book, An Other Place, and to hear what you’ve been up to lately! If you’re ready, let’s begin. For readers who have yet to become fans of yours, why don’t you tell us all a little about yourself. </span></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Darren Dash: <span style="color: #38761d;">I’m best known for my YA books, written under the name of Darren Shan, but I’ve always written for adults too – in fact the first book I ever published, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Procession-Dead-City-trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00351DSO6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=b8e999e9fac179d50badcd3ed55006da" target="_blank">Procession of the Dead</a>, was for adults. I live in Ireland, though I spend a good chunk of time in London too, and I travel frequently.</span></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />The Literary Connoisseur: <span style="color: #45818e;">Please tell us about your new novel, An Other Place. </span></span></i></b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Darren Dash: <span style="color: #38761d;">A young go-getter chokes on a peanut on a flight to a mystery destination, and when he recovers he finds himself at the start of a journey to… an other place. That’s really the most I want to say about it, as I think this is a book that’s best enjoyed with the minimum of knowledge. All I’ll add is that it’s very dark and twisted, a book which will hopefully unsettle readers and leave them asking questions for a very long time.</span><br /><br /><br />The Literary Connoisseur: <span style="color: #45818e;">I’m sure you have plenty of possible plots rattling around your head at all times! What inspired you to write this particular story? Has it been brewing in your head for some time, or has it been recently discovered? </span></span></i></b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Darren Dash: <span style="color: #38761d;">I actually wrote the first draft back in 1998, but let it lie fallow for many years while building my Darren Shan career. I have mild OCD, but back in 1998 I was ceding more and more ground to it, letting routines dominate my life to an unhealthy degree. I was in the middle of a frenetic creative streak, knocking out novels one after the other, ideas coming fast and furious. But socially I was in a much darker place, worried that I might end up like Howard Hughes. I wrote An Other Place to try and make more sense of my world and to examine the creative process.</span><br /><br /><br />The Literary Connoisseur: <span style="color: #45818e;">How would you say An Other Place is unlike your other Darren Dash novels? </span></span></i></b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Darren Dash: <span style="color: #38761d;">It’s very different. I think it’s different to most other types of novels too. It’s a very personal book, but also one that I think will connect with a lot of readers, because it addresses questions that plague and intrigue us all – Where do we come from? How do we make sense of the world? Are there other realms to be explored? But it doesn’t come at these questions in a straightforward way. Instead it sneaks up on them in a way that Franz Kafka or Rod Serling might have approached them.</span><br /><br /><br />The Literary Connoisseur: <span style="color: #45818e;">Is there a possibility for more Other Place books in the future? Perhaps one following future Alchemists? </span></span></i></b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Darren Dash:<span style="color: #38761d;"> I very much doubt it. An Other Place was born out of a very strange, very specific period of my life, and I hopefully won’t ever find myself back in that sort of head space again. Bad news for the variety of my stories, I know, but good news for my own mental health!</span></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span><br />The Literary Connoisseur: <span style="color: #45818e;">Newman undergoes some serious trauma, changes, and alterations to the comfortable life he had before his journey to An Other Place. Without spoiling anything for your readers, would you say he grows as a character and as a human being (as I believe)?</span><br /><br />Darren Dash: <span style="color: #38761d;">Absolutely. Newman is very self-centred and egocentric when we first meet him. In fact he’s something of an unlikeable character, even though I think many readers will share far more in common with him than they might wish to admit. We don’t really warm to him that much over the course of the novel – he’s not someone who becomes a nicer guy, because the plot of this book doesn’t require niceness – but I think we come to empathise with him, because nobody deserves to endure what he was to go through, and also because I think most of us can’t say for certain that we would behave any differently than he does.</span><br /><br /><br />The Literary Connoisseur: <span style="color: #45818e;">What would you like to say to readers who are considering picking up An Other Place? </span></span></i></b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Darren Dash: <span style="color: #38761d;">If you want to go on a disturbing, mind-bending horror trip, this is hopefully the novel for you. If you prefer simpler, plot-driven horror novels, this might not float your boat.</span><br /><br /><br />The Literary Connoisseur: <span style="color: #45818e;">An Other Place is somewhat of a different book for you. How do you feel, sending this new story on into the world? Nervous? Excited? </span></span></i></b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Darren Dash: <span style="color: #38761d;">Very nervous! I genuinely had no idea what the response to this one would be. It covers so much ground, and is so different to anything else out there, that I was afraid that readers would give up on it halfway through in their droves. A general reaction has yet to be determined, but the first couple of reviews have been excellent, so hopefully they’re an indicator of good things to come. Or else those two reviewers are just as warped and rare as myself!</span><br /><br /><br />The Literary Connoisseur: <span style="color: #45818e;">Do you find it difficult to switch back and forth from Darren Shan to Darren Dash, considering you write both YA (young adult) and adult fiction? Or is it second nature now that you’re a pro at this? </span></span></i></b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Darren Dash: <span style="color: #38761d;">I’ve always found it natural to flip between the two. It helps that my YA books are extremely dark and adult in many ways, but even if I was to write more innocent books for my younger readers, I think it would just seem normal to me to move between worlds. I’m interested in different types of stories, horror, sci-fi, literary, thrillers… and in stories for the young as well as the old. I read both YA and adult books for pleasure, I believe at writers should write the sorts of books they enjoy reading, hence the straddling of the two realms.</span><br /><br /><br />The Literary Connoisseur: <span style="color: #45818e;">Again, without spoiling anything for your readers, what symbolism or “point” would you like readers of An Other Place to take from their reading experience? </span></span></i></b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Darren Dash: <span style="color: #38761d;">There are lots of different questions I hope they go away asking themselves, but one of the impressions I most hope they take from it is that they should value their family and friends, as they can be far more important to us than we realize, and we never know when we might be cut adrift from them.</span><br /><br /><br />The Literary Connoisseur: <span style="color: #45818e;">Are you currently working on any new projects? </span></span></i></b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Darren Dash: <span style="color: #38761d;">Yes, I’m working on a new Darren Shan series which is still probably quite a way off being released, and the next Darren Dash book, a light-hearted sexual comedy inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which might well see print in the summer of 2017 if all goes according to plan.</span><br /><br /><br />The Literary Connoisseur: <span style="color: #45818e;">Last, but definitely not least, what is your response to, “Where am I?” </span><br /><br />Darren Dash: </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">I should say,</span><span style="color: #45818e;"> </span></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">“Where do you think I am?” But that would only make sense to people who’ve read the book! I’m in a good place, at least in this world, and fighting to cling on in there, despite the call of Alchemists and my OCD.</span></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />The Literary Connoisseur:<span style="color: #45818e;"> Darren, thank you again SO much for stopping by The Literary Connoisseur! I am beyond honored to say that I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing you. I cannot wait to hear what other projects you have in store for your beloved fans and new fans alike! Happy writing!</span></span></i></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Darren Dash was born in England in 1972, but has spent most of his life in Ireland, where he lives with his wife and son. In his day job, under a different name, he has sold over 25 million books worldwide, mainly in the YA market. But he feels much more at home in the nights of his adult worlds...</span></i></b></span></div>
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The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-33985100101476908062016-10-20T21:50:00.000-07:002016-10-20T21:50:43.777-07:00Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: Book Before Movie<br />
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When Louisa Clark's father loses his job, Louisa becomes the sole bread-winner of her entire family (which includes her grandfather, sister, and her sister's son). When Louisa herself loses her job at a local cafe, a new opportunity presents itself.<br />
Will Traynor is a former thrill-seeker/adventurer, now a quadriplegic. After Will is hit by a motorcyclist in a tragic street accident, he is wheelchair-bound, and not at all amused by his new caretaker--Louisa.<br />
Together, she will bring out the newly-found hope in him, and he will bring out the adventurer in her.<br />
When I started <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Me-Before-You-Jojo-Moyes-ebook/dp/B0089EHWQE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1477021491&sr=8-7&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=0b2ea04f7637e69d214bb7fe1d1c052a" target="_blank">Me Before You</a> by Jojo Moyes, I was warned over and over again that I would be devastated by the end. My fellow readers were right, and no matter how much I prepared myself, I would not be fully aware of the emotional impact of Will and Louisa's story. That being said, in all honesty, I was not as crazy about the book as many of my friends. I enjoyed it thoroughly, cried quite a bit, and it left an incredible impression on me, but it wasn't one of the best books I had ever read.<br />
Fast-forward a few years later--now. The movie has come out, with Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin, and I was anxious to see it. Perhaps not anxious. Nervous. Okay, I was extremely terrified of seeing the movie, in fear of the emotional spectacle I would make of myself. (Hence, why I chose to wait until the DVD came out to see it, instead of going out in public--with people.)<br />
