Written by Renee Mitchell
Etherya’s Earth is a world that mirrors ours in many ways. However, there are four main species - three that have been at constant war for a thousand years. There are the immortal Vampyres, Slayers, and the Deamons, and of course, the humans – who really don’t know anything of what’s going on in the immortal world. Etherya, the goddess, created two of these species, the Vampyres and the Slayers, to live together in harmony. Unfortunately, a horrific act of murder causes them to fight each other for a thousand years, while the villainous Deamons reap the benefits of their hatred. This is how this novel begins. Rebecca Hefner’s complicated, but well thought out world building starts the reader off in a world at war. In The End of Hatred, the first book in the Etherya’s Earth series, we are introduced to the Princess of the Slayers Miranda, and to the Vampyre King Sathan. Together, they embark on a quest to release a special sword that is said to be the one blade that can kill the Deamon king. These two rulers are tired of the war that has plagued their people for centuries and they want to work together to build peace and to defeat their common enemy. This is, obviously, easier said than done. It is not easy to get over a thousand years of bloodshed, of hurts and misgivings. And what happens when you find yourself attracted to your enemy, to the one person you are supposed to hate above all others? Things get complicated very fast. What I liked about this book is that Hefner carefully initiates the reader into her world so that what starts off as confusion, soon becomes second nature. She introduces us to characters that we don’t necessarily like, but eventually come to root for and love. In doing so, she starts off what I hope will be a long-term series. I am not ashamed to admit that after reading this book, I do find myself a bit addicted to these characters and I long to find out what will happen next. She expertly sets up the second book in the series, so that the reader wants to keep reading. I did find myself a bit at odds with some of the dialogue, however. I suppose it can be attributed to the fact that these creatures are over a thousand years old and sometimes they will speak formally, and other times they will talk about liking the band Metallica. Sometimes they will use swords to fight, and other times rifles. If the reader can get over the back and forth, I think this book can really be enjoyed. It is a romantic and adventurous story in a world built from scratch, which is not always an easy thing to do. But I think Hefner does a good job with this book, and I know I will be reading the others.
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When I first picked up this book I read the title and I honestly had no idea what this book had in store for me. At first glance I thought the title was a bit cheesy. But then after having read the introduction and the copyright page I found that this was no ordinary book. This was a book written in the Lovecraftian style. A total of 11 short stories that will invoke more than inner thoughts and fears... they will invoke the very horror of the human psyche! Although the author writes some of the stories in a Lovecraftian format, it is very much updated to make for very thoughtful yet horrific reads throughout the collection of short stories. The author does lack the word usage and sentence structure that Lovecraft penned himself but I do think this is all for the better in order to write more comprehensive stories for the current day and age. Still keeping to the bones of the matter however, this author does a brilliant job of following his mentor's outline. Not all of the stories are written this way however and the author obviously toys with different writing styles. I personally like this because it keeps the reader guessing. Short story compilations that do not follow the same format each and every time are good for the reader to keep them on their toes. Most authors cannot pull this off but this author did beautifully. Like most collections of short stories, some I liked and some not so much but all were written with the same style and panache that this author is able to pull off and very well indeed. For the most part I enjoyed the entire collection. It harkened me back to my younger days when I used to read horror short stories in between classes and during lunch to inspire my own short stories. I would like to thank this author personally for bringing such wonderful memories back to me. I had nearly forgotten 😘 This book is on my list of books to recommend to those who like horror and appreciate the Lovecraftian style done well. Dysfunction through the eyes of a child...
This book recounts the author's memories of instability in growing up with emotionally immature parents in unstable environments on the islands of Hawaii. Beautifully written in a matter of fact manner as though the reader is seeing it all as it is happening in real time. Although the facts are presented to the reader, the narrative is not dry, dull, or boring. There is a definitive story being told throughout. I love that through all the setbacks she faces, the author never gives up. She keeps pursuing her dreams. I also love how the author was able to present everything to us without taking sides one way or the other. Both sides have flaws and the author is unbiased on this point. She presents us with a story in a way that lets us make our own decisions on the matter. I have never been to Hawaii myself. The closest I've come are the beaches of California. Most people talk of it as a paradise but, for this author, it was not a dreamy paradise that's so many people describe. For this author Hawaii was full of trials and tribulations that she had to overcome and get past in order to live the life that she so desperately wanted. Just such an amazing story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes reading memoirs. This is still a crazy book...
Meg and her brother Charles meet a stranger one night who tells them about a tesseract (wrinkle in time). Come to find out their father is trapped on a distant planet and together with a band of new friends they must embark on an epic journey to rescue him from the evil "IT" (and no, we are not talking Stephen King here). Can Meg find the courage inside her to save her father? I read this book years ago in school and found it super strange and boring but I wanted to give it a reread as an adult to see what my thoughts would be. This book starts off well but during the second half it starts to get a little boring and I found myself skimming through most of the way. This is one wild book! The characters are a bit confusing and hard to follow. Also things seem to happen out of nowhere which is a bit confusing for the reader (whether young or older) and I also remember it being very confusing as a child. If I remember correctly there was actually a point where I just had no idea what was going on anymore in the book and I was completely lost. This book is a classic though and I do respect it as such however, like many classics, it is a little difficult to enjoy to its full extent. Of course it could be the writing style, it could be the characters, or the crazy world that the author has imagine for us. It also may be simply because we've been so modernized (even in our reading) that books like this just don't seem to jive anymore. Then again it could simply be that this book is not for everyone. Like To Kill a Mockingbird and The Catcher in the Rye I find this book along the same lines, a respected classic but just not for me. I would recommend this book for the classic that it is. Definitely to younger readers but I don't think this book would be enjoyed as an adult as much as it would as a teenager or preteen. |
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