Stories (15/0)
[Book Review] "Wendy, Darling" by A.C. Wise
SYNOPSIS: Find the second star from the right, and fly straight on 'til morning, all the way to Neverland, a children's paradise with no rules, no adults, only endless adventure and enchanted forests - all led by the charismatic boy who will never grow old. But Wendy Darling grew up. She has a husband and a young daughter called Jane, a life in London. But on night, after all these years, Peter Pan returns. Wendy finds him outside her daughter's window, looking to claim a new mother for his Lost Boys. But instead of Wendy, he takes Jane. Now a grown woman, a mother, a patient and a survivor, Wendy must follow Peter back to Neverland to rescue her daughter and finally face the darkness at the heart of the island...
By Meg Ilsley22 days ago in BookClub
[Book Review] "The Rise of Kyoshi" by F.C. Yee (with Michael Dante DiMartino)
SYNOPSIS: The longest-living Avatar in this beloved world’s history, Avatar Kyoshi established the brave and respected Kyoshi Warriors, but she also founded the secretive Dai Li, which led to the corruption, decline, and fall of her own nation. The first of two novels based on Avatar Kyoshi in the Chronicles of the Avatar series, The Rise of Kyoshi maps her journey from a girl of humble origins to the merciless pursuer of justice who is still feared and admired centuries after she became the Avatar.
By Meg Ilsley29 days ago in BookClub
[Analysis] Unique Character Names - Good or Bad?
Recently, someone posed a question in a group I am a part of: is it a good thing or a bad thing when authors craft unique names for their characters? Should authors stick to pronounceable names (e.g., John, James, Margaret) or is it okay for them to craft their own that suit their world (e.g., Legolas, Rhaenyra, Feyre)? This question seems, at its core, to be a simple one. Is the answer not simply 'whatever the author feels is right for their story'? In my opinion, yes and no. When writing a story, and naming characters in that story (assuming said story is for commercial release), one should consider four primary things when naming characters to ensure the reader is engaged in the narrative:
By Meg Ilsleyabout a month ago in BookClub
[Book Review] "The East Wind" by Storm Erickson
SYNOPSIS: The year is 1942, Robert Mann, a brilliant young American physicist of German birth, joins Allied Intelligence. When the assassination of a top Nazi official presents OSS and MI-6 with a rare chance to penetrate the Third Reich, Robert volunteers. His cover survives one nerve-racking encounter after another as he infiltrates Hitler's atom bomb program. Then comes the ultimate test: entry into the home of Effi Zell-wife of Christoph Zell-the man Robert is impersonating. Tension builds toward a crescendo, then collapses as Christoph and Effi fall in love. Their torrid affair morphs into a man-woman resistance team. Again, the tension builds... Robert and Effi perfect the art of deception on their perilous journey toward sabotage. Their goal: to deny Hitler the nuclear weapon that will decide the outcome of World War II. But a new threat of blown cover forces Robert to accept a pivotal role in the bomb's final stage of development. The result: an American spy creates the world's first atomic weapon-for Germany. If Robert cannot "defuse" the bomb, he will have dealt London and Allied armies a fatal blow. He has decided that life is not worth living without Effi. But he cannot contrive an escape until he destroys the monster he has created. Robert faces dilemmas and challenges of historical proportion. Whether he succeeds is a question whose answer the reader will demand to know.
By Meg Ilsleyabout a month ago in BookClub
[Opinion] An Open Letter: Dear Miriam Margolyes...
"I worry about Harry Potter fans because they should be over that by now..." If you're not the kind of person who keeps one eye on news from the world of Harry Potter as I do, you might not have heard these words come out of the mouth of Ms. Miriam Margolyes who played Professor Pomona Sprout, head of Hufflepuff House, in the Harry Potter series. Fans are understandably upset by these words, which are yet another set of words from people behind the Harry Potter series that only serve to alienate the people for whom these stories are an important and integral part of life. I am one of those people, one of those who found a home in the pages of a story about a boy wizard and his snowy owl. I am one of those people who Ms. Margolyes has criticised and hurt with her words, inasmuch as someone can be hurt by the words of someone they don't know.
By Meg Ilsleyabout a month ago in Geeks
[Book Review] "A Wicked Magic" by Sasha Laurens
SYNOPSIS: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets The Craft when modern witches must save teens stolen by an ancient demon in this YA fantasy-thriller debut. Dan and Liss are witches. The Black Book granted them that power. Harnessing that power feels good, especially when everything in their lives makes them feel powerless. During a spell gone wrong, Liss's boyfriend is snatched away by an evil entity and presumed dead. Dan and Liss's friendship dies that night, too. How can they practice magic after the darkness that they conjured? Months later, Liss discovers that her boyfriend is alive, trapped underground in the grips of an ancient force. She must save him, and she needs Dan and the power of The Black Book to do so. Dan is quickly sucked back into Liss's orbit and pushes away her best friend, Alexa. But Alexa has some big secrets she's hiding and her own unique magical disaster to deal with. When another teenager disappears, the girls know it's no coincidence. What greedy magic have they awakened? And what does it want with these teens it has stolen? Set in the atmospheric wilds of California's northern coast, Sasha Laurens's thrilling debut novel is about the complications of friendship, how to take back power, and how to embrace the darkness that lives within us all.
