Let's Talk YA Lit: October 2012

Monday, October 29, 2012

Book Release: Flutter By Melissa Andrea

I know they say you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but my goodness this one is pretty. I recently caught wind of Flutter through a couple of friends online, and I have to say I am definitely looking forward to reading it. Flutter is scheduled for release on October 30--tomorrow. Apart from the lovely cover, I'm intrigued by the mystery of the synopsis. It alludes to a fantasy/paranormal world, but maintains a nice level of mystery. Which fantasy world is it? I'm hoping faeries. The leaf/wing imprint in the model's makeup on the front would make it seem so. Whatever the case, I can't wait to pick this one up. Look for the review soon.

Synopsis:

Sara

Sara's life is forever changed-

Waking up, buried & hidden deeply in the last place anyone would want to be, will do that. She is determined to find out how she ended up there and why, but when the only person who can help her continuously lies to her, she finds herself forced to suffer alone. She can't ignore the strange things that begin to happen to her, nor can she hide from the nightmares that haunt her sleep. And when her world collides with Adan--the mysterious boy whom she can't seem to stay away from, literally--she is consumed bu the familiar flutter that sparks whenever he is around, and she is desperate to discover the reason why. But the biggest discovery will come from the secret of what she is...

Adan

Adan's mission to find Sara has finally approached.

It seemed simple to bring her back to the enchanted world that lives, breathes, and survives because of her, but he quickly finds himself faced with an entirely new challenge. Immediately, Adan realizes that staying unknown to Sara is a task he will fail before even attempting. The pull to her is far too strong to refuse, and being with her will defy the very reason he existed. he was the key to her survival and loving her was not part of the plan that he had been born to follow. Can he find it in himself to resist the urge to be with her and follow through with their destiny or will he destroy everything that had been left to Sara to protect and defend.

And the kingdom she is unaware she rules...

Flutter

Sara and Adan struggle to overcome their own separate battles, there is a far more determined evil that is stalking the shadows and waiting to annihilate them both. Sara will figure out that not everything is what it seems and knowing what she can and cannot trust will be the key to finding out the truth to what happened to her, the reason why she had been buried alive and who she really is...

Sara and Adan will discover the hidden meaning to why she was the reason he existed and why he would be the reason she survived, and together they will fight to change the rules and rewrite their fate.

Nook | Kindle

Review: On Fallen Wings by Jamie McHenry

Genre: Fantasy | Faeries

I decided to give myself a week before reviewing On Fallen Wings, simply for the fact that I didn't want to eviscerate it on a whim. During the last week, I have frequently replayed the story over and over in my mind and come to the conclusion that while I don't hate it, there are many areas that, with improvement, could be stronger. What first appealed to me about this novel is that it seemingly incorporated Fae mythology. Now, I happen to be writing a book about the Fae, so I have been doing a serious amount of research on the topic. You could say that I wanted to get a look at what other authors are writing about my subject. I was also intrigued by the fact that the author is a man and the lead character is a heroine.

Unfortunately, On Fallen Wings left me disappointed on so many levels. The Fae-lore that originally attracted me to the novel was briefly mentioned and then quickly forgotten. There was no magic and the "faeries" were typical humans. I'm sorry, but the Fae are not humans and therefore do not look, think, or act like humans. I can overlook the author taking liberties with the mythology, but it took backstage too much for my liking. Either make it a prominent feature or leave it out.

The characters had very little depth, despite the entire book being full of supposed character development. Enough said.

What I enjoyed about McHenry's writing is his prose. The man can write some beautiful prose. So, in terms of style Jamie McHenry has it down, but he needs to work on plot development. The names were also very lovely and satisfied my pickiness over character identity. I feel that On Fallen Wings needed a better editor. I saw lots of potential, but it just didn't have any plot devices in place to really grab the reader's attention. Now, having expressed my negative feelings for this book, I just want to add that this review is merely my opinion. I have read other reviews on this novel that raved about how good it is. If at the end of the day you enjoyed it, then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Feel free to give this novel a chance if you feel so inclined. You may like it.