As I said before, I loved the book, but I wasn't obsessed with it, as I am with, say, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fault-Our-Stars-John-Green-ebook/dp/B005ZOBNOI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1477024833&sr=1-1&keywords=the+fault+in+our+stars&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=f6f34651ddefa61bffdaf5402acfacf7" target="_blank">The Fault in Our Stars</a> or Charles Sheehan-Miles' <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Last-Hour-Thompson-Sisters-Book-ebook/dp/B00CEYHW6U/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1477024872&sr=1-1&keywords=The+last+hour&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=b1cd79edbc1e0e109f1d0378c818af45" target="_blank">The Last Hour</a>. But I was interested and curious enough to look forward to this movie.<br />
Boy, was it a pleasant surprise.<br />
I was expecting a movie like <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-Bees-Monk-Kidd-ebook/dp/B000W4RFBQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1477024910&sr=1-1&keywords=The+secret+life+of+bees&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=6a0ff5b04bc024cd251546b756d6fe04" target="_blank">The Secret Life of Bees</a>, that was beautiful and charming, but Me Before You was...incredible. Hilarious, sweet, emotional (VERY emotional), well-acted, beautiful, and enough to be a movie I would watch and rewatch over and over again. In a way, I enjoyed it more than the Fault in Our Stars movie, because Me Before You was not so overwhelmingly sad to the point that I couldn't watch it again. (I have yet to watch The Fault in Our Stars for a second time after seeing it initially, two and a half years ago...)<br />
When I went into the Me Before You movie, I expected to be blown away by Sam Claflin since I am already just so in love with him (thanks to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Trilogy-Suzanne-Collins-ebook/dp/B004XJRQUQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1477024954&sr=1-1&keywords=the+hunger+games+trilogy&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=44cbeac8933c977e7aa79fe218d3437f" target="_blank">The Hunger Games</a> movies and Pirates of the Caribbean), and not so much with Emilia Clarke. Not because she isn't talented, but because I had never seen her in a role before. (I am going to read the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Game-Thrones-Song-Fire-Book/dp/0553593714/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1477025008&sr=1-1&keywords=game+of+thrones+book&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=9ff05d4d8224c9f7fcebcf3676ebbb84" target="_blank">Game of Thrones</a> books before I watch the show.) But Emilia Clarke was the star of Me Before You. She was the most perfect Louisa, more perfect than I could have ever pictured Louisa. She WAS Louisa. Of course, I am always impressed with Sam Claflin, but Emilia Clarke stole the show.<br />
All in all, the book to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Before-You-DVD-Emilia-Clarke/dp/B01F5ZY1L8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1477025145&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=Me+Before+you+movie&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=914c5078c41134147fa3f8ddc8463abf" target="_blank">movie adaptation of Me Before You</a> only enhanced my opinion of the book, as did other remarkable adaptations like <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Help-Kathryn-Stockett-ebook/dp/B002YKOXB6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1477025047&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Help&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=8a7e949b780ea513d58757a338e2264f" target="_blank">The Help</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gone-Girl-Novel-Gillian-Flynn-ebook/dp/B006LSZECO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1477025076&sr=1-1&keywords=Gone+Girl&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=13da807882d57d34802a06d44c577e04" target="_blank">Gone Girl</a>, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Perks-Being-Wallflower-Stephen-Chbosky-ebook/dp/B003TSEEDY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1477025105&sr=1-1-spell&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=d1627f67dc060b0562129c68eef03d41" target="_blank">The Perks of Being a Wallflower</a>. Amazing book with an even better movie, and that's quite an accomplishment.<br />
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The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-63678732769839325882016-08-29T12:45:00.000-07:002016-08-29T12:45:07.771-07:00The Ruby Ring by Diane Haeger <br />
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There are different categories of "amazing books" in my head.<br />
There are series that I love, like <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Saga-Book-1-ebook/dp/B000QRIGLW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1472499503&sr=8-2&keywords=Twilight&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=41edd602611565f337eefd47c3e55f34" target="_blank">Twilight</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Outlander-Novel-Book-1-ebook/dp/B000FC2L1O/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1472499538&sr=8-1&keywords=Outlander&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=c9ae7a77b02cf6905ef105b2c0878d84" target="_blank">Outlander</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B002MQYOFW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1472499571&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Hunger+Games&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=0bd252c002276dc6fbfaf0ae264571bc" target="_blank">The Hunger Games</a>, and Laura Ingalls Wilder's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Little-House-Woods-Ingalls-Wilder-ebook/dp/B01C2NNWQQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1472499603&sr=8-5&keywords=laura+ingalls+wilder&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=e25fc1ef57b684f887b64483f42e8272" target="_blank">Little House</a> books. There are also books that I enjoy, but don't see myself reading more than once in my lifetime. Then there are books which hold such undeniable beauty and mysterious magical abilities, I feel as if my hands are glued to the book's pages, and won't separate themselves until I am finished. These books touch my soul so, that I fear their end before I'm even halfway through. These are novels that stay with me forever. Novels I would reread in a heartbeat, and read and reread until my old, arthritic hands cannot hold their binding anymore.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ruby-Ring-Novel-Diane-Haeger-ebook/dp/B000FCK2S8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1472497490&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=34de203e57e45fd4d0d4d175bef32f53" target="_blank">The Ruby Ring</a> is one of these books.<br />
The only books I remember being as captivating (at least for me) as Diane Haeger's story of Raphael and his very own Madonna, are Susanna Kearsley's time-slip novels. I had the same reaction to The Ruby Ring as I did with Ms Kearsley's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Garden-Susanna-Kearsley-ebook/dp/B005EU50HY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1472499645&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Rose+Garden&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=1ebbfa599f1d367bea29eab6e3511b8a" target="_blank">The Rose Garden</a>. Every time I would put down the book, my mind would still be in my characters' time. With each time I would pick up the book, I would almost be in tears in fear of the story actually (God forbid) ending.<br />
With Diane Haeger's The Ruby Ring, I actually slowed my reading pace, JUST so I could be with Raphael and Margherita that much longer. Which I never ever do. Ever.<br />
To sum up the plot, I will say that this book takes place in 16th century Rome, and follows the life of the painter, Raphael Sanzio, as he searches for the perfect woman to be the model for his masterful painting of Madonna. Instead he finds Margherita, a baker's daughter, who not only is the perfect model for his Madonna, but is also the love Raphael has been searching for his entire life.<br />
Promises to the Vatican, and financial status (among many other things) try to keep these two apart, but when a flame of passion and romance is lit, especially between the painter Raphael and his love, Margherita, it's impossible to extinguish it.<br />
This book is just so beautiful. I wish I could carry it with me everywhere, just to read and reread in my spare time.<br />
I wish now that I could wipe its story from my memory, just to be able to read it again for the first time.<br />
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The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-42099545472357841092016-08-17T15:47:00.001-07:002016-08-17T15:47:16.221-07:00Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany<br />
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Yes, it's time for this review.<br />
If you have not read the much anticipated <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Cursed-Child-Production-ebook/dp/B01BMJWU4Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=ab1cb30d6df044ad01b31f889ddf3cc8" target="_blank">Harry Potter and the Cursed Child</a> yet and are interested to hear my viewpoint before you go into it, have no fear, because my reviews are spoiler-free.<br />
It's 1997. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Rowling-ebook/dp/B0192CTMYG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1471472205&sr=1-1&keywords=harry+potter+and+the+sorcerer%27s+stone+kindle&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=3a1cfd8bdd19dc1d51f7365eab7806ef" target="_blank">Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone</a> has just been released. An author, rejected by so many publishers, has no idea what lies in store for her and her story. A boy, with a lightning bolt-shaped scar, has just been born by paper and ink, and his world is about to change forever.<br />
It's 2007. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Deathly-Hallows-Rowling-ebook/dp/B0192CTMWS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1471472239&sr=1-1&keywords=harry+potter+and+the+deathly+hallows&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=672861d4794cd61101301e23ca4f1bf5" target="_blank">Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</a> has just come out at midnight, and I am an out-of-breath eager (almost) twelve year-old, with a fresh, new hardcover in my hands.<br />
The Battle at Hogwarts had not happened. No one had yet perished at the hands of the Dark Lord (besides those who died in previous books). I had no idea that all would be well. All I knew was that this was the last book, and I had it in my hands. The final chapter of Harry's story. The book that completed the series, and the book that would tell all.<br />
I, like many others, thought that it was over.<br />
Fast-forward to 2011, I am an emotional fifteen year-old, who is wearing entirely too much makeup in hopes that my crush would finally ask me out. I am sitting in a dark theater, surrounded by fans both young and old, head to toe in Wizarding garb. Robes, scarves, glasses (taped in the middle), and lightning scars galore, I am in my element.<br />
This was the end. The last time I would hear Hedwig's Theme playing as the Warner Brothers sign edged closer and closer to the camera (which I later found out was in fact replaced by Lily's Theme, much to my surprise and tearful delight). This was the last time I would see a Harry Potter movie for the FIRST time. This was the end.<br />
I, like many others, thought that it was over.<br />
It is now 2016, and I am twenty-one. I am sitting on the stage in the children's section of Barnes and Noble, making wands with hundreds of children and adults (five or so at a time). Once again, robes, lightning scars, and wizard hats galore, and I am overly thrilled to be surrounded by my people.<br />
But this time, I'm noticing something that wasn't there five years ago. Babies, toddlers, and young children, children who weren't even alive when book seven came out, are possibly more excited than me. They're waving wands, casting spells, dueling, and answering trivia that even gave me a pause.<br />
The Harry Potter Generation has grown up, and has raised a new generation of nerds.<br />
I am standing in line for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and I am flanked by a woman in her mid-twenties, and two very young children who beg to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando every year for summer vacation.<br />
I am hit with nostalgia. Like a blast of cold wind in mid-February, my breath is taken away, and it hits me how many lives depend on the Wizarding World to turn on the light when the world seems the most dark.<br />
Nine years after book seven, five years after movie eight, and nineteen years later for Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Ginny, we have our story.<br />
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There is a common misconception that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is book eight (which is basically the fault of whoever decided to call it the eighth book as a tagline). Yes, it is the eighth <i>story</i> (nineteen years later), but no. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is not the eighth book.<br />
A Harry Potter book is written by J.K. Rowling, the Queen herself. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a script from the play currently in London, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which was written by two playwrights, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany.<br />
ANY reader who goes into this book expecting it to be like its seven predecessors will be severely disappointed. This is not the eighth book, it is a script, from a play, based off of J.K. Rowling's nineteen years later.<br />
In addition to that note, the book is laid out like a play. There are characters entering and exiting stage right and left, and it leaves a lot to the imagination because, as you may have guessed, THIS IS A PLAY. Not a book that gives you a clear visual of what's going on in the author's mind, it is a script, from a play, which is acted out on stage. I say there is a lot left to the imagination because John Tiffany and Jack Thorne have given us a visual as to what's happening, but we, as eager readers, have to resort to this Shakespearean form of technology called "using our imaginations" to grasp an idea of how the story is played (literally) out.<br />
What bugs me the most about the "Cursed Child" hype is that everyone is disappointed. This isn't what they thought/wanted/expected/yearned for for nine years. <i>I</i> say that we can't be picky with what J.K. Rowling herself releases to us, because when book seven came out, she said she was done. Done, done. And now we have Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fantastic-Beasts-Where-Find-Them-ebook/dp/B01ETJABQK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1471472312&sr=1-1&keywords=fantastic+beasts+and+where+to+find+them+kindle&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=facaef3162f9da1764e5e1fa87b59588" target="_blank">Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them</a>, Ilvermorny, new books, new movies, new Pottermore stories-<br />
(Takes a moment to take a sip of coffee and calm down.)<br />
Anyway...<br />
I understand that many fans were disappointed with the eighth story. I don't relate, but I hear their outcries. I don't agree, but I listen.<br />
For an eighth "book" based off a play in London (that everyone was complaining they couldn't afford to see, and yet they're complaining about having the script now), written by two playwrights who are not J.K. Rowling, based off of J.K. Rowling's beloved characters, and continuing a story so dear to my heart, my life would be incomplete without it, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was everything I wanted and more.<br />
Completely, honestly, totally, swear to the book Gods, J.K. Rowling, and all that is holy, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was what I needed in my life.<br />
It adds such a new depth to the story, I literally cannot think back to it without crying. (More than I did before.) I cannot read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Prisoner-Azkaban-Rowling-ebook/dp/B0192CTMX2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1471472355&sr=1-1&keywords=harry+potter+and+the+prisoner+of+azkaban+kindle&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=78818d8c959b399807d2febbede7dd6e" target="_blank">Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</a> without crying. I cannot watch <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Goblet-Fire-Rowling-ebook/dp/B0192CTMUU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1471472388&sr=1-1&keywords=harry+potter+and+the+goblet+of+fire+kindle&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=42cf6a6e81507a9b5a9864ed45907853" target="_blank">Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</a> without thinking "what could have been" and, yes, crying. I cannot think about <i>that</i> night at Godric's Hollow without wanting to find Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, grabbing them by their dress robes (everyone dresses like wizards in my mind) and sobbing, "WHY?"<br />
