Book Title: Incarnation
Author: Jason Tesar
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
I'm actually at the beginning of the book, which is why I've written "OPINION" instead of review. I'm finding all kinds of hyper-links to the dictionary in the back on the book, giving the definition of what I'm reading. This element is a great appreciation to the reader when we want to find the definition ourselves, but REALLY distracting and leads us away from the story, confusing the reader as we're trying simply to "get into" the book!
In previous books our author has put his maps and his things of importance in the back with hyper-links as well, and I can't tell you how many times I ended up on a map cussing, instead of turning the page. Perhaps our author and his publisher would be kind enough to leave out the hyper-links and instead place all the pertinent information he thinks is necessary for the reader to know in order to understand his sci-fi story, at the beginning of the book and simply underline the words available for definition and explanation. At least this way the reader could really READ THE STORY!
After all, the beginning is a VERY important part of story and so far, in turning my first three pages I've already hit TWELVE hyper-links, explaining what something is in the dictionary in the back of the book. And they aren't just hyper-linked once... it's every single time you see the word, it's got a hyper-link.
I just can't put into words not only how annoying it is to try and touch my page to turn it, only to end up at the back of the book and to have my reading device now indicate to me that the furthest page read is now in the darn dictionary! Not to mention I have to keep re-reading what I've already read to simply understand what's going on!!
At this point, this reader is quite tempted to throw this one back out and forget about it because it's taking too much effort to just "relax and read"! I feel like I'm in class and may be quizzed on this later and it's really making it difficult to stick with it if it's a chore.
I've had the same problems with previous books by this author who hyper-links the same thing over and over again, taking me from a wonderful story to a map drawing at the end of the book. When I began this book, I noticed the maps at the beginning and silently said "THANK YOU" because I thought the repeated hyper-link and my constantly being sent to the maps was over. Guess not. I'd love to talk about the story itself... but I keep getting sent to the a dictionary. Perhaps I'll try again later when my mind is able to calm down and READ again, for now I have demons to kill in another book!
GRRRRR >:-(
NO BOOKMARKS BECAUSE I CAN'T READ IT RIGHT NOW!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Book Review of Netherworld - Soul Guardian Series By Kim Richardson
Book Title: Netherworld - Soul Guardian Series
Author: Kim Richardson
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Fourth installment of this series by Kim Richardson. I found the characters didn't progress further than they had in previous books.
There really was no "lesson" to be learned in this particular book. Kara always seems to go totally against what her superiors tell her to do, yet only once in a previous book, did she receive punishment for her actions.
The story seemed to move slow for me and seemed to reach for an even younger audience than the last book, which I felt was darker and the characters grew as well as their friendship, again in the last book. In this book It seemed more about adjectives and tried to be "scary" but was more slow moving and predictable.
I wish the characters could grow with the their audience. But I guess instead of being a guardian angel whose just saved Horizon and fought the devil and won; Who's just been reunited with her mother (who wasn't even mentioned in this book), our poor Kara and her friends are stuck in purgatory or in the their world in Horizon... The 8th Plan of Existence.
2 out of 5 bookmarks
M
Author: Kim Richardson
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Fourth installment of this series by Kim Richardson. I found the characters didn't progress further than they had in previous books.
There really was no "lesson" to be learned in this particular book. Kara always seems to go totally against what her superiors tell her to do, yet only once in a previous book, did she receive punishment for her actions.
The story seemed to move slow for me and seemed to reach for an even younger audience than the last book, which I felt was darker and the characters grew as well as their friendship, again in the last book. In this book It seemed more about adjectives and tried to be "scary" but was more slow moving and predictable.
I wish the characters could grow with the their audience. But I guess instead of being a guardian angel whose just saved Horizon and fought the devil and won; Who's just been reunited with her mother (who wasn't even mentioned in this book), our poor Kara and her friends are stuck in purgatory or in the their world in Horizon... The 8th Plan of Existence.
2 out of 5 bookmarks
M
Book Review: Horizon -Soul Guardian Series By Kim Richardson
Book Title: Horizon - Soul Guardian Series
Author: Kim Richardson
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Horizon is the third installment of the Soul Guardian Series by Kim Richardson.
We find Kara where "Elemental" left off in the Soul Guardian Jail of Tartarus in Horizon. She is depressed and hears moans and groans all day. The Counsel put her there and told her to wait... but for how long?
In comes a voice - someone she does not know, through a crack in the wall. He tells her things that she needs to do and that her friends are coming to save her. In come her companions, David, Jenny and Peter.
She's again put through the story of good versus evil but this time the lesson is much bigger and finds more importance, at least for me. In the previous books, it was all about Kara and her "special elemental power" and how it always saved the day. This message said to me, "being yourself or having something others don't makes you an individual, with thoughts and actions only you can control". In other words, SELF CONFIDENCE! We also learn to trust our friends and there was a little "follow your gut" thrown in just for good measure.
The message in this book is timed wonderfully and compliments the previous books about "selflessness" or putting the needs of the many over the needs of the few or the one.
This book actually moved me emotionally and in the worlds of reading, you really have to be feeling like part of the story for the emotionality to arise at the proper time. I think this book will really keep it's target audience interested and above all, teach them the message the author is trying to teach.
Traitors are found in Horizon, shockingly, and a morale bubble is burst. But there is always a good guy and a pep talk that gets everyone motivated. The story continues to be a little darker through the whole book as well.
Asmodeus has made his "big move" but Kara finds her powers to now be her downfall.
Being a "Soul Guardian", or a "Guardian Angel", Horizon is what Christian's refer to as Heaven and the Netherworld would be considered Hell, where Asmodeus and his demons live. We have yet to find or meet the ultimate "big guy" of "chief" as the books refer to the Christian God. Whereas, the fallen archangel Asmodeus is so obviously cast as the Devil. So you can just image the names the child of Asmodeus would be called. This is also addressed -- Bullying. As I said the bad guys have infiltrated and when they reveal themselves, they aren't nice about it. Thus, another young adult problem is addressed but I think the message could have been better put or explained so that the target audience figure out the "lessons" to use in their own lives, especially in these days of bullying.
There are a few "PG" phrases spat out, a couple curse words here and there, but nothing the target audience hasn't already heard. To read two books to get to this one worries me though. The first two weren't as fast paced as this one, and so far, I think this is the best book by far. So if you can hang on through the first two, your reward in is...HORIZON.
3.8 out of 5 Bookmarks
M
Author: Kim Richardson
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Horizon is the third installment of the Soul Guardian Series by Kim Richardson.
We find Kara where "Elemental" left off in the Soul Guardian Jail of Tartarus in Horizon. She is depressed and hears moans and groans all day. The Counsel put her there and told her to wait... but for how long?
In comes a voice - someone she does not know, through a crack in the wall. He tells her things that she needs to do and that her friends are coming to save her. In come her companions, David, Jenny and Peter.
She's again put through the story of good versus evil but this time the lesson is much bigger and finds more importance, at least for me. In the previous books, it was all about Kara and her "special elemental power" and how it always saved the day. This message said to me, "being yourself or having something others don't makes you an individual, with thoughts and actions only you can control". In other words, SELF CONFIDENCE! We also learn to trust our friends and there was a little "follow your gut" thrown in just for good measure.
The message in this book is timed wonderfully and compliments the previous books about "selflessness" or putting the needs of the many over the needs of the few or the one.
This book actually moved me emotionally and in the worlds of reading, you really have to be feeling like part of the story for the emotionality to arise at the proper time. I think this book will really keep it's target audience interested and above all, teach them the message the author is trying to teach.
Traitors are found in Horizon, shockingly, and a morale bubble is burst. But there is always a good guy and a pep talk that gets everyone motivated. The story continues to be a little darker through the whole book as well.
Asmodeus has made his "big move" but Kara finds her powers to now be her downfall.
Being a "Soul Guardian", or a "Guardian Angel", Horizon is what Christian's refer to as Heaven and the Netherworld would be considered Hell, where Asmodeus and his demons live. We have yet to find or meet the ultimate "big guy" of "chief" as the books refer to the Christian God. Whereas, the fallen archangel Asmodeus is so obviously cast as the Devil. So you can just image the names the child of Asmodeus would be called. This is also addressed -- Bullying. As I said the bad guys have infiltrated and when they reveal themselves, they aren't nice about it. Thus, another young adult problem is addressed but I think the message could have been better put or explained so that the target audience figure out the "lessons" to use in their own lives, especially in these days of bullying.
There are a few "PG" phrases spat out, a couple curse words here and there, but nothing the target audience hasn't already heard. To read two books to get to this one worries me though. The first two weren't as fast paced as this one, and so far, I think this is the best book by far. So if you can hang on through the first two, your reward in is...HORIZON.
3.8 out of 5 Bookmarks
M
Book Review of "Elemental - Soul Guardian Series" by Kim Richardson
Book Title: Elemental - Soul Guardians Series
Author: Kim Richardson
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
In this second installment of this series, we find Kara being summoned back to her previously appointed position that caused her to leave Earth in the first book, "Marked".
Somethings gone wrong and they need her and her new "elemental power". Kara is promoted and not all her co-workers seem to appreciate her or her new power, so she ends up losing control and her friends come to her rescue.
Her responsibilities further advance, friends are hurt and the good versus evil game is continued. However, only Kara, it seems, can fight this fight.
Again good story for a young adult audience, perhaps even the "tweens", but I wish there would have been more interaction with Kara and David. Their relationship seems very cliche instead of "puppy love" or "first crush", which for the genre this book is for, seems a little out of step at times and awkward.
The ending is predictable, along with the cliffhanger for book three. We know there will always be a good versus evil story line. It's the author's job to change it up and make it new. In this case, this reader found it to be the usual "fight the bad guy and win" routine. And the "evildoer" leaves you scratching your head, wondering how he's managed to achieve what he has, because he's just not that smart. This leaves us with no true climactic moment, because it was so obvious. However, perhaps the "tweens" won't notice.
I'm willing the read the next book, only because I want to know how the relationship goes between David and Gabriel.
3 out of 5 bookmarks
M
Author: Kim Richardson
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
In this second installment of this series, we find Kara being summoned back to her previously appointed position that caused her to leave Earth in the first book, "Marked".
Somethings gone wrong and they need her and her new "elemental power". Kara is promoted and not all her co-workers seem to appreciate her or her new power, so she ends up losing control and her friends come to her rescue.
Her responsibilities further advance, friends are hurt and the good versus evil game is continued. However, only Kara, it seems, can fight this fight.
Again good story for a young adult audience, perhaps even the "tweens", but I wish there would have been more interaction with Kara and David. Their relationship seems very cliche instead of "puppy love" or "first crush", which for the genre this book is for, seems a little out of step at times and awkward.
The ending is predictable, along with the cliffhanger for book three. We know there will always be a good versus evil story line. It's the author's job to change it up and make it new. In this case, this reader found it to be the usual "fight the bad guy and win" routine. And the "evildoer" leaves you scratching your head, wondering how he's managed to achieve what he has, because he's just not that smart. This leaves us with no true climactic moment, because it was so obvious. However, perhaps the "tweens" won't notice.
I'm willing the read the next book, only because I want to know how the relationship goes between David and Gabriel.
3 out of 5 bookmarks
M
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