Book Reviewer? Get Tristis Manor on NetGalley now

by J.R. Wagner

Are you a book reviewer? 

Please consider reading and reviewing Tristis Manor. 

I am very proud to announce that all proceeds from now until July 20th will be donated to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). Your review can help spread the word and help benefit this wonderful organization.

Below is a widget if you'd like to spread the word on your own blog or website as well as the link to the NetGalley version of Tristis Manor.

Tristis Manor

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link to Tristis Manor on NetGalley

Quick Synopsis: Margaret lives in a constant state of fear. Fear of her mother, whose constant state of anger and unwillingness to speak of Margaret's past have long since pushed Margaret away. Fear of disappointing her father should he ever discover the events of that day. Most of all, Margaret lives in fear of her abuser's return. Margaret turns to self-harm to cope with her pain and fear. Only when her self-inflicted injuries bring her near death does she realize she has the power and the support from an unlikely place to stand up to her fears and believe in herself again. Tristis Manor is a novella from The Never Chronicles, an epic fantasy series.

Thank you for your honest reviews.

~In the book world, word of mouth is king~

New from J.R. Wagner...

A tale of perseverance, strength and redemption.

Available Now!

www.TheNeverChronicles.com

In bookstores

 

Book Thoughts: Son by Lois Lowry part 2

by J.R. Wagner

 This is part 2 of this post. Click below for part 1.
Part 1

 Warning:  Spoiler Alert!!!! As always, I like to think of this as a collection of thoughts rather than a review.

 As I was saying (in part 1) Son is broken into three parts.  Of all three, I found the second most enjoyable. 

After escaping on board a supply boat, Claire finds herself in a small village by the sea having shipwrecked and lost all memory of how she got there.  She recovers and regains some of her memories -most importantly that she has a son for whom she is is bent upon finding. 

The village is situated at the base of sheer cliffs. There are two ways to leave the village.  First is by sea, which Claire has no desire to attempt due to her fear of the water.  Second is up the cliffs.  Only one villager has ever made it to the top of the cliffs. (only to be tossed back down and crippled in the process)

Claire decides to try for the top of the cliffs under the guidance of Einar (the guy who made it up...then tossed off).  Her training begins. When she is finally ready to make the climb.  Six years have passed. I really enjoyed her training, which was far from boring or monotonous.

It had been six years now since the day she had been carried from the sea, and five since the morning that Elen's birth had returned the memory of her son to her.  Somewhere he would be a half-grown boy; running, shouting, playing.

The Climb

The climb out spans four chapters and is covered in meticulous detail.  You feel as though you are there with Claire with every hand-hold, every step up, every slip.

It took Claire longer than she had expected to make her way through the narrow shadowed tunnel that the crevice had formed.  It was not life-threatening, as the rope-assisted passage across the cliff face had been.There was no sheer drop here. 

Does she make it up?  Yes.  What I will not divulge is what waits for her at the top.  I had envisioned all sorts of men and monsters yet none were quite so terrible as what Claire eventually faced. But face it she does.

Part three of the book is less about Claire (which I found disappointing because she is such a compelling character) and more about her son, Gabe.  Because I have not read Gathering Blue or Messenger, I was not aware that Jonas and Gabe had survived their trek over the mountain (and was somewhat disappointed to find out that they had, mostly because in the back of my mind I wonder whether keeping them alive was best for the story) but it was immediately apparent in part three of this book that both are alive and well.

The story seems to slow at this point.  I suppose if I had more invested into these characters (by reading books 2 and 3) I would have enjoyed spending more time with them but my only focus was on Claire, who was a peripheral character for much of this part of the story.

I will not ruin the details of the ending.  I'll say I wasn't thrilled with the wrap-up -but I'm one of those readers who like endings that make you think (like The Giver) more often than endings that leave you feeling satiated.

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New from J.R. Wagner...

A tale of perseverance, strength and redemption.

Coming soon.

www.TheNeverChronicles.com

In bookstores now

Book Thoughts: Son by Lois Lowry part 1

by J.R. Wagner

 Warning:  Spoiler Alert!!!! As always, I like to think of this as a collection of thoughts rather than a review.

 I recently started and finished reading Son, by Lois Lowry.  I read and thoroughly enjoyed The Giver and for some reason, I decided to skip over the second (Gathering Blue) and third book (Messenger) in the series and go right to the last.  Don't ask me why. I have books 2 and 3 sitting on my shelf waiting to be read...anyway

Book Thoughts: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

By J.R. Wagner

Review: Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield

 Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield

Book Rivew...look out! Divergent by Veronica Roth

Oh boy...that time again.   I've finished another book.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

I'll save the cover for the end...mix it up a bit.

 

My First Book review EVER -Legend by Marie Lu

I dread writing book reviews...but here goes anyway

So, for everyone who can't stand those multi-page reviews, here is my review of Legend by Marie Lu.

 One sentence synopsis: In a post apocalyptic United States still caught in the throws of civil war,  LA's most wanted criminal (boy) is pursued by the government's most gifted agent (girl) after boy kills girl's brother.


At 336 pages (even less on my nook) the book is a super-fast read.  Legend currently sits at #393 on the Amazon best sellers ranks, which is awesome for her first novel!  The character descriptions and thought processes are excellent -you feel like you're inside her characters as she alternates between the two, chapter-by-chapter.  When I got to within 40 pages of the end, I thought to myself, there is no way she will be able to wrap everything up before the end.  I was wrong.

There is no fat in Legend, her editors did an excellent job of seeing to that.  My only gripe is Lu tipped her hand earlier than necessary (in my humble, worthless opinion) on a mystery that could have been left unexplained and made the reader more anxious for the next book in the series. There is only one course of action driving the main character forward at the end- justifying a sequel when she could have left at least one more major plot point unanswered.  I don't believe it would have taken away from the story had she done so.

Considering it took me less than ten days to read (with my schedule that's an accomplishment) I'd say it was captivating, well worth the money and quite enjoyable overall. I would recommend this to anyone seeking escape from reality and immersion into a creative mind.

P.S. She has a cool website well worth checking out if you enjoy her writing.