Book Reivew: The Alchemy of Forever

The Alchemy of Forever written by Avery Williams
Release Date: January 3rd, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster books
Format of novel: Hardcover
Summary (From Goodreads.com): In the first novel of the Incarnation series, the immortal Seraphina grapples with a wrenching truth: Falling in love might mean succumbing to death.People say “love never dies”…but love might be the death of Seraphina.

Seraphina has been alive since the Middle Ages, when her boyfriend, Cyrus, managed to perfect a method of alchemy that lets them swap bodies with any human being. Sera ran away from Cyrus years ago, when she realized that what they were doing—taking the lives of innocent people—was wrong. Yet she doesn’t want to die, so she finds young people who are on the brink of death, and inhabits their bodies.

Sera has just landed in the body of a girl named Kailey who was about to die in a car accident. For the first time, Sera falls in love with the life of the person she’s inhabiting. Sera also falls for the boy next door, Noah. And soon it’s clear the feelings are returned. But she can never kiss Noah, because for her to touch lips with a human would mean the human’s death. And she has even more to worry about: Cyrus is chasing her. If she stays in one place for long, she puts herself—and the people she’s grown to care for—in great danger. Will Sera have to give up the one thing that’s eluded her for centuries: true love?

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I apologize for not really posting as much this week, I have been job hunting the last couple of days and getting my stories prepped up for watt pad and fiction press for updates. Any who, this story (Alchemy of Forever) is the first novel to William's series. When I first picked up this book, I was hesitant about it at first since it was a short novel for a debut. (It was only 260+ pages long). What brought me into this story was the summary before I went ahead and brought it. In my personal opinion, the summary felt like I was dealing with the concept of the philosopher's stone and the Elric brothers in Full Metal Alchemist. But after reading it, I found it more interesting in terms of the romance and how Seraphina yearned for a life outside of her eternal one.

The pacing was fast, and mostly well done, but I did loose the plot of the story in a few spots. The plot in general was amusing, though I wished I saw more of Cyrus being a creeper and affecting Seraphina more sinister-like rather than using simple magic tricks. The characters overall were pretty cool and original like the plot. I did sympathize with Seraphina at some points because she knew what she was doing was the wrong thing to do, but I didn't since she had been a part of Cyrus' plans for a long period and has killed innocent people so she can live more in a different body before it took her long enough to realize it was wrong.

In the end, the story overall was a decent debut for the series. I haven't found the sequel to this book yet, but I'm hoping to locate it soon or hear about it being out in stores near my hometown. The only thing I wished that this story had was more suspense and a little more interactions with Cyrus and Seraphina so I can feel the tension rise between them. And also have more characters involved in the plot as a whole. Other than that, the story was really good.

Book Review: Doubt

Doubt written by John Patrick Shanley
Release Date: December 1st, 2008
Publisher: Theater Community Group
Format of the Novel: Paper back
Summary: Couldn't find a proper summary for this particular story.

(Sorry for not posting yesterday, was spending memorial day with the family)
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Unlike the other stories I have review in the last week or so, this one is was a short play with 64 pages to its name, a movie, and a Pulitzer prize for drama under its belt. I read this last fall for my Intro to creative writing class and we have watched the movie as well. In my honest opinion, the short book was better than the movie.

This play focuses on the emphasis of doubt when people witness some serious situations that are normally kept secret in the 1960s. In this story readers are focusing their attention on the main nun, Sister Aloysius Beauvier and her growing mission to discover the truth between Pastor Brendan Flynn. Upon learning about possible inappropriate actions between Pastor Flynn and one of the young students at the church, both Sister Beauvier and Sister James attempt to figure out the truth by lying and watching Pastor Flynn with a very close eye.

Considering the fact this play contained a limited point of view, readers are mostly focused on Sister Beauvier and how she goes on her rampage to keep the church to its original standards instead of going through changes. As a reader, you can easily see the tension rising and how Sister Beaunver beings to lose herself as a person. This whole play brings out different questions with wither or not people should take action for stuff that never really occurred and that's why Shanley uses the term 'Doubt' in a very powerful and realistic way. This play was very enjoyable regardless of the fact its a short and somewhat religious play, and I enjoyed the movie even though it dragged on. If you want to focus on realistic fiction, then go this short play.

When coming up with profiles for your Characters

Throughout my life as a writer, I always fell in love with the characters like many of you out there. When it came to stuff like video games, anime, etc-- I wanted to know more about the character in the most in depth way possible just to understand them personally so I can connect at a deeper level. (And also find myself a few other fangirls that will agree with me on some of the topics). So being a nerd and a person who loves her precious laptop (Jiraya), I went to sites like Wikipedia, fan based pages on were create for people like me, and even when to bookstores just to figure out more about the stuff I became obsess with at the time.

So like them, I wanted to try out a profile for my characters. Wanna know the issues for that? Well I'll give you a couple of reasons.

1.) You have to get to know your characters.
2.) There are so, so, so many examples of profile formats everywhere (books, online)
3.) Things will rapidly change when you keep writing.

Most of my attempts have been successful, but sometimes I have a difficult time coming up with back stories and how to keep the profile 'original' with much depth my characters needs so I can get a better idea of my story. However, you know how sometimes writers discuss how they can't get along with most of their characters in their head or you have random bursts of imaginations for other stories or you loose confidence in your current project? Honestly, I deal with that every single day, and I'm pretty sure you guys do as well.

So my advice to all of us here, just keep working on it. Make your characters so realistic for the readers, and their profiles similar criminal background ones with so much information about their personal, social, mental, physical (etc) status and personal family history. And also do find a few examples to assist you when starting your character profiles. It will be like creating your own child or some form of imaginary friend that can help you write your stories. You can show people the profiles of your characters, but just reveal the short versions and pictures that inspired the character only. It's one of the only ways you can hide some of great detail about your stories. If you have people questioning you about what people you're talking about and calling you weird, shrug it off or say 'yes I'm crazy, but its the new norm.'.

Enjoy yourselves and have fun creating the characters that are ready to take over the fictional world!

Some links for you guys:

• http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jun98/lazy2.htm
• http://www.epiguide.com/ep101/writing/charchart.html
• http://www.creative-writing-now.com/writing-character-profiles.html
• http://nanowrimo.org/forums/character-cafe/threads/125155

Book Review: Give a Boy a Gun

Give a Boy a Gun written by Todd Strasser
Release Date: April 1st, 2002
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format of Novel: Paperback
Summary (from goodreads.com): For as long as they can remember, Brendan and Gary have been mercilessly teased and harassed by the jocks who rule Middletown High. But not anymore. Stealing a small arsenal of guns from a neighbor, they take their classmates hostage at a school dance. In the panic of this desperate situation, it soon becomes clear that only one thing matters to Brendan and Gary: revenge.

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Ever since I was in the sixth and eight grade, this book was something that took my heart right away out of fear and sympathy for Brendan and Gary. As a person who was bullied throughout middle and high school, Strasser's story touched me. In the story, readers learn about the hardships from the outcasts from the two protagonists. During this time, we learn about the psychological damage it did to the bullying victims and the dangerous outcomes of what could happen if things went too far. You can personally feel the emotional outtake of everything. From the bully victims, to the other students, readers are able to the see the entire plot in a whole entire eye view like as if you were personally there to witness the events unfolding like crazy.

I don't want to spoil this story because of how powerful it is, but I believe this book brings awareness to bullying within younger teenagers. In the recent years, there has been a major increase of school shootings and most of them were due to either a child becoming so tired of being bullied to the point where they snapped or a child that may have a possible mental disorder that causes them to have random thoughts of doing the horrific crimes. Teachers, I beg of you as a reader and a victim of bullying that made it further than the rest, please let your students read this book at a young age and other books related to this one. If children read this book, then perhaps they will become aware of these outcomes and maybe decrease bullying for the children that are victims of it. As a reader, I do want to see more of these type of books in the library, bookstores, and anywhere that is accessible to everyone. Bullying needs to end and these outcomes are only going to get worse if people don't notice the signs right away.

Book Review: The Assassin's Blade

The Assassin's Blade written by Sarah J. Maas
Release Date: March 4th, 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury's children
Format of Novel: Hardcover
Summary (From Goodreads.com): Contains all five novellas.
Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.

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I will like to make notice that the novellas are also sold as separate e-books for nooks/kindles for anyone that is on the look out for these stories. (Now on to the review).

I'm sure many people from the fiction press community have heard of Sarah J Maas and her epic tale of Celaena Sardothein right? Well, to be frank I never read the first ever draft of that story till her book came out right before my birthday, so reading Throne of Glass was a huge turn around for me back in 2012, and I will review that book tomorrow evening. Sarah J. Maas does not disappoint. For these particulars novellas, they were based on Celanea's time before the first book of the series takes place. From what I can tell with Celanea, she is a fresh character Young adult fiction needed to get back into the spin of literature. She is witty, girly, and a major bad ass to boot. Now I'm not going to spoil anything that is related to the story itself and Throne of Glass, so as a result to this review-- I will be focusing on the plot, pace, characters, and overall thought of the five novellas.

The pace of the story felt like it was dragging in a couple of areas within the novellas, but I can forgive the author for building up the tension to the right moments. I liked how she developed the plots, Sarah J Maas brought out different issues to get Celaena to act more human in a way instead of the cold-hearted assassin that she was trained to be. They tied to the titles of the novellas and she was able to deliver the emotional outcome right into a reader's heart. 

As for the characters, while I do like Celaena, my two favorite characters that continually popped out within the stories were Sam Courtland and Arobynn Hamel. The two men were very foiled with each other in terms of personality and sense of morale. I loved Sam because he brought out the softer and caring side of Celaena (even though she was a smart-ass at times) that made her wonder about having a life outside of the assassin guild. On the other hand, I loved Arobynn mainly because he brought out the fear into the story, and in a weird way-- I sorta noticed that he may of developed feelings for Celaena, but that could be me thinking of it. Either way, he was necessary for the five stories since he is the leader of the guild and he has raised Celaena for a while now.

Plot wise, all five stories were a excellent read. I enjoyed all of them, but my favorite one at the moment would have to be The Assassin and the Desert. This one in particular became my favorite since this is where I mostly saw Celaena grow as a character and we get to see pirates. Who the hell doesn't love some pirates and the silent assassins?! Any who, compare to the other stories, this one was a shiner for me. All in all, Sarah J. Maas is a fantastic writer, and if you guys want to read some prequels before the main series, pick up this book or get the books separate in e-book formats. :)

Book Review: Prophecy of the Sisters

Prophecy of the Sisters Written by Michelle Zink
Release date: August 1st, 2009
Publisher: Little Brown
Format of Novel: Hardcover
Summary (from goodreads.com): An ancient prophecy divides two sisters- 
One good... 
One evil... 
Who will prevail? 
Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets. 
Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust. 
They just know they can't trust each other

~Book one to the trilogy~

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I picked up this fine book in my high school's first ever book festival when I had to take my young sister to it four years ago. I even met the author in person and got my copy signed. I gotta say, this debut book was a nice read. I remember the plot and the growing tension between the two sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe very well and the setting was beautiful to image. I'm sad at the moment to not being able to read the two sequels that go along with this one, but considering the review, its better if I haven't right? Alright, let's get down to the review.

I felt that the plot at first was going to be a bittersweet rivalry between the two sisters considering that we are reading this from Lia's point of view. However, considering the idea that this story takes place in a gothic based alternative world with its paranormal undertones, it was really different in a unique way. Readers are brought up to wonder about the mystery of this great prophecy the sisters become a part of through Lia's eyes. The people she meets along the way and how her twin sister's attitude changes in a dark way its truly a good thing for the elements of suspense. It brought readers like me to their feet, wondering what will happen next. Yes I will have to agree about the pacing being slow, but you know what?  I think it was a good thing. 

Another good thing I thought Michelle Zink's did for her debut, was the character growth between the focused characters. I fell in love with Lia mainly because while she was going through of these changes, she also stuck true to her original self when it came to dealing her love for her remaining family and James, her love interest.

I recommend this book to readers that enjoy the paranormal-romance genre. Since I haven't read the other two books, there is not much I can say about this book, but it was Michelle Zink did a wonderful job for her debut. When I can, I will buy the two other books and the other ones Michelle had written as well. So happy reading and pick up this book!

Writing Online: Good or Insane?

So lately, it dawned on me that online writing is a difficult and tiring bitch. This is coming from someone that has been around writing areas like fiction press and fan fiction since her early teens, (and I'm almost 21 now). Since I have started college back in late 2011, my writing for sites like these particular ones and watt pad have slow down to a great level, and it has become so difficult to get back into the road of updating a new chapter for a story that usually ends up in the dead pile of your brain.

Like you all, I do have my fair and lame share of excuses for not doing this stuff at a decent rate like I should, but sometimes reality truly hits you where the sun don't shine, and there's nothing you can do about it. Sometimes losing some fans here and there are the price to it, and sometimes you lose the confidence to write. But in the end, sometimes it's for the best for your sanity. If you like many of the writers that becomes popular over the short course of time, congrats-- you're doing well. But the question is, can you keep up with it?

I'll be frank here, I, xRayne Wolfx, cannot keep up with it. With the pace writers like myself are at this moment, we are better of setting a once every two weeks update goal. I have tried endless of times just to see if I am worthy of being a true writer. But you know what? There are writers out there, that become famous without these sites. I do use sites to get my name out there for readers, but lately, I still end up the same way and I'm okay with it. I learned to accept it now and I'm learning to figure out how to gain readers and support their butts too. In the end, we are all writers.

Now for the writers that can keep the sanity of online stuff going, that's awesome. I adore their stories and it makes me excited as a reader to see their journey rise up to the great road of 'published author'. But for the authors I keep a sharp eye on when it comes to their cockiness and slam the other writers down, I don't believe in them. It shows their well beings being unprofessional, sloppy and quite frankly-- their stories are horrible. Sure you're gonna get a thousand reviews and readers, but if you can't be 'human' enough for the readers to have a connection with them, well you're not gonna get anywhere. People need to keep a balance of writing before insanity takes over them. Writers are people too, and the idea of us sitting on our butts 24/7 is gonna end once high school is over. College, work, etc-- will drag you down, and to many writers, our art is the escape we desire. It is the concept of us reaching our dreams while being challenged by the things that holds us down. Writing online, while it may be good, but half of the time, its one of the hardest commitments you can make. If you can do it, call yourself a super writer! If not, do what I'm doing, but take it slow and don't ever give up. Never. Just find the balance you will do well, I promise.

Book Review: On Writing- A Memoir of the Craft

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft written by Stephen King.
Release Date: July 6th, 2010
Publisher: Scribner
Form of Novel: Paperback
Summary (from goodreads.com): "Long live the King" hailed "Entertainment Weekly" upon publication of Stephen King's "On Writing." Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999--and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, "On Writing" will empower and entertain everyone who reads it--fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

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If writers are looking for assistance on their writing, well may I suggest picking up this lovely book. Stephen King wrote this book to give writers a clear insight about his writing process, the harsh realities of the writing business, and tools many writers like you and I need to get the ball rolling. His words are blunt, honest, and a damn good reality check if you want to stay in this world as a author. When I read this book, I couldn't put it down because of the stuff he delivered.

He made me nod in the all of the right places when it came to the certain tools he mentioned. I felt like I was in a lecture with him as the college professor. What made this story more interesting was how King brought his real life experience into the book. From his childhood, to his first published material, to his wife who people should hear more about since she has a kick-ass personality. They're both awesome in their own right!

