Book Review: Beautiful Darkness

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is the second of the Caster Chronicles about Ethan Wate, an average sixteen-year-old boy from the small Southern town, Gatlin, S.C., who falls in love with a supernatural Caster girl, Lena.

According to the book's blurb:

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.
Sometimes life-ending.
Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

I really enjoyed Beautiful Creatures and this book held up to the standards its predecessor set. Actually, it went deeper, darker. With many twists and turns. The world that Ms. Garcia and Ms. Stohl builds is truly amazing and three-dimensional. Characters were constantly surprising me, and in ways that stayed away from feeling contrived (which is always a bonus). Though Ethan's dilemma got me thinking (spoiler alert). If he were a girl and thought the way he was thinking about Lena (if Lena were a boy), as in: I'll give up everything up for her. My dreams are no longer important, yadda yadda. I would have thrown the book down in disgust. It disturbed me a little bit. I hate the "ideal love" where complete sacrifice is necessary (reminds me a bit too much of Twilight and Romeo & Juliet). And it got to the point where I was literally asking WHY he even wanted to be with Lena when she's treating him like dirt. But he starts asking himself that, too. He even is tempted by/interested in another girl. So, redeemed. But, still, it's an interesting question. And since it's a love story, we know that Ethan and Lena are going to live up happily ever after (I hope I didn't spoil that for you) but my irritations were allayed a little bit by how difficult and imperfect that happily ever after is achieved. So, kudos to the authors.

The ending was a cliffhanger of the best sort, making me just want to pull my hair out and scream, "OMG, what happens next?!"

And Ridley? The most awesome minor character I've read in a while. She's almost more interesting than the MCs. Almost.

Recommended? Yes. For those who would like a more realistic view of teenage love and dark, deep magic places.

Rating (out of five stars): 4.25

Monday Madness: Overcoming the E-mail Obsession

If you've ever submitted any of your stories (be it for a magazine, an agent, or a contest) you've probably experience the E-mail Obsession at one point.

This involves:

Checking your e-mail every 3 minutes or so.

Having a new heart attack when you have any kind of new message.

Get disappointed when its yet another spam for Viagra. (WTF? I'm not even a GUY!)

Get even more disappointed when there's nothing new.

Check "Sent" messages to make sure you sent it to the right person.

Count the days your submission has been out.

Go to Duotrope.com and check average response times.

Refresh e-mail again. Disappointed again.

Tell yourself you're not going to check e-mail for the rest of the day.

Resist for five minutes. Check again.

Go to submission website and fret over the guidelines. Yes, you did it right.

Refresh e-mail.

I am happy to say that I have finally overcome the e-mail obsession. Granted, I don't have any queries out for my novels, but I DO have a couple of short stories out on submission. Going on two months. Gah.

But I've discovered a little secret that prevents me from overloading Yahoo with all my refreshes. Forgetting about it. Acting like you don't care. Moving on to other things. Yes, it works. Amazingly well, actually.

Now, I still check my e-mail once a day (just in case) but that's my limit. Why waste the time fretting over when an e-mail is going to arrive (and what it will say) instead of moving on to another project? Distraction is key, my friend. Yes, indeed.

Now, anyone need the hookup on discounted Viagra?

Stretched Thin

I've always been a bit socially awkward. I say the wrong things a lot. Laugh at unfunny things. Don't make enough eye contact...or too much. My jokes flop. I try really, REALLY hard to be a person's best friend, but I usually fail. Because I try TOO hard, as my mother always says.

Well, I feel like I'm trying too hard to be helpful and insightful and provide you with interesting tidbits on Monday Madness. The truth is I feel like Monday Madness is flopping more than flipping. Everything I say (or, more accurately, try to say) comes out a little stale. A little lifeless. A little awkward. So, next Monday will be the last regularly scheduled Monday Madness. It might make an occasional occurrence in the future when I can actually THINK of something interesting.

However, I do have recommendations for helpful blogs. 

The Sharp Angle. Lydia Sharp always has interesting things to say and I'm learning something every day from her. And when her husband, Joe, pops in you can usually get a unique perspective on things (as well as a grin-inducing post title).

Don't pet me, I'm writing. Tawna Fenske always has an amusing anecdote about writing or her experience as a writer. She's a lot of fun to follow!

The Other Side of the Story. Janice Hardy, author of The Shifter and Blue Fire, is always sharing helpful information on character development, plotting and writing in general.

I will continue to post book reviews on Wednesdays. Luckily I'm about two weeks ahead on that. Woohoo. I hope you're enjoying reading them, because I'm enjoying writing them. :)

Hopefully with less pressure on my brain to come up with something brilliant over the weekend for Monday Madness, I can start writing on my stories again. Maybe even some poetry.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Do you like my 69?

