Review: THE WANTED by Lauren Nicolle Taylor (The Woodlands #4)

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The Wanted

by Lauren Nicolle Taylor

(The Woodlands #4)

Here are some facts about this book:

• The fourth and last novel in the series, The Woodlands 
• Will release on October 31, 2014
• A post-apocalyptic dystopian novel
• Responsible for at least two late nights beneath the blanket 
• Probably contains nicotine somewhere in there

Out of all the books in The Woodlands series, this one is my favorite because of the dual narrative and beautiful language that weaves together the sensory details with Rosa's inner thoughts. Rosa may think that she's horrible with metaphors, but her narrative voice is actually filled with vivid figurative language. 

The story is divided between the perspectives of Rosa and Joseph. Given the movement that Rosa and Joseph take part in against the oppressive regime of the Superiors, I had an idea of what would happen, but I had no idea how. The episodes between Rosa and Joseph are brief but important -- each scene moves the story forward and keeps me intrigued on what would happen next. 

Sometimes the perspective would switch and I'd whine, "No, but I wanted to find out what happened to Rosa." But soon enough, I'd be entranced with Joseph's side of the line. 

So what's going on in The Wanted?

Rosa is a prisoner of the Superiors and faces interrogations in multiple forms. They want information about her friends, the Survivors, and Joseph. She has to stay strong and defiant and not let them break her. 

I had no idea how Rosa was going to get out of that captivity. I was thinking that maybe Joseph could smash his way in to save her, but then that'd be really cliched and predictable. The story went nowhere in that direction. It was filled with plot twists that boggled my mind and kept me chasing down the rest of the story to find out what would happen. 

In the beginning of the series, I wasn't able to identify strongly with Rosa (even though I liked her a lot as a character), but in The Wanted, I cheered for her the whole way. I think it's partly because she has matured over the past few books, especially after the death of Apella, a girl who ultimately proved Rosa's judgmental views wrong with her sacrifice. And while Rosa does "size up" people when observing them, she's a lot less judgmental than before because she tries to see things from their side of the fence.

Joseph was forced to leave her and escape. He struggles with feelings of guilt over the violence he used in order to flee. In the meantime, he is helping with the Survivors' rebellion against the iron grip of the Superiors. With many readers, there was an issue of Joseph being too perfect. To me, he just came across as an optimistic sort of guy who knows what he wants. In this book, however, his optimism and values go under trials of loneliness, grief, guilt, and uncertainty. It was good to explore some inner turmoil and weakness within him because his negative reaction to certain actions shows us where his values are as a person. Even if he is an overall hero, he can still be prone to moments of weakness. 

Like with Rosa, some of the people in the Survivors have mellowed out a bit after their initial hostility towards each other, such as Deshi. I've gotten really fond of him and Rash as minor characters. I was even hoping for Deshi to hook up with another guy that comes into the picture in this novel, but *ahem* that did not happen, probably for the best. 

I'm going to miss Rosa, Deshi, Rash, and Joseph. They had a wonderfully cranky but loving dynamic. When I saw the novella The Willful, I was actually hoping that this series had been extended into a quintet. Overall, I enjoyed this wonderful ending to The Woodlands series. The main loop is concluded, but as with life, there is a lot of uncertainty in the details in the aftermath. Will Deshi and Hessa become close again? Will Rosa and Joseph move past this moment of disloyalty? Will they all be a family in five years, after things have settled down somewhat? I think so.

My rating:

Find out more about The Wanted by Lauren Nicolle Taylor on:

Amazon | Goodreads

Check out my reviews on the other The Woodlands novels:

The Woodlands (#1)

The Wall (#2)

The Wounded (#3)

Becoming Fierce Blog Tour: GUEST POST: Gerard Collins, author of "The Long Last Year"

Goodreads | Amazon | Fierce Ink Press

It's a pleasure to take part in the Becoming Fierce blog tour. Becoming Fierce is a creative non-fiction anthology of teen stories. Think of coming-of-age experiences dealing with peer pressure, finding one's place in the world, bullies, relationships, dealing and escaping from harsh circumstances, and more. This generation's Chicken Soup for the Soul. 

