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Progress Report:

Status of fifth manuscript: Writing first draft.
Word count: 2393 (Total word count: 42091).

Books read: 5/4

Mid- September Book Review: Currently reading.

Books and Reading Wednesday- Mid-August Review

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Mishka Jenkins | 24 Comments

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Blurb:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

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I picked up this book because I had seen it reviewed and praised on quite a few book blogs, and it eventually pushed me into buying it.

The opening instantly seduced me into this world of magic and mysticism. As I was reading, I was lost in the book and the incredible dream-like state it evoked. The author’s way with words are almost poetic and really created a smooth feel to the story.

The story began straight away, which I was pleased with, but I have to say the story did drag after that. There were parts that seemed unnecessary filler. Beautifully written filler, but filler nonetheless. I’m not a great fan of books where a lot of it is just fluff, rather than moving the plot along.

But when the plot did move along, I thought it was a brilliantly crafted piece of story-telling that I could completely lose myself in and forget about the things around me.

The descriptions were practically edible they were so good! And I strongly suggest having some kind of yummy food next to you for the dinner scenes, because the way the author describes those moments I could taste the desserts! But again, a lot of the writing was bulked out with beautiful description rather than pressing forwards with action and plot.

The story jumps back and forth between different years and months, which I found a bit awkward to keep up with at first. But, as I got to know the characters and read about the events of the story, I could keep up well and remember easily what had happened and what was to come.

I loved all of the characters, especially Bailey, Poppet and Widget. Each character was unique and distinct, and I found myself connecting to each one in different way.

The love story throughout was beautiful, but again, it took some time to get into. It was worth reading through to get to the end of it though.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Night Circus and am very glad I read it. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a story they can get lost in, who wants to find a magical world of awe-inspiring descriptions and intriguing characters.

But, be warned, it is a long story where a lot of it is just well crafted fluff with stunning descriptions. That is worth reading too though, just for writer’s talent at crafting words.

Make sure you’re in for a slow-burning read.

Links:

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Progress Report:

Status of fifth manuscript: Writing first draft.
Daily word count: 2573 (Total word count: 15757)

Books read: 3/4

End of August Indie Review: Written and ready.

July eBook Review: Olivia’s Choice by Taylor Grace

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Mishka Jenkins | 15 Comments

Olivia’s Choice By Taylor Grace

Goodreads Synopsis:
When her boss asks her to complete a project that takes her back to the annax city, Olivia’s lifelong avoidance of the race comes to an abrupt end. The last thing she needs is the arrogant son of the annax leader as a co-worker. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what she gets. To make matters worse, the pesky tionnax, sworn annax enemies, decide to butt in and capture Olivia. They hurt her so badly that Baphrem can only save her by turning her into what she fears most, an annax. Now, Olivia has to decide: can she love the man who made her worst nightmare come true?

Review

I’ve been excited to read this book for a while, so was really happy when it popped up on the top of my to-read list!

On starting the book, you are greeted by a fairly large glossary of terms which did have me a little concerned! I wasn’t sure how I was going to keep up with all the races and names, but as you went through the story I found I was able to keep up fairly well, and if I did get confused it wasn’t too hard to just click back to the beginning and check.

It starts out following Olivia when she is to be sent to the annax city, which she obviously is loathed and scared to go to. The opening created a great sense of mystery about Olivia and why she didn’t want to go, but I also liked that Olivia was obviously a strong enough character to overcome what she feared. She was a really well written character, who I related to in many ways.

After being introduced to Baphrem, who I have to admit got my heart fluttering even after he chucked Olivia into a river, I got the instant sense of the dislike between the characters which fuelled the eventual attraction.

Throughout the book you are given snippets of Olivia’s memory as to what happened to make her so fearful of returning to the annax city, and I found these really intriguing and kept me reading.

The story had a good pace, and I found myself flipping through the pages to find out where the story and characters were headed.

The intimate moments and scenes in the book were handled very well, and I thought they added much to the book and characters rather than just being there for the sake of being there.

Overall, it’s a great read and definitely one worth checking out if you enjoy paranormal romance with well-developed characters and story.

Links:

June eBook Review- The Vessel by Callum McLaughlin

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Mishka Jenkins | 10 Comments

The Vessel by Callum McLaughlin

Goodreads Synopsis:

Savaged by disease and riots, the world has descended into a state of chaos. Amidst the desperate remains of humanity, the American government has resorted to extreme measures to try and repopulate their now depleted country but one unwilling subject of their ruthless actions will not suffer in silence.

Escaping from a facility at the heart of their experiments, Eva Cole’s nightmare is far from over. Hunted at every turn, she must fight to survive so that she can expose the truth

Review:

I was excited to read this book as I had already read Callum’s incredible poems on his blog, and was wowed by his talent for the written word.

I didn’t even read the description before downloading this book to my kindle so didn’t know what to expect.

Well, I have to say that I was not disappointed. This book gripped me and my emotions from the very first line and took me along with the story and characters so deeply that I felt like part of their world.

The story is set in a rather bleak version of Earth’s future, a future that felt believable, which I think helped draw me further into the story. We are introduced to Eva, the main character in a rather intense moment, and from then we are along for her journey through the story. She faces a life of being chased and possibly never finding her home, and I felt her struggle and turmoil all the way throughout.

This story was intense and driven forwards by the characters, who were all striving to survive in the world that was around them.

The actual writing was of very high quality, with descriptions that had me in awe at some points.

I would thoroughly recommend this book (as I already have to my mother!). It is a genre I would not normally choose for myself, but I am so glad that I read this. It is going to one of those books that I will think of frequently and a story that will stay with me. Can’t wait to see what he writes next!

Links:

May E-Book Review: Infertility, Infidelity and Insanity by Arran Bhansal

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Mishka Jenkins | 24 Comments

Sorry it’s late, but here it is! 😀

Infertility, Infidelity and Insanity by Arran Bhansal

Goodreads Synopsis:

“Good and bad things happen to everyone. It may not seem fair, but it’s what happens.”

Arran is 34 years of age, living in Henley-on-Thames, married, second generation Indian, father of one, washed out, and depressed. He agonizes over the choices he has made and the impact they’ve had on his life. Hating what he has become, he arranges to meet Judith; a counsellor he hopes will help him make sense of the confusion in his mind.

In his sessions with her, he describes how he met and married Becky against the wishes of his family, the disastrous marriage that followed and the IVF cycles they had to endure. He reveals how he met Lauren, and began a passionate affair.

Desire and obsession soon take over, and Arran enters a world occupied by one thought – to be with Lauren at all costs. His insanity takes its toll and threatens to destroy his life and those closest to him. Can he outrun disaster? Or was it always going to catch up with him in the end?

Review:

**I was given this book in exchange for an honest review**

Arran is a great blogger and his book was already on my to-read list when I was asked to review it, so I felt very lucky to be given the chance!

Right from the start I was drawn into this book. It was as though I was sitting there with him and he was telling me this story personally. That was a real strength of this book, it felt raw, real and personal. You were drawn in and the style of the writing meant you felt as though you were listening to someone tell you their story, rather than reading it.

The descriptions were vivid, you got an instant sense of characters and settings and that helped draw you into the story further the more you read.

It was really captivating writing.

There were a few grammatical issues, but those were easily overlooked as you were drawn into the story so much you weren’t jarred out of it by those errors.

It was definitely a journey, and by the end you were left feeling drained, but in a good way! All the emotions the book took you on meant that it was a really great read that will certainly make you feel a rollercoaster of emotions.

Another thing I liked was the dialogue. It felt very realistic, like normal people chatting and not characters.

The time jumps back and forth were easy to navigate and easy to follow, which is good as there were a few of them. It was nice to be able to visualise in my mind those different times and the characters going through all the events.

And, blimey, what an ending it had! 😀

If you pick up this book, which I would recommend, be sure to be ready to be taken on a ride of emotions!

Links:

Smashwords

Goodreads

April E-Book Review: One Chance by Rishika S.

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Mishka Jenkins | 26 Comments

One Chance by Rishika S

**I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Goodreads summary of One Chance:

‘Her dream came true… and turned into a nightmare.

When Ethan Russell proposed to Ava, she didn’t hesitate to accept; and then began a life filled with love and joy. But Ethan Russell has a secret – a secret that will threaten his marriage and devastate the woman to whom he vowed love and trust forever. He knew that his past needed to remain forgotten if they were to have a future.
When fate intervenes and the horror of a connected past rears its ugly head, they lose everything that they shared. Now, Ava can trust no one, especially not the man who’d vowed to love her. And Ethan has but one opportunity to gain her love and trust again, one shot to help them move beyond the past, and one chance at a blissful forever after.’

Well, first thing I should say is how much emotion and story was packed into this short, but good sized read. I finished it in an afternoon, and it was great sitting down with a cup of tea and reading, then forgetting the time and finding a couple of hours later that I’d finished the whole thing.

The story was set-up really well at the beginning, you got a real sense of the characters, their relationship and their lives.

It is a shorter read, but it didn’t feel rushed or that anything was missing, it was a great length to tell this story.

One of the strengths of this book, and one that really caught me was the emotion. There was a lot of it in this book, and if a story ever gave me ‘feels’ it was this one. I’d definitely say have a box of tissues handy for tears of all kinds- happy and sad.

I don’t think there were any spelling or grammar errors, at least, I didn’t see any, so the story flowed really well, without anything breaking the immersion.

It was a good pace, there wasn’t any fluff bulking it out, but it read as a contained, well thought out story with every scene progressing the story onwards.

One Chance is a story of two people coming together, and attempting to overcome their pasts as a couple. It’s a sweet story, heart-breaking but touching, and a really good read. I would recommend giving it a go, it’s one of those stories that give a real sense of optimism after reading, even after everything that happens.

Links:

Amazon

Amazon UK

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Also, well done to all those who made it through the A-Z blog challenge and CampNano, you’ve produced some really great posts! 😀

March E-Book Review: The Shadow Watcher by Roari Benjamin

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Mishka Jenkins | 15 Comments

The Shadow Watcher by Roari Benjamin

I chose this book because it sounded really original from the other ones I was looking at. And I wasn’t disappointed, it was a refreshing and different read.

The opening paragraph was really strong and got me hooked from the beginning. The first couple of chapters did explain a lot of back story, but it didn’t feel like it was piled onto me or bogged down the story, it still flowed nicely.

It was a fast-paced book, which I enjoyed a lot. I liked that things kept moving, there was no points where it felt stagnant or that it could have done with having anything cut out. Everything helped to move the plot along.

There were some great little moments throughout the entire book, nice bits of humour or description, but the way the author described how cats act was perfect and so spot on. There was one cat called Artemis, who was a character in herself, and she was brilliant, very well written.

In fact, all of the characters were good and individual. There was quite a wide cast characters and at times I did struggle to keep up with the names, but the important characters were clear.

The story itself was a very interesting concept, and there was a brilliant twist in the middle where you think you know what’s going on and then suddenly you’re turned around when you discover what is actually going on! That was fun.

Throughout the book there were lots of very unique and original ideas, which was nice. I didn’t see many clichéd moments and the author managed to come up with new takes on well known things such as technology, etc.

I don’t remember seeing many spelling errors throughout, so either they didn’t stand out or there weren’t any. Though the formatting was a little off at times, with the indents being at different spaces. Also, there was a lot of information at times, which was all explained very well, I just found it hard to remember what was going on at times, but in general the story flowed very nicely and uncomplicated.

The way the ending was written, I am guessing it is part of a series. It didn’t feel like too much of a cliff hanger, so I would have been happy to read it as a stand alone, but there is definitely a hint of either a sequel or an on-going series.

Overall though I really enjoyed it, I liked the fresh story, the interesting settings and the pace of the book.

Links: