Day: March 3, 2018

Trigger Warning: The book reviewed in this book, The Amazon Legacy: Gods & Queens by Zenay Bekele Ben-Yochanan, contains illusions to and depictions or sexual situations, including a brief depiction of rape. If you are triggered by such depictions or otherwise wish to avoid them, proceed with caution.

Happy Saturday, everyone! I have a special treat for you today. As you’ve probably figured out by now, I’m a huge nerd when it comes to Greek and Roman mythology. In this post, I want to turn that obsession to a unique, untold story of Greek Gods and their mortal offspring by reviewing The Amazon Legacy: Gods & Queens by Zenay Bekele Ben-Yochanan.

Hera and Zeus are a passionate couple, but with passion often comes fiery tempers. You don’t want to get between them when these two hot-blooded gods get into a disagreement. Unfortunately for Elektra, Queen of the Amazons, that’s exactly what has happened to her. When Hera and Zeus enter a bet about the nature of the male-female relationship, Elektra proves to be nothing but a pawn—and collateral damage. But what would happen if this innocent bet led to the expulsion of the Queen of the Amazons and the rise of two fierce warriors in her absence? What will become of the mighty Amazons? The world? Most importantly, what could the Fates have in store for these powerful outcasts?

Ben-Yochanan weaves a narrative which is simultaneously familiar and refreshing in this gripping tale of love, loss, and trials. I could easily locate myself within the world of Greek Gods, Amazons, and ancient royalty. Despite the fantastical nature of the story, I never once had a problem suspending my disbelief, the sign of both excellent writing and excellent research into the setting. Yet Ben-Yochanan also puts new twists on the old myths and tropes to which we’ve become accustomed.

Perhaps, in my opinion, the best twist which Ben-Yochanan puts on these tropes is the fleshing out of familiar characters. I’m not afraid to say I’m no fan of Hera. I’ve always empathized with her because of her husband’s infidelities and carelessness, but I’ve also hated her for punishing women and children for her husband’s horrific deeds. She’s up to these same tricks in The Amazon Legacy, but there’s a strength and almost tenderness to her which I could never sense in other incarnations of Greek mythology. If future installments can get me to like Aphrodite as well (not the Disney version), I will know that Ben-Yochanan is a masterful wordsmith.

Most of the characters in this novel are both likeable and unlikable. Some characters are, as can be expected, a little more one-dimensional than others. At least one more major character, in fact, I can only describe as demented and evil, but I’ll stop there for fear of spoilers. Even the protagonists—rival warriors Teigra and Thea—are neither entirely likeable nor entirely despicable. Teigra comes across as strong, powerful, independent, and, sometimes, even compassionate. Still, everything she’s gone through has also left her callous and scarred, which leads her to make some decisions which I might label selfish if I didn’t know how hurt she was. Like Teigra, Thea is headstrong, stubborn, and a troublemaker, arguably to a fault. She is also kind and loving, courageous and capable of great good. Neither girl is perfect, nor are most of the characters, and it’s these flawed-but-real characters which I really like about this book.

The Amazon Legacy contains some sexual situations. Honestly, because this book deals with Greek myths, it would be weird if it didn’t. However, Ben-Yochanan handles these scenes with taste and discretion. They are not too detailed, just enough to stimulate the reader, either inciting excitement or raising despair. Better yet—at least, what I appreciate more—is that Ben-Yochanan includes homosexual relationships as well as heterosexual ones. The practice was relatively prominent in Ancient Greece, so the inclusion of it in The Amazon Legacy is not only more inclusive than even modern novels but also reflects a well-known aspect of that society.

Normally in this part of the review, I add an “unfortunately” and discuss some flaws in the book. I’m racking my brain here, but I can’t really think of any major flaws. Two possible deterrents for some readers are the size and complexity of the narrative. At around 360 pages, it isn’t exactly a light read. Ben-Yochanan also weaves many plot elements into this story, even plot lines which slowly merge with Teigra’s and Thea’s adventures. Such length and complexity might be a little much for some readers, especially those who are just looking for a fun, quick, fantastical read. Regardless, those looking for a deeper read with real characters and in-depth plots will be able to soldier on with few or no regrets.

Overall, I’m pretty excited about The Amazon Legacy by Zenay Bekele Ben-Yochanan. (I might be a bit biased because of the subject matter, though.) The story is gripping, the writing caught my attention right from the start, and the characters are wonderfully three-dimensional and relatable. Ben-Yochanan had me on the edge of my seat as I waited to see how this stage in Teigra’s and Thea’s lives would end, and I can’t wait to see where they are taken next. Fantasy and myth fans won’t want to miss it.

You can buy The Amazon Legacy by Zenay Bekele Ben-Yochanan as an eBook or in print on Amazon. Also make sure to check out the book’s official website, as well as the author’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages.

Do you know of any books I should read? Want your work reviewed on this blog? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com or message me on Fiverr and we can arrange something.

 

Good day, readers and writers! I want to start off the day with a rather specialized book review. Well, the book in this review isn’t so much a book as it is a booklet. A lot of you don’t know this, but there is one human vice which I literally cannot be around, at least not for long: smoking. I don’t condemn those who do smoke; after all, we all have our bad habits. Still, I cannot be around people who smoke because of my asthma. My lungs burn if I inhale too much smoke (and it doesn’t take much for “a little smoke” to become “too much smoke” for my body). That’s why I feel a particular obligation to share this review of Quit Smoken!!!: The Easier, Faster, More Effective, No Side Effects, Guaranteed Way to Stop Smoking Forever!!! by Ron Roesch.

In this book, Roesch provides a deceptively-simple formula to stop smoking without the expected pitfalls. Essentially, Roesch recommends a form of behavioral modification which involves replacing the seemingly-pleasant stimulation of smoking a cigarette with a negative physical reaction. He goes in-depth on why this method might work, how it worked for him, and what to do if it doesn’t work (but he’s fairly confident it will).

To me, the most unique aspect of Roesch’s guide is that he doesn’t fall into the trap of presenting the tasking of quitting smoking as soon incredibly-difficult mountain to climb. Whereas even doctors depict the process as something akin to Sisyphus’s punishment in Tartarus, Roesch more illustrates it as a Rubik’s Cube: frustrating and time-consuming if you don’t know how to do it—you might even stumble across the correct solution by accident—but far more bearable if you know the trick to it. He doesn’t spend his time trying to cover his butt with what readers could experience as a result of quitting. Rather, he focuses on conveying a method which might circumvent the side effects and encourage readers to take the plunge.

Roesch’s method to quitting smoking also intrigues me. I particularly trust him because of his B.S. in Psychology. After all, so much of the chemical dependency in addiction is based in the mind, so who’s better to help people get over the addiction than someone who knows the human mind intimately? I can also very clearly see the logic behind his method. I mean, we’re more likely to quit something we’re repulse by than something that we know we should stop but that still brings us even a twisted joy. (I’m considering trying a similar method to stop my habit of being hard on myself.)

I cannot say for certain that Roesch’s method works for stopping an addiction, let alone smoking. I simply haven’t tried it for anything, and as a non-smoker, I don’t need to use it for that. Still, Roesch explains his train-of-thought behind the concept, so I don’t have any real problems believing his claims.

Roesch’s easy-going but passionate and informal voice makes this book very engaging. Quit Smoken is not a book to pick up for entertainment. However, if you—or someone you know—want to read this book because you’re trying to quit smoking, you won’t be falling asleep at the wheel, either. You might even find a kindred spirit in Roesch, someone who knows what you’re going through because he has gone through it himself.

Of course, this book is not without its flaws. At times, Roesch’s insistence that his method works 100% of the time grew tedious. It made me think “Well, actions speak louder than words, and statistics speak louder than claims!” I don’t mind that he only using his personal experience to back up the effectiveness of his method; I just wish that he would cut back on claiming that it always works if he won’t offer up solid statistics. Regardless, he does balance these claims out some by including a money-back guarantee at the end of the book (only available through 2018, as far as I can tell).

The book is mostly well-edited, but I did notice a few minor mistakes. Nevertheless, these mistakes are so minor that I doubt that they’ll really detract from anyone’s reading experiences.

Overall, I think that Quit Smoken by Ron Roesch is a good resource for those looking to quit smoking. Heck, even if you just want a loved one to stop smoking, you could gift them this book as a “hint.” Roesch may not have the scientific data to back up his claims, but the logic behind his method is solid and you can’t really hurt yourself just by trying the method. Just remember to read the entire book, not just the formula, and for Pete’s sake, don’t actually make yourself puke while trying to initiate the gag reflex!

You can buy Quit Smoken by Ron Roesch as an eBook and in print on Amazon.

Do you know of a book I should? Want your work reviewed on this blog? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com or message me on Fiverr and we can arrange something.