All the stories dealt with meaningful struggles, but I felt a special connection with Gerard Collins' youthful self in "The Long Last Year," in which he is trapped in poverty and tense family dynamics. The year after high school, Gerard watches his friends go off to colleges and other pursuits while he stays in the city, unsure of what he wants to do with his life. 

"The Long Last Year" captures the transition period in which young adults have to make tough decisions that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Gerard can't afford to go to college. But as the year progresses, he finds that he can't afford to stay undecided forever. 

 An authorly photo of Gerard Collins (that I found on his Facebook author page, heehee) 

Below is Collins' insightful guest post about choosing between happiness and financial stability. This was something I struggled with during my senior year of high school, and is also something that I'm still grappling with. 

What now?

The last year of high school can be exciting. Soon, you’ll move out on your own, make new friends, and start a new life. There’ll be no one to boss you around, but neither will there be someone to cook your meals, clean your house or pay for your clothes. You can do whatever you want.

Everything seems bigger and more important in that year. Your grades will decide if you can get into a good college and/or get a job. This last year will instigate your own sense of who you are and, to a great extent, who you are going to be.

Not only is school more serious, you’re also expected to make solid plans and hard choices.

Most of us have heard that cruel question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” When I first heard it, I was in elementary school, and my eyes nearly crossed with confusion.  I was already a good reader, a good speller, an excellent petter of dogs, and winner of many games of hide-and-seek. What more did I need to aspire to be?

When the day comes — first day of graduating year — it starts waving and shouting at you like some pushy monster: “Haven’t you decided yet? Tick-tock, buddy! Who’re you gonna be? What do you want to do ... FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?”

*cricket cricket*

*blink blink*

Personally, all I ever wanted to do was not work for a living, to not have to work a nine-to-five job that amounted to servitude and a wasted life. Without knowing it, I wanted to be a writer — which turned out to be a lot of work. But then, so did everything else worth having. Money, for example, is totally worth having. But I wasn’t convinced of that when I was a teenager. I could see all the things I wanted, and none of them cost money.

A car. A girlfriend. An apartment. An education.

Er. Wait a minute.

So, I came to a slow reckoning that money was actually important.

The ticking grew louder.

All those people — my teachers, parents, friends and busybodies at the grocery store — wanted to know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, and I didn’t have a freakin’ clue.

Fact is, I had to do something.

Now that I teach at a university, students often say there are too many choices, and it’s hard to know what to pursue. Teenagers enter business school and pharmacy, one after another, like blind sheep over a low fence, sometimes only to tumble headlong into becoming an arts major, while their parents wring their hands and wail.

It’s the same old thing, really — pursuit of money versus the pursuit of happiness. Of course, making money can bring happiness, of a sort. The confused ones are often the more creatively, less financially, motivated. If you know from the get-go you want to be a doctor, lawyer, oil biz executive or Quickie Mart owner, you’ll find money enough. You just won’t have the nagging guilt that you should be doing something more worthy of your artistic side. You’ll also find a spouse, a piece of land, social acceptance, a car and all those other perks of good, moneyed citizenry that people tend to crave. And you can paint portraits or sing in a choir, in your spare time.

But some of us get fooled into thinking that happiness is based on something more abstract — so intangible that nothing material could ever complete us. This philosophy leads to uncertainty and the romantic notion that it’s better to do nothing than to do something that will destroy your soul.

I believed that if I did what I loved, the money would follow. But even then, I didn’t know what I loved. Still, more often than not, young people know what they would love to do if money didn’t matter, but their parents, teachers, peers and society in general tell them not to choose foolishly.

I think that’s where the confusion happens — when you tell a 17-year-old to choose stability over happiness, you are saying that happiness is secondary, or the by-product of being a good bread-winner and consumer, even though, at the same time, we are telling them “Just be happy.”