This book has made me respect Stephen King more as a writer and as a person in general. Coming from a reader that has barely read anything from this author, I truly want to read all of the books that are from him when I can. Keep up the great work Mr. King! And writers, seriously-- pick. up. this. damn. book. Or order it, or get the E-book version, or ask a friend! This will help you grow as a writer along with the other books you have for writing!

Book Review: The Madman's Daughter

The Madman's Daughter written by Megan Shepherd
Release Date: January 29th, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Form of Book: Paperback
Summary (from Good Reads): In the darkest places, even love is deadly.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

~First book to a trilogy~

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This story is a tale inspired by the concept of Doctor Moreau created by H.G Wells and let me tell you something if you are a fan of that story, then you will truly enjoy this story. I found Shepherd's debut to be well written and the characters' personalities were very dark and twisted, yay! When focusing on the world-building, Shepherd brought in the similar aspects of Doctor Moreau, she brought in the island to a 'horror' point of view and and London was very realistic to the point where you can touch it with the tip of the fingers.

In terms of the pacing, it had the balance of both fast and slow so we can breathe in the story as a whole and not miss some of the important details Shepherd wanted her readers to see. My only complaints about this story was the plot being a little dry at the beginning, which almost made me want to put down the book. But, I got hook into the story after the parts of the Island began to appear.

While some people might of not enjoy Well's story and this re-telling, I thought of the story to be unique and somewhat original considering the few plot twists that were buried within the story itself. However, since this is the first book to the trilogy, I really don't have much else to say. All I got to say is how much of a good job Megan Shepherd did for for a debut author. Her sequel to this story, Her Dark Curiosity is already out, so I recommenced both stories to find out more about Juliet and her adventures of the unknown!

Book Review: The Cellar

The Cellar written by Natasha Preston
Release Date: March 1st, 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Form of Novel: Paper back (Barnes & Noble)
Summary: (From GoodReads.com)
      Nothing ever happens in the town of Long Thorpe – that is, until sixteen-year-old Summer Robinson disappears without a trace. No family or police investigation can track her down. Spending months inside the cellar of her kidnapper with several other girls, Summer learns of Colin’s abusive past, and his thoughts of his victims being his family…his perfect, pure flowers. But flowers can’t survive long cut off from the sun, and time is running out…

~This story was originally on WattPad.com and thanks to her loyal readers, Ms. Preston was able to get this novel traditionally published thanks to a fan based project they did over the summer. ~
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I will be honest here, I actually never thought I would enjoy this novel. Most of the reasons was due to having a similar story many of the thriller movies about people being trapped somewhere by a serial killer that usually turns out to be a shitty movie. I also wasn't too excited about the lack of motivation to escape and the climax of the story was too quick to enjoy right at the end of the book. But, I gotta say, this book was different in a weird, but small way. Considering this is Natasha's debut novel, it was a nice surprise to see different point of views switching around with Summer, Clover, and Summer's boyfriend-- Lewis. So it made the story a nice read for stress relief when dealing with things like school work.

While the story is very slow in terms of pace, I enjoyed the characterization between Summer and the other girls, and the opportunity to get to know about Clover's past. Though I do wish I gotten to see some more action or tension between the cast. I honestly wanted this story to have an epic plot twist into it instead of the dryness I found within the text, especially within the dialogue.

Another thing I did enjoy in this story was the switches of the timeline. Some of the chapters did have the present tense, but it was interesting to see the past tense being use so readers could understand the story as a whole and connect with Summer, Clover, and Lewis as I mentioned before.

All in all, This wasn't the best story I personally enjoyed, but it was a decent debut for young adult readers. Natasha Preston knows how to deliver great characters and ideas, but it had the debut sickness where the dialogue was very dry and the plot was bland since it was something I see in many thriller movie before. I do look forward to reading more stuff from Ms. Preston in the future, and maybe a sequel to this novel to see what happens next with Summer and the rest of the Cellar characters.