Indie Book Review: A Thousand Rooms by Helen Jones

A Thousand Rooms by Helen Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Katie didn’t wake up expecting to die. And yet, that’s exactly how A Thousand Rooms begins. As Katie stands on the street, watching emergency responders attend to her body, she waits for whatever comes next. Nothing comes, and Katie is forced to drift about the earth alone in search of her individual heaven, the meaning of her life, and any other souls who can help her.

I’ve long been a fan of Helen Jones’s Ambeth series, and I really enjoyed seeing her take on a different genre and world in A Thousand Rooms. The novel reads like contemporary fiction but has a lovely touch of fantasy and a good helping of romance (which came as a pleasant surprise after all of Katie’s struggles!). As usual, Jones’s writing is descriptive and detailed, and she beautifully brings to life the various settings (real and imagined) throughout the novel.

As a protagonist, Katie is a strong character. She has a deep love for her family, a clever set of problem-solving skills, and a bit of a potty mouth (which I really love, but some may find offensive). I appreciated how Katie remained headstrong and steadfast in her search for heaven, even after several obstacles sent her crashing (sometimes literally) back down to Earth. At times, she did get a little whiney for me … but hey, if I were dead and left to wander Earth alone, I know I’d bitch, too.

The novel has a steady pace, with a good balance of action and introspection. Personally, I would have liked to have seen a little less reflection on Katie’s life and more of the various heavens, but I understand why Jones chose to portion the novel as she did, and it works well. If I had to describe A Thousand Rooms in one word, it would be bittersweet. Katie’s emotions are raw and realistic, and as someone who deeply empathizes with others (and is a bit homesick herself), I found myself tearing up at several points throughout the novel. Sometimes, I grieved with Katie for her lost life, while at other times, I happy-cried for her moments of joy. Maybe I’m just a sucker … or maybe Jones has written a fantastic, emotionally resonant novel. (You can let me know after you read it!)

Overall, A Thousand Rooms is a beautiful journey that reminds the reader to appreciate every moment and focus on the “blessed” things in their life. While at times sad and introspective, it is also unfailingly hopeful and full of joy and love. Jones has crafted an endearing heroine, an uplifting love story, and a captivating vision of the afterlife (I wouldn’t mind if this novel were right!). Highly recommended for those who like strong female characters, coming-of-age narratives, and true love — just keep the tissues nearby!

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If you are interested in reading A Thousand Rooms and would like to help sponsor my writing and research, you can purchase it through my Amazon Associates Store. By doing this, you will not pay a cent extra, nor will the author receive a cent less, but I will receive a small commission on the sale. Simply click the book’s title or the book’s image.

Book Review: Going Through the Change by Samantha Bryant

Going Through the Change by Samantha Bryant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Going Through the Change by Samantha Bryant follows five seemingly-normal women, all of whom happen to be going through menopause. However, “the change” isn’t all these women have in common — all of them have undergone inexplicable bodily alterations that have left them with unbelievable new abilities. Eventually, the women cross paths and three of them team up to figure out what has happened to them. Once they determine the common denominator, they go in search of the person responsible and get much more of a fight than they expected.

Going Through the Change is a fun and quick-paced novel. While it is obviously geared toward women, especially middle-aged women, as a young woman I still enjoyed the novel and found myself relating to the emotions behind the character’s experiences. The overarching theme of the novel is body- and female-empowerment. Each of the characters have struggles, be it managing a family, body- or age-consciousness, or dealing with a stressful job. However, each of the characters grows (for good or evil) and learns to respect herself and take pride in her new abilities. As someone who cares deeply about female empowerment, I adored this message and the playful way it was portrayed.

The characters themselves are mostly well-developed, and Bryant does a masterful job of interweaving their lives. Linda, Patricia, and Jessica are all well-rounded and complex, and their cultural and experiential differences keep the novel feeling fresh, even as they go through similar (or the same) events. Likewise, these three women provide enough diversity that every reader should be able to relate to at least one of them. Moreover, Suzie and Eva, two of the side characters, are rock stars in their own respect, and David, Linda’s husband, shows his depth in the way he handles Linda’s change and eventually overcomes it to support her.

A few characters that I would like to have seen more development from are Cindy, Helen, and Nathan. Admittedly, Nathan is a very minor character (and perhaps having one that is just a jerk is fine), but I would liked to have had more from him (jerk-ish or otherwise) so he did not feel quite so two-dimensional. As to Cindy and Helen, both of them begin with strong personalities and clear motives. However, I felt as if a switch were flipped, and they changed into new people a little too quickly. Granted, going through a supernatural change must be rather shocking, but I would have liked to see a more gradual change or at least some sign of indecision or inner conflict from them.

As previously noted, the plot of Going Through the Change moves quickly, which is something I like as a reader. The fast pacing keeps the novel fun, and the twists keep the reader engaged. The chapters ended in ways that encouraged me to keep reading, always wanting more. My only complaint is that the novel seemed to end rather abruptly. It is clear that Bryant is setting us up for a sequel, as there are many important issues left to be resolved. However, I felt like the book went from epic fight scene to stop in a rather short span of time with little-to-no winding down. While this will be a fantastic asset when a sequel is ready to purchase, right now, I feel like a bit like someone turned off my movie three minutes before the credits.

Overall, Going Through the Change is a fun and exciting read. It is inventive and unlike any superhero novel I have ever read. In one of Bryant’s author biographies, she states that she is a fan of comics and Joss Whedon, and it shows in her spirited novel and empowering themes. If you love superheroes, feminism, and a dash of humor, you will love Going Through the Change.

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If you are interested in reading Going Through the Change and would like to help sponsor my writing and research, you can purchase it at my Amazon Associates Store. By doing this, you will not pay a cent extra, nor will the author receive a cent less, but I will receive a small commission on the sale. Simply click the book’s title or the book’s image.

 

Indie Book Review: Twerking Cruxes and a Cloaked Visage by Kemka Ezinwo

Twerking Cruxes and a Cloaked Visage by Kemka Ezinwo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Twerking Cruxes and a Cloaked Visage by Kemka Ezinwo follows the lives of individuals from a Nigerian community. The novel takes place over several years, beginning when the members of the youngest generation are schoolchildren and ending when they are nearing middle age. Over the course of the novel, the characters are put through multiple challenges, including; fighting for love, finding and reuniting with lost family members, struggling with religious belief, and learning the true nature of those around them.

The crowning jewel of Twerking Cruxes and a Cloaked Visage is the way Ezinwo weaves the lives of the multiple characters. All of the characters are interconnected in some way, and even when their paths diverge over time and distance, Ezinwo finds a way to bring them back together again. Keeping track of these characters and their many narratives must have been an extremely difficult task as a writer, and I commend Ezinwo for her ability to keep the characters straight and align their narratives in such a clever way.

From a reader’s standpoint, keeping track of so many characters is somewhat challenging, and there were several times throughout the novel where I had to pause and remind myself who a character was and how s/he was connected to someone else. Likewise, because Twerking Cruxes and a Cloaked Visage takes place over multiple decades, a lot happens in the one novel. This made the plot and details feel rushed. I felt like, just when the plot would really develop, it would be rushed onto the next event. Moreover, I felt like I did not have ample time to get to know the characters at more than the surface level. Honestly, I believe the events of this one book could have encompassed an entire series if given room to breath and develop properly.

On a grammatical level, the writing struggled. I spotted errors in almost every-other sentence, which consistently forced me to pause and re-read and threw me out of the narrative. Additionally, much of the dialogue lacked proper tagging, which made it difficult to know who was speaking. The dialogue also felt similar for all characters, which dampened the emotions the author tried to portray and hindered the uniqueness of the characters. One aspect of the dialogue that I did enjoy was when it would lapse into specific “dialects” to show when the characters were experiencing intense emotions.

Twerking Cruxes and a Cloaked Visage manages to follow multiple characters as they grow and beautifully interconnect their story lines in a way that feels authentic to their characters. However, the fast pace of events and lack of personality in dialogue prevents the readers from connecting with the events and characters as deeply as they could. In the end, if you like romance, drama, and a dash of mystery, you just may like the winding narrative and turning events of Twerking Cruxes and a Cloaked Visage.

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If you are interested in reading Twerking Cruxes and a Cloaked Visage and would like to help sponsor my writing and research, you can purchase it at my Amazon Associates Store. By doing this, you will not pay a cent extra, nor will the author receive a cent less, but I will receive a small commission on the sale. Simply click the book’s title or the book’s image.

 

Indie Book Review: The Ground Will Catch You by David Powning

The Ground Will Catch You by David Powning
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Ground Will Catch You by David Powning follows Steve Hollis, a dissatisfied salesman, whose true passion in life is judo. Steve has been avoiding his passion for years, due to a violent mistake that he deeply regrets. He begins to return to the art after meeting Jack, the owner of a local dojo. However, at the same time he meets Jack, Steve also meets Emily, a sophisticated ballet dancer with whom he falls in love and who pulls him away from judo in favor of a more normal domestic life. When tragedy strikes, Steve’s loyalties and passion are tested, and he is torn between Jack and Emily and the worlds they offer.

First and foremost, Powning’s writing in The Ground Will Catch You is top-notch. The narrative style of Steve’s voice is sharp, sarcastic (when appropriate), and thoughtful. Perhaps it is Steve’s dislike of his day job and the fighting elements, but the narrative style reminds me a bit of Fight Club, in the way Steve internally mocks his coworkers at the beginning and faces every situation with bold honesty and attitude. Moreover, you can tell Powning has done his research — the descriptions of judo practices and forms are spot on and described perfectly.

Likewise, The Ground Will Catch You is full of strong characters. Each character is well-constructed and deep. They read like real people with real relationships. No one character is flawless, but no characters, even the ones who turn out to be antagonists, are so flawed that they become one-dimensional.

Personally, I think the writing and characterization are the strongest parts of The Ground Will Catch You. The story line is interesting, and the way the chapters alternate between the different parts of Steve’s life keeps the reader engaged and creates nice symmetry. However, because the novel is so relationship-focused, there are some times where the plot can be a little slow. Likewise, there are sections where plot points pass in “summary” rather than in “scene,” which can be frustrating to a reader who, like me, would have liked to see more of a situation directly from Steve’s eyes.

The end of the novel contains a few fantastic twists that I, personally, did not see coming. However, again, much of these twists are described in summary after they happen, and it would have been more engaging and clearer to see the events Steve witnessed unfold directly through his eyes. Regardless of this stylistic choice, the end of the novel is still satisfying and addresses important themes on trust and following one’s passion.

In all honesty, The Ground Will Catch You is probably not a novel I would have picked up on my own, but I am so grateful that the author sought me out for a review. The Ground Will Catch You is gorgeously written and a wonderful display of human character and the struggles individuals face in the pursuit of passion. It has everything one wants in a novel — action, love, mystery, internal struggle. I strongly recommend it.

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You can find out more about David Powning on his website, and you can read an interview with him on The 2K International Writers’ Blog Tour here.

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If you are at all interest in reading The Ground Will Catch You, please pick up a copy — 10% of the proceeds go to support the fight against breast cancer.

If you are interested in reading The Ground Will Catch You and would like to help sponsor my writing and research, you can purchase it at my Amazon Associates Store. By doing this, you will not pay a cent extra, nor will the author receive a cent less, but I will receive a small commission on the sale. Simply click the book’s title or the book’s image.