BOOK REVIEW: Secret Trust by McCaid Paul | Olivia J

"Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river," - Lisa See

If you all are familiar with my reading history, you'll know that I read McCaid's first book, The Forgotten Headline back in October 2018, and wasn't a huge fan. Review here. But if you're lazy, here's the gist: while it was an interesting set up for a series, it had some developmental and 'set-up and payoff' issues. 

However, Secret Trust blew me out of the water!

Let's just get right into it, because there's a lot to discuss!

Disclaimer: I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, McCaid!

Spoilers, duh. 

The Bad

Mustache-Twirling

This was a problem that carried over from The Forgotten Headline. All of the antagonists in this series are mustache-twirling villains. While it makes for a good plot twist, it doesn't make for a deep and nuanced examination of evil and why it arises. 

It's almost humorous at times, how they laugh maniacally, kill without question, and are unflinchingly selfish and cruel. The problem with this is that the villians come off as flat and cartoonish. They can't be truly terrifying because their malice relies on over-exaggerated stereotypes instead of portraying the disjointed nuance and darkness of the human psyche. 

Another problem is that there is very little explanation as to why these people are this way, other than greed, which isn't a strong enough motivator. Despite their cartoonishness, what would have saved the antagonists from becoming stereotypically villainous would have been a way to humanize them, instead of reducing them to seething and violent monsters. This is why the Ms. Claudia plot twist almost worked. 


Story Structure

I'll admit this is a little nitpicky, but I thought there were some story threads that should have been introduced earlier or ones that should have carried through the story arc. 

For example, I would have liked to stay with Clara's narration throughout the entire story, especially with what happened to her after she was shot. This would have added tension and more of a driving force since we would have seen how she got from the graveyard to Ms. Claudia's, instead of just forgetting about her for half the story and then suddenly, there she is. How did she get to the librarian's? Why did Ms. Claudia keep her alive for so long?


The Good

First off, I want to say that literally everything has improved from the previous installment. The development, the action, the pacing, the writing. I love it. I can't possibly go into everything here, but I'll touch on my favorite elements. 

Pacing

I absolutely devoured Secret Trust. It was like a roller coaster. With each twist and turn, you learn something new, but that information only brings with it new questions. With blink-and-you'll-miss-it action, Paul has crafted a twisty mystery, with perfectly balanced action and character moments. 

Sequel Development

In terms of a sequel, this one was a perfect one. It deepened the mystery, deepened the relationships, and deepened the world. A good mystery sequel will also call into question the events of the first book, while also making them make more sense. 

I especially loved the character development in this book. Mick and Billie still remain strong friends with some really cute romantic development. Paul wrote the impact of the previous books with ease, and their determination in solving the mystery was admirable. They were also given much more 

Even better was some of the plot development. While not perfect on all levels, there were still some aspects that stood out. The ways that the conspiracy unfolded and deepened was mind-blowing at times, and each element strung the reader along. The key to a good mystery is that each answer gives two more questions, and Paul has truly mastered this technique. As always, everything comes together in a startling conclusion. Mad respect for the ways that Paul improved every element of his writing and storytelling.

Overall, this mystery sucked me in with compelling main characters and stellar plot development!

I rated this book 4/5 stars!

~

Overall, Secret Trust is a stellar sequel and a solid mystery thriller. The first book is short, so I recommend this series just so you can get to this book. 

~The WordShaker

Why "The Fire & Ice Book Series" is Middle Grade Fiction | Olivia J

"The road to hell is paved with adverbs," -Stephen King

I love indie authors. I love supporting indie authors. It's basically a part of my brand at this point. 

I also believe that all feedback is good feedback - save from things that are purely subjective and comments that aren't constructive criticism. 

I know that a lot of people love this series. I know that Erin has found a lot of success with this series, and that's great. I'm glad other people have enjoyed it and have been inspired by it. 

However, I personally don't get the hype. 

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If you're interested, my review for The Elementals can be found under the 2 star rating section here, and my review for The Lost Dreamer can be found under the 3 star rating section here, but they're not essential to understanding this blog post. 

But let's get on with why you actually clicked on this blog post . . . 

The Fire & Ice Book Series is Middle Grade Fiction

Forbes herself brands the Fire & Ice Book Series as a YA fantasy series, which is incorrect on several levels. The characters are sixteen, so that must mean it's YA, right? 

Wrong. 

This series is Middle Grade. It's not Young Adult.  It's important that you know this right off the bat, because if you go into this book thinking it's MG fantasy, then you'll probably like it. Unfortunately, I went into F&I series believing that it was YA, and this greatly impacted my perception of the series. 

I found this amazing article on Writer's Digest about the key differences between MG and YA.  It makes compelling points on why F&I is not YA. I will be using this article as evidence to support my points. I highly recommend checking this post out - it's super insightful.

The complexity and themes are what differentiates these two genres - not just age ranges. MG usually has to do with friendship, family, and the character's reactions to the immediate world around them. However, YA concerns itself with love, changing relationships, how the character fits into the world on a grander scale, and self-discovery/reflection. YA often tackles heavier and more nuanced content and themes, and MG has more of a focus on adventure and good overcoming evil. 

In all these cases, F&I fits the criteria for MG and not YA. I'm not saying that F&I should have been grimdark, but what I am saying is that in order for F&I to truly qualify for a YA title, it must earn it by fulfilling the conventions of the genre. 

For example, our main character Alice Hanley - and all of the characters for that matter - are undeniably good. The Elementals are good, and the Creatures of the Night Oak Forest and Cleo Lennox are bad. This kind of simplistic, black and white categorization is usually nowhere to be found in YA books, because teens have the self-awareness that the world and people are much more complex than that. When reading The Lost Dreamer, I felt so much sympathy for Cleo Lennox. She has the potential to be such an interesting and nuanced character in future books, but Erin glossed over all of the interesting things we could have explored with Cleo and wrote her as evil and vindictive. Granted, the end of The Lost Dreamer left this plot open-ended, so I'm hoping for some more interesting development with Cleo. 

The problem is that the way F&I goes about tackling its themes is characteristic of MG. Things are allowed to be a bit more cut-and-dry in MG, but not YA. F&I does a whole lot of telling in every aspect (characters, world, everything), which, again, you can get away with more in MG than in YA - and this is due to the nature of the audience. Older teenagers are able to think for themselves and deduce information from context clues - aspects of the story and characters can be more subtle, nuanced, and not stated outright. In contrast, middle-grade readers need to be spoon-fed certain aspects. And this isn't bad, it's just a hallmark of the genre. 

Now I'm not saying that Middle Grade isn't as deep or as complex as Young Adult,  because that's simply not true. What I am saying is that the two genres are deep and complex in different ways, and they both have different methods of going about it. 

To clarify, the fact that I'm insisting that F&I is not YA and is MG is not necessarily critique of the work itself. It's a critique of the branding and the genre choice that Erin Forbes has made. She would find much more success if she branded F&I as MG instead of YA. 

If you go into reading this with the mindset that The Fire & Ice Book Series is an uplifting and whimsical Middle Grade series, then you'll probably enjoy them. 

~

*Phew*. That was a lot. Congrats if you made it to the end.  I haven't done one of this literary analysis blog posts in a while, mostly because they take a lot of time and mental energy, and those are two things I'm quite short of these days. 

~The WordShaker

Book Review: 'Saving Ivy' by Emily Reilly | Olivia J

"Most writers regard the truth as their most valuable possession, and therefore are most economical in its use,"

-Mark Twain

It's strange, but I think I read indie author books faster sometimes. Or maybe it's because this one was a contemporary. 

But alas, this is yet another indie book review! I don't think I'll ever get tired of reading work from my peers.

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much Emily, you should totally follow her on Instagram @emreilly!

Spoilers, duh. 

TW: Saving Ivy deals with heavy topics, including but not limited to: self-harm, abuse, rape, violence, and suicide. You need to go into this book with the right mindset. If you have suicidal tendencies, DO NOT read this book. 

The Bad

1. The Writing

This has two main points, so I shall break it up for ease. 

      a. Thoughts In Italics

Reilly's writing heavily employs a tactic where the literal thoughts that run through a character's head are included in the prose and then italicized. 

When used sparingly, they can be very effective. However, instead of using word choice, syntax, or dialogue to convey thoughts and emotions, Reilly relies on clipped words or phrases to express what the character is thinking or feeling. The overuse of it quickly begins to feel juvenile, and borders on telling instead of showing. 

      b. Development of Different POVs

Saving Ivy has at least four different point-of-views, but the story is mostly told through Ivy, Aunt Wiley, and Joseph's point of view.

As someone who mostly writes in first person dual or multiple perspective POVs, I feel that I can come from a place of experience and offer some critique but also advice. I've been writing with multiple perspectives since 2013 - that doesn't make me an expert by any means, but it does mean that I know what I'm talking about to some extent. 

The trick with writing multiple perspectives is voice. I mean, you as a writer and also the POV character should have their own distinct voice even if you're writing one POV. 

However, it's even more important that you develop strong character voices in a story with more than one POV characters. It just makes sense from a literal perspective: all humans think differently. We all use different syntax, we have different levels of vocabulary; what we say and how we say it varies greatly from person to person. 

In order to develop this, you have to consider so many things about the character: How old are they? What is their education level? What is their sense of humor like? What is their outlook on life? What region or part of the world are they from? All of these things influence a character's voice. 

The unfortunate problem is that Saving Ivy doesn't develop its POV character's voices. The writing style is virtually the same across Ivy, Aunt Wiley, and Joseph (although Joseph's voice is the most developed, I will give credit there).

The different POVs aren't confusing because you're not sure who's speaking - because the reader can deduce that from the content - they're confusing because everyone sounds so similar. It makes the writing flat and less engaging, as well as not allowing us to fully get into the POV character's head. Part of immersing the reader in the character is being able to see how that character thinks, perceives, and feels. Saving Ivy severely lacked the proper development of the three POVs in order to make them distinct and engaging. 

2. Lack of Complexity

Stories - and their levels of complexity - change in order to fit the target audience. Middle-grade books have more character depth, plot development, and tackle deeper issues than simple chapter books. Young Adult books take everything from MG and dig even deeper, and tailor the subject matter to fit the audience. Adult fiction is often the deepest and most complex of all fiction, mostly because adults are fully developed and can comprehend all of the subtlety, nuance, and complexity contained in adult fiction. Sure, there's some overlap, but as a general rule, there are specific ranges and levels for how complex an age-range of stories is. 

However, despite the content, Saving Ivy reads more like a middle-grade novel in terms of development and complexity. What makes YA so subversive is that it has the capability to be as complex as some adult fiction, while still catering to a younger demographic. What I mean by complexity is the ability to portray many different things in the context of one story, and the ability to interweave and connect multiple story threads while furthering the character arcs and plot. 

In Saving Ivy, there's not much going on. There's kind of just this one plotline of the interactions between Joseph, Wiley, and Ivy - and a few other small things thrown in. I feel like this has to do with the length of the book. Everything is kind of right on the surface. There's not much subtext, and the entirety of the plot, themes, and character development is right there in front of you. The story doesn't have many levels - each scene furthers one aspect of the plot. With some more character arcs and subplots thrown in, Saving Ivy would have had much more development and complexity. 


The Good

1. The Flashbacks (& some of the writing)

I'm a sucker for some good flashbacks - *cough* A Cactus In the Valley *cough* Lost. And the flashbacks in Saving Ivy were done so well and added so much to the story and the characters. They were short, but packed such an impactful and significant punch. It was like looking through a keyhole, but still able to see all that you needed without the flashbacks interrupting the story or dragging it down. There was more implied backstory, and I feel that this worked in favor of the narrative to balance out some of the heavier subject matter and depressing tone of the book. Reilly could have easily packed in the long sob-backstories, but she chose to make them short and sweet (in the colloquial sense of the last word). 

Now, based on the critiques I've made of Reilly's writing, it would be safe to assume that I think that Reilly is not a good writer. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. There were some passages and some lines in Saving Ivy that took my breath away, that forced me to reconsider things, and absolutely pulled me in with the unique descriptions. Reilly's moments of literary brilliance deserve just as much recognition. 

2.  Portrayal of Mental Illness

Now, before you all come at me with your pitchforks about last week's blog post, hear me out. I came into this book with the right expectations, and that greatly influenced my enjoyment and reception of Saving Ivy. 

Saving Ivy is not a happy book. It's very depressing, and I think it's important that you go into this book with that mindset. I suppose the title of 'Saving' Ivy is misleading, but that's neither here nor there. 

However, what Saving Ivy does right is that it shows how mental illness and strong emotions can warp someone's sense of reality and their ability to think clearly. That's why it's mental illness. So no, I don't berate or criticize Reilly for portraying Ivy's suicide as 'saving' her or as her finally finding peace, because for many people, they are deluded to believe that suicide is their only way out. They truly do believe that suicide will stop their pain. 

Reilly successfully portrayed the mind of a suicidal person, and how that kind of thinking can warp one's perception. I think that if you go into this book with the right mindset, and with this in mind, the suicide, as well as all of the other mental health topics discussed in the book, will not seem like a cop-out or as a harmful portrayal. 

Saving Ivy can be compared to works like Manchester by the Sea or Les Miserables - although these words are mammoths in comparison to Saving Ivy, they all are super depressing with somewhat hollow endings. And I feel that we need stories like this to balance out the tendency for all stories to end happily, or, rather, for all stories to have their conflicts tied up in a pretty bow. Because life doesn't work like that - sometimes bad things happen over and over and over and sometimes people die and sometimes conflicts never get resolved. I greatly commend Reilly for tackling this concept. 

~

Final Thoughts: While fundamentally flawed at points, Saving Ivy shows Reilly's literary prowess through her use of flashbacks and tackling of deeply emotional and less discussed topics. What holds the novel back are its lack of strong POV voices. Despite this, I enjoy the genre and subject matter of Saving Ivy, so for that I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading Reilly's work.  

Objective Rating: 6.5/10

Enjoyment Level: 7/10

~The WordShaker

Book Review: 'Fireflies Glow Only In The Dark' by Ruth Morse | Olivia J

"A real book is not one that is read, but one that reads us," - W. H. Auden

I don't think there will be a time where I won't be in love with the cover of Fireflies Glow Only In the Dark. Life goals on the cover, right there. 

I discovered Ruth Morse through Instagram, and when I saw that she was publishing a YA contemporary, I had to get my hands on it. I feel like there aren't many self-published authors who are writing contemporary stories, so I had to support a fellow author!

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This book seemed like a perfect fit for me - and for the most part, it was. But alas, there is no book without flaw. Without further ado, let us dissect . . . 

The Bad

1. Character/Theme Development

I think this is my biggest flaw with FGOITD. Neither Lana nor Max felt fully fleshed out. Sure, they had personalities and we knew a little bit about their backstories, but not enough for me to get a full picture of who this character was, and why. 

First, Lana. Despite her nightmares, she seems to be relatively unaffected by her dysfunctional family, which is virtually impossible. The problem is that we know very little about Lana or her life. We know a little about her family - about Jax and how her parents fight. We know about her friendship with Mel . . . and that's about it. What else has happened in Lana's life that has impacted who she is now? What was her school experience like? What about her other friends? 

This severe lack of knowledge of Lana's past leads to an undefined character, and it all comes down to the question of: "How does Lana's past impact who she is today, and how does that impact her choices?" We don't know nearly enough about who Lana is to answer that question. Sure, one could argue that that's the point: Lana doesn't know who she is. However, the thing about people is that we are just the sum of what has happened to us until we grasp ahold of who we want to be and therefore form our own identity. This concept was not expanded upon in FGOITD.

Max is nearly the same way. All we really know about his past is that his dad is an alcoholic, that he ran away, and a sliver of his interaction with Jack and Lily. How was Max's childhood? What kind of person was he in high school? And because we knew so very little about Max and Lana's pasts, it was hard to connect with their journey and their romance. 

This also comes down to the fact that FGOITD doesn't go deep enough into its characters to make the themes and relationships impactful. What makes these coming-of-age contemporary stories so good is that they are often a deep dive into the characters and their backstories, and how they overcome and accept their past in order to face the future. Way too much time is spent on the romance and other regular-life things than on the actual coming-of-age aspects that could have been explored. Many very interesting themes were touched on, but not fleshed out to their fullest potential. How does Lana finally move past her self-hatred and blaming herself for her brother's death? How does her family come back together after Lana's revelations? However, FGOITD seemed more interested in describing the romance and the alt-rock scene of Lana, Max, and Mel. 

2. Personal Nitpicks

FGOITD has a lot more romance than I was originally led to believe. Based on the synopsis - which you can read here - it sounds like I was promised a journey of self-discovery and catharsis, with probably a romance side plot. However, I got a lot more romance than I signed up for. Now, romance isn't bad, it's just not what I was expecting/looking forward to when reading this book. Maybe that's my fault, or maybe the synopsis was misleading. 

But really, I think that it stems from my burning hatred of the trope 'book advertizes growth and change but it's really just a romance where said significant other comes in and changes the main characters life'. Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't all that FGOITD does, but it's a significant part of it. I even thought that the romance was pretty realistic and sweet at times. I think they said 'I love you' too quickly, but bygones....

Don't get me wrong again, because I'm fully aware that people can come into your life and help you, change you, and make you realize things about yourself and about life - because there have been people in my life who have done just that. My problem with this idea arises when this significant other cures all of said character's problems - their crops are flourishing, their grades are higher, the sun shines brighter, and their mental health is cured. That's just so unrealistic - and problematic because it furthers the cultural idea that once you find love, your life will be wonderful and perfect. Now, FGOITD doesn't take it to the extreme, but I saw some of this trope throughout the novel, which I didn't like. 


Alas, now that that's out of the way, the rest of this review should be a breeze. 

The Good

1. The Writing Style

While not anything groundbreaking, I did enjoy Morse's writing style. At times it was profound and moving, and other times the descriptions pulled me right into the scene while not being too overbearing. 

Back to the 'profound and moving' bit. I know some people hate this kind of writing, but I love the 'philosophical musings' type of writing, and FGOITD had a significant amount of that in it. I live for prose/dialogue that points out universal truths/reveals something new about the human experience. Cue favorite quotes here:

"People come to the most unbearable places when they can no longer bear themselves," -page 19

"It sucks loving someone who reminds you of your unfulfilled happiness," -page 27

"Tragedy isn't unique, nor is happiness or any other feeling," -page 28

"It's funny how nothing prevents me from being anywhere at all. And that's what bothers me," -page 85

"I wished that at least for a moment, I could see the world through his eyes," -page 110

2. The End

The end of FGOITD really redeemed the novel for me, as many books often do. For the most part, I felt the middle sagged. Plot threads meandered and themes floundered, and other than the relationship progression between Max and Lana, not much else happened. However, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution of FGOITD saved it for me, since it was emotional, there were lots of character breakthroughs that happened, and the purpose of the story became clear. My only nitpick about the end is that certain things seemed to wrap up just a bit too nicely. However, despite that, the end really solidified my positive feelings about FGOITD. 

3. Personal Preferences

I have been - and probably always will be - a massive sucker for contemporary stories about life, finding yourself, mental health, family, and love - and FGOITD was just that. For that alone, I have to say that I enjoyed it. 

I also liked that while Lana had obvious problems and was definitely depressed, she didn't always act depressed or mopey. I loved that Morse deconstructed this stigma: that people with mental illness/trauma/problems have to act sad or anxious all of the time, because in reality, we hide how we're truly feeling. And just because someone has a mental illness, doesn't mean that they can't be happy sometimes or that they can't have fun. Hats off to accurate portrayals of mental illness and deconstructing the stigma!

This was one of the few times that I liked it when the main character was a writer/reader. Most of the time, I don't really like this trope because it makes the main character feel like a self-insert, but the way that Morse describes Lana writing were some of my favorite passages in the book. 

Final Thoughts

While Fireflies Glow Only In the Dark is a solid novel in my favorite genre, it suffers from half-formed character development, which therefore makes the themes and plot less impactful. What saves it is the profound writing, the end, and my sheer enjoyment for these kinds of stories. 

Objective Rating: 7/10
Enjoyment Level: 8.5/10

~

Thank you all for joining me once again on the 'Olivia goes on a spree of reviewing books and then won't review books for another 3 months' blog. It's one hell of a journey. 

~The WordShaker

Book Review: Bus 59 & A Half by Mel Ingrid | Olivia J

"Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now," -Ernest Hemingway

I feel like my book blogging goes through phases. Just like everything else in my life. 

Oh well. Welcome Back to Olivia's Hodgepodge of A Blog, where some weeks we analyze the nuances of literature and film and other times Olivia posts whatever emo or self-serving shit she wants. It's a gamble, really. 

But anyways, I'm back to reading and reviewing indie books, which is one of my favorite hobbies. This installment is a review of Mel Ingrid's debut, Bus 59 & A Half. 

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As per usual, let's get the negatives out of the way. 

Spoilers, duh.

The Bad

1. Cluttered Narrative

B59AAH follows several different narratives, all in third person. B59AAH also has a large cast of characters, from Alexi and Reid, to Dana and Ace, to Yusuf and Frank . . . the list goes on. While I did enjoy how the characters and their stories were interconnected, most of the time it all felt a bit too much. With so many characters and so many things going on in such a short book, very few characters were able to be developed to the fullest, and it was hard to get invested in all of the storylines. 

Another problem was a lack of narrative focus. Who is the main character? The beginning will have you believe it is Alexi, but by the end, it's obvious that Yusuf is the main character. This also relates to there being so many perspectives and storylines. Because there is so much going on, it's unclear who we're supposed to be rooting for and who we're not. At times, Frank seemed like he'd turn out to be "the bad guy", but then he didn't do much for the rest of the book after Alexi, Ace, and Vanessa were captured. 

Also, having this many storylines covering so much of the plot and covering so many characters, it undercuts the story being a successful mystery/psychological thriller. If Ingrid wanted the readers to truly be hooked, then she should have left much more to the imagination, and left some larger reveals toward the end. Keeping things a mystery is what makes a mystery a mystery. Ways this could have been fixed were to have cut out several different narratives, and really condense the story into something with razor-sharp focus and proper development that would truly hook and thrill the reader. 

B59AAH has so much potential. There's a really good story here, but it's bogged down with too many perspectives and a lack of focus. Because there are so many characters and story threads, we never get fully invested in any of them. 

2. Pacing

B59AAH is a scant 170 pages, and this definitely shows in the development and pacing of the story. Everything in B59AAH happens so fast - and sometimes, that's good. But not at the expense of proper development. 

For example, the conflict that arises between Frank and Yusuf in Chapter Four and Five begins, culminates, and comes to a head very rapidly. The problem is that Ingrid is introducing and developing characters while simultaneously trying to develop and further character arcs. The reader has just been introduced to these characters - there's no way that we can be invested in Frank's character arc and the massive complexities of his character in the first chapter we're introduced to him. By having him go through such drastic emotions and such drastic change in such a short period of time feels rushed and undeserved, especially since Frank has little to nothing to do after Chapters Four and Five. 

This theme continues on throughout the book. Not enough time and care is dedicated to characters like Mark, Reid, Frank, etc., who have the potential to further enrich the story and the characters to whom they're related to (Vanessa, Dana, and Yusuf). While many characters were written with finesse, others were just there. If B59AAH was given about a hundred pages more of development, the reader would have been able to be fully immersed in the story and in all of the characters.

The timeline also feels very rushed. Mysteries and thrillers are often slow burns, with just enough information to keep the reader turning one more page, with startling reveals throughout. However, B59AAH moves so fast that there's virtually no room for the reader to breathe, for the weight of a moment to sink in, or for proper and in-depth character, plot, or theme development. Emotional moments breeze by, and even when they're written well, they don't sink in because we've spent so little time with all of these characters. 

Bus 59 and A Half would be a great story if the narratives and character arcs were drawn out and properly developed. It's not like a story with this many perspectives, this type of story, and these kinds of characters wouldn't ever work - it's just that B59AAH is much too short of a medium to do any of the elements justice. 

And now . . . 

The Good

1. Mature Writing

Ingrid is fourteen currently, and I was immediately impressed with her use of language. While the pacing falls short, her writing rarely fails to evoke a sense of tension. Her writing is quirky and atmospheric and actually fits perfectly with the mystery/thriller genre. 

I loved her inclusion of poetry, with the prologues and epilogues. The cryptic writing, albeit curt and clipped in many emotional moments, works to benefit the tone of the novel. 

Ingrid is also skilled at writing dialogue. The conversations between Alexi and Reid, I felt, were the most profound in  terms of character. The beginning of B59AAH is so incredibly strong. We really do get essential snapshots of each character, however, not much else is expanded upon with the fantastic groundwork that Ingrid set up. 

But really, despite all that I've said, I really did enjoy B59AAH, and I think the skilled writing added to that enjoyment. 

2. Diversity

Mel Ingrid does diversity right. I was pleasantly surprised at how diverse B59AAH was - and the fact that it doesn't rub your nose in it. Diversity is present, but it doesn't overpower the story nor does it define the entirity of the characters. The diversity in B59AAH is awesome and beautiful, and it deserves a round of applause for that alone. 

3. The Mental Illness Themes

This one's another small one, but super important. The moral behind Yusuf's character arc, summed up in the line about how mental illness isn't just angst or pretty tears or beautiful, but that it's actually very painful and destructive. Not only did this pleasantly surprise me, it's very relevant.  


Final Thoughts

Overall, Bus 59 & A Half isn't bad - just short, fast, and unfortunately underdeveloped. What saves it are it's clean and efficient writing, and it's themes and use of diversity. 

Objective Rating: 6.5/10
Enjoyment Level: 7/10

~

Gah! Another book review complete! Get used to seeing these in your feed because I've got lots of indie books I want to discuss!

~The WordShaker

SUMMER GIVEAWAY | A Cactus In the Valley

"How vain is it to sit down and write when you have not stood up to live," -Henry David Thoreau

I am having an Instagram giveaway for my novel, A Cactus In the Valley! 

As the heat climbs, there's nothing better than curling up with a good book. Actually, it's always a good time to curl up with a book in my opinion.

However, I have lots of goodies to give away this July! Here's what's up for grabs:

1st Prize: a personalized, signed copy of A Cactus In the Valley and a custom-scented A Cactus In the Valley candle by @olivia.j.the.wickmaker

2nd Prize: a personalized, signed copy of A Cactus In the Valley

3rd Prize: the ebook version of A Cactus In the Valley

HOW TO ENTER

1. Follow me on Instagram (@olivia.j.the.wordshaker) and like the giveaway post on my account!

2. Share this photo in your Instagram story, announcing the giveaway, and tag me in it!

3. In the comments, answer the question of the day and tag two people who you think might be interested!

The giveaway is open July 7-14, and winners will be announced on July 16th!

Disclaimer: giveaway is not open to users under the age of fourteen due to mature themes and content. 

Now, go jump over to my Instagram for your chance to win some goodies! 

~@olivia.j.the.wordshaker

You'll Be Like Faye by J.C. Buchanan | Book Review

"Good writing is clear thinking made visible," -Bill Wheeler

As you all know, I love myself a good self-published novel, supporting indie authors, all that jazz. But what I love even more is critiquing story and execution.

And that's exactly what we're going to be doing today. 

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You'll Be Like Faye is a middle grade novel by J. C. Buchanan. Buy and read the synopsis to You'll Be Like Faye here!

Disclaimer: I was sent this novel in exchange for an honest review. 

Spoilers, duh. 

The Bad

1. Carousel Dialogue 

This was You'll Be Like Faye's largest flaw. First, let's define the purpose of dialogue in a story. Dialogue is the spoken words that characters actually say out loud, and the purpose of this dialogue is like anything else in a story: it furthers the plot along and reveals aspects of characters. 

However, the dialogue in You'll Be Like Faye rarely adheres to this accepted definition. Much of the dialogue in YBLF doesn't serve much purpose, if at all. The menial dialogue causes scenes that should have been over a half a page ago to drag on. Story beats and defining character traits get repeated over and over through unnecessary dialogue.

Instead of spending her reader's precious time by deepening the relationships or characterization, much of the dialogue is spent on reiterating already established character traits and story elements. Buchanan attempts to make this dialogue plucky and witty, however, no new information is being presented, so the reader just ends up disregarding the conversation.

Another element to this systematic problem is that many conversations that would happen in real life - like, what we need at the grocery store, joking between friends - which aren't bad conversations on their own, but in fiction, these things are omitted because they don't actually add anything to the progression of the story or character development. 

2. Some nitpicky things.

These next few are less systematic problems, and more nitpicky things that would have improved my overall enjoyment. 

Brittney was extraordinarily underdeveloped, and I wanted to see much more from her. I suppose she wasn't supposed to be, but the plot kicks itself into motion because of her arrival, and the synopsis indicated that Brittney was an integral part of the story. However, there is very little time spend with her, and that created a disconnect, and almost a focus vacuum in the story. I saw so much potential to develop Brittney and her relationship with Faye/Heather, but there just wasn't much there. If Buchanan had developed this relationship, there would have been a stronger emotional center to the story, and the reader would have been able to root for Brittney as well as Faye. 

My other nitpick is how the story handled the plot. Surely, Faye's parents would serve jail time for child abduction, as well as have their own biological children taken away by social services. I would have liked to see more of the consequences of the reveal at the end, as this would have grounded the story in reality. Twelve year old Faye has just had her entire world turned on it's head, which will most definitely cause psychological problems for not only Faye/Heather, but her whole family. I'm just not sure I liked the light take on such dark and destroying subject matter such as child abduction, despite this book being middle grade. 


The Good

1. Story Conventions

The prose, if a bit lackluster at times, is clean and effective. If there were any errors, they didn't stick out to me and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. The characters, aside from Brittney, were fun and adequately developed. The suburban setting, as well as the development of the mystery - albeit a bit predictable - were effective and kept me engaged. 

Overall, You'll Be Like Faye isn't a book I would normally read, and that probably affected my enjoyment of it. However, I can't deny that, despite it's flaws, You'll Be Like Faye is a solid middle grade novel that doesn't shy away from some darker subject matter. 

Objective Rating: 7/10
Enjoyment Level: 6.5/10

~The WordShaker

Book Review: Wings by Olivia Faye Scott | Olivia J

"The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe," -Gustave Flaubert

Whoa! What is this? Another book review on another amazing indie author?

Hell yes. 

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Disclaimer: I was sent this novel in exchange for an honest review.

As if being a teenage girl wasn’t hard enough already, Isabelle Parke has a significant other burden on her shoulders. Ever since a car crash killed both of Isabelle’s parents and sister, she has been struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, ‘friends’ who don’t stop talking about the fateful Accident, plummeting grades, a (stupid) therapist and a cranky adoptive aunt.

So when Isabelle finds a guardian angel sitting in her bedroom, she just assumes he’s another one of the side effects from the Accident. The angel introduces himself as Jophiel, assigned by God to help Isabelle accept and get over what happened to her. Again, totally PTSD. However, Jophiel begins doing things that no figment of imagination can: picking out tasteful outfits, bantering with Isabelle, and actually helping her when others cannot. Isabelle comes to realize that whether Jophiel is actually her guardian angel or she really is crazy, her life will never be the same.

~

You all know the drill!

Spoilers, duh.

The Bad

1. Nitpicks

First off, this book was fantastic, and all of the bad things I'm going to say about it are nitpicks. But I nitpick them so the author can see these and learn to make her work absolutely perfect. Because it's damn near there.

There was some unneeded description of menial tasks. Things that could have been described in two sentences were entire pages long. Transitions were also a bit slow. Sometimes I got to the end of a bit and thought - wait, what was the point of that dialogue? or - wait, what was the point of Scott showing X-character doing this? Just a small thing, but it would have tightened the prose up a bit.

My second nitpick is that the theme of Isabelle 'needing someone to blame' for the accident was underdeveloped. In retrospect, it made sense because her needing someone to blame is a natural, human reaction. However, it wasn't hit hard enough, since that ended up being the climax of the book.

If Scott had woven in themes of Isabelle's discontent with not having someone to blame, and showed her blaming other people - and herself - more, the big emotional moment of Jophiel revealing to her that he was the driver would have been a moment of astounding clarity and heartbreak. Now, the moment didn't fall entirely flat, but Scott could have taken it up a notch and tied the whole story together.

I think this last nitpick comes from Isabelle not being entirely aware that she has to change. No one can truly change unless they admit that they need help, that they need to change. If she was more aware of her dysfunction, but didn't exactly know how to change or didn't believe she could, then her whole arc and especially the climax would have absolutely knocked me out of the park.

It sure as hell came close to, though.

The writing was a bit juvenile but perfectly functional. It also worked with the context and tone of the story. I suppose my apt towards purple prose is a personal preference.

Some things were a bit cliche, but the cliches didn't fall flat. Cliche isn't really a bad thing. It would only have been a bad thing if it was poorly written or the cliches felt contrived or just didn't work, which certainly wasn't the case for Wings.

The Good

1. The Characters

Oh my goodness. I absolutely adored the characters in this book.

Jophiel and Isabelle were fantastic together. Their humor and relationship dynamic was beautiful, and I felt all of it. I even believed that they were in love even after a short amount of time. I just . . . wow. Even writing this, I think back to how they helped each other and just smile. It was all so beautiful and perfect. They were so broken, but they worked so well together. I'm a sucker for good character arcs, and this sure did hit the spot.

I also liked Isabelle's family dynamic with her aunt and cousins. They each had distinct personalities, and I loved how their relationship with Isabelle changed over the course of the book. The whole dynamic between them felt so . . . real. Loving, yet distant. Accepting, but unsure. I liked that the family wasn't vilified or patronized.

I just, gosh. I loved this book.

2. The Plot

Now, this part might be entirely biased because I just adore stories like this. The plot of Wings is simple. Angel comes to Isabelle to help her work through her problems. Angel inevitably has problems of his own. Healing and fun stuff and character development.

But it works so well because Scott's writing along with the deeply flawed and likable characters creates an incredibly realistic and heartfelt world. You can't help but love Isabelle and Jophiel. You can't help but tear up at the sad parts, and laugh and the witty dialogue.

I'm such a sucker for stories of personal change and healing, and Scott has crafted a simple yet exquisite story of pain, loss, love, life, and friendship.

And I adore it.

3. Pretty Much Everything

I loved the integration of faith. It wasn't overly preachy, but worked within the context of the story. This is about angels, after all. I loved how in tune Scott seemed to be with teenagers, and how high school works.

Just, the emotional dynamics, the characters, the arcs. I hate to sound repetitive, but pretty much everything in this book was a success.

Objective Rating: 8/10
Enjoyment Level: 9.5/10

~

Wings will be finding its way onto my favorites shelf. Thank you, Olivia Faye Scott for writing an amazing book. Oh, and thanks for sending it to me, too.

~The WordShaker