Saturday 22 August 2015

An Untamed State, Roxane Gay - The Review

I was kept in a glass box inside a glass box inside a glass box. I could see everyone I loved and they could see me. They were happy. They smiled at me as they walked by my glass box inside a glass box inside a glass box. I tried to shatter the glass with my fists and only shattered my bones. I stripped myself naked, pressed my body to the glass. I forced those beyond the glass to bear witness.

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An Untamed State is a story about how and why a completely
normal (if there is such a thing as normal) young mother and wife
goes crazy and how she then finds her way away from the wild.

The Concept
What if you knew the emotional mechanics of how a person goes
crazy? What if physical things bad enough to make a person lose her
sanity happened to a young woman and you could see these bad
things as they happened. What if you could hear her thoughts as she
lost her mind. Would you tell her story. But of course you wouldn't
be able to tell the story if you were still crazy, would you?

The Writing  
Roxane Gay writes this book the way a young woman with great
legs wears a miniskirt. Short and concise statements that tell you
enough to satisfy your eyes, while leaving enough unsaid, so that your 
imagination is kept equally well fed. Also, of course, the less she says,
the less likely it is that I'll catch the inconsistencies in her story.

I would say Brava, Brava!, but I am still un-recovered from the torture
of the brutality of some of those short statements and still unsure if
they needed to be so brutal.

The book is written from the first person point of view of Mirielle, with 
a few chapters thrown in from the third person POV of her husband 
Michael. My best explanation for it being that, there were neccessary 
parts of the story which were only later told our narrator. In which case, 
her retelling could be argued to be too clear and insightful for a retelling.

The Story
Mirielle Jameson nee Duval goes with her blan husband and still
breastfeeding baby to visit her parents who have returned to establish
themselves in Haiti after having made their fortune in the U.S of America.
Haiti has probably overtaken Colombia as the kidnapping capital of
the world at the time of this story so it comes as no surprise when she
is kidnapped in broad daylight in front of her father's mansion.

Sebastien Duval is stubborn and has an unshakable ( I can't quite
remember the much better word or phrase which was used) will. He
will not give in or negotiate with kidnappers.

Bad things happen to Miri. Very bad things. She goes crazy? Dada finally 
pays. She is released. She runs away to the U.S of A where everything 
is good. She can't un-go crazy, though. She doesn't want to 
un-go crazy, but she must un-go crazy. Or must she?

The Resolution
The book ends about three or four times. None of the endings were 
really satisfactory for me. The final end of the book which is in the middle 
of the story is awesome for it's mind-fuck value. The final ending of the 
story on the other hand is a hero confronts evil scenario which sounded 
very fake to me. But anything to get the tissues out, right?

The Verdict
I didn't believe the story. It felt like a dance, choreographed purposefully 
to upset me. But then I wouldn't believe anybody who tried to convince me 
with words that the earth goes round the sun and not the other way round 
either.

If you can believe the earth goes round the sun, I suppose you could believe 
this story as well. 

So if you can believe that the earth goes round the sun and you can enjoy 
beautiful writing and you don't mind being tortured by words, then I suppose 
you must read this book.

Friday 8 November 2013

Treason (The Grimoire Saga #2) & Heritage (The Grimoire Saga #3), S.M. Boyce - Book Blast



 Kara Magari ignited a war when she stumbled into Ourea and found the Grimoire: a powerful artifact filled with secrets. To protect the one person she has left, she strikes a deal that goes against everything she believes in. But things don’t go as planned.

Braeden Drakonin can no longer run from who—and what—he is. He has to face the facts. He’s a prince. He’s a murderer. He’s a wanted man. And after a betrayal that leaves him heartbroken, he’s out for blood.

To survive, both Kara and Braeden must become the evil each has grown to hate.




Buy Links:
Amazon Barnes & Noble

Kara Magari isn’t normal, even by Ourea’s standards—and in a world of shape-shifters and soul stealers, that’s saying something. To the royalty, she’s a loose cannon. To the masses, she’s a failure. But Kara’s arrival in Ourea started a war, and she’s going to end it. 
An ancient isen named Stone takes an interest in Kara’s training, and it turns out he has more answers than he originally led her to believe. In an effort to unearth a secret that might end the bloodshed, Kara instead discovers an ugly truth about her family—and how much she has in common with an infamous mass-murderer. 
Braeden Drakonin has slowly rebuilt his life after the betrayal that tore it apart. His father wants him dead, and frankly, his so-called allies wouldn’t mind that either. Private alliances are formed. Secrets are sold. Tension is driving the armies apart. A single battle will end this war, and it’s coming. Braeden may be a prince, but it will take more than that to survive. He must take the fight to his father’s door—and win.


Buy Links:


About the Author:

International Amazon Bestseller. Fantasy Author. Twitter addict. Book Blogger. Geek. Sarcastic. Gooey. Odd. Author of the action-packed Grimoire Saga.
S.M. Boyce is a novelist who loves ghosts, magic, and spooky things. She prefers loose-leaf tea, reads far too many books, and is always cold. She’s married to her soul mate and couldn’t be happier. Her B.A. in Creative Writing qualifies her to serve you french fries.
Boyce likes to update her blog a few times each week so that you have something to wake you up in the morning.


Connect with the Author:


Giveaway:
One Lucky Winner will get a Signed Copy of Lichgates (Grimoire Saga #1) by S.M.Boyce. 
Giveaway Open to US Residents Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday 6 November 2013

Lichgates (TheGrimoire Saga #1), S.M. Boyce - Book Blast




Kara Magari is about to discover a beautiful world full of terrifying things—Ourea.
Kara, a college student still reeling from her mother’s recent death, has no idea the hidden world of Ourea even exists until a freak storm traps her in a sunken library. With no way out, she opens an ancient book of magic called the Grimoire and unwittingly becomes its master, which means Kara now wields the cursed book’s untamed power. Discovered by Ourea's royalty, she becomes an unwilling pawn in a generations-old conflict—a war intensified by her arrival. In this world of chilling creatures and betrayal, Kara shouldn’t trust anyone… but she’s being hunted and can’t survive on her own. She drops her guard when Braeden, a native soldier with a dark secret, vows to keep her safe. And though she doesn’t know it, her growing attraction to him may just be her undoing.
For twelve years, Braeden Drakonin has lived a lie. The Grimoire is his one chance at redemption, and it lands in his lap when Kara Magari comes into his life. Though he begins to care for this human girl, there is something he wants more. He wants the Grimoire.




About the Author:

International Amazon Bestseller. Fantasy Author. Twitter addict. Book Blogger. Geek. Sarcastic. Gooey. Odd. Author of the action-packed Grimoire Saga.
S.M. Boyce is a novelist who loves ghosts, magic, and spooky things. She prefers loose-leaf tea, reads far too many books, and is always cold. She’s married to her soul mate and couldn’t be happier. Her B.A. in Creative Writing qualifies her to serve you french fries.
Boyce likes to update her blog a few times each week so that you have something to wake you up in the morning.


Connect with the Author:


Giveaway:
One Lucky Winner will get a Signed Copy of Lichgates (Grimoire Saga #1) by S.M.Boyce. 
Giveaway Open to US Residents Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway