Peacock Flock Review # 18 - Secondhand Charm

Secondhand Charm 

Author: Julie Berry

Length: ~ 352 pages

Genre: Fantasy

Heat level: Clean  

Stars: 3.5 Somewhere Between Stars 

Book Summary:

In a secluded village, magic sparkles on the edges of the forest. There, a young girl named Evie possesses unusually strong powers as a healer. A gypsy's charms—no more than trinkets when worn by others—are remarkably potent when Evie ties them around her neck. Her talents, and charms, have not escaped the notice of the shy stonemason's apprentice. But Evie wants more than a quiet village and the boy next-door. When the young king's carriage arrives one day, and his footman has fallen ill, Evie might just get her chance after all . . .

Berry's debut novel garnered glowing reviews and strong sales—and now she's done it again with a beautifully woven tale to keep all readers, young and old, absolutely charmed.

Review:

We really did like this world. And when the book ended we wanted to stay in the world which was a good sign, however the plot left more to be desired. It took a while for things to happen. And the romance aspect could've been delved into more (despite the fact that the book is 352 pages. Some slower stuff needed to be taken out and more romance put in). We wanted Evie to grow more as a character as the book progressed. We also got tired of how many misunderstandings Evie and Aidan had. Yes people aren't perfect and therefore characters shouldn't be either, but it just seemed to be a constant obstacle and got a little old. We have to admit though this world was definitely original! We loved who Evie was and the "serpentina" concept. But it needed to happen earlier in the novel so that we could learn more about it. All in all a good light read and we may or may not read it again. 

That's it from the flock! 

 

What You Read Will Always Affect Your Writing

Day 4 Author Blog Challenge.

How does what I read affect what I write? What do I consistently pick up and what do I leave on the shelf? How would my writing change if I read other genres?

Books have been in my hand since I was a small child. Some of my earliest memories are listening to my parents read books aloud to me and my sisters. We loved Beverly Clearly and some of the classics, like Heidi and Wizard of Oz. I even raised the most money for an MS Read-a-thon when I was in elementary school. I know that I surprised a number of adults with how much money I asked for, as they'd pledged a certain amount of money per minute read in a week. :P

The fantasy and science fiction books I read, most assuredly, impacted what I wanted to write. As my favourite stories had elements of space or the fantastical, I wanted to include those same things in my stories. When I read as a child and a teenager, I went into the world of my books to escape, to imagine and to immerse myself in strange and wondrous new places.

I think what I read fuels my desire to do better in my own writing. Reading excellent books in my chosen genres allows me to see what works, what keeps me turning pages and what makes my heart race in a tense scene or swoon at a wonderfully romantic line. And I'm constantly looking for that next book that makes me stay up to all hours of the night.

As an adult reading is even more of an escape for me now. If I choose a novel it is either romance, fantasy or science fiction. I'm not at all drawn to literary, and the one and only time I started reading a horror novel I had to put it down (didn't know it was horror when I picked it up) - The Only YA Novel I Didn't Finish. The reason why? See: Why Being An Anne is Both Exciting and Horrifying. I think what you read is a reflection of your personality, but if you are a writer it's an insight into what you enjoy writing. I'm drawn to the books I'd love to have written myself.

If I ever did write horror, I think it'd be a miserable failure, I'd scare myself too bad and then never finish the manuscript.

Suffice it to say at this point I only plan on writing fantasy, science fiction, or romance. But as those are genres I love and will always love, I'm totally good. :D

Cheers!

Peacock Flock Book Review #13 - Switched

Peacock Flock Book Review #13

Switched

Author: Amanda Hocking

Length: ~ 293 pages

Genre: Fantasy

Heat level: Clean

Stars:  3.5 Somewhere Between Stars 

          

Review:

We wanted to see what all the hype was about. After reading a number of negative reviews online we passed on this book for awhile. But after getting a good review from a friend and knowing that it was rereleased after an editor looked at it (and about 15,000 words added) we thought we'd give it a chance. The plot was done well and we enjoyed this world that she created. We continued wanting to know what would happen next. Some of the things done by the characters seemed a little off to us (which is why the rating isn't higher) such as the absurd amount of anger exhibited by Wendy's mother Elora when she did something wrong. If it was really such a big deal a queen would've made her aware of what the major faux pas and mistakes are, especially if it further embarrasses her. We also felt that the way Wendy is described as child and earlier when she confronts Finn for being a jerk, she just seemed to tumble into this meek little character. We wondered where all her back-bone went. As scary as Elora seemed to be, it felt off. We did however love how well the characters where developed, most particularly the secondary characters. We can't wait to see what happens with Tove. Yes we will be reading the rest of this series. :D

That's it from the flock!

Peacock Flock Book Review #10 - Wild Orchid

Peacock Flock Book Review #10

Wild Orchid

Author: Cameron Dokey

Length: ~ 199 pages

Genre: Fantasy (Fairy-tale retelling) 

Heat level: Clean

Stars:  3.5 Somewhere Between Stars 

          

Book Summary:

Wielding a sword as deftly as an embroidery needle, Mulan is unlike any other girl in China. When the emperor summons a great army, each family must send a male to fight, tom-boyish Mulan is determined to spare her aging father and bring her family honor, so she disguises herself and answers the call.


But Mulan never expects to find a friend, let alone a soul mate, in the commander of her division, Prince Jian. For all of Mulan's courage with a bow and arrow, is she brave enough to share her true identity and feelings with Prince Jian?


Review:

This was fairly nice, cozy up read. It's a retelling of 'Mulan'. Which is one of our favourite stories.  Although the plot wasn't too surprising, it was interesting. We thought there should've been less scenes with her friend at the beginning and more scenes with the prince. We also found that some of the solutions to the challenges the characters faced were a little too easy. But the culture was wonderful. The sense of China was amazing. It was very immersive and wonderful escapism. Mulan's archery and all the scenes talking about it were well done. The end romantic scene was quite nice as well. All in all a book that we may or may not read again -- dependent upon what else is within our reach. Still something worth taking a look at though! :D

That's it from the flock!

Peacock Flock Book Review #9 - Golden

Peacock Flock Book Review #9

Golden

Author: Cameron Dokey

Length: ~ 179 pages

Genre: Fantasy (Fairy-tale retelling) 

Heat level: Clean

Stars:  3.5 Somewhere Between Stars 

          

Book Summary:

Before Rapunzel's birth, her mother made a dangerous deal with the sorceress Melisande: If she could not love newborn Rapunzel just as she appeared, she would surrender the child to Melisande. When Rapunzel was born completely bald and without hope of ever growing hair, her horrified mother sent her away with the sorceress to an uncertain future. 


After sixteen years of raising Rapunzel as her own child, Melisande reveals that she has another daughter, Rue, who was cursed by a wizard years ago and needs Rapunzel's help. Rue and Rapunzel have precisely "two nights and the day that falls between" to break the enchantment. But bitterness and envy come between the girls, and if they fail to work together, Rue will remain cursed... forever.


Review:

So we were presently surprised with this book. It's a retelling of Rapunzel. Despite the fact that it's by the same author as a number of books in this series that we didn't like, this was interesting and had enough in the plot to keep us reading. (Although we must admit that Tangled is by far the best adaptation of this story we've every seen!) And shocker of shockers we might actually pick this book up again, more than once! :D The characters were well developed and felt real enough to draw us in. There were a number of scenes between the main man and Rapunzel which we quite liked. The romance also started early which helped. Oh and this biggest twist of this book? Rapunzel is bald and has been since she was born. Pick up this book and figure that one out!

That's it from the flock!

Peacock Flock Book Review #8 - Snow

** Sorry this is a couple of days late, I was the Maid of Honour for my sister's wedding this past weekend. Y'all know how that goes sometimes. Cheers.

I mean, the uh peacock flock had to chow down on some wedding cake, so (cough, cough) they couldn't write the review. :P

Peacock Flock Book Review #8

Snow

Author: Tracy Lynn

Length: ~ 259 pages

Genre: Fantasy (Fairy-tale retelling) 

Heat level: Clean

Stars:  2.5  Somewhere Between Stars 

          

Book Summary:

The Duchess Jessica's childhood began with a tragedy: her mother's death. Her father, heartbroken at the loss of his beloved wife, could not bear to raise the child. Largely ignored, Jessica spent the first eleven years of her life running free on the family estate, cared for only by the servants.

Then her father decides to remarry, bringing an end to Jessica's independence. At first her new stepmother just seems overly strict. But as Jessica grows into a beautiful young woman, it becomes clear that her stepmother is also wildly -- and murderously -- jealous of her.

Jessica escapes to London. Going by the name Snow to hide from her family, she falls in love with an odd band of outcasts who accept her into their makeshift family. But when her stepmother appears in the city, repentant and seeking her forgiveness, Jessica will have to decide whom to trust...with her life.

Review:

So we don't think we'll ever pick it up again. It's a retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Except in this one there's only 5 'dwarves' -which are actually half human/half animal type being. Oh and there's no kiss to wake Snow up after she sleeps. (She also asleep for years! Gah!) There's no real magic, per se, just a lot of witchery and mechanical/electrical type stuff. Pretty creepy actually. The main guy that Snow falls for comes as a bit of a surprise, (the bad kind, not the good kind) and there's hardly any scenes between the two of them. It was interesting how they did -finally- wake Snow up, and there was quite a cute ending to it. But umm yeah. We weren't that impressed. 

That's it from the flock!