Missing Her Review

Missing Her by J. L. Willow

If there is one thing I don't know how I would react is if my best friend was to disappear. Sure, I would be sad, maybe angry, but truthfully I don't know how I would react to any part of it. Would I try to take the matter into my own hands and open my own investigation? Would I cry and move on?

Missing Her was different than I thought it would be. When I read the blurb and read the book, two different things came to mind. When I read the blurb on the back, I'm not sure I knew what was going to happen but I did not think of what Willow did. The two main things I loved about this book was her characters and plot.

Let's start with the characters:

Very first on the list is Vanessa Stockton. Vanessa was an interesting character, to say the least. I think she handles her situation in a very real way. Not to give too much away, she does what a reasonable person would have done. I think even though she is in other minds I could still get a feel for who she is. One thing about this character that I'm not so sure about is her character arc. I think she does go through one but I'm not sure what it is exactly.

Next up is Vanessa's best friend Eliza Barrows. Eliza was a good character. As we went through her life from Vanessa's point of view, I could get the feel for her normal life and her personality. She is a normal female teenager. She has a boyfriend. She had things she likes to do. I could feel the amount of friendship Vanessa and she had as Vanessa was able to live as her pretty well, knowing her schedule and how she would react in a situation. When we got to see Eliza her characteristics came off well and not forced.

Later in the novel, you meet Tony and Jacqueline. These two twins are the very definition of siblings. I could feel the relationship very well in the short amount of time we got wit the two. I could feel myself smile and laugh along as they did think my siblings and I do. For their personalities, they came off as college students with two different lives. One was the typical lazy boy out of high school living with his parents and the other was a girl who got good grades and was still holding on to part of high school. The two did their parts well and I connected with them well.

Overall, these characters were good. I connected with them for the most part and my favorite character has to be Vanessa and not only because she is the main character. I felt the most like her. We knew what she felt and while there were good scenes with the other three, I loved when her personality would come across in the other's lives.

The plot:

If there is the only thing I have to like, it's plot. The plot, to me, is the most think in a book. Sure, boring characters can ruin a book but who wasn't an interesting character's in a boring situation where they don't get to do much? Hint, not me. As for the plot of this novel, I really enjoyed it. Like I said many times over on Instagram and Twitter, this book was almost nothing like I thought it would be. It took a different turn than I thought it would and it had me guessing on what was going to happen next.

The best part for me was the way Willow wrote Vanessa in each mind. I wasn't sure how you could make a story based on that but she did in a way that keeps me reading. Once I was able to get past the first about 50 pages I could barely put this book down. I enjoyed each moment and I was emotionally invested in this one. My heart would race along with the characters and would I would cry with them.

At the end, with the climax, I was left breathless wanting more. I flipped to the last page and wanted another 100. This book was a nice fast read and I'm very grateful to Willow for gifting me with an ARC of her amazing second novel.

I'll touch on one more part I think was important as well, Willow's writing:

The writing of this novel was good, maybe even more than that. I loved how I was able to follow along and get into her characters. I felt in the situation with them and this is a hard thing for me to do. As a person who is very emotional but also very emotional distance when it comes to people, I love when a book is able to suck em up like this one did.

I will thank Willow one more time for this story. The connects I was able to build was something I will not forget and this book was able to get me out fo read slump that I was dragging myself through.

I can't wait to read more by you, maybe even The Scavenger can be next. Who knows?

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick read and who likes to solve mysteries. I would recommend this novel to about four of my friends so I would say it's a safe bet that it's good.

~ Kimberly

Red Aberrant Book Review

Hey hey everyone! I was gifted by the amazing Charity Ryan with an ARC copy of her debut novel Red Aberrant. Yesterday was her release day and I'm here to give her an honest review.

The synopsis:

After working well for many generations, a weakness in the government system was brought to light. Including fiery, seventeen-year-old Hadley, not all people are meant to fit the molds. These people are called Aberrants, and they are prophesized to rise up together and wipe out the government system as Rhymori knows it.

As the Last Aberrant, Hadley muscle strain the Government's most prized possession and source of power, inset the final stages of the Aberrant's plan in motion. But can she do this and keep those around her safe?

Let's do an overall:

Overall, I liked the book. There were parts that I would have done different but the story was good. The two big things in this review I will cover are the characters and the pacing of the plot.

Characters:

Overall, I feel that the characters are all unique and bring something new to the table but I don't’ think they were used well together. One thing I will mention about my own writing, I like to write groups of threes, usually two boys and one girl. But I did like how Ryan did this with two girls and one boy. Group of threes led me to get to know the characters better and I feel like I understand them better.

Hadley King:

I liked Hadley but I had a few comments about her. I think she was supposed to be our strong female lead but she ended up being a bit flat for me. She didn’t show much emotion and I didn't really feel any of that strong leader I hoped for. She did have a few moments were I cheered her on but then there were other times where I questioned everything about her decisions. I think she did bring something new and different than the other characters but I hope in the next book or two, we get to know more about heart.

Rachel Wagner:

Rachel made me question a few things. In the beginning of the book, we get her point of view but I didn’t think this added to the book. I feel like we could have learned all this information from Hadley but I do think she played an important role. She is a close friend to Headley and becomes her motivation. I think she was well rounded and she did grieve her brother in an apport way but I felt like that dragged the story down a bit.

Spencer Wythe:

Out of the three, I love Spencer the best. I think there is something about male character start I end up connecting to them more. I like how we saw his backstory and how it became relevant to the end and climax. I think that he could have been used a few more times early in the book. I think we could have also been introduced to him earlier. He’s a rounded character and the one I relate to the best, as I said.

Pacing:

One thing I like about a story is the pacing. For the most part, I think this story could be restructured. The first act, to me, took up the first half of the book. To get to the story took way to long.

The whole thing with Hadley choosing whether or not she was going to expect took so long and I felt like most of act one was about Rachel dealing with the departed and death of her brother. This does add to the story but at the same time, it overshadowed what I really want to read about.

Since act one took so long, act two was quick and not much was there. I think there were about two or three chapters for act two. Act two is where most of the action and getting to know each character. Bonding and world building are the best part of act two and it was glanced over to me.

Act three and the climax felt a bit jagged. Out of the whole book, this was my favorite part. The action keep coming and I loved it. It grew and grew but then there are times where It would drop. I feel like the attention by Ryan was to give the reader a quick break but it didn‘t come across well to me. Also something that was a bit of ao moment for me is when Spencer and Hayley kiss. I called this from the binning. When you’re writing in the dystopian genre, there are tropes that people love to read but I didn’t liked how she did this one, the romantic subplot. I would have rathered Hadley and Spencer stayed patterns than this rushed love thing. When we hit the very last moment of the noel, I felt that Hadley’s wish made the whole book feel useless. What was the point. But when we get the epilogue, I’m once again ready for the next book. I can’t wait for the rest of his series.

Final words:

I’m so greatful to Charity Ryan for letting me be an arc reader. I loved her work but there are places where she can improve throughout her next novels. I can’t wait to see her grow and became an amazing author.

Kimberly

Max: Best Friend. Hero. Marine

Hey, everyone!

Sometime last year I started reading a book called Max: Best Friend. Hero. Marine. by Jennifer Li Shotz.

Summary of the book:

"The New York Times bestselling movie novelization—a powerful story about a special dog and what it means to be a hero that more and more readers have discovered.

When Justin's older brother, Kyle, is killed in Afghanistan, Justin can't believe that his brother is really gone. Except there's one thing that Kyle left behind….
Max is a highly trained military canine who has always protected his fellow soldiers. But when he loses his handler and best friend, Kyle, Max is traumatized and unable to remain in the service.

He is sent home to America, where the only human he connects with is Justin, and he is soon adopted by Kyle's family, essentially saving his life. At first, Justin has no interest in taking care of his late brother's troubled dog. However, the two learn to trust each other, which helps the four-legged veteran become his heroic self once more.

As the pair start to unravel the mystery of what really happened to Kyle, they find more excitement—and danger—than they bargained for. But they might also find an unlikely new best friend in each other."

I watched the movie and found the book at a garage sale and bought it. I started it in August but put it down for almost a year. I picked it up again and finished it one day.
The book and movie are very close but there are also some changes. There were all the same characters but there will some minor details.

I love so many things about this book. I love Max and Justin's relationship. I like how they have too got to know each other and create a relationship. My favorite part of this book was the scenes where Justin and Max would do regular human-dog activities. Justin would be riding his bike and Max would be right there with him. Someone is attacking Justin, I bet you, Max is right there protecting him.

Another thing I liked was the mystery that was going on. This book has some military background and I'm no expert about what goes on in the field but I could tell Shotz did her research. The book felt natural like it was something that could happen. Realism is key. There was a bit of a mystery going on with Tyler and I liked how into everything was given away with it.

One more thing I liked was how Shotz wrote Max having PTSD. Some authors can't write this in people and she did a great job writing it in a dog. The whole book was great in dealing with death. I have lost people very close to me, I can feel for the characters and it feels like something that could happen.

The realism of this book is amazing. I read mostly fantasy, so reading this realistic fiction book was amazing and felt great.

The relationships in the book were genuine. I liked the sparks of romance between Justin and Carmen. The friendship between Justin and Chuy was great. The tension between father and son was there. These are all things I felt before and they work for the story.
The writing is amazing, it's simple and clear. This book is middle school novel and it worked out well.

I recommend this book to any middle schooler who is looking for a quick, fun read. This book does have a movie, so once you finish the book you can watch the movie.

I hope you enjoy.

School vs Writing

Hello everyone.

I go to school full time, I'm in high school, but I also want to become a writer one day. Going to high school is like having a full time job, I have to dedicate time to school and I have activities outside of school, such as band. I was taking advanced classes All of these take time.

You know what else takes time? Writing. Writing takes up so much time.

So what do you do when you have school (or work) and want to write a novel? You make time.

I'm not sure what you wanted to hear. You have to make time to write. Have you ever took a look a look at your day and plan out what you have to do? You might realize that you have more time than you thought.

Do you ever just sit in bed and play on your phone for three hours a day? Maybe, you could be on your phone for two hours and write for an hour? It's your choice, but if you want to write a book, then you have to make time to write.

Trust me, this will give some realization about what you do with your day. You don't have to plan out ten hours to write but if you want, you could plan out an hour or two to write. You don't have to do this all at once, either. You could do some writing in the morning while you're on the bus or at lunch. You could do this during your breaks during the day. I like to have a timer for 25 minutes and write as much as I can. This lets me get my writing in and pushed me to write more than I would without the clock.

You don't have to take any of this advice. It is your choice. Right now, it's summer for me, so I have time to get myself into a pattern before school starts. You can plan out your day before school starts as well. Trust me, it's helpful to plan out your day. You feel like you have achieved more.

That's what I got. Take it or leave it. I wish you luck in life and you in writing your novel.

Wrap Up July Camp NaNoWriMo and Start of August

Hey everyone!

Yesterday was the last day of July and I completed NaNoWriMo. I have been a month.

On Instagram, I have been posting every day the number of words I wrote that day. I have kept me accountable. I was also doing two photo challenges. I posted a picture and answered the prompt of the day. This was one of my goals and I completed it.

You can find all that on my Instagram.

For Camp NaNo, I had two goals, to write 35,000 words and 50,000 words. I wanted to see if I could do it for November. It was the greatest surprise when I wrote over 50,000 words in 31 days. I believe my end number was about 51,000 words! That is the most I have ever written in one story.

My first novel wasn't even 50,000 words long and it took me a year and a half! This is crazy for me.

Now that Camp is over, I don't want to stop what I have been doing. My goal is to have my first draft finished by the end of this month. I'm hoping I can achieve this. Before this month started, I was writing another book but I'm keeping that book on pause to finish this book. I'm very happy with my progress so far.  I'm hoping to get at least 30,000 words written this month. I have more going on this month but I believe I can hit this.

Another thing I'm doing is three Instagram photo challenges. One is a writing related to one and the other two are book related. I'm to sure how that is going to go but I'll try. I'm going with writing but books can be a different thing altogether.