It would be nice if every day spent taking classes in business or med school would make us happy. It does happen, but it’s not always the case.

Kids can only choose wisely if they’ve been prepared by enlightened parents who know that happiness doesn’t mean the same for everyone. Money can bring freedom to choose, but how one makes that money is a matter of choice.

Free will is paramount to our ability to be happy, rather than slaves to someone else’s ideology, no matter how well intended.

When you’re standing at the crossroads of the long last year of high school, it would be a little less daunting if someone said to you, “It’s okay to be unsure. Find your passion, but get on with your life, first. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”

Also, maybe someone should say it’s all right to be afraid — sometimes, fear keeps you from making bad choices, but only if you listen to its dire warning.

Thanks for reading! 20% of the proceeds from the sale of Becoming Fierce will go to a youth-oriented charity! Find out more about Becoming Fierce on:

Goodreads | Amazon | Fierce Ink Press

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (9/15/2014)

Hosted by Sheila from BookJourney

Hi! It's great to be back with the It's Monday! crowd. I've been working six days a week, so it is taking me a longer to finish reading a novel. I've also been cooking up recipes from a cookbook, but I'll put up the review another week since I'm still working through it.

I finished reading:

Bentwhistle the Dragon in A Threat from the Past by Paul Cude

An old society of dragons co-exists with modern human life on the surface. Dragons possess the abilities to telepathically extract a daily newspaper in their minds (like downloading a book through Wi-Fi) and to transform between their human and dragon forms. The appearance of a mysterious figure in Bentwhistle's workplace leads to strange and ominous occurrences that have the young dragon scratching his head as he seeks to solve the puzzle. Read my review here.

#FRUGALITYPAYS: Money Saving Tips for the Underachiever by Antonio Starr

A guide on frugal living for the "underachiever". The tips range from reducing your entertainment costs to eating more inexpensively. Read my review here.

Thanks for checking out my post! Have a fun Monday. 

Review: Bentwhistle the Dragon: A Threat from the Past by Paul Cude

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A few months ago, the author Paul Cude contacted me to review his two books: Bentwhistle the Dragon in A Threat from the Past (Book 1) and Bentwhistle the Dragon in A Chilling Revelation (Book 2). I took a look at the book blurb that he included and was super excited about the idea of an underground dragon society co-existing with modern human life on the surface. 

Book blurb for Bentwhistle the Dragon in a Threat from the Past: 

Bentwhistle the Dragon in A Threat from the Past is an adventure story children and adults alike will love, about the present day world in which dragons disguised as humans have infiltrated the human race at almost every level, to guide and protect them. Three young dragons in their human guises become caught up in an evil plot to steal a precious commodity, vital to the dragon community. How will the reluctant hero and his friends fare against an enemy of his race from far in the past? 

Fascinating insights into the dragon world are interspersed throughout the book. Ever wondered how dragons travel below ground at almost the speed of sound? Or how they use magical mantras to transform their giant bodies into convincing human shapes? 

In an action packed adventure that features both human and dragon team sports, you’ll get a dragon-like perspective on human social issues and insight into what to do if you meet a giant spider grinning at you when you’re wearing nothing but your smile! You’d be flamin’ mad to miss it.

The narration reveals a lot of insight into the daily life of dragons living on the surface. Many concepts introduced in this novel are unique in terms of the general portrayal of our favorite mythical lizards. Here, dragons can shift forms between human and dragons. Younger dragons grow up in nurseries in which they learn to shift between their forms. They have communal telepathic abilities that allow them to retrieve and read a daily newspaper in their minds, similar to the way we use Wi-Fi. I like the idea of a technologically advanced dragon society, and of course, there are older dragons who are more uncomfortable with surface life and think that humans still drive wagons and carriages. They even have their own sports culture, which is fascinating and the dynamics reminds me of Quidditch. 

I love how well-developed and original the world is, but all the emphasis on world-building ultimately takes away from the plot and character development. The main thrust of the plot is the mystery of Mr. Mason's malicious presence in Peter Bentwhistle's workplace. Following a sudden death of a dragon (which is extremely rare in dragon society), Peter begins to notice a lot of strange things happening in his workplace, along with the introduction of Mason, a mysterious figure who seems to have a strong influence over Peter's normally-benign boss, Mr. Garrett. As a result of escalating suspicions about Mr. Mason's motives, Peter begins to investigate what Mason really wants...

Pacing is a big issue in this novel, mostly because there is so much world building that it slows down the plot, even though the mystery is quite intriguing. The world is clearly huge and complex, but I think it would be a lot better to condense the story so that it's driven more by plot or Peter's mission. There are many chapters about Peter's daily life before or after work, as well as several long anecdotes about Peter's past that, at most, have only tenuous connections to the main plot. About 40% into the book, the plot lost its momentum as it began to meander into daily life, games, and routines, and this continued until I was 80% finished with the novel. I found myself losing interest with the characters and the plot for the middle part of the story. 

Ultimately, the story sacrifices plot, pacing, and character development in favor of world building. I love the world of dragons and their super-fast subways, but the characters don't grab my interest enough for me to continue reading in this series. The sense of urgency regarding Mason disappears in the middle (besides his odd appearances and insulting behavior towards Peter) and doesn't come back until towards the end, and so I had to struggle to finish the novel. 

My rating: 

Find out more about Bentwhistle the Dragon: A Threat from the Past by Paul Cude:

Amazon | Goodreads 

Review: #FRUGALITYPAYS: Money Saving Tips for the Underachiever by Antonio Starr

Amazon | Goodreads

#FRUGALITYPAYS: Money Saving Tips for the Underachiever

by Antonio Starr

After browsing some money saving blogs like The Simple Dollar and The Frugal Duchess, I figured that it'd be great to see what other folks have done to save some dough. 

#FRUGALITYPAYS knows its audience, which consists of people who are "just a tad too lazy to take on this daily challenge. We are the underachievers!"

Well, there you go. These tips are aimed at the lazy and the people who are new to the frugal lifestyle, who are still probably paying a ton for cable and buy expensive beverages on the go. 

For its audience, Antonio Starr's book is a small compilation of basic frugal living tips that deal with automatic bill paying, reducing entertainment costs, and not buying bottled water. The tips for saving money are solid, but if you aren't a huge spendthrift when you first read this book, then you probably aren't going to get anything new from it. 

"Bring your lunch to work instead of going out or you can do what I did once, which was to find a job that offers free lunch lol." (page 45)

Lol, okay.

#FRUGALITYPAYS is concise, but at 91 pages, it can definitely go further into some of the categories. It's not even about fluff, but quality content. For $2.99, I would have liked to see some more tips on saving money in the categories about eating beyond the good ol' cook-at-home, use-a-slow-cooker, plan-your-meals things. But once again, I must remember that this book is aimed at the Underachiever.

"One thing I despise are books that are full of fluff! I hate having to spend three hours reading a book only to realize that the author could have delivered the same message in a third of the time. With #FRUGALITYPAYS, I get straight to the point because my aim is to add immediate value to your life starting with the first paragraph of the first chapter...Some of the tips in this book are more strategic actions as opposed to direct money saving tips such as buying from a clearance rack, etc...." (from the Introduction)

Something tells me that an Underachiever wouldn't be looking up actual books to read on saving cash. They'd probably hit up Google for "how to save money" tips that they can find without buying this book. I find that the actual audience of this book is actually quite different from its intended audience, since a frugal enthusiast is more likely to pick up this book than a reluctant underachiever or spendthrift.

My rating: 

 

(Unless you're an underachiever. Then it's five stars.)

#FRUGALITYPAYS: Money Saving Tips for the Underachiever by Antonio Starr

Amazon | Goodreads

Adjusting to a Full Time Routine: From Student to Employee

Photo Credit: Ukraine Business Online

If you're one of my dear readers who've been following this blog, you may have noticed that it's been feeling like a ghost town lately. But don't worry--I'm still around, just taking a bit longer to finish reading novels for review. But I do aim to post more frequently, if not about books, then about life and other reflections. If anything, this blog will take a more personal turn, but I will still be reading and reviewing books.

One of the biggest life changes that I've been going through is transitioning from being a student for most of my life to full time employment. Right now, it's a bit beyond full time since I'm working six days a week. Alongside the job, I spend my day off writing an article or two for a college publication. Feel free to come visit me at CollegeNews anytime!

Photo Credit: The Conversation

Shifting from Full Time School to Full Time Work:

• Regular Schedule; Better Time Management Skills -- I wake up and go to sleep at around the same time each day, something that I never quite mastered as a student. A regular routine has many benefits, but the biggest one is that it makes it a lot easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I have a gym routine, and I eat at around the same time each day.
• No More Fat Finals Week -- I gained so much weight studying for finals. The stress would cause me to eat tons of unhealthy snacks. Even the guy at 7-Eleven recognized me as I stumbled into the store in my pajamas and a blanket on a regular basis towards the end of every school quarter. "Finals?" he'd ask. He'd be right every time.
• Gratitude for My Parents -- I wasn't able to appreciate all the sacrifices my parents did for me until I started working full time myself. They were able to push through all the problems at work, the long, monotonous hours, and occasionally, work drama and come home to take care of me and my siblings by cooking, helping us with homework, playing with us, etc. 
• Less Leisure Time -- As a student, I was used to having lots of time to dabble in hobbies and hang out with my husband, family, and friends. Even with a full schedule of classes, I had lots of time in between classes to sketch and write for fun. Now most of my days have an 8-hour block set aside for work (9.5-hour block if we take into account my waking-up and driving to and back from work). In a 24-hour day, this leaves me with about 6.5 hours before bedtime, and currently, I'm spending these hours with my husband.
  Now I have the funds to buy all those art supplies that I drooled over as a student, but I don't have the time to commit to art. I'm becoming more picky about which hobbies I want to commit to, instead of dabbling in a million little hobbies.
• Feeling Old; Nostalgia for Teenagehood -- Sometimes I go to my old favorite teenage haunts and I get a bit wistful for all the adventures I had there with my friends. How did I ever have so much time on my hands? 
• I Enjoy Each Moment to the Max -- Whether it's reading a magazine while propped on my tummy on the bed or just doing stretches in the room, I relish the moment and the little bit of time I get to relax. 

Photo Credit: Out of the Blackness

Reality Shock; Feelings of Future Closing In

This might not be something that most people can relate to, or maybe they can. In my early twenties, I felt like I had my entire life ahead of me--world and future both included in one shiny package. I felt that I could become anything I wanted, although the issue of balancing between passion and practicality was always there. As I went through school, I started to realize the limitations of my abilities, and so certain options didn't play out well enough for me to continue pursuing them.

Now I'm dealing with the question of Okay, I've got a degree in literature and writing. What can I do with it? I went to college for a total of about 6 years, and the result is a B.A. degree. Where do I go from here? A part of me is reluctant to go for more schooling because I already spent so much time in school. That part wants me to suck it up, make the most out of my degree, and see what I can get with it. The other part wants to maximize my potential with...you guessed it, more school! But is the investment worth it?

Photo Credit: HD Wall Source

Conclusion

Life tends to be a lot more open-ended than the genre novel, and having a Conclusion seems to be oddly inappropriate at this uncertain stage in my life, but I have a horrible addiction to closure. These are some things that I've been thinking about lately, and chances are that I will still be trying to figure them out in a few months. In the meantime, I plan to live simply and appreciate all the wonderful friends and family in my life. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (8/4/2014)

This awesome meme is hosted by Sheila of BookJourney. 

I finally finished reading a book that I had put down on a break while I was still in college. Aside from that, with a full-time job, I have less time for hobbies, so I have to decide on which ones I want to keep. Ultimately, one of my biggest goals is to write a novel, even if it sucks. Then I'll write another one.

My husband and I have been watching an anime called Attack on Titan in the evenings, which is amazingly done. The concepts of the 3D Maneuvering Devices and the titans are well-executed. I thought the idea of human-eating giants was a bit silly at first, but then the insight into the human condition that the film makes so fluidly sucked me in. I'm stunned by how well-paced and cerebral this series is. 

What I Finished This Week:

Road of the Patriarch by R.A. Salvatore

There is an entire fan community devoted to this adventurous duo of a flamboyant dark elf and a hard-hearted human assassin. I put some examples of fan art in my review of this book here. 

What I'm Reading:

Bentwhistle the Dragon: A Threat from the Past

by Paul Cude

I took a break from this book to read Road of the Patriarch, but now I'm coming back to it. 

****

Thanks for reading! Hope your week went well!

ROAD OF THE PATRIARCH by R.A. Salvatore

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Road of the Patriarch 

(Sellswords Trilogy #3)

by R.A. Salvatore

Pairing an intense, usually objective-driven character with a flamboyant, slightly reckless character leads to a lot of adventures that wouldn't otherwise happen, especially on the part of Artemis Entreri. I was intrigued by his character when he appeared in the Drizzt series as the noble dark elf's relentless adversary. What else was there to his character, I wondered. I was curious about the sort of past that would create a lone individual who prefers to identify himself with his weapon skills than other attributes. 

I'm not the only Artemis fangirl.
Credit: Yoski

Among the books in The Sellswords trilogy, this one is the juiciest in terms of getting to know Entreri's past. The novel begins with a teaser into his childhood but it doesn't resurface until the latter half of the novel. The first half focuses more on Jarlaxle's imperialistic antics, which drive the story forward but feel a bit pointless and cumbersome in Road of the Patriarch. Despite all the action scenes during Gareth's invasion of Entreri's "castle", I was actually pretty bored with this part and didn't really see how it was necessary, aside from Jarlaxle's pet project getting them kicked out of the land. However, it was cool to see Entreri face off against the well-intentioned King Gareth in a philosophical debate about righteous claims to kinghood. 

Entreri's decision to pursue his "ghosts" is an impulsive decision, influenced by the magical flute that Jarlaxle encourages him to play. My issue with the magical flute is that it's an obvious plot device to inject character development into a character that's tough as a rock. It felt a bit too artificial and easy, and I felt that since the catalyst for Entreri's emotional growth was a physical objected, the effects would only last so long before it was either taken away from him or smashed. 

I can understand the benefits of having a static character, and it looks like Salvatore wanted to keep Entreri from becoming a completely different person. A lot of readers like the character for the way he is--ruthless, smart, and with a potential for tenderness buried somewhere within. And granted, he's in his forties--by now, his personality and life views are set firmly as opposed to the way it'd be for a youth unsure of his role in the world. 

Vaasa, by MaverikElf

In the latter half of the novel, we get to see a closeup of Memnon, the town that Artemis grew up in. The descriptions of the unchanging state of poverty and ignorance in the town created a vivid image in my mind, as well as a sense of indignation at the religious cleric who exploited these qualities of the poor to take their gold in return for "prayers". The closure that Entreri pursued in his hometown ended in a satisfactory way for me. 

Betray, by Yoski

Ultimately, I thought this was a great conclusion to the trilogy. The imperialistic ventures into Gareth's realm weren't the most interesting to me because none of the minor characters were that eye catching besides Gareth and his moral dilemma. Jarlaxle's manipulative schemes make things a lot more interesting (and occasionally infuriatingly complicated) than they would be with Entreri's tendency to pursue objectives directly. I loved the exploration of Entreri's past and getting to know what he hides from. Jarlaxle and Entreri cross roads (separately) in R.A. Salvatore's newer series, the Neverwinter Saga. 

My rating:

Road of the Patriarch 

(Sellswords Trilogy #3)

by R.A. Salvatore

 Amazon | Goodreads | B&N