This eighth story sinks into your heart like the giant squid sinking into the Black Lake.<br />
There is one aspect of the book that throws me off, as it has with many others. (Again, no spoilers.) When I first finished the book, it unsettled me, because it gave me the gut-wrenching feeling of thinking perhaps this book would end up being a desperately-awaited disappointment. But after time, and the more I let the story settle in my brain, the more I realized that this is the Wizarding World. Not everything in the original seven books made sense when I first read them. Heck, I was a <i>child</i>. Of course they didn't make sense with the first read-through!<br />
That's why, after I finish rereading the first seven books for my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1616617431969969/" target="_blank">third annual reread</a>, I will reread Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and I will sob like Moaning Myrtle.<br />
So yes, this book can come off as being disappointing to some. For me personally, I feel sorry for those who didn't take out of it what I took out of it. I am sorry that it wasn't what many fans were expecting, and they went into it with preconceived notions.<br />
For me, a fan of Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, and J.K. Rowling ever since my mom first read them to me when I was five (after she picked up book one at a Scholastic book fair), I am in love with the eighth story.<br />
If you haven't read the book yet, please keep my warnings above in mind as your start it. Please don't go into it prepared to read it like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Please enjoy it for what it is, and for what the Queen has bestowed upon her loyal servants- er, fans.<br />
If you have, and you didn't like it, I am sorry. Please consider rereading it after some time, and see if you can come to terms with Jo, John, and Jack's story for Harry as an adult. As someone who accepted it right off the bat, I promise it isn't that bad. After some time to digest Harry and Albus Severus' fate, it's quite a satisfying beginning to the next (hopefully) more peaceful generation at Hogwarts.<br />
If you have, and you loved it, I only have one thing to say to you; <i>For Voldemort and Valor. </i><br />
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The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402553851673221114.post-85736077466383198202016-08-11T13:14:00.000-07:002016-08-11T13:14:03.020-07:00The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett <br />
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Before <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Color-Magic-Novel-Discworld-ebook/dp/B000W9399S/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1470945655&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=a234095068f036a2bbd9ed0c72f32878" target="_blank">The Color of Magic</a>, I had never read a book by Terry Pratchett. But thanks to a friend who suggested it as part of my Recommended Reads of 2016, I dove headfirst in to Mr Pratchett's work.<br />
Now, if you read the synopsis of The Color of Magic, it is very easy to become overwhelmed (especially if fantasy is not your forte). In short, there are four elephants on a giant turtle's back in space, and on this bizarre planetoid are many cities, provinces, and villages. This is the Discworld.<br />
As we start The Color of Magic, we (theoretically) zoom in on one of these villages, where we meet Rincewind the wizard, who was kicked out of the university of magic (long story), who has just met Twoflower, a tourist. I know, the plot is all over the place. But it is for a reason.<br />
A wonderful reason.<br />
This book, <i>these books</i> (because as I write this, I have already finished <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Light-Fantastic-Novel-Discworld-ebook/dp/B000W914OU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&dpID=41sdOL5CpyL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_OU01__BG0,0,0,0_FMpng_AC_UL160_SR106,160_&psc=1&refRID=TYZ7TVP8XMRJN96C8PEN&linkCode=ll1&tag=theliteconn08-20&linkId=94e426fb05de0369f21d44afcdb152f5" target="_blank">The Light Fantastic</a>, book two in the Discworld series), are HILARIOUS. Rincewind and Twoflower become the most unlikely of friends, and travel far and wide across the Discworld. They come across many people, some dangerous, some kind, all funny in their own way, and all are trying to kill them.<br />
Packed full of adventures and witty British situations and one-liners, The Color of Magic makes excellent company for fantasy-lovers and non-lovers alike.<br />
I love this series so much. The friend who recommended this book to me may or may not read this post, but I'll risk some judgement in saying that I fully went into this book expecting to hate it. Not that I don't trust his taste in books, but as soon as I read the plot, I was incredibly skeptical and confused. (Which is not difficult to achieve.)<br />
I was wrong. I was so wrong, and now have 39 books on my "to buy" list. (The rest of the Discworld series.)<br />
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The Literary Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08036551878758213994noreply@blogger.com0