Islands of the Heart by David Stringer Review

Title: Islands of the Heart
Author: David Stringer
Release date: July 27, 2012
Rating: 4.5/5
Publisher:Publicious Self-Publishing 
Book Summary:

What is it like to be a woman so exquisitely beautiful that no one ever really sees her face . . . only the dark emotions it arouses? What is it like to be a man of such physical presence he fears no one? Are these blessings or a curse? Could a woman love such a man? And when his world begins to fall apart, can their love survive the re-ignited violence of his past? Can a man forgive himself for an act that is unspeakable? Can you? Or are their limits to your forgiveness?Islands of the Heart is the story of a tough ex-soldier, Wolf, who has always handled life's problems with his fists. Wolf finds himself drawn into a series of events where that tactic no longer works. Things are mad worse when he cuts a violent swathe through New Zealand and Samoa, desperate to hide secrets from his past.Islands is also the story of the women in his life who love and fear for Wolf, who are damaged by  him yet will not close their hearts; who in the end are part of his salvation. Islands is ultimately however a story of the power of forgiveness--of the fact that we still need to forgive those who have wronged us, or forever live lives stunted by the poison of our hatred.

Review:

I have a warning to those reading this review: this is not for those who don't like foul language or anything kind of mature, I guess. There is a lot of that. Including multiple droppings of the F-bomb. 

There may be spoilers.

Islands of the Heart is an intricately laced story following the lives of characters who have all affected each other's lives in some way. Each of these characters is trying to find something about themselves and each of these characters finds that the old methods of dealing with problems aren't appropriate anymore--things have changed and so have they. 

David Stringer does an amazing job interweaving the stories of all his characters throughout the chapters. They changes of point of view are appropriately made and they always reveal so much about the character it's focused on without giving away too much at a time. Each section reveals a new layer of his characters, further complicating each personality. His descriptions were beautiful and his dialogue was witty and real. 

" 'America Sneezes and we all get the flu ' " (page 100).

One of the issues that I had while reading this book is the fact that I don't know much about Samoa, Australia, or New Zealand, or about Samoan, Australian, or Maori culture. It was sort of distracting because sometimes it was very difficult to follow the history that they were discussing or the things that they were saying. I also don't know about much in politics. If the characters were affected in anyway because of politics, I wouldn't understand why. There was also some language scattered throughout the book. For example, the question and answer given by Pepe and Steven on page 202:

'O a mai?' 
'Ua leilei. . .'

Since I don't speak the language, I have no idea if that's a greeting or just a simple question and answer.

However, aside from that, Stringer brings to life wonderful characters through description and action. It's like I'm watching a movie in my head: They feel so real to me. Their backgrounds are well thought out and the actions they take based on their backgrounds are right on point. The best part is that I can really see when their mindset is starting to change. Honestly speaking, they're a wonderful bunch of characters--they're broken in some degree or another--and I love them all equally. 

As mentioned above, his description is equally wonderful. When he flashes back to Wolf's army days, I feel like I'm there--in the action. My heart broke for Tania, and I felt calm when descriptions of scenery arose. His descriptions make me want to see the mountains and forest he described in person (and it's something that I've added to my bucket list). 


I'm glad to have had the opportunity to read Stringer's novel. It was different from what I've read in a while; it had a different sentence structure, and different way of describing. The difference was much needed and very wonderful. If you like this kind of contemporary literature, then you'll love this novel. 


Thank you David for giving me this opportunity!

Here's a Book Highlight: Grimnirs by Ednah Walters

 If you think that Ednah Walters's name sounds familiar, you must have seen my review for AWAKENED! Check it out if you haven't!

________________________________________________________________

Book Title:  Grimnirs

Series:  A Runes Novel

Author:  Ednah Walters

Release Date:  December 2^nd 2013

Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance

Publisher:  Firetrail Publishing

Presented by:  As You Wish Tours

Banner Made by:  Julia Hendrix

BOOK BLURB

One lost love.

One lost best friend.

One hot soul reaper.

Straight out of the psyche ward, Cora just wants her life to be normal. She doesn’t want to see souls or the reapers collecting them. The love of her life, the guy she’s loved from a distance for years, has moved away without saying goodbye. So yes, she’s nursing a serious heartbreak. It’s no wonder love is the last thing on her mind when Echo storms into her life.

The chemistry between them is mind-blowing. The connection defies logic. It doesn’t help that Echo is the poster boy for everything she hates in a guy—hot, beautiful, and cocky. A general pain-in-the-butt. Being around him makes her feel more alive than she’s ever felt before. But more important, the souls leave her alone when he is around.

