Month: August 2017

Book Reviews: The Last Flag by Wren Cavanagh

Trigger Warning: The Last Flag contains many scenes of violence and gore, including child abuse. If you have any sensitivities regarding these topics or want to avoid reading such works, proceed with caution.

Today I will be reviewing The Last Flag by Wren Cavanagh, which I was given an advanced reader copy of in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Flag follows the production of a reality survival show by the same name, abbreviated as TLF. A mysterious health crisis has gripped the world, and it’s turning the dead into that which many fear: the undead. Known as the turned or the returned, anyone who dies seems to be susceptible to becoming one of these cannibalistic zombies. The U.S. military, in the hopes of containing the epidemic, rounded up as much of the turned as they could and fenced them into an evacuated town in Oregon called Prideful.

What does Hollywood do in the face of this crisis? Make a TV show, of course! Contestants, all with their own motivations for competing, must race each other and the turned of Prideful for flags worth thousands of dollars. Although the production was hastily thrown together, the studio feels no reason to fear for the safety of the teams or their cameramen. They have eyes on the teams 24/7 and anyone can call for a helicopter rescue at any time. What could go wrong?


Image retrieved from Amazon

When the producer gets called away for a family emergency, the readers find out just how wrong a reality show can go, especially when the undead are involved. Not everything happens of its own accord; someone is pulling the strings, delaying rescues and forcing production’s hand. Who is doing this? Why? Will someone put a stop to the show before things get dire or are the cast and crew of TLF zombie chow?

I have to start this review by pointing out that I am not a fan of the modern-day zombie. I’m interested in the socio-psychological implications of the contagion aspect but, overall, I’d rather return to the traditional Haitian folklore. Regardless, I actually found this book very interesting.

The Last Flag is gritty, gory, and vulgar, and I love it for that. Cavanagh writes the scenario in a way which is uniquely 21st-century, as uncensored supernatural realism. The competing teams create a diverse cast, from a stubborn military vet to a young-but-fatherly homosexual African American to a fanatic Christian family unit complete with an innocent, blonde-haired daughter. The host is alcoholic, one of the competitors is an under-aged runaway from foster care, and the producer is a devoted father to his wife’s son from another relationship. The ill, the abusive, and the abused are all represented, and readers get to develop an attachment to each of them.

I would have actually liked if Cavanagh could’ve explored certain characters, particularly competitors and cameramen, more. They all have unique backgrounds and are so different from each other that I felt as though the 259 pages could not do them justice. Of course, this story is more plot-driven than character-driven, so the amount of character development fits the genre and plot.

Cavanagh breaks the tension with humor, namely through the competitors’ and cameramen’s interactions. She introduces one particular source of humor which is difficult to pull off: social media. Cavanagh incorporates social media reactions to the TV show between some chapters. I’ve found that it’s hard to bring social media into writing, even in modern books, without it sounding cheesy, slapstick, or forced. The Last Flag manages to use Tweets for humor while not lowering the quality of the work overall.

Don’t be fooled; many elements of the modern zombie story remain. People do stupid and greedy things, innocent bystanders get eaten, and, in the end, you have to wonder if it is all worth the losses. So many people who don’t even want to be there run into trouble, to the point that I grew mad at the other characters for being so selfish. That, I think, shows how Cavanagh’s writing has come into its own with this book. I felt very strongly for many characters, even underdeveloped ones, and I experienced strong emotional reactions from their conflicts.

Given the rest of the book, the epilogue comes across as lackluster. It’s rushed compared to other scenes, throwing a lot of information at the readers at once while only touching upon the character’s emotions. The epilogue has the feel of a “where are they now” segment, which I found very interesting. Still, it felt out-of-place with the action which had transpired only pages before. The best part of the epilogue, I think, is the promise of future books which may or may not include a couple of characters from this first one. Perhaps, with more books, we’ll gain a better understanding of the aftermath.

Normally, I don’t like when a book ends without providing an explanation for a mystery within it. No one within the story knows what triggered the sudden existence of the walking dead. It seems to most likely be some sort of virus, but the cause is never fully explained. The absence of an explanation bothers me some. However, this book seems to only be the first in a series, so I suspect that Cavanagh will give us more insight in future installments.

As with Summer of Magic and Of Cats and Sea Monsters, The Last Flag has proofreading and syntax flaws. These did, at some points, hold me up. I would like to say that they aren’t as bad as with her other books that I reviewed. I found them easier to overcome, even with having to re-read a couple parts when words were missing. I’m certain that these errors will be fixed in upcoming editions, so I wouldn’t focus so much on that unless they persist in re-releases.