I'm going to include a life goal as well. I do not remember who started with, I believe it was @authircharityryan on Instagram. My life goal is to my very best at Band Camp that starts this following Monday and to work on my music along with writing. I need to find a balance before school starts up on the 28.

I'm hoping this month isn't too much and I don't run out of fuel. What are your plans and goals for the month?

Camp NaNoWriMo

Hey, everyone!

So in a few days, Camp NaNoWriMo starts. If you don't know what that is, it is a place where authors can get together and write 50,000 words in a month. It is to help writers to write their books and give them a set deadline to do it in. There are tons of fun things to do during the month, so if you want to join at all, you should give it a try.

National Novel Writing Month is in November but they do have these camps, which are a bit like practices for the month. They have them in April and July. So the next one is July, 3 days away. There are some things to do before July starts.

Plan, plan, plan.

Some go in thinking that they can wing the whole month and finish all 50,000 words. Not many can do this. Planning is important.

I don't like to plan much. I do have some idea of where my story is going.

If you don't have a finished outline, I don't think you should rush through it so you can start when the month starts. Tak your time and plan well. This allows you to make fewer mistakes

Listen, I want you to know that word count isn't everything. If every word you write in the next month is useless and you have to delete it all, was it worth it? You want to make the month count, then you have to make sure you know what your writing is going to use in the end.

Something else to take away is, you can join at any time. You read this after July starts but you want to join, then do. There is no reason not to join if you want.

NaNo is about writing and making connections. Come and join. You can make some friends. I have made few so far and the month hasn't even started. Trust me, it worth it to make connections.

Now some authors will tell that NaNo is now useful because every month should be NaNo and that is true. If you want to publish a book, you should work towards that goal each month, not just during NaNo. Take what you learn for NaNo and use it every month.

I hope you all join in and write in July. I hope you also you finish your novel. Good luck to all.

Song of Achilles

Hello everyone.

This book was simply amazing. I loved this book. I love most books I finish
(why would I finish it if it sucked?) but this one was different.

Song of Achilles is a retelling of the events of The Illiad from Patroclus' point of view. The books start just before Patroclus gets exiled from his home. From there he meets Achilles and things just go on from there.

Before I even started, I knew I would cry before this book was over, and I did. This school year, in my honor English class we had to read parts of the Illiad. I really loved it. She said if we liked the book, we should watch Troy. I didn't right away, a few months later, I finally did.

The movie was okay. I think there were some problems if it is to be a true retelling of the play but what can we do? It's Hollywood. Sorry, I know this isn't a movie review. (But between you and me, the worst part was when the writers decided that Achilles and Patroclus were cousins).

Before I read the book, I went on Pinterest and looked it up. I did not expect what showed up. Some of the quotes made sense because I read the Illiad but other parts I had no clue.

But none of this mattered when I read the book.

It was a great, quick read. I think it only took me about two weeks to read it. The story felt very real in the relationship. I loved that it wasn't an instant love story. They started off as strangers then became friends. Over time, they fell for each other.

 This scene was great. It was simple but had so much meaning. Madeline Miller has a simple writing style that it makes the story even better. The writing felt like it real for the time.

I loved this book, as you can tell, but there was one thing I didn't like and it has to do with when Achilles killed Hector.

Yes, my favorite line in the whole play was in it but it didn't go into it very much. I want to see how Patroclus would feel about the whole thing or I didn't read it very well and there wasn't much of a fight.

One more thing I found great about this book. How much research that the author must have done. It was very apparent that she knew what she was talking about. My favorite was when they were at war. The Greeks had a thing about their war prises and she showed that well. She also knew about the influences that Achilles and Patroclus would have had, heroes like Jason and Heracles.

I just loved this book so much. I don't know what else to say. If you were looking for something deeper sorry.

There is a list of things that I agree with.

And here's something else I found.

This was a great book and if you like Greek heroes or want a great book to read. I suggest this one. It's a great retelling and even though I don't have a degree in Ancient Greek, I can tell it is very close to the source material. Enjoy.