4 Heart Review: The Weeping Empress by Sadie S. Forsythe

The Weeping Empress
Sadie S. Forsythe

Page Count: 242
Release Date: 1 December, 2011 (first edition)
Publisher: Lulu (self-published)
Source: Complimentary copy provided by author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Sadie!)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Chiyo Alglaeca was happy in her life.

That is, until it was all taken away. Forced into notoriety, stalked by a mysterious cult, hunted by the emperor, and facing betrayal at every turn she clings to the only safety she can find: two enigmatic men and the sharp bringer of death, Salvation. The Weeping Empress explores the devastating effects of loss, the hunt for redemption, and the price of destiny. It questions the true meaning of evil and asks: What monster is not also an innocent?

Buy the book at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Books-A-Million | Sony eStore | Kobo | Smashwords | Lulu

Review

Chiyo tossed, turned, and thrashed about both in reality and in the murky surrealism of her dreamscape. All around her people were dying. They were calling out to her, begging for a savior who wouldn't come. There was nothing she could do ... She ran, stumbled, picked herself up, and threw herself forward again, but she was never able to get away. She was never able to find the way out. She was never able to escape. She was trapped.

I really wanted to like this book because of the grippingly vague synopsis, but unfortunately the grippingly vague synopsis is exactly why I couldn't like it. I went into reading The Weeping Empress knowing neither the context nor the setting. Eventually Chiyo's sudden displacement is explained by a bit of spiritual power, a bit of time travel, but because it isn't stated explicitly, overall this book was very confusing and hard to keep up with.

The exodus of the goddess Kali wreaks havoc upon dynasty-era Japan, which is the time period to when Chiyo one day wakes up. The beginning of this book is awfully slow—as is the end, but at least stuff happens, then; I really had to struggle to get there. In fact, it isn't clear what's happened to Chiyo until the very last few pages, which does serve as a surprising, fitting plot twist, but I would have preferred not to plow through more than 200 pages to encounter it.

As Chiyo becomes unsettlingly involved in the social upheaval of the Samurai, her anger, vengeance, and mental instability soon make her realize the cruelty in herself, and the purpose it serves in fate's even crueler decisions.

I wish I had better things to say about The Weeping Empress but overall it's just excruciatingly sluggishly paced and most of the content doesn't flow well. The premise was promising, but the execution rather disappointing, and the characters unexplored.

Pros

Interesting insights on absolute power, deification, and spirituality // Great conclusion

Cons

Drags on a LOT // Ordinary style, sometimes confusing to follow // Plot is just an unmemorable jumble of battle sequences and folklore—easy to get lost in, and not in a good way // Flat, boring characters // I didn't even pick up on the Japanese Samurai theme until halfway into the story

Verdict

The adventure and edgy violence in The Weeping Empress may please some readers; this high fantasy novel has plenty of action and turmoil to go around. However, I was dissatisfied with it because of how hard it was to read—a result of its slow pace, mundane style, and lacking characters. I personally don't recommend this story about the warrior queen desperate to be saved; while reading, I was the one in desperate need of saving 

4 hearts: So-so; reading this book may cause wrinkles (from frowning so much) (x)

♥♥♥♥♥♥: Anthology I: The Other Side by Hamidah Gul

Anthology I: The Other Side
Hamidah Gul

Page Count: 121
Release Date: 9 August 2012
Publisher: Lulu (self-published)
Source: Complimentary copy provided by author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you!)

A collection of stories about things that go bump in the night. Stories about the end of the world, what happens when your wishes come true, and when your emotions become your darkest enemy.

1. "The Suicide Case"—A story about how three lives are intertwined to balance the scales between good and evil.

2. "Come Home with Me"—Never invite her to come home with you. She will never leave till you are dead.

3. "The Other Side"—This story is written in the point of view of one man who witnesses the end of the world.

4. "Mission of Mercy"—This story is written in the point of view of the one who will end the world. This story is linked to The Other Side.

5. "The Best Friend"—Ever wondered what your best friend is thinking when she is smiling at you?

6. "The Lonely Heart"—A young man ponders the end of his life after being rejected by society and family but not everything is what it seems.

7. "Mary had a Little Lamb"—A young woman who receives a disturbing prophecy that someone she loves will end her life and the desperate measures she takes to keep that from happening.

8. "Mother and the Birds"—Flash fiction of what a mother wants her son to learn.

9. "The Death Star"—A story in the voice of a young star looking for his purpose in space and finally finding it.

10. "Children of the Mist"—Wishes do come true but at what expense? Five young children were given their dreams and now the time has come for them to make a choice whether they want to keep their dreams.

Review

Gul creatively captures the importance of perspective in fiction and in reality because, as we all know: there are two sides to every story... oftentimes, there are even more. It's difficult to sympathize with the enemy, the side we never consider, or the random passersby in a catastrophic incident, but in the balance of things, their stories matter just as much as the main point of view does. In The Other Side, readers delve into the minds of murderers, residents of nature, suicide victims, monsters, aliens, ghosts, both predator and prey, as well as destruction incarnate; the minds of the inanimate and insane that we'd never, ever imagine on our own.

The blurry issue of perception intrigues me greatly, which is why I think Gul hit home with the concept of writing from the ill-exposed "other side." However, there are many areas where this book is lacking, one being the grammar. I can excuse typography errors in a book (even big-house publishers' editors slip past a few misspellings and punctuation mistakes here and there), but poor grammar—especially when it's recurring—docks points overall because it detracts from reading flow as a whole. Gul seems to have trouble distinguishing between the past and present tenses, as well as between active and passive verbs. I expect these writing conventions to be followed in a published work; even if the author's first language is not English, there should have been an editor involved before marketing The Other Side. Overall, it made the voice very stiff and awkward. The anthology itself is very short, with easily manageable short stories, but because of the poor diction, I had some difficulty with it.

Here are my mini reviews for each of the stories in order of which they appear in the collection:

"Come Home With Me": Short and sweet story about soul-stealing spirits, their lure, and their resulting destruction. Chilling, deeply disturbing, and only lasts for a flash before it's over. One of my favorites!

"The Other Side": The human perspective of the apocalypse. Interesting idea, but unnecessarily lengthy and detailed. I had trouble following after the first few pages, but do understand the overall plot thanks to the followup story from a different point of view...

"Mission of Mercy": Fabulous retelling of "The Other Side" but from the aliens' point of view. Raises the perpetually spine-tingling question of what if? and will make readers double-take on the implications of unknown sides of a story. Moving, well-written, and much clearer in structure than the previous story.

"The Best Friend": A brief, surprising, and cheeky piece of flash fiction. I loved the twist in the end, as well as the author's amusing insinuations regarding a man's best friend.

"The Lonely Heart": Rich in language and poignant in message, this story details on a neglected son's unwillingness to hold on and his hardworking mother's misunderstanding of the world. Depressing tone with literary merit.

"Mary Had a Little Lamb": One of the more gruesome, more horrific stories in the collection. Very intense, up to the point where I thought it was rather melodramatic, but it's still an eerie read that teaches you never to forget those you love... because they just might kill you in the end.

"Mother and the Birds": The shortest, but most powerful story in the book that places readers in the minds and hearts of a particular animal of nature. We as humans may not understand nature, but this extended metaphor will tragically demonstrate what it is that sets us apart from it.

"Children of the Mist": Another compelling idea for a story, involving another hypothetical situation that constantly asks what if? We all have wishes, but what if they actually came true? "Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it"—this lesson, our protagonists painfully and devastatingly learn.

"The Suicide Case": I didn't really like this one because I don't fully understand it. It has shifting perspectives involving a several deaths and a resonating message about the importance of life, but it just didn't stick with me.

Love

You close your eyes to the ugliness of the world, and you revel in the silence that slumber brings as you tumble into serenity.

Pros

Fascinating concept regarding perspective play // Straightforward voice // Spine-chilling // Variety of stories // Short, quick reads // Pocket-sized book

Cons

Grammar errors, rather than typos; in desperate need of revision and editing  // Some stories difficult to make sense of // Overall awkward in tone

Verdict

The Other Side is a groundbreaking, spellbinding collection of short stories that goes where no book has gone before by probing the darkest recesses of the "other" minds. While I didn't care for the frequent grammatical errors because they made the narrative tone choppy and awkward, the concept is novel, invigorating, and refreshing, so I do recommend you give it a try.

6 hearts: Satisfying for a first read, but I'm not going back. ♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: Inheritance by Lisa Barker

Inheritance
Lisa Barker

Release Date: May 31st, 2011

Publisher: Lulu (self-published)

Page Count: 276

Source: Complimentary copy provided by author, via Romancing the Book, in exchange for an honest review

Alcoholism, sexual addiction, child abuse and the suicide of a parent are the inherited demons plaguing and isolating Joe Taylor even after four years of sobriety and celibacy, trying to drive him back to the wild parties of his youth.

Poverty, abandonment and neglect are Wendy Masten's inheritance. And one night, in a desperate attempt to reunite with her long-lost sister, Wendy and Joe meet unexpectedly and begin a quest toward freedom and long-lasting love.