Overall, The Last Flag is an entertaining read with an interesting twist on modern-day zombies. I don’t recommend this book for the squeamish as it does get gory and violent, but if you like action-packed and emotional novels (not to mention zombies), I think you should check it out.

For more information, check out Notch’s House Publishing’s website and find e-book and print copies of the book on Amazon.

Have suggestions for books I should review? Want me to review your published work? Contact me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com or contact me on Fiverr. Don’t forget to leave your thoughts on Cavanagh’s book in the comments; I’m sure she’d love to hear more feedback.

 

Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Genres II: Age Groups

As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve read a wide range of genres lately. I’ve dabbled in a little of everything from memoir to fantasy and beyond. However, that’s not the only genre classification I’ve been blind to. Age groups are also used to classify literature, from children’s literature to young adult (YA) and adult. I, personally, ignore such genre restrictions when reading. From Dr. Seuss to Harry Potter all the way to Anna James Watson’s Blackmail, I really don’t care about age groups. If I want to read it, I’ll read it. If I like it, I like it.

Not everyone approaches reading with such abandon. Some people are real sticklers for age groups, with kids reading children’s books, adults reading adult books, and pre-teens and teens reading Middle Grade and YA. But are those realistic expectations?

No, no they’re not.

First of all, it’s almost impossible to define the genre of a book based on age groups. Yes, some age-based genres are more easily defined than others. Erotica like Blackmail clearly belongs in the adult group, and picture books like Dr. Seuss’s works can safely be defined as children’s books. What about Harry Potter? The books start off more as children’s books but, arguably, the dark tones and mature themes they later take on can be considered YA.


In the UK, there are “adult” covers for Harry Potter so that older readers won’t be embarrassed to be seen reading them in public.

Image retrieved from Quora

The Hunger Games? The Giver? Post-apocalyptic YA often teeters between YA with adult themes and adult books with YA-style writing. The Catcher in the Rye? Not everyone likes their YA with such vulgarity and others would claim that it’s a necessary part of the coming-of-age element which helps define the genre.

I’m sure that many will argue that these books more clearly fit into their age groups then I’m saying. That’s fine. I’d love for someone to spark an articulate debate about the matter. My point remains that books don’t often fit neatly into their age groups. This difficulty rings especially true for children’s book, as I learned in my undergraduate Children’s Literature course.

The second wrench in the “divide by age groups” campaign is a two-parter: people read at different levels and all the age groups bring their own special joy to readers.

I’ve always been an advanced reader. I was already reading in kindergarten and had to be set aside with tasks like writing down the alphabet so that I wouldn’t distract the other kids. I started reading Anne McCaffrey’s The Dragonriders of Pern and Jack London’s works when I was in the fifth grade. My mom was the same way and so was my oldest brother. We’re avid readers and that made us more advanced readers, too.

Many of my friends were also advanced readers as kids. We probably aren’t the best judges of age-based limitations because we’re not the average reader. We read at a higher level than the standard for ages, while other people read at a lower level than average. There’s nothing wrong with it; it’s just who we are. Still, the very fact that we must read outside of our age groups to feel properly stimulating demonstrates the difficulty of such classification.

Of course, our reading level doesn’t matter as much as our reading preference. While I can read at a high reading level, I often read Middle Grade and YA novels. In addition to being a Harry Potter fanatic, I love Percy Jackson, Artemis Fowl, and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Books intended for younger age groups offer a lot of entertainment value and make for a much more relaxing read. They can also make us think about the world around us without us realizing that’s what we are doing. Books for older age groups, on the other hand, more thoroughly explore themes established in younger books and address those situations which people find too “adult” for younger readers. The higher-level writing forces us to think more, and the novels stick with us for long after we’ve finished reading.

Some people are snobs about age groups, some secretly read younger books, and others–like myself–read whatever they want without caring who sees. The idea of what’s appropriate for which age groups is ever-changing and hard to define. No matter the age of their intended audiences, all books have their merits. So long as you want to read it, you should; it doesn’t matter if you read Dr. Seuss, Victor Hugo, or something in between. Go where your interests lie.

What are your thoughts? Should readers only read in their age group, or should we feel free to read whatever we want (at least once we’re 18)? Start a discussion, drop a line in the comments.

 

Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Struggling to Make Time for Writing

I’ve been very busy lately. Between book reviews, writing gigs, and my home life, I can barely stop to think, let alone write. It’s an unfortunately common problem for writers. Considering that society, particularly American society, seems to expect more and more of people, it’s no wonder writers struggle to stay afloat. The question becomes: how do we make time for writing?

Writers at all levels have responsibilities which take precedent over writing. Family, friends, household chores, a 9-5 job, it’s no wonder they have to scrape together all the time they can for writing. That’s excluding the marketing and publicity they have to generate once something of theirs gets published, and don’t get me started on editing.