Buahaha. Yes, I have a dirty mind. That's probably a given seeing as my first published work will be erotica. (More on that later.)

Anyway, over at The Sharp Angle, Lydia was discussing the idea that you should buy a novel based on its page 69. That should reveal the heart of the novel's style and situation. Well, she said it better than I ever could, so go check it out.

However, I had to see if my page 69 had any merit. So I thought I'd share and get your opinions. Are they interesting? Would you "buy" it?

Here's Page 69 from LAST OF THE ELVES, my WIP:

“Yes, I know just how busy you’ve been. But tell me, boy, has it done any good?”

“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully. “There was this one—a girl—who I thought would be different. But…” He squeezed her hand. “She’s like all the others.”

She studied him, her hazel eyes—his father’s eyes—seeing more than he would like. But that had always been her gift. A witch by birth, she harnessed the powers of light, truth and beauty, and could always see through the darkness. “She’s special to you.”

“No.” He shook his head. “No.”

Ollie laughed. “Oh, Lial. You were never a good liar. You take after your father’s side of the family too much.” She released his hand and reached for a box beneath the counter. Constructed of polished wood, it did not appear to need the intricate lock clasping the lid. Ollie withdrew a key from her blouse and opened it.

“Hold out your hand,” she said. He did and she placed something smooth and warm in his palm. She curled his fingers around it. “This was your mother’s. She wanted you to have it. For your special woman, she said.”

“I don’t—“

“Shh. Just take it. I’m afraid if I don’t give it to you now, I never will.”

His hand clenched. “Auntie…”

She laughed. “Don’t be sad. I am the fortunate one, Lial. I’m nearly a century old, ancient for a human. It shall be like going to bed after a long, hard day.”

“You’re only ten years older than me.”

“But you’re not human.”

His mouth thinned. “No need to remind me.”

And here's page 69 from DRAGON QUEEN, which I will be querying for soon:

“You’re right, of course,” he interrupted. “We’ll have a feast once she establishes her seat.”

“My seat? I’m going to have a seat?” I squeaked.

“Of course,” the female replied, smiling her gentle smile again. It was such a contrast to her fearsome features that it unsettled more than soothed me.

“Every ruler has a seat,” the male said.

“But . . .I don’t even know how to rule.” Panic crept in again, scratching at my voice and pulling me toward hysteria. I focused on breathing, trying to regain control.

Amusement lit his black eyes. “Do not worry, my Queen, we shall teach you all that you need to know.”

“And what am I supposed to bring to this?”

“Your self,” he answered. “That is greater than any weapon.”

His answer did not stifle my panic, but fed it. It was a bloated thing now, lodging in my throat until I could barely breathe.

His mate must have sensed this, for she abruptly said, “My name is Vahra. This is my consort, Kale. We are the leaders of the Council. The leaders of the Nerolytes.”

“The Nerolytes?”

“It means, “Against the dark.” It is what the Kelsten Skala call us.”

“So the Kelsten Skala are the prominent power?”

She shrugged. “They would claim that, yes. But the Council is an ancient dragon tradition. We have been here far longer than the Kelsten Skala, and we still hold power. Despite being forced to meet in secret for some centuries now.”

Book Review: The DUFF

When I first saw the title of The DUFF by Kody Keplinger, I laughed. I think every girl has felt like the Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) at one point or the other. That alone was enough to intrigue me. And then the book's blurb reassured me that this was a book worth reading:

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "the Duff," she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren't so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

I admit, I have a softness for hate-turning-to-love relationships, so I thought this book would be right up my alley. But now, uh, I don't know. In fact, I feel like I have a love-hate relationship with this book.

I loved the situation the MC is in. Every girl can relate to being a Duff, or at least feeling like one. Every girl knows that sleazy man-whore whom she is attracted to despite herself (even if she won't admit it) and every girl has issues at home. The set-up felt pretty dang real to me. Even the way Bianca deals felt real to me (if something I could never see myself or anyone I know doing).

Bianca as a character was interesting and dynamic. I liked her little oddities (like finding folding clothes relaxing) and liked that she also had the tendency to keep her emotions bottled up (something I can relate to). But, for all that, I'm not sure if I really liked HER. In some books, that's okay, but in this book I should have been on the MC's side, and I was for the most part, but there were so many things she did that I disagreed with that at times I just wanted to smack her and say, "Really?"

Wesley, at the end, made me smile. I liked how he grew and we got to see the true guy underneath all his BS. It gives me hope for all a-holes out there.

BUT, the author almost lost me when Wesley tells Bianca, to her face, that she is the DUFF. It just seemed so unrealistic to me. The whole reason why he's talking to her is to come off as the nice, sensitive guy so he can sleep with her friends (he says so) so WHY would he admit that? That's just stupid. Creeps are creeps and ones with his reputation would be a little smoother than that. Now, if it had ended up just being a play for Bianca, i.e., to get her attention even if it was negative attention, I could see why he would say it. But that's never suggested. Which left me disappointed and feeling like it was all contrived. Bleh.

And I think that's what REALLY bothered me about this book. For all the difficult situations and obstacles Bianca faces, everything resolves a bit too nicely. Everyone is a bit too honest, a bit too willing to change and make everything right. And the story ends so neatly. Wrapped in a pink, shiny bow. Cherry Coke all around!

And that, to me, felt contrived.

I'm not saying that the book was completely unreadable. There were moments when I was so wrapped up in the story that I didn't care how easy the resolutions seemed. I was just happy that the characters were happy. So, all-in-all, I had the exact same attitude toward this book as Bianca does towards Wesley. I'm pretty sure I don't like it, yet I can't bring myself to say I hate it because of all its redeeming qualities.

Recommended: Partly yes, for an easy, semi-emotional read. Partly no for its "too-neat" ending.

Rating (out of five stars): 3

Monday Madness: Are You a Winner?

Hello, fellow NaNo-ers!

How's the writing going? I know some of you are super motivated and have already surpassed the 50,000 word goal. Others (like me, ahem) are still flagging. I regret to say that I probably won't "win" NaNoWriMo this year. I've only got about 40,000 words and though I MIGHT be able to write 10,000 words in the next two days, I doubt it. I'm, frankly, exhausted. And my imagination is beginning to resembled a shriveled raisin. Sad? Yes it is. The story is also picking a fight with me, trying to take me a direction I don't want to go, so that's making writing more difficult. Because I feel like everything I've wrote lately is crap. (Yes, writing crap is better than not writing, but I'm just too frustrated to deal with it now.) I'm going to write some more today. I can't guarantee it will be 5,000 words or even 500, but I'll keep writing until Dec. 1. Then I'm going to take a well-deserved break.

Normally, the daunting idea that I might not reach a goal would have my stomach in knots. I'm a perfectionist and I'm ambitious. I like to succeed. I like to reach my goals. Normally, I would be frantically pounding away at the keyboard (even if it was to repeat curse words over and over) in the hope that I would make it. But, you know what? I'm not stressing. Mainly because I have too many other goals that I am achieving that letting one slip is okay by me.

In my mind, just knowing that I wrote 40,000 words in one month is amazing. I've never written so many words in such a short amount of time! So, that makes me a winner in my own mind.

But how are you faring? Did you "win" this year or are you going to make your own blue ribbon out of glue and glitter?

Please share!

A Reminder to Be Thankful

It's Black Friday. Yay. It just means that day I have to go back to work after being off. Which really messes up my whole week. I almost titled this post Monday Madness. Lol.

I honestly love Thanksgiving, though. And, no, it's not just for the stuffing and turkey and ZOMG pumpkin pie. I like it because it reminds us to step back and just reflect. To be thankful. To remember all the good things that are happening to us. At least, that's what its supposed to be once you peel away the gluttony and commercialism.

Here are a few things that I am thankful for:

My wonderful husband who is probably one of the most selfless, loving people I know. Even when he's being a butthead (like all men are).

My health. Despite the illnesses I've experienced in the past, I'm a pretty healthy person. And I have nothing permanently wrong with me (I know, that's up for debate).

My family. I have an awesome Mom, a stepdad who loves me and is proud of me (even if he won't admit it), a brother who is always on my side and many aunts, uncles and cousins who are some of the best people I know. Also, I now have an extended family and I love them to pieces. They are funny and crazy and welcome me with open arms. I couldn't ask for better in-laws.

My talents. I'm blessed, truly, with a lot of talents. I can write. I can draw. I can sing. I can even manage to dance sometimes. I have so many things I love to do and love to pursue. I'm glad I always have something to keep my occupied.

My friends. I'm thankful for the moments they are there. I'm thankful for their consideration and warmth. I'm grateful that I know so many talented and generous people (both online and in person) and am doubly grateful for all my writer friends at the Writer's Digest Sci-Fi/Fantasy forum.

My pets. My furry babies are my light. Even on the darkest days, they can make me smile with their tail-wagging and purring. They can heal a broken heart with just one cuddle. I love them so much!

Sometimes it's difficult to remember all the blessings in our life and it's easy to take them for granted. But I hope this week you remember what it is you are thankful for. Thank you for reading and please share what you are thankful for!