Review: Awful, Ohio by Jeff Neal

Description:
Every morning the sun rises, waking Awful, Ohio, overlooking all of its residents, guiding them towards another productive and profitable working day. The economy is strong and the money is abundant, all of which are offered to whomever produces and profits the most product. The masses rejoice daily over the informed opportunity, with the exception of Troy Slushy.

Troy Slushy wakes every morning to the intrusion of the sun abruptly charging into his home, removing him from his enchanting dreams. The sun exposes his collection of worthless possessions, his depressed wife seeking salvation, his withering home struggling for support, and the life-decimating job that is undesirably forced upon him daily. This is Troy Slushy's existence in Awful, Ohio, and because of this exposure to this monotonous misery, Troy's enemy is the sun.

Heavily sedated by a dream-enriched epiphany, Troy removes his concerns for the demands and priorities of Awful, Ohio, replacing them with the objective of permanently removing the sun from his existence. He gathers his wife and begins a quest to save them both from their sun-exposed lives of suffering in Awful, Ohio, concocting plans and blueprints of various sun-destroying methods. Unfortunately for Troy, this proves to be easier said than done. But luckily, Troy discovers that perseverance is much more eminent in accomplishing a goal than feasibility, as he is able to assemble a massive scheme to achieve perpetual darkness, but not without affecting Awful, Ohio and all of its production, profits, and population.
(From the book’s website)

Details:
Available for purchase from the Awful, Ohio website.

Review:
Jeff Neal contacted me about reviewing his first (at at the time still in printing) novel, Awful, Ohio.  He sent me the absolutely best request ever.  I hope that you can read it because it’s great!

So, after reading his email, checking out the website for the book, I decided it was a must-review book.  And, in order to help promote the inaugural printing, I bumped something around on the TBR and set about reading Awful, Ohio.

I know that many reviewers are wary of self-publishers, stating that quality of the writing is poor, as well as the pervasiveness of grammatical  and spelling errors.  I must be on a run of good luck, because all the self-published books I have read have been really good, including Awful, Ohio.

Neal uses a writing technique that is unlike anything I’ve read thus far.  There is a redundancy that propels the story along, reminding you of motives, reasoning, and the succubus-like tendencies of Awful, Ohio.  Troy Slushy, sets out one day, blaming the sun for being the root of his unhappiness, to destroy the sun.  So, as out-there as Troy is, I can totally sympathize with where he is coming from.  Working for the man at a dead-end job, discord at home, disarray in all aspects of life.  There’s got to be something to blame, right?  Most of us wouldn’t leap to the conclusion of the sun being to blame, but Troy does, and thus sets the plot in motion.

Quickly enough, Troy, with the help of his wife Lacy, realizes that destroying the sun is much to hard a task to accomplish.  So, they change plans.  I don’t always agree with how Troy goes about accomplishing his goal, but it is entertaining to see how his lunacy and  discontentedness drives him.

The story of how Sammy Ammo became Sammy Ammo is quite sad.  It seems to much like our legal system at times, to force values upon society that their upbringing or religious beliefs hold a different, even if not illegal.  I hurt for Sammy and understood where he was coming from.

I won’t spoil the ending, because I didn’t see it coming, and don’t want to ruin it for you, either.  I will say this about it, I really really like the ending.  And, if you follow my reviews, you know endings are important to me.

 

4 Trees: Awfully awesome.

Get to reading,
Richard

*This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*


Be sure to enter my 4 Month Blogiversary Giveaway [Giveaway has ended!] for a chance to win Awful, Ohio or The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer!

Review: Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Description:

Beyond the mirror, the darkest fairy tales come alive. . . .
For years, Jacob Reckless has enjoyed the Mirrorworld’s secrets and treasures.

Not anymore.

His younger brother has followed him.

Now dark magic will turn the boy to beast, break the heart of the girl he loves, and destroy everything Jacob holds most dear. . . .

Unless he can find a way to stop it.

 

Details:

Audio CD, 0 pages
Published September 14th 2010 by Listening Library (Audio)
ISBN: 0307583260 (ISBN13: 9780307583260)
series: Reckless #1
literary awards: YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011)
(Goodreads)

Review:

Wow!

So, my wife recommended to me that I read something by Ms. Funke—she loves the Inkheart series!  I saw the dreadful movie, and just haven’t ventured into the pages of that series, but I have had it on my TBR to read The Thief Lord.  I saw this at the library, and checked it out thinking that I might like it, and, well, I more than liked.  I love this so hard.

The intricate and detailed way that Reckless is woven is magnificent.   It is like reading the brushstrokes of a master painter.  It is beautiful, hopeful, sad, and dark.  It is a very emotional book.  Heartache is at every bend.  But it never seems hopeless.

It is rare that I read a book and like all the main characters.  But that is exactly the case with Reckless.  I like them all.  Even most of the minor characters.  They are all equally tortured and desperate, loving and loved, miserable and joyful.  You can feel it all along with them.

The fairytale that Funke weaves is quite spectacular.  She manages to work in many of the human’s fairytales in a non-sappy natural manner.  It’s done in such a way that it is unexpected and surprising, but nonetheless awesome.

This is not a happily-ever-after book.  So don’t read it if that’s what you’re after.  The ending was a bit open, yet sufficiently closed that it could stand alone, but hinted slightly at a sequel.  According to Goodreads, there is a book #2 in the works.  Yay!

Here’s the book trailer:

4 Trees: Best read with reckless abandon

Get to reading,
Richard

Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Description:

It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance

Details:

Audio CD, 5 discs
Published April 5th 2011 by Penguin Audiobooks
ISBN: 0142428256 (ISBN13: 9780142428252)
series: If I Stay #2
literary awards: The Inky Awards Nominee for Silver Inky longlist (2011)
(Goodreads)
 

Review:

For starters, I highly recommend reading both books in this series back-to-back.  The non-ending of the first book (although a perfect ending for the story) left me dying to read Where She Went.  Gayle Forman, you are a genius!

If If I Stay is tragically beautiful (which it TOTALLY is), then Where She Went is brutally honest.  Told from Adam’s POV, we are taken on a journey through what happened since the accident that took Mia from him (ok, well, you can tell from the description above that she isn’t dead, but you’ll understand when you read this…that’s a command, by the way, to READ THIS BOOK!): his rise to fame, hardships of being a star, etc.  It is all very gritty and genuine.  And, if you’re anything like me, you’ll hate Adam for the first quarter or so of the book.  He’s such a pretentious jerk.  He’s angry, self-absorbed, and childish.  But as the story progresses, you being to she why he is that way and you begin to hurt with him, and build defenses with him, and hate the world for him.

New York to me, is one of those fantasy cities, where anything is possible.  I love that Forman set is as the backdrop of the second installment.  More than just a setting, it is a character in it’s on right and has taken an influential role in Mia’s life.  It sort of says a lot about who Mia is, as much as Los Angeles does about Adam.  About their transformation as people and how they have dealt with tragedy.

I’m trying really hard not to giveaway too much.  Geez this is a hard review to right.  So much happens that is central to the plot, that commentary on those things would give too much.  You don’t want to know what is coming next because if you do, I’m sure it will take some of the magic out of Where She Went.  You may just have to trust me on this: go read this!

4 Trees: Where She Went is definitely a place you should go!

Get to reading,

Richard

Review: The Kult by Shaun Jeffrey

Description:

People are predictable. That’s what makes them easy to kill.

Detective Chief Inspector Prosper Snow is in charge of an investigation into a serial killer called The Oracle who turns his victims into macabre works of art. But Prosper harbours a dark secret of his own. He and his old school friends were members of a group called The Kult who made a pact to dish out their own form of vengeance on bullies. Now a member of the group puts their friendship to the test when he makes a far darker request: that they murder someone that raped his wife.

To get away with murder, the friends decide to blame it on The Oracle, but events take a chilling turn when the instigator turns up dead, his body fashioned into a disturbing work of art. Now, one by one, the members of The Kult are being hunted down.

Just when Prosper thinks things can’t get any worse, his wife is kidnapped and he knows that if he goes to his colleagues for help, he risks his dark deeds being unearthed. If he doesn't, he risks losing all that he holds dear.
(From the author)

Details:

ebook, 179 pages
Published March 22nd 2011 by Shaun Jeffrey, via Smashwords (first published May 25th 2009)
ISBN: 001124562X (ISBN13: 2940011245626)
(Goodreads)
 

Review:

The Kult has all the makings of a fantastic crime drama: neurotic serial killer, cop with a past, vivid characters.  I was asked by Shaun Jeffrey to review his book, and I jumped at the chance.  It grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let me go.
 
We start out meeting The Oracle.  Obviously, he’s the bad guy.  He’s creeptastic.  I love him.  He’s heartless and ruthless.  And seeking revenge.   And that’s about all we know about him, until way far into the book.  The mystery of his identity is fascinating and intriguing to the point of making me neurotic to find out who he is.
 
Prosper has ghosts.  You know something is up with him, and the more you read the more you know.  Fat kid, bullied, but with a group of loyal friends.  He’s also a pushover.  I hate him.  He needs to grow a set of cajones and do the right thing.  Which is apparently a difficult thing for him.  Since he caved to the peer pressure.  Come on, really? These aren’t teenagers we’re dealing with here.  This is not high school.  He’s a freakin’ cop! And he killed someone because he was pressured to.  As frustrating and irritating as this fact is, you really empathize with Proper and feel bad for him.
 
The Kult, started as a band, and morphed into a band of brothers, looking out for each other and standing up for each other.  Even though a little far-fetched, it was believable that teenage dudes would think this up.  Through thick and thin, loyal to the end.  I mean, literally to the end.

The last quarter of the book is where most of the action takes place.  Be sure to buckle up—it’s a bumpy ride!  So much action, so much intensity!  Be prepared to stay up all night to finish it once you get there.  This is a fantastic thriller, full of movie-worthy epicness.

Speaking of which, Gharial Productions started production of the movie in September 2010.  Here’s the trailer:

Check out the movie website for more info.  While you’re at it, check out Shaun Jeffrey’s website as well.

4 Trees: Drink the kool-aid.  You’ll be glad you did!

Now…

Get to reading,
Richard

*This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review*