Often when I read articles about fitting time for writing, the author treats the matter as though it’s just as easy as telling people to leave you alone for a while or turning the TV and social media off. It really isn’t.

We can’t always force our schedule to allow space for a solid hour or so of writing. It’s even harder when other people, like employers and family, are involved. What should we do if we can’t reserve a long chunk of our day for writing?


Image retrieved from Twitter

The answer is obvious, although challenging in practice: take minutes here and there to write down whatever is on your mind. I’ve personally found that my brain wants to write and makes the time for writing when I’m trying to get to sleep. While I really just want to sleep, I still keep a notebook beside my bed and spend a few minutes–whether it’s five or thirty–writing the scene or story idea that has popped into my groggy head. The notes app on my iPhone has also proved helpful in such situations. Whether or not I can decipher my writing in the morning is a different story entirely.

Take a notebook with you everywhere or, at the very least, make your notes app easily accessible. Five minutes on the bus, five minutes during your lunch break, five minutes while waiting outside your kids’ school, it can really add up. This form of time management doesn’t always make for the best writing since the interruptions can jar your thought process. However, would you rather start out with crappy writing or no writing at all?

Some people can carve out an hour or so from their lives and write better that way. In a perfect world, that’s probably how we would all like to make time for writing. We don’t live in a perfect world. We have distractions and stubborn schedules which can’t be rearranged without some part of our lives tumbling down. That’s why we have to take our writing whenever we can get it; if that means stealing a few minutes here and a few minutes there, well, that’s just the sacrifice we have to make to continue with our craft.

Have advice for making time to write? Any tricks to sneak writing in when it seems impossible? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

 

Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Book Reviews: Sister of Echo: The Making of a Villain (Part Three)

Trigger Warning: The book reviewed here depicts sex, rape, violence, heavy amounts of gore, and regular use of profanity. Slavery, abuse, torture, and revenge also serve pivotal roles in the plot. If you have any sensitivities toward such subjects or otherwise take offense to them, proceed with caution.

Warning: This review contains spoilers for Sister of Echo: The Making of a Villain (Part One) and Sister of Echo: The Making of a Villain (Part Two). Keep this warning in mind as you continue reading.

Today I’m reviewing Sister of Echo: The Making of a Villain (Part Three) by Ameel Koro, the third installment in his Sister of Echo: The Making of a Villain series.

We last left Alina as she decided not to abandon Corina and to fulfill her promise of taking the woman to her former master, the ominous vampire lord Ovlar. Alina also hopes that, in helping Corina get the army she needs to take revenge on the Artucians, she will be able to rescue the man who loves her (and whom she loves), the young guard Sinna. Winter weather, a harsh terrain, predators, and Corina’s injured leg all stand in their way as they make the trek to Ovlar’s castle. Defying all odds, they finally reach the vampire’s realm, but how welcomed will they be? Can they convince Ovlar to mobilize against the Artucians? And if they do, will they survive the battle—and each other?


Image retrieved from Amazon

In the great city of Artucia, Cordillia attempts to prepare for Alina’s return and convince the other queens to do likewise, but that feat proves difficult when they begin mourning for the last Great Mother. Despite her best efforts, Cordillia cannot get the other queens to believe her on the vampire threat. She only has one choice left and it’s unthinkable, violating the dearest of all their laws set by the Great Mothers. Can Cordillia save her children, the other queens, and their people? Or is it already too late?

The next 286 pages roll out a seemingly-endless chain of secrets, deception, grudges, and, of course, war. Koro provides a glimpse into the much, much wider world of vampires and other mythical creatures from as far away as Rome. More importantly, he throws readers insights into the intricate—and violent—interactions among multiple vampires, a concept which he will hopefully expanded upon in his future work. The vivid imagery, action, compelling character interactions, and creative energy behind his mythical creations make Koro’s book a hard one to put down.

I would argue that Koro’s writing gets better with each book. Sister of Echo: The Making of a Villain (Part Three) certainly exceeds the quality of Part One and, surprisingly, Part Two. My favorite aspect of the book became the numerous cases of bad blood among the high-ranking vampires in the second half of the book. Like Alina, I felt thrown out of the loop but I loved reading about their interactions, especially the backstabbing. They showed me that Alina is the least of Ovlar’s problems in the revenge and deceit department. They also create an unexpected obstacle for Alina in finding Sinna as she becomes stuck in the middle of multiple vampiric feuds.

In these feuds, Koro introduces many intriguing new characters. The three whom I grew most invested in are Rodica (the only female leader of a vampire realm at the battle), Allison (the servant of one the big three who takes a liking to Alina), and Allison’s unnamed vampire companion, a servant of The Snakeborn and an unparalleled force of power and mystery. I don’t think that these characters got the space on the page they deserve but, based on the end of the book, I hold hope that Koro will return to these three, even if it’s only in memory.

While the new elements revealed in Part Two and Part Three still overshadow the original concept from Part One, I did not mind that this time. Sinna and Alina’s love still plays a part here but it gives way to the much more compelling relationship between Alina and Corina, one filled with mutual hate and, for a time, dependence. I simultaneously love and hate these women, see their glaring flaws and still feel for them, a sign of good character development. Their relationship not only drives the plot behind Part Three but promises more emotional turmoil and bloodshed in the rest of the series.

I became distracted by a few aspects of the book, although not as many as in the previous installments. Some are technical in nature. Koro slips constantly between past and present tense without a purpose behind it, but that problem can be solved with a little more proofreading. Similarly, many grammar errors appear throughout the e-book. Again, that’s a matter of additional proofreading and doesn’t detract much from the story itself. Some of these errors include unnecessary commas, missing commas, unnecessary a’s, and, occasionally, the use of “complement” when the writer should have used “compliment”.

A few stylistic matters also bothered me. Koro uses “awe” and variations of “awe” too often, especially during action sequences. He also uses the word “guy” in the modern sense (i.e. “man”), which isn’t a big deal but that usage didn’t arise until sometime after 1800. This meaning makes the narration and dialogue feel too modern. Still, it’s an easy fix should he choose to address it.

I have mixed feelings about the action scenes within the battle. On the one hand, they are very exciting and compelling, as well as thoroughly planned. On the other hand, so many different fights among individuals and/or small groups are depicted that they slow down the narrative. At times too many players enter a scene, causing some confusion along with switching among all the components of the battle. However, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This technique reflects the chaos of the battlefield, allowing the reader to feel as lost and desperate as Alina.

Overall, Koro did not disappoint with Sister of Echo: The Making of a Villain (Part Three). Yes, some issues from the first two books still linger, such as some modern language and grammatical errors. Nevertheless, I really liked the book. It’s compelling, mysterious, and kept me guessing from beginning to end. I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series, Sister of Echo: Bronze Chamber, and I hope that Koro will return to some of the many characters and interactions he touches on in Part Three.

I highly recommend this book for fans of epic fantasy, historical fantasy, and vampires. If you like powerful women who know how to get what they want, you’ll definitely love Allison, Corina, and many of the other women who populate the world of Sister of Echo. It’s quickly climbing up Amazon’s list of Top 100 Free Books in the Teen & Young Adult Survival Stories eBooks category, so check it out while it’s still hot.

Do you know of any books I should read or review? Want me to review a book you’ve published? Contact me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com or look me up on Fiverr.

 

Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Friday Fun-Day Writing Prompt: The Road Not Taken

Happy Friday, readers and writers. It’s been quite a busy time for me. I’m scrambling to buy the books I need for my Master’s program, I’m getting more orders on Fiverr, and, of course, I’m trying to make time for my own writing. That’s the way I like it. When I have nothing to do for too long, the little demons of my mind set in. The circumstances have, however, made me think about decisions and untraveled paths a lot recently. That’s why today’s writing prompt is based on Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”.

I’m sure that most of you know “The Road Not Taken”. For those who don’t, here’s a link to the Wikipedia entry on the poem. Robert Frost is one of my favorite poets. While I prefer “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, “The Road Not Taken” is also wonderful.

As usual, the prompt is simple. Imagine the main character of your current work in progress walking home. On the way home, they always come to a fork in the road. One path leads directly to their home and is well-worn by your character’s continued use of the road. The other remains foreign to your character. They have never been down this other road before, don’t even know what lies beyond it, but today they decide to take the road less traveled.

Spend five minutes in a free-write about their experience taking the road not taken. How do they feel about the change? What awaits them on the path? What do they think they will encounter on the new path home?


Image retrieved from Radiowest

After this free-write, walk away for a few minutes. Make a pot of tea, walk the dog, whatever. Just walk away from it and don’t think about your notes for a little while. Then return to your notes and write a scene, short story, poem, whatever you like based on the free-write.

Deciding to travel on “The Road Not Taken” can be a hard task in real life. The journey can reveal people’s strengths, weaknesses, insecurities, and desires. Forcing your character to do something outside of their normal routine can do the same thing. You may even learn something about the character that you didn’t know before. After all, Robert Frost once said that if there’s no surprise in the writer, there will be no surprise in the reader.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

What do you think of this exercise? Have you written anything you would like to share? Ideas for future writing prompts? Feel free to drop a line in the comments or e-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com.

 

Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011