Alex Stoddard Stoddard itibaren Garwali, Uttarakhand, Hindistan
Review from www.FreshFiction.com Jacinda’s world has been turned upside down... again. After being forced by her mother to leave the security of the pride, she fell in love with the human world and a human boy. With her secret out she must return to her childhood home as a traitor to her kind. In a place where she was treasured for her special trait, she is now shunned by those in power. No matter where is goes, she will be an outcast. Should she stay with her people and be looked down upon or should she risk it all for the boy who is always on her mind. The Firelight Trilogy has been a roller coaster of emotions. No matter what Jacinda does, she seems to hurt those she loves. The second installment, Vanish, started off right after the cliff hanger of an ending from Firelight. The first chapter packs a punch I was in no way expecting. It was a wonderful way to start off an exciting book. Vanish is a page turner in every way. The story is so fast passed that the our main characters barely have time to take a breath before something else happens that changes the situation completely. I kept telling myself that I could read just one more chapter to see what happens to the characters you grew to love or hate in the first book of this wonderful tale. I also realized that first impressions are not always correct. I found myself feeling sorry for characters I thought were selfish and liking characters that I couldn’t stand. As for those characters I loved. I loved them even more. You see growth in many ways through this story. Motives that were not known in the beginning come to light. The pattern of fast pace revelations continues to the very last page. If you were a fan of Firelight, the continuation in Vanish is a must read. If you have not picked up the series yet, it is a must read for any fan of Young Adult or a reader who wants a great read to break them into the genre.
This book was recommended to me by my step-mom, who reads like she's drinking water and who seems to enjoy sending me home with a fistful of books after every visit we have (books that may or may not be up my alley). Inside Out is a series of essays on varying subjects written by a former child runaway and sex worker. I enjoyed this book for it's rich language and imagery and for the insight and reflection offered by Lau on, as she says, her life so far. The essays in this book varied in topic, ranging from reflections on mental health stuff to struggles with family to relationships, generally. Though Lau didn't necessarily come at her topics from a critical or radical theoretical base, she does a lot of obvious soul searching and processing, based solely on her experience -- something that, in this case, I appreciated. In short: a good, quick read that both brought up some stuff for me, and touched me.
Pg 142. 2/25/11. So far this book is good. I predict that the main characters dog and mark james are both very suspicious and could be up to something.