Echo is perfect for her. Echo might even be her soul-mate. There is only one problem. Echo is a freaking soul reaper. A Grimnir. The very beings she wants out of her life. Maybe normal is overrated because Cora wants it all. Answers. Love. A life. You see, once you fall for a Grimnir, your life will never be the same again. 

CLICK THE "READ MORE" FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GRIMNIRS AND EDNAH WALTERS!

Currently Reading / NaNoWriMo

Hello, readers!

I'm going to update you on some things!

What I'm currently reading

Right now I'm reading Islands of the Heart by David Stringer and, I've gotta say, so far so good! Although, if you're not into cursing and the dropping of the F-bomb a lot, then you may not like it. (It's really good though.)

NaNoWriMo

So, that's failing pretty epically. (As you can tell from my word count on the right.) I think I have to write 3000 a day to catch up now? I don't even know. I didn't write any words yesterday. Oh well. I'll try my best and see where that takes me. Maybe next year, right? :P

Book of the Week: Tyger, Tyger/ NaNoWriMo

This is a short post today, as I have quick somethings to mention to you! 

This week Tyger, Tyger by Kersten Hamilton is Apple's book of the week! 

What does this mean? 

For this week you can download Tyger, Tyger for free. Just click this link and you'll be taken to the page! If you haven't seen it, I have a review of Tyger, Tyger. It's my favorite book, and I highly recommend you read the Goblin Wars Trilogy!

NaNoWriMo

In NaNoWriMo news, I have my word count on the right side of my blog! I figured that if I made it public to everyone who reads my blog, I would be more encouraged to try to finish it this year. It also helps that I have a technology class this year. It gives me a whole hour (in the case of this Monday two hours) to write for NaNoWriMo. 

I'm working on a Mystery/Suspense story. It's something I've never written before. I hope that I could deliver something decent.

If you want to add me as a writing buddy, find "Roxaslover14" and send me an invite! I'll add anyone back!

 

KIERA'S QUEST: SACRIFICES by Kristy Brown Review

Title:  Kiera's Quest: Sacrifices

Author: Kristy Brown

Release date: August 3rd, 2012

Rating: 5/5

Publisher: MuseItUp

Book Summary: 

After almost beating the villainous Witch Queen, Kiera’s triumph is tainted with sadness for the loss of Joe and Daz.

When the handsome Prince Zakk asks Kiera to re-enter his world in order to save her friend, she does not hesitate.

On their perilous journey Kiera realizes that she is there to save many lives. As she comes face to face with her evil nemesis once again, Kiera comes closer to finding out the truth to why she has been chosen.

Will she succeed? Will this be the end to Kiera’s quest?

Review:

 

As the second installment of the book series Kiera's Quest, Sacrifices dealt with the continuation of Kiera's journey after the horrible events that ended the first book.

 

Back on Earth, Kiera is listed as a missing person along with her friends Daz and Joe; Maddy was left alone to carry the burden of her friends' "disappearances." What made the situation worse is the fact that she knows where Kiera is and why she left and she knows what happened to her boyfriend Daz and Joe. She's forced to keep it secret. Kiera, on the other hand, struggles with Prince Zakk to defeat the Witch Queen and indirectly looking for Joe and Daz.

In this installment of Kiera's Quest, we finally get to see Zakk in action and not as a plastic Ken doll. He was brave and very noble (duh, he's a prince). He always made sure that everyone was safe and didn't leave anyone behind. For his introduction as a walking and moving character, he hit it hard and I really liked him.

I'm not going to spoil anything, but Terrance the dog was probably my favorite character as I was reading. He's so awesome and comes to the rescue at the perfect moments. Read the book, and you'll understand why Terrance is definitely the Character of the Week. (Is that even a thing?)

Again, I could really feel myself as Kiera. She was brave  and yet she had her moments of fear and distress. I think the one thing I don't like about Kiera is that she can rely on the ring a little too much sometimes. She does take care of business when it's necessary with the ring or without it.

The Witch Queen strikes again! Wow, she's a pretty awesome villainess and the way Kiera and the others describe her kind of send chills down my back. The things she does to people just for the fun of it; the things she does just to gain her power back. It's really magnificent. In my scale of villains, so far she's up there with Maleficent, Valentine, and Voldemort. (Maleficent is still my favorite though. She did all that stuff because she wasn't invited to the birthday party.) 

