Written by Tracy Riva on 07 March 2011
Rarely has a character stuck in my head the way Billy May Platte of Appalachian Justice has. Melinda Clayton does such a rich job with the character you can hear her speaking plain as day by the end of her first chapter and her voices resonates long after she leaves the pages of the book behind. Other characters in the book are just as deeply drawn out, especially the antagonist who will make your skin crawl, almost literally. [Read the rest of this article...]
Written by Tracy Riva on 20 January 2011
Fever Dream by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is a stunning trip into the mind of the criminal, the insane, and downright devilish. Exquisite writing brings the characters and scenes of Fever Dream to vivid life as you meander down the twisted path of discovering ‘who-done-it’ in a twelve-year-old murder only recently uncovered. [Read the rest of this article...]
Written by Tracy Riva on 23 December 2010
Witch & Wizard: The Gift By James Patterson and Ned Rust Copyright 2010 by James Patterson, published by Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group, 237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017, ISBN 978-0-316-03625-2 Witch & Wizard: The Gift is the second installment in James Patterson’s Witch & Wizard series. I loved the first book [Read the rest of this article...]
Written by Tracy Riva on 16 October 2010
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it's a disease people need to be aware of. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native women, resulting in 40,820 deaths in 2006, the last year for which the CDC has statistics. In that same year there were 191,410 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed. [Read the rest of this article...]
Written by Tracy Riva on 15 October 2010
From Frozenness to Freedom: A Healing Journey is brief, but powerful. The images, both in pictures and words are evocative of deep transformation from pain and darkness to light and healing. As a reader your reaction will be to immediately relate her pain and suffering to your own. If you have been through abuse, neglect, pain, or disease her writing will touch wellsprings hidden deep within. There may be pain, but there will also be healing – deep and true. [Read the rest of this article...]
Written by Tracy Riva on 02 October 2010
"Missing.
The word was heavy. It opened between them like a chasm created by the breaking of earth in the aftermath of magic. Kaylin did not look at Severn, but she was aware that he was watching her. Not staring, not exactly, but aware of her reaction. She schooled her expression - a phrase she hated - with care, entirely for his benefit.
"You haven't reported her as missing." Not a question.
"No," Ybelline said, and she almost shuddered. Did, although it was subtle, a ripple that passed through her and left her changed.
"You don't believe she just wandered out of the quarter on her own." Flat words.
"No," Ybelline replied. [Read the rest of this article...]
Written by Tracy Riva on 01 October 2010
Imago Chronicles Book One: A Warrior’s Tale by Lorna Suzuki is currently under negotiations for film production. This isn’t surprising as the storyline for the book is action-packed and engrossing. The lead character, a half-human, half-elf young woman is strong, yet very vulnerable, but not in ways that are easily discernible, even to the reader’s eye.
The heroine, Nayla Treeborn is taken away by a family friend after her father beats her. Nayla is taken to a hidden colony far to the north of the city where she grew up. Nayla is hidden amongst a fierce band of people who are also spiritual warriors, called the Kagai. It turns out the Kagai knew, and admired Nayla’s mother, Kareda Bansho. Wanting to leave her past behind her, [Read the rest of this article...]
Written by Tracy Riva on 27 September 2010
Like J. K. Rowling before her, Stephanie Meyer has become a literary phenomenon. Her latest installment in the Twilight Saga, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is a change from the past volumes in the Twilight Saga. The “book” is actually a 178 page novella. As a comparison, Breaking Dawn, the last novel in the Twilight Saga, weighed in at a hefty 768 pages. This is quite a difference in the size of the books, and in the ability to develop characters and storyline. [Read the rest of this article...]
Written by Tracy Riva on 23 September 2010
Immortal by Gene Doucette introduces a character, currently called Adam, who happens to be immortal. His earliest memory comes only in the form of a prehistoric dream at the beginning of the story, when his name resembled something like “Urr.”
Adam’s story flashes between the present and his experiences of both the recent and distant past. Through the millennia “Adam” has appeared as different people with different names depending on the time and place he is currently living. He has been all races, varying them according to the predominance of the region. No explanation is given for this ability. Adam lives continuously and never dies or is reincarnated so this poses a slight problem, but in no way interferes with the ability [Read the rest of this article...]
