This month, TCWT is celebrating small presses and self-publishers. In keeping with that, the blog chain's topic is:
“Choose one self-published book to read, then briefly review it or talk about your experiences reading it.”
I got the book at 8:42 PM. About an hour later, I decided to read the first chapter, 'just to get a feel for the book.' At 1:30 AM, I read the last page.
This book is that good. It kept me up for hours. I read it on the couch. I read it in the bathroom. I read it in my bed. And now it is my very great pleasure to review it on my blog.
WHISPERS IN AUTUMN: REVIEW
There are three major things that I always assess about a book. They are:
1. The Cover
I confess it -- I'm a cover snob. I do not like covers that look like they were made by a ten-year-old with Photoshop. I have read and loved books with awful covers, but I always feel a little ashamed to take them out in public.
This cover, on the other hand, is gorgeous. I love the font. I love the colors. I love the leaves in her hair. I would like to have a hard copy of this cover just to carry around.
2. The Characters
†† And yes, I realize that this is not the sort of death that is supposed to cause deep emotional trauma. I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS, OKAY?!
I was worried about the topic at first, not sure how I would get my hands on a self-published book. I didn't think my regular method would work so well.
But then I mentioned this on the blog, and John (the blog owner and Supreme Cake Lord) was awesome and kind enough to contact his friend Trisha Leigh, and she was in turn awesome and kind enough to send me a FREE ePub copy of her book, Whispers In Autumn.
But then I mentioned this on the blog, and John (the blog owner and Supreme Cake Lord) was awesome and kind enough to contact his friend Trisha Leigh, and she was in turn awesome and kind enough to send me a FREE ePub copy of her book, Whispers In Autumn.
I got the book at 8:42 PM. About an hour later, I decided to read the first chapter, 'just to get a feel for the book.' At 1:30 AM, I read the last page.
This book is that good. It kept me up for hours. I read it on the couch. I read it in the bathroom. I read it in my bed. And now it is my very great pleasure to review it on my blog.
WHISPERS IN AUTUMN: REVIEW
1. The Cover
I confess it -- I'm a cover snob. I do not like covers that look like they were made by a ten-year-old with Photoshop. I have read and loved books with awful covers, but I always feel a little ashamed to take them out in public.
This cover, on the other hand, is gorgeous. I love the font. I love the colors. I love the leaves in her hair. I would like to have a hard copy of this cover just to carry around.
2. The Characters
Oh. My. Lucas. He was possibly my favorite thing about this book. (I mean, he's smart, he's sweet, and he smells fabulous. What more could a girl want?)
I also thought Althea was an excellent POV character. I connected to her and enjoyed her voice. She did grate on my nerves sometimes with her refusal to realize things that seemed obvious to me, and her occasional use of the phrase 'banana balls' jolted me out of the story whenever it occurred -- it just didn't seem to fit with her character. But overall I liked her, and I LOVED her hair.
All other characters fit neatly into the picture. None particularly stood out to me, but they felt real, and that's all that counts.
I also thought Althea was an excellent POV character. I connected to her and enjoyed her voice. She did grate on my nerves sometimes with her refusal to realize things that seemed obvious to me, and her occasional use of the phrase 'banana balls' jolted me out of the story whenever it occurred -- it just didn't seem to fit with her character. But overall I liked her, and I LOVED her hair.
All other characters fit neatly into the picture. None particularly stood out to me, but they felt real, and that's all that counts.
3. The Storytelling
In a market saturated with dystopian novels that taste like chicken, Trisha Leigh has created beef. Her world was vibrant and immersive: vaguely reminiscent of The Giver, but with defining elements that set it apart from anything I have ever read.
And she made me feel. I fell head over heels for the romance. I was genuinely horrified by the villains. I may need therapy to recover from the death of [***SPOILER DO NOT READ WHAT COMES NEXT TRA-LA-LA-LA-LA Lucas's fish††. TRA-LA-LA-LA-LA OKAY YOU CAN KEEP READING AFTER THIS***]
And so I rate this book a thick slice of pumpkin pie, still warm from the oven. You should go read it. Meanwhile, I will be kicking back with the sequel, which I got for my birthday last week. Winter Omens, here I come!
In a market saturated with dystopian novels that taste like chicken, Trisha Leigh has created beef. Her world was vibrant and immersive: vaguely reminiscent of The Giver, but with defining elements that set it apart from anything I have ever read.
And she made me feel. I fell head over heels for the romance. I was genuinely horrified by the villains. I may need therapy to recover from the death of [***SPOILER DO NOT READ WHAT COMES NEXT TRA-LA-LA-LA-LA Lucas's fish††. TRA-LA-LA-LA-LA OKAY YOU CAN KEEP READING AFTER THIS***]
And so I rate this book a thick slice of pumpkin pie, still warm from the oven. You should go read it. Meanwhile, I will be kicking back with the sequel, which I got for my birthday last week. Winter Omens, here I come!
† Even if you aren't a teen writer, TCWT is cool. Just CLICK THE LINK.
†† And yes, I realize that this is not the sort of death that is supposed to cause deep emotional trauma. I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS, OKAY?!
BLOG CHAIN SCHEDULE:
February 5th – http://the-writing-junkie.blogspot.com/
February 6th – http://miriamjoywrites.wordpress.com/
February 7th – http://musingsfromnevillesnavel.wordpress.com/
February 8th – http://fida-islaih.blogspot.com/
February 9th – http://sarahhudsonscribbles.blogspot.ca/ <-- YOU ARE HERE!
February 10th http://avonsbabbles.wordpress.com/
February 11th http://notebooksisters.blogspot.com/
February 12th http://mirrormadeofwords.wordpress.com/
February 13th http://www.lilyjenness.blogspot.com/
February 14th http://www.writerbewildered.blogspot.com/
February 15th http://realteenreader.wordpress.com/
February 16th http://epistolarygirl.wordpress.com/
February 17th http://incessantdroningofaboredwriter.wordpress.com/
February 18th http://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com/ (They'll announce the topic for next month’s chain.)
Thank you for the review! It's different from the usual reviews I read, I like it!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it!
DeleteWow! Sounds like an interesting book! The cover is beautiful! I know we should "judge books by their covers" and all that...but still. It happens. It has a real warm-colour feel to it. And a fun review, really quirky. :)
ReplyDeletestopping by from the TCWT chain
Thanks, Cait! I am, as I said, a cover judger. It's something that poses a problem with a lot of self-pubbed books, as quality covers are harder to come by there. I agree that this one is excellent, though. And it totally portrays the feel of the book.
DeleteSounds like you enjoyed it! Romance is really not my thing, so I'll probably pass it over, but if I ever consider reading it I'll remember what you said. And yes, GORGEOUS cover, I agree.
ReplyDeleteThe book isn't a romance, in case you got that impression. It's actually rather light on the romance -- that just happens to be one of the things I always focus on, since to me, the romance is what makes or breaks a book.
DeleteI'm glad you love the cover too. :)
I almost read this one for my post, and now I think I might read it anyway. Dystopias aren't my fave, but I haven't really given the genre a good chance yet. And sweet romances are always good :)
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, do try it. It's NOT like most of the dystopians out there, and it has some very sweet romance. :)
Delete