Grow with them as faith unfolds and unleashes its healing power, transforming Joe and Wendy into the people God intended them to be with the inheritance He planned as they become a couple and prepare to enter the sacrament of marriage.

Rated R: For mature topics, language and some brief sexual depictions.

What Stephanie Thinks: Though this contemporary novel's romance is sweet, its themes are crude, and its characters highly flawed and highly troubled. Inheritance is not a sweet romance in that it is chaste and G-rated; it's sweet in that the relationship is not consummated, sticking with traditional values. However, some of the topics such as alcoholism and sex addiction balance out the innocence of the book. Read the full review at Romancing the Book: http://romancing-the-book.com/2012/08/review-inheritance-by-lisa-barker.html.

Stephanie Loves: "Faith, like a seedling, was buried deep inside and awakening. There was a battle ahead, a battle that would strip them to the core, but a battle they would meet well-armed nonetheless."

Radical Rating: 8 hearts - An engaging read; highly recommended. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥: The Case by Mel Nicolai

Hey guys. Why am I up this early? It's actually not early at all but we have a two-hour delay at school today. WOO HOOO!!!!! You don't know how happy I am. So here I am blogging instead of getting my two extra hours of sleep—what the hell is wrong with me?

Firstly, I want to say a great big thanks to those who are following and reading the blog. Thank you all for commenting, for messaging, for reading. YOU guys make me so happy :)

Also, I have been very very bad. I still have not mailed out some of the prizes I owe to winners because I haven't had a chance to run to the post office yet! I sent everyone I owe a postcard in the mail a few days ago, and got a chance to send out swag packs since they only take a stamp or two, but for the people who won bigger prizes. Outta luck! I PROMISE I will get them out as soon as I can. These days have been so hectic for me (it's school, rugby training, music lesson... SNOW DAY) so I really hope you understand. I'm also participating in another hop this weekend so stay tuned for that. I will definitely have prizes mailed out faster this time around.

Now here is a book review. Enjoy!

To be honest, it took me about a month to finish The Case by Mel Nicolai, a mere 108-page book, which says a lot about it. Physically, it was very easy: the font big, the spacing wide, the chapters only a couple pages each; but I didn't understand half the words, and had to read most of the sentences at least four times each to make the most generic sense of them. Occasionally, the sentences would be comprehensive to my mind. Often, they wouldn't.

The entire novel was like reading a philosophy text—more specifically, I related it to Oscar Wilde. Everything in the book seems quotable, a thoughtfully calculated idea the author wanted to convey. Perhaps if the words hadn't been so scientific (well they sounded scientific to me. I mean, who's expected to know what "cingulate" means, anyway?) I could have enjoyed Nicolai as much as I enjoyed Wilde. 

The main problem I had with The Case though, is how it lacks a plot. Maybe Nicolai is such an phenomenal, recalcitrant writer, that I'm too dumb to know what he's talking about. Maybe there is a plot that I have just missed. Either way, I found no point to all 108 pages of the book.

Brock Meirski, the protagonist, is an unbelievably perspicacious, speculative character, but nothing really happens to him. He is supposedly on The Case, but I still don't know what The Case is exactly, even though the book ends, talking about The Case. All Brock really does is wake up, use the toilet, go to the grocery store, say hello to his neighbor, meet a pretty girl, invite the pretty girl to his house, then go to bed. The next morning, he does it all over again. The next morning, well... I don't think there even is a next morning. If there is, I am definitely missing something from the story. My essence is, no excitement or meaning radiate from The Case's words; nothing compilable, nothing to analyze. There is no suspense, no climax, no falling action, which are all necessities of even the most basic fictional story. There were some really neat observances on life and on people, but in the end, it was like adding a dab of different colors of paint to a palette and then mixing the shades all together; a big messy colorless blob.

Sadly, I cannot say I would recommend this book, because of how absurdly aimless it is. If you're studying metaphysics and want to use The Case as a resource to enhance your studies, go ahead. Otherwise, try to keep your distance.

Stephanie Loves: "The present, life in the present, is always up ahead. It's almost like when you're born, a race starts. The doctor slaps you on the ass and everyone and everything takes off at speed. Only you can't run yet. It'll be a few years before you can get in the race, and by then you're so far behind you'll never catch up."

Where Stephanie Got It: Complimentary copy provided by LibraryThing in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you!)

Radical Rating: 3 hearts: Not a fan; I don't recommend this book. ♥♥♥
 

Thanks, guys. You all rock. And roll. Keep on bearing with me xx