Anyway, there is also a twist that no one expects, though both got me mad and yet I was kind of happy with it. (Unlike THINGS IN DITCHES which just made me mad.) We also meet some new characters: Alex, Mouse, Jamie and others.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would love to continue following Kiera on her journey and her battles against the Witch Queen.

A big thanks to Kristy Brown for giving me the opportunity to read the second installment!

   

THINGS IN DITCHES by Jimmy Olsen Review

Title: Things in Ditches
Author: Jimmy Olsen
Release date: December 28, 2000
Rating: 5/5
Publisher: North Star Press
Book Summary:

A murder mystery novel. The story of Phillip "Dutch" Cleland, a man with a hidden past and a future about to explode in his face. A seemingly average man whose love for two women drives him to such extremes that deception, even murder and suicide are not longer unthinkable.   

When a lovely corpse is discovered near Dutch's home town, the nearby ditches begin to yield a harvest of secrets, none of them comforting for Dutch. Soon he is forced to flee for his life, before his past and the police slip a noose around his neck.

Things In Ditches is peopled with small town characters that are so humorous and eccentric, their oddball antics enliven every paragraph and page. A reader can't help but be reeled in by the strange citizens of Willow River, until soon discovering they're really not so different from all of us and Dutch's story is the oldest story on earth; good and evil, betrayal and laughter. And finally, the power of love and friendship, forging one man's determination to overcome all odds, even death.

Review: 

Warning! There are some spoilers!

Marlene came in carrying a candle.
"Ah, Lady Macbeth!" he sighed with great drama. "Whyfore did he kill her now after all these leagues?"
"League is a distance, dope, not a time," she said pouring hot candle wax into a puddle beside him."

Chapter 15, page 159.

Things in Ditches is written in third person past and follows the life of Dutch Cleland, the Butcher of Willow River.

Dutch Cleland is a lying, cheating, sneaky rat, and above everything else, the murderer of his mistress, Vicky Murdock, whom he loved with all his heart. Was it that love that ultimately got her killed?

In a small town like Willow River, stealing is unheard of and murder, even less. Cleland, unable to commit suicide, runs off into hiding, leaving Jean to face the music of his murder of which he detailed in a little note left in the kitchen. But on his way to pick up some food from his butcher shop, he's held up and things for him start getting much, much worse. Whatever Dutch thought he could save of his future was thrown down the drain.

Like most small towns, people start to talk. Gossip circles suddenly have something to talk about and the only name in the mix is Dutch's. He grows into the star of Willow River and news coverage on the little town explodes. What the newscasters don't know, however, is that the body is suddenly missing.

It becomes a race to who can find Dutch first: Len Davis, the lawyer, Carroll Johnson and Murdock, Vicky's husbands, Sherriff Mattson, the Sherriff of the county, or Charlie, the police chief of Willow River.

Who will find him first? Will Dutch ever go back to the home he loved so much?

Jimmy Olsen brings the world of Willow River to life with beautifully crafted sentences and very real dialogue. I felt like I was experiencing what was going on. I was completely lost in this book and would gasp out loud in the middle of class. I had never read a murder mystery before this one, but now I think I may start picking some up. It was humorous, dark, and wonderful. I found myself unable to put it down. Each character was very well-rounded. 

I think my favorite characters may have been Jean. I say Jean, because she was a very strong female character. She didn't let things get to her and she certainly didn't let Dutch destroy her. Jean fought against Murdock and Carroll and although she was shaken up, she didn't let it bring her down. She is an extremely powerful character, that I enjoyed very, very much.

I promise I'm not going to spoil anything, but the ending really made me frustrated and mad. I saw part of it coming, because he does have foreshadowing to it, but I did not see the huge twist that he left behind. I complained to probably every one, and I think that's probably a good thing. I didn't see part of it coming. Then I read the epilogue and I think that made me angrier both because I saw it was coming, and because I didn't see it coming. I really felt involved in this book.

I've even recommended it to my AP Literature teacher!

Thank you, Jimmy Olsen, for sending me a copy of this book!

IN THE BETWEEN Giveaway!

If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you'll know about the book In the Between by May Sinclair, PhD.

Now you can own in the between!

How?

Enter the contest!

Contest starts on 9/20/13 and ends on 10/11/13

What do you win?

A copy of In The Between signed by May Sinclair, PhD!

What do you need to do?

Follow this link to the form, or click the <> button below to fill it out on here: