Friday Book Report: Seven Splinters by L.N. Jennings

L.N. Jennings first novel, Seven Splinters introduces us to Tuuli, a young woman that comes into her own through unusual and extraordinary circumstances.  This science-fiction novel is jam-packed with action and adventure that takes us through Tuuli’s remarkable journey of self-discovery.  It was published in 2012 by Lulu.com.

Tuuli Jakobsson is pretty much your average teenager.  She feels like an outcast and is unsure of who she really is and where she wants to be.  College doesn’t seem like the answer, and high school can’t get over soon enough for her.  Struggling with her own identity already, things seem to get worse when her eyes start to glow on her eighteenth birthday.  She knew she wasn’t normal, but this is beyond explanation!  While trying to hide her abnormalities from her annoying sister and the general public, she meets Alvar Gunnaron; an enchanting stranger that seems to understand her better than she does herself.   Alvar helps her to awaken her true self, and leads her through a path of self-discovery that’s as unbelievable as it is magical.  Bound by fate to the fascinating Alvar, Tuuli follows him into an ancient realm on the edge of destruction.  Tuuli and Alvar must find the seven stones of the realm to save their race before a covetous Lord finds them and takes Tuuli for himself.

I may be a bit biased because I actually know this author, but I really enjoyed this book.  I think it’s so cool that someone I sat next to in high school English (she obviously paid much more attention in class than I did!) is now a published author.

L.N. Jennings brings a lot of different story arcs into her book, and she develops them all fairly nicely.  Jennings does a nice job telling a story not just about Elven mythology, but also about a young woman finding out who she is and the way she deals with such an outlandish discovery.  Tuuli seems like your typical teenager, struggling with the harshness of high school and the realities that she doesn’t really fit in anywhere.  When she finally “awakens” she becomes torn between her new race and her human instincts and I think Jennings brilliantly illustrates Tuuli’s transformation and finally her awareness of who she really wants to be.  For that storyline alone, I think this is a great novel for young adults to read.

I loved the new (well, new for me at least) take on Elven mythology.  I thought Jennings did a great job working in both Elven and Viking mythology and truly making it her own story.  This is a science-fiction novel, but with all the intricate details about the Elven and Vikings, it felt more like historical fiction; that’s how believable I thought her story to be.  The characters are all likeable and the dialogue between Tuuli and Alvar felt genuine and believable.  First a first time book, I thought this one was written remarkably well.

As a native Tri-Citian, I loved that parts of this book took place in the Tri-Cities (which is in southeastern Washington).  Jennings’ description of the city after coming over the hills into the Columbia Basin was spot on, and I actually visualized in my mind the many times I’ve seen the Tri-Cities from that exact viewpoint.  There were so many sections that really had me thinking about my hometown, such as this passage, “After replacing the nozzle and putting back the cap, she went into the store to pay, letting a huge, translucent cloud of potato wedges, fried chicken and burritos swarm out the double doors.”  I don’t know what her inspiration for this sentence was, but it so reminded me of The General Store in Finley.

My only complaint, and it’s a small one, is that there seemed to be so much going on in this book (it’s a page turner) that some of the storylines felt a bit rushed.  I wish this story was broken into a series of books so that each storyline and plot had more time for depth and development.  I can understand why she packed it all into one novel, to keep the reader’s interest, but for me I think having a bit more explanation and development on the main storylines and characters really could’ve enhanced the overall appeal of this novel.  But, it’s still really well written and explained; I just get picky sometimes and wanted to learn more about the Elven mythology and the relationship between Tuuli and Alvar.  There is potential for a sequel, and I really hope that Jennings writes another book. 

I give this book a solid B+ grade.  For a first time novel, it’s done very well and I think it has the potential to appeal to a lot of readers.  It reminds me a lot of Karen Marie Moning’s “Highlander” and “Fever” series, just a little bit cleaner and without the in-depth romantic storyline.  This is a clean book (no swearing, no sex, and very few violent scenes) and I think it’s geared more towards young adult readers, but anyone that enjoys science fiction would enjoy it as well.  And anyone that went to River View High School or lived in the Tri-Cities should support our former classmate and local author.  I am biased because I do know this author, but if I didn’t enjoy this book, I wouldn’t have written (or posted) a review about it.  I highly recommend and I think if you take a chance on Seven Splinters, you’ll find it as surprisingly good as I did.

Friday Book Report: Shades of Grey by J.C. Phelps

J.C. Phelps has brought Alex Stanton back to life in Shades of Grey, the second novel in the series.  It’s packed with as much adventure and thrills as the first, and is sure to take the reader on one heck of a ride.  It was published in 2006 by NewPub Binding.

Alex Stanton has been with White & Associates for several months now, but she still has no idea just how much there is left to learn about her new partners.  She’s taken on the permanent alias of Ms. Grey (all the partners have different colors as aliases) and is tasked on her first solo mission.  It seems relatively simple – go undercover and determine whether or not an employee has been embezzling money – but the facts she finds don’t sit right with her, and when she learns a contract has been put on her life she knows this case wasn’t so simple after all.  The clues start to come together and it all connects with a legendary and mysterious sniper known only as Penumbra.  Now her sole focus is to unravel Penumbra’s true identity, but when secrets start to become known, she wonders if she really wants to know who Penumbra actually is.

This story resumes right where Color Me Grey (you can find my review of that book here) left off and continues the dynamic story arc of Alex Stanton – also known as Ms. Grey – and her new job with White & Associates.  The books are connected, and it is better to read them all in chronological order, but it isn’t absolutely necessary.  Alex is continuing her training, we get to learn more about some of her colored partners (Mr. Red, Mr. Green, Mr. Blue, Mr. Brown, Mr. Black, and Mr. White) and there are a couple of missions all jam-packed in this book. 

This book revolves around Alex and her path to self-discovery and self-confidence as she learns new skills as an agent for White & Associates.  White & Associates is a private military corporation taking on cases for both the government and civilians such as reconnaissance and recovery missions.  Alex is a strong and capable female lead, and it’s very entertaining to watch her become so determined to keep up with (and sometimes outdo) her male counterparts.  She’s working in a “man’s world” and wants so much to fit in with her coworkers.  This book deals more with her struggles to be considered and equal amongst the men, and it’s amusing to read how she deals with the coddling she sometimes receives from the men.  I’ve never felt that way myself, but I have no doubt there are tons of women out there that have gone through the same thing in the professional world; determined to succeed and earn the respect and admiration of their male counterparts. 

While the main storyline was much the same as the first book, the overall mission was vastly different and offers up a little bit of a surprise towards the end.  We also get to read a little bit more about her male co-workers, and it’s nice to see how she interacts with each of them.   The characters are so unique, and this story is so interesting I just wish that the men weren’t so much alike.  I think the author tried to write them differently, but a lot of the times their dialogue and actions were all the same.  The only character that really stands apart is Mr. Black, and I think that’s only because he was such a large focus in the first book.  Even Mr. White, who is supposed to be her “romantic interest” (even though nothing has happened yet), seems like the same character as Mr. Red or Mr. Blue.  All of the men had the potential to be interesting and individual, but a lot of times they just seem to roll into the same person, which was a little disappointing for me.

The actual mission is very well thought out, and I really liked the little twist at the end.  I thought that was written very well and I am looking forward to reading more of this series to see how it all unfolds later on.  I like how Phelps was able to correlate all of the missions and have them collide together with a reasonable and fitting explanation.  It’s no real surprise what’s going on, but Phelps does do a nice job of getting us there.  The actual resolution to the conflict seemed a little anti-climactic to me, and I wish there could’ve been a few more thrills and action scenes before it all got resolved.  But, I think Phelps was more focused on the twist and telling that story than she was on solving the case, and I think that’s why it was wrapped up so neatly;  so the reader could focus on the twist that caused havoc on Alex’s emotions.

Once again, the first person narrative is in effect (as it was in the first) and so it’s all told from Ms. Grey’s point of view.  I think it must be easier to write that way, because my one and only real complaint about this series is that it is told in the first-person.  I think all of the characters could have been developed so much more if the narrative was in the third-person instead, and there could be so much more depth to the storylines involved.  Regardless, this is still a fun series and I will continue to read them all until there aren’t any more left.

I really like this series and I enjoyed this book as well.  I give this book a B+ grade, it’s fun and the characters are interesting even if they aren’t fully developed to their full potential.  The storyline is interesting and the plot well thought out.  Alex is a dynamic character and one you find yourself really pulling for.  If you like strong and able female protagonists, you should really check out this series by J.C. Phelps.  It’s a mix between James Bond and Alias, with a kick-butt kind of girl and a lot of no-nonsense men.  It’s a fun and entertaining read that won’t make you think too much, but if you’re looking for a little escapism in the form of one strong and sassy woman, this might be a fun series for you to check out. 

Friday Book Report: Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen

Published in 1986 by Random House Publishing, Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen is filled with intrigue, betrayal, romance, tragedy, heartbreak and the hope for redemption.

Fifteen-year-old Barbara Alderley has always been secretly in love with the older and more sophisticated Roger MontGeoffry, and when her scheming mother arranges a marriage between the two, Barbara couldn’t be happier.  She adores Roger and it becomes her goal in life to make him love her as much as she loves him.  Roger takes his young wife to Paris to purchase furnishings for their soon to be built home, and it is there that young Barbara begins to grow up and realize that people and relationships are not always what they seem.  Disillusioned by the licentious Parisian court, Barbara must find the strength to keep her heart amidst all the scandal, betrayal and tragedy that surrounds her life.

Ugh.  This was a Nook Book Free Friday selection, and I am glad for that.  I am glad I did not pay for this.  I was so disappointed.  The description of the story sounded interesting enough that I gave it a go, but it was so not what I was expecting.  I usually love the historical fiction/romance genre, but this book was a trial to read.  I honestly thought about stopping around 200 pages, I wish I would have.  It plays out like a soap opera, with not much happening, dragging storylines out way too much and exhausting all angles of a story until you as the reader are thoroughly exhausted as well. 

First off, the author spends way too much time describing houses and landscapes and clothing that is not necessary to the overall plot.  I understand historical fiction adds in descriptions and scenes of the times to make the story seem more real, but this book was way over the top.  For example; Koen wastes several paragraphs quoting and describing the life and times of poet John Donne.  If I wanted to learn about John Donne, I would read his biography.  She also wastes an entire chapter (albeit a short one, but still) to illustrate a sexually explicit and perverse dinner party held by the Duc D’Orleans in Paris.  Why?  None of the main characters were involved at that particular party, so there was no need to include this in the book.  It’s like it was just there for shock factor at the immorality of 18^th Century Parisian nobles.  Weaving in little nuggets of historical fact to enhance the fiction is fine and dandy, but most of the history added into this story was so unnecessary that it bogged down the story instead of developing the fictional storyline.

Secondly, about ninety-five percent of the characters in this book are so unlikeable; I really didn’t care what happened to any of them.  In fact, when I was debating whether or not to keep reading this book, my main reason for continuing was because I wanted to see if these spoiled, selfish and basically depraved individuals got what they deserved.  Barbara is young and innocent, and whiny and selfish to go along with being extremely naïve and stupid.  Roger seems charming and sophisticated, but really he’s a womanizer and a cad when no one else is looking.  I still can’t figure out why Barbara thought she loved him so much, he’s vain and arrogant but I suppose Barbara’s naivety made her think he was wonderful and handsome.  And those are just the main characters; all the secondary characters are the same way.  Yes we all have flaws and sins, but it was excessive in this book.  Everyone was unfaithful and awful and I felt that this was more about the sexual exploits of the characters instead of some historical romance.  This is not historical romance, it’s more like historical perversion and I feel slightly ashamed that I kept reading about these wicked people.

Thirdly, there are way too many characters to keep track of.  And not just the amount of characters, but amount of different points of view as well.  The narration is so befuddled it makes it hard to read.  In one paragraph it will be Barbara’s point of view, and then the next paragraph is Roger’s point of view, and back and forth and back again.  It’s really annoying to read like that.  So many characters seem to have their own point of view it really distracts from the overall story.  Off the top of my head; Barbara, Roger, Diana (Barbara’s mom), Jane (Barbara’s friend), the Duchess (Barb’s grandma), Philippe (Roger’s “friend”), Therese (Barb’s maid), Abigail (Barb’s aunt), Harry (Barb’s brother), Caesar (Roger’s employee), Richelieu (a Parisian nobleman), and some countess I can’t remember her name all have their point of views expressed at one time or another in this book.  It’s overwhelming.  It’s like a cross between first person and third person narration, with all of these characters getting into the first person narration at some point.  I didn’t like the format this book was written in at all. 

I really can’t think of anything good to say about this book.  It was a total bust in so many ways for me.  Even the ending was unsatisfactory.  It’s like it just ends with no real conclusion to anything.  I realize there is a sequel and that’s probably why it just ends, but to drag on for some 700 pages and not even offer a bit of completion at the end makes me feel cheated.  Well, I didn’t pay for this book so not really cheated out of money, more like cheated out of several days I wasted with this book when I could’ve been reading something much more enjoyable.  I give this book a D grade.  It’s long and boorish with a predictable story.  There’s a lot of adult content so it isn’t suitable for younger readers.  Well, I don’t think it’s really suitable for readers of any age.  I do not recommend at all.

A Very Pinterest Independence Day!

I hope everyone had a very safe and fun 4th of July, I know we did.  We had a bunch of friends over for food and fireworks and it went off with a bang, if I do say so myself.  Since I've started following Pinterest I always see neat and cool things to make/do/try for Holiday decorations/food and I thought I'd put some of that Pinterest time to good use and try a few things out for our party.  Now, they all turned out pretty well, some better than others, but I did get a lot of compliments for my red, white, and blue treats, and that's all I can really ask for.

These red, white, and blue strawberries were definitely a popular pin heading into the fourth and they were really very easy to make.  My friend Hilary requested these for the party, and I'm glad because they really were a hit with a lot of folks.  Of course, the pictures look better on Pinterest (everything looks better on Pinterest) but they still tasted very yummy.  These were very simple, melt some white chocolate (I put in a dash of vegetable oil to keep the chocolate liquid-y), dunk your strawberry in the chocolate and then dip the tips of your strawberry into blue sprinkles.  This took less than 20 minutes to complete.  I think perhaps they might have turned out better if I waited for the chocolate to cool a bit before dipping into the sprinkles, but I was running out of time and had to hurry.

This red, white, and blue drink was another popular pin, and while it looked pretty cute, no one really drank any of it.  I think I needed more red juice, and my cute little star shaped ice cubes didn't last long at all, which was a bummer because they really looked neat in the drink.  First off put in your ice cubes then pour cranberry juice in, let the cranberry juice settle to the bottom and then slowly (very slowly!) pour in blue gatorade.  You want to try to pour the gatorade on the ice cubes so it won't mix in with the cranberry juice.  Lastly, you pour in Diet 7up on the whole thing and something about the sugar content of the three different beverages makes them separate.  Anyway, it was real cute and a lot of partygoers commented on it, but it wasn't very functional since no one drank any of it.  I probably wouldn't do this one again, but it was fun to try once.
























Now these star-shaped rice krispies treats were a hit.  Very simple to make, a little frustrating at times but well worth the effor I think.  The hardest part was getting the cookie cutter to go through the rice krispies treat and then getting the dang cookie cutter unstuck.  They are very sticky, and my cookie cutter oftentimes didn't want to be separated from the rice krispies.  Obviously, you need to make some rice krispies treats, let them set for about 30 minutes, and then use a star shaped cookie cutter to make your stars.  Add a strawberry, some blueberries and one star rice krispie onto a skewer, tie a ribbon on the bottom by the strawberry and, viola!  Easy peasy.  Sort of.  I used a llittle basket with a cube of styrofoam inside to hold my skewers.  I lined the basket with some cute 4th of July fabric I got at work to make it a little more festive and to try and hide the styrofoam.  I think these turned out pretty darn cute.  The only problem was that I had them setting out on the table as a sort of centerpiece so everyone could see, and after a while I think the heat and humidity started to make the marshmallows melt and the stars began to fall apart.  No worries though, my friends just clustered around the table and picked off the falling pieces for me...such good friends!  I would definitely make these again, but perhaps leave them in the fridge until it was time for the treats to be brought out.


All in all we had a really good fourth, and it was fun to try out some new and fun treats that I saw on Pinterest.  I totally had more treats planned to make, but ran out of time, there are only so many hours in a day.  Regardless, we had plenty of food and no one left hungry, everyone still had all their fingers at the end of the night and we didn't burn anything down.  All in all a success if I do say so myself.  As for other 4th of July pins I wanted to try...well, maybe next year!

Friday Book Report: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Maureen Johnson’s 13 Little Blue Envelopes is a charming young adult fiction novel about self-discovery, the willingness to take a risk, and an incredible adventure that will change Ginny’s life forever.  It was published in 2005 by HarperCollins Publishers.

Ginny Blackstone is your typical teenager.  She’s shy and reserved, and she’s convinced that the only time she’s ever been interesting is when she’s with her Aunt Peg, a starving artist constantly traveling the world.  When her Aunt dies of cancer, Ginny feels the only interesting part of her has died too, until she receives a letter from her aunt and consequently discovers the 13 little blue envelopes her aunt had written before she passed away.  In the first letter is $1000 for a plane ticket to London and a set of rules:

Rule #1: You may bring only what fits in your backpack. Don't try to fake it with a purse or a carry-on.

Rule #2: You may not bring guidebooks, phrase books, or any kind of foreign language aid. And no journals.

Rule #3: You cannot bring extra money or credit/debit cards, traveler's checks, etc.

Rule #4: No electronic crutches. This means no laptop, no cell phone, no music, and no camera. You can't call home or communicate with people in the U.S. by Internet or telephone. Postcards and letters are acceptable and encouraged.

The rules were simple to follow, and soon Ginny is off to London on a path of self-discovery that will change her life forever.  Those thirteen letters send Ginny off on a journey across Europe, from London to Greece and everywhere in-between.  In each letter Ginny must complete a task before moving on to the next letter, and Ginny has to decide if she’s still going to believe her aunt is still making her interesting, or is she going to start coming into her own and being her own person?

This is a fun and easy read, and I enjoyed it for the most part.  It’s definitely geared more towards the young adult (teenage girl) audience, but I still found snippets of this book that entertained me.  This book is broken into chapters with a separate heading for each letter and it flows nicely with the escapades Ginny gets into regarding each task from each letter.  I enjoyed reading each letter from her aunt, the task she gives to Ginny, and Ginny’s idea of how to complete each task.  Some of the letters and subsequent adventures moved a bit slow for me, but for the most part this is a fast paced and easy read.   I liked her interaction with Keith and how she meets him in letter #4, I kind of wish more of the book were about him, he was an interesting secondary character.   Keith wasn’t the only interesting secondary character in this book.  Richard and the youth hostels she meets also provide for some interesting and memorable composition. All the locations Ginny travels to are described wonderfully and you can actually feel like you’re there yourself, especially in London and the very detailed description of London’s massive department store Harrod’s.  Even though all of this made the book fun and easy to read, there are still faults that I had with this book.

My main problem has to do with the realm of believability.  Ginny is supposed to be 17 years old while traipsing across Europe on her own.  There is no way I would ever allow my 17 year old daughter to go off to Europe (alone) without a cellphone or credit card or some way to keep in touch.  Even with all that, I still don’t think I’d let my daughter go.  I’m not trying to be a parenting Nazi, but I have a feeling a lot of caring and loving parents wouldn’t allow this as well.  I would have had a much better time believing this story if Ginny had been 18, freshly graduated from high school and waiting out the summer months before heading to college.  There’s not a heck of a lot of difference between a 17 year-old and an 18 year-old girl.  I know I was basically the same during those two years.  Just that one small change would have made this story much better and more believable in my opinion. 

One other beef I had was that the writing style at times came off across as dull and uninspired.  It’s sort of written in first person, but sort of also in the third person.  It was weird.  It was like the author couldn’t decide what narration she wanted to write this in, and therefore meshed the two together.  An interesting way to narrate a story, to be sure, but it oftentimes came across as muddled and incoherent.  Ginny was a shy teenager without much to say, so Johnson should have stuck to strictly third-person narrative to tell her story.

Other than that, I did enjoy this book and I think that young teenage girls would like this book too.  It’s appropriate for anyone aged 13 and up, with some mild language and few minor adult situations, but for the most part it’s a clean book suitable for anyone.  Definitely for young adults, but even so I give this book a B grade because of the originality of the story and some of the adventures Ginny gets herself into.  The writing could’ve been delivered better, and the whole age thing got my goat a bit, but overall this is a fun and cute story about a young woman reaching deep inside and figuring out on her own who she wants to be, all she needed was a gentle push in the rear to get her going.  There is a sequel to the book, and this one held my interest and entertained me enough that I just might have to read the sequel to see what becomes of Ginny Blackstone and just how much more interesting she can be.