A Bowl For the Soul

JOIN A QUEST FOR THE RED SAPPHIRE

We were approached by Rival Gates to review his debut novel: Quest For the Red Sapphire and I finally got the time to start reading it before Christmas. So here's the review! QFTRS (short for Quest for the Red Sapphire) is a fantasy, adventure story. Fantasy novels has always been my cup of tea therefore I got quite excited when I will be reviewing QFTRS.

Synopsis: 

The book centers around Linvin Grithinshield, a half-elf general called home from the goblin wars to run the lucrative family trading business after his father's disappearance. Only after his mother's murder does he discover his destiny is to be the Master of the Red Sapphire, the most powerful magic any mortal can possess. Together with his wise but mysterious Uncle Anvar and his infuriating cousins Bander and Rander, Linvin must flee the would-be assassins and find the gem before the sinister forces from whom he flees find the stone and take it for a dark purpose.

The story was mind-gripping for sure. It's action-packed and full of surprises that keeps the readers on edge. As most fantasy story, it includes a long journey for the main characters that ensure hardships and danger along the way. When one challenge was conquered, another came up and it always seems so bleak for the characters as the story goes on. Nevertheless, Gates has woven a story that makes me want to read on until the end to find out the outcome of this fast-paced, thrilling adventure. 

Liebster Blog Award Nomination

Merry Christmas, everyone! I'm very happy to say that I was nominated for the Liebster Blog Award. This is such a great news and I'm really ecstatic that my blog is nominated. I was nominated for Third Liebster Award by Emma Taylor @ Confession of A Bookworm. Thank you, Emma! I'm relatively new to blogging so I did a little research about this 'Liebster Award'. Apparently, Liebster means lovely or pleasant in German!

Anyways, every award always has their own set of rules and the same goes for Liebster Blog Award. Apparently, Liebster Award's set of rules vary from blog to blog; however, I am nominated by Emma, therefore I'll comply with Emma's rules!

The rules for accepting this award are:

Link back to the blog that nominated you.

Answer the questions they set for the blogs they nominated.

Nominate 10 blogs of your own & let them know with a link to your post.

Ask 10 questions for the blogs you nominate to answer in their post.

Share a couple random facts about yourself.

My Questions set by Emma Taylor

1. What is your favorite author?

That is a really hard question for me to answer. I got so many authors in mind but I’ll settle with J.K Rowling for making my childhood an amazing journey!

2. What is your favorite holiday?

Definitely Christmas! It’s so heartwarming and makes us happy with giddiness. What’s not to like about Christmas trees, presents in the morning, and singing Christmas carol?!

3. Do you own any pets?

Unfortunately, no. I would love to have a Golden Retriever or a Husky, though. Or a dolphin. Or a Phoenix! Note: I know. I have an over-active imagination.

4. Do you read often?

That depends on each person’s definition of often. I read a book per week but during school holidays, it can escalate to 3-4 a week! But sometimes life gets in the way so it depends on my time and mood, I guess.

5. Did you love the Harry Potter Series?

As you can see from my answer for my favourite author, Yes!!! I am a major Potterhead and well, I actually waited for the Hogwarts letter when I was eleven (but it never came).

6. What is your biggest pet peeve?

Noisy eaters.

7. What 3 things would you want with you if you ever got stranded on a desert island?

Food and water supplies (a girl’s gotta survive! I don’t know what kind of poisonous berries lies on the island), a weapon (a big knife preferably..guns can run out of bullets), and a journal with pencil or pen (so I won’t get bored..I can doodle, or write, or send a bottled message in case I’m going mad)

8. If you could go anywhere, where would it be?

Either Hogwarts or Narnia. I can’t pick between those two! Can you?

9. What was the last book you read?

Bart Simpson’s Guide to Life

10. Did you like it?

Very much! It was so funny! Even if you are not a big fan of the Simpsons, I still recommend this book J

A Couple Random of Facts About Me

1. Writing is my passion and have been since middle school. I write business articles, short stories for my local newspaper, and currently working on my first novel.

2. My dream is to become a Pulitzer Award-winning journalist in the future.

3. Whistling didn't come naturally for me since I can't whistle until I'm 11 years old. As a part of a Character Building project at school, I chose to teach myself how to whistle and now, I can whistle to songs such as the Jingle Bells tune.
4. I have an (unhealthy, according to my friends) obsession with Greek mythologies.
5. I won eating ice-cream competitions a couple times since I was 6 years old.

Blogs I Nominate (in no particular order)

Cami Decker @ The Commonplace Notebook of a Modern Day Scribe

Laura Mac @ Laura's Literatour

Alison Jansen @ Alison J's Book Blog

Sara Mojica @ P.S With Love

Chene Sterckx @ Mean Who You Are

Kirsty-Marie Jones @ Studio Reads
Jessica Nicole @ Ramblings On Readings
Shannah McClamrock @ Shannah McClamrock
Krista Quintana @ Color Coordinated
Deborah McKnight @ D. S. McKnight

10 Questions for My Nominates

1. What inspire you start to start blogging?

2. Who is your fictional character role model?

3. Do you have any quirky or unique habits while reading?

4. What is your favourite book genre?
5. In a zombie apocalypse, what would be your weapon of choice?
6. What superpower would you like to have?

7. Are you working on writing a book or story?

8. What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?

9. What is your favourite book/series of all times?
10. What do you think is the best movie adaptation from book?

A Bowl For the Soul

SHORT STORY REVIEW: MONKEY TALK

Hello bookworms! We were approached to review a book by T. Lucas Earle so here is our first short-story review. 

  

Book blurb:

Monkey Talk is loosely based on the Chinese myth, the Monkey King, a timeless story about who belongs, and who doesn’t. In a future in which Chimps can give lectures on cybernetics, Mr. Towry is a Chimp with an attitude. Unfortunately, the rules are still “No shirt, no shoes, no service.”

The fact that the author could develop the characters in the story very well has made me very partial to this book. Especially considering it is only 16 pages long! In fact, while Mr Towry was quite a stubborn chimp, I find myself liking this character. He voices his mind outrightly with no malice intention which makes most of his conversations (internal and with other people) quite hilarious. It's not a full-blown humour but you can find yourself smile when Mr. Towry acts up and demand to be treated more equally by humans. His uses of canes was ingenious- since Towry is an ape, he has a short stature so he has to carry a cane everywhere to press the buttons on elevators and hits people that mistreated him on occasions. Then, he has to make an argument with his new assistant, Ms Liu, regarding the difference between beef and other animal meat (refer to monkey meat). It's an exceptionally heavy notion as Mr. Towry indicates that if all animals could voice their opinions, none of them wants to be cooked and eaten as delicacies for anyone.

After reading Monkey Talk, I can see exactly what the book blurb means. In the story, even though chimps are evolved and as capable (maybe even more so) than humans, they do not belong with the norms of the society. If you don't wear any shoes to a banquet, you can't enter. Unfortunately, Mr. Towry is not human therefore he has hands instead of feet. This actually makes a valid reason for him to be shoeless (how could you wear shoes on hands?!). Nonetheless, this was unacceptable by human standards. Ergo, the point of who belongs, and who