By Meg Ilsleyabout a month ago in BookClub
[Book Review] "Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up A Wizard" by Tom Felton
SYNOPSIS: From the magical moments on set as Draco Malfoy to the challenges of growing up in the spotlight, get a backstage pass into Tom Felton’s life on and off the big screen in this #1 New York Times bestseller. Tom Felton’s adolescence was anything but ordinary. His early rise to fame in beloved films like The Borrowers catapulted him into the limelight, but nothing could prepare him for what was to come after he landed the iconic role of the Draco Malfoy, the bleached blonde villain of the Harry Potter movies. For the next ten years, he was at the center of a huge pop culture phenomenon and yet, in between filming, he would go back to being a normal teenager trying to fit into a normal school. Speaking with great candor and his signature humor, Tom shares his experience growing up as part of the wizarding world while also trying to navigate the muggle world. He tells stories from his early days in the business like his first acting gig where he was mistaken for fellow blonde child actor Macaulay Culkin and his Harry Potter audition where, in a very Draco-like move, he fudged how well he knew the books the series was based on (not at all). He reflects on his experiences working with cinematic greats such as Alan Rickman, Sir Michael Gambon, Dame Maggie Smith, and Ralph Fiennes (including that awkward Voldemort hug). And, perhaps most poignantly, he discusses the lasting relationships he made over that decade of filming, including with Emma Watson, who started out as a pesky nine-year-old whom he mocked for not knowing what a boom mic was but who soon grew into one of his dearest friends. Then, of course, there are the highs and lows of fame and navigating life after such a momentous and life-changing experience. Now with a new chapter Felton delves into his experience of fame, Beyond the Wand is an entertaining, funny, and poignant must-listen for any Harry Potter fan. Prepare to meet a real-life wizard.
By Meg Ilsley2 months ago in BookClub
[Analysis] Are Audiobooks Reading?
"Are audiobooks considered reading?" It is a question that arises in the debate circles of reading sites and groups on and off throughout the year, typically in response to a new reading challenge being administered. It is a question always phrased in such a way that those who like audiobooks will be offended, those who loathe them will be rallied to defend their position, and those who don't care will feel the need to add their two cents into the mix. Often, the question will devolve into a debate on the validity of print books versus electronic books (ebooks) versus audiobooks and the initial question is never answered, let alone discussed beyond the first few comments. It is a question, it seems, that is designed purely to spark debate rather than to encourage an answer.
By Meg Ilsley2 months ago in BookClub
[Book Review] "Immortality: A Love Story" by Dana Schwartz
SYNOPSIS: Hazel Sinnett is alone and half-convinced the events of the year before―the immortality, Beecham’s vial―were a figment of her imagination. She doesn’t even know if Jack is alive or dead. All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her. When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: Hazel has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly granddaughter of King George III. Soon Hazel is pulled into the glamor and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death. As Hazel’s work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn't the only thing at stake. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right.
By Meg Ilsley2 months ago in BookClub
[Analysis] Severus Snape - Hero or Villain?
Potions Master. Slytherin Head of House. Rival of the Marauders. Death Eater. Spy. Regardless of what title you believe fits him the best, there is no denying that Severus Snape was one of the most complex characters in the Harry Potter series, and one of the characters with both the staunchest defenders and most brutal detractors. He is also one of a few characters whose movie portrayal is more sympathetic than his portrayal in the novels. But who was Severus Snape? Was he really as good or evil as fans of the series want to believe? Did his portrayal by the late Alan Rickman - an exceptionally skilled and charismatic actor - help or hinder his characterisation? Were his actions towards the students of Hogwarts justified? And did he atone for his sins in the end?
By Meg Ilsley2 months ago in BookClub
[Book Review] The Frost Eater by Carol Beth Anderson
SYNOPSIS: Seventeen-year-old Princess Nora Abrios is lonely and bored. Though she’s a frost eater who creates magical ice, she’d give anything for a chance to really cut loose. When a commoner’s flying antics capture her attention, she seizes the opportunity to partner up and escape her dreary palace duties. Krey West’s girlfriend Zeisha disappeared weeks ago. He vowed to discover her fate. So, when his unusual magic catches the eye of the privileged princess, he jumps at the chance to find his love by exploiting the monarchy he hates. But he’s surprised by his feisty new ally’s willingness to defy her family and dig deep into the nation’s darkest secrets… As new evidence shocks Nora, she makes the fateful choice to flee the capital and join Krey in banishment. And when they uncover a sinister plot which runs darker than the disappearance of one girl, Krey resolves to do whatever it takes…even if he must face down a dragon. Can Nora and Krey save Zeisha and expose a shadowy enemy, or will their prying spell their doom?
By Meg Ilsley2 months ago in BookClub
[Analysis] Romance vs. Love Story
Being involved in numerous reading groups, I often witness to people sharing their disappointment in the “love story” they just finished. Often, the complaints centre around the fact that these stories do not adhere to the standard “romance” tropes and, thus, have not delivered what the reader was seeking when they picked the story up. Further inquiries into precisely what upset the reader typically led me to the same conclusion: very few individuals understand the difference between a love story and a romance, and those who are left disappointed in the love story they consumed are often disappointed because they were expecting a romance.
By Meg Ilsley2 months ago in BookClub
