Book Review: Eye of the Crystal Ball

Kindle Edition

Published June 23rd 2011

When Sara was newborn her parents left her at the doorstep at Mr. and Mrs. Schneider's house.

When Sara was ten she discovered she was telekinetic. She began to move stuff around when she got angry just by her will alone.

When Sara was twelve her real parents came for her and took her with them to live like the Gypsy that she was - or Romani as they like to call themselves. They told her she was going to fulfill a prophesy. That it was once said that out of the Romani people the greatest sorceress who had ever lived would be born.
When Sara was thirteen she had a baby brother and when she was fourteen he got very sick with a strange illness.
To save her baby-brother Sara sets off on a quest to find his cure - well knowing that it will cost her dearly.
Soon Sara finds herself going through the Singing Cave, crossing Wild Witches Valley, talking to a ten foot giant snail, rescuing the Beads of Souls from the Hell-hounds, escaping a spell in Vamila, the Forest of Vanity, visiting the king at the City of Lights before she finally reaches the Black Castle where she is told the Eye of the Crystal Ball can tell her how to cure her brother's strange illness.

But nothing is free in this world - and as Sara soon will know - everything has a price.

The protagonist of our story is young Sara. As a baby, Sara was left on the doorstep of a kind couple, only to be reclaimed by her paternal family at age twelve. Sara’s real family are gypsies, and Sara had to get used to a whole new way of life. Not to mention come to terms with the fact that she is a part of a huge gypsy prophecy.

When Sara’s baby brother becomes ill, Sara sets off on an epic quest to find his cure. She encounters giant fast-talking snails, Hell Hounds…even a unicorn. As with all quests, our hero goes through tests of endurance and will…but will Sara make it in time to save her brother?

The author keeps the reader guessing throughout the story, plenty of twists and turns to keep the action up. This story would be suited to younger readers, possibly fans of Harry Potter. The fantasy at times was reminiscent of Tolkien’s Middle Earth, but for younger readers.

But even with the best of stories, one thing is guaranteed to distract me – grammar. The Eye of the Crystal Ball would benefit hugely from a thorough edit – it would make the story and the characters shine beautifully without the reader being distracted by something unrelated to the story. 

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Book Review: Penitence

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Grove Creek Publishing (29 April 2010)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 1933963832
• ISBN-13: 978-1933963839

Book Two. Seeing good and evil spirits is a gift Zoe guards with her life. Despite her guardian angel's disappearance, Zoe forces herself to accept that she still has a purpose-but how does she carry the weight of her brother's drug abuse, the hardship of living with an autistic sister, and a best friend who's obsessed with a guy who only wants Zoe? She's never felt more alone. When a mysterious spirit appears, Zoe thinks she has a new guardian angel. Instead, her brother's addiction worsens, her parents are on the brink of separation, and her best friend tries to kill her. The spirit she thinks is her new guardian isn't there to protect her: he's out to destroy her family and seize Zoe's soul. . . for Hell. Will Matthias' return mean that he is Zoe's guardian angel again? Or is their love the reason the jaws of Hell now gape open?

Penitience is the second book in the Heavenly series, picking up right where we left Zoe in Heavenly.

Jennifer Laurens eases us back into the story effortlessly, reminding us where the story ended in the last book without sounding repetitive.

When Zoe re-enters her body after experience perfection in Paradise, it’s clear she doesn’t want to be there. She wants to be back in the loving arms of Matthias where there is no pain, only love and absolute certainty of what she craves.

Matthias doesn’t appear like Zoe expects him to. She pleads and prays for him to come to her…and his absence cuts deeper than the glass wounds from her accident. Zoe’s aunt steps in as Abria’s guardian, only confirming Zoe’s worst fears that something has happened to the love of her life.

Even though life without Matthias doesn’t feel like living, Zoe knows she must pick herself up and move through life regardless. If not for her sake, than her family’s, which is hanging together by a thread. Zoe’s stoner brother, Luke, falls off the wagon and hits the booze and weed heavier than ever before. Her parents are arguing more and more, and the students of Pleasant Grove High School are getting increasingly out of control. Especially best friend Britt…and Zoe’s worst nightmare, Brody.

The opening pages of Penitence are stark and brutal to read. Zoe’s raw agony radiates off the page and sinks deep under the skin of the reader. While it is uncomfortable, it is not off-putting, and only draws the reader further into Zoe’s world…making it come alive around them.

There wasn’t a point in this book where I wanted to put it down. It quickly became one of my ‘just one more chapter’ kind of reads. You know, where you tell yourself just one more chapter before doing the dishes. Just one more chapter before turning out the light at bedtime. Just one more chapter before I get off my butt and go to work.

The characters of Penitence were outstanding. Usually, secondary characters can get lost in the story, become under developed and uninteresting. Never with Jennifer Laurens. I enjoyed wondering where their characters would go, what they would do next…who would fall victim to the evil spirits lurking around Zoe’s friends and family.  

As always, I adore Jennifer Lauren’s style of writing. Many authors, YA ones in particular, stay away from harsh topics, sugar coat things rather than tell it like it is. Jennifer Laurens isn’t afraid to look beneath the surface, write about real problems and how teenagers actually act. A lot of people could benefit from her writing – teens and parents alike. Especially with the Heavenly series.

Penitence ends on a cliffhanger that will leave readers gasping for more. As for me? I’m way more than eager for the final part of the Heavenly series – Absolution. 

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Book Review: Legacy

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 701 KB
• Print Length: 464 pages
• Publisher: AmazonEncore (4 Aug 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
• Language English
• ASIN: B0028Y5O7U

I noticed his eyes. They were blue, sharp and intense. Despite the youthful glows of his suntanned face, his eyes were cold and unfriendly, suggesting he had great experience in the world and was now expecting the worst.

In her seventeenth year, Princess Alera of Hytanica faces one duty: to marry the man who will be king. But her father's choice of suitor fills her with despair.

When the palace guard captures and intruder—a boy her age with steel-blue eyes, hailing from her kingdom's greatest enemy—Alera is alarmed…and intrigued. But she could not have guessed that their clandestine meetings would unveil the dark legacy shadowing both their lands.

In this mystical world of court conspiracies and blood magic, loyalties will be tested. Courage won't be enough. And as the battle begins for everything Alera holds dear, love may be the downfall of a kingdom.

Legacy is told through the eyes of the Crown Princess Alera as she faces the most difficult decision she will ever have to make. She must choose the man she is to marry and who will inherit the crown of the King. Alera’s father makes his opinions on who he would like this to be very clear…but unfortunately Alera cannot abide his choice.

When Alera encounters an intruder in the castle – a Cokryi her age with mesmerising steel grey eyes, her decision is made even harder. Especially when she starts to fall for him. But their love could destroy her kingdom. For both share a dark destiny that could bring about the end of her world as she knows it.

Legacy has the promise to be an amazing book. It has an intriguing storyline, interesting characters and tension and action to keep the pace up. Unfortunately the story drowns under the weight of overly-described scenes, constant clothing descriptions, very contradictory behaviour from the main character and the mix of old and modern speech.

I feel if the characters had been more defined they could have carried the story better, but as they are now they feel too one dimensional. The character of Princess Alera put the final nail in the coffin for me. She was very up and down with her decisions, wanting to be a strong woman and be taken seriously, then acting like the classic damsel in distress. She has a betraying nature that does not make her a sympathetic character. Often as I read I thought her sister would have made a better main character.

Legacy would be enjoyed by historical and YA lovers, perhaps the older end of the spectrum due to the length of the book. We end on a cliffhanger that will ensure plenty of readers come back for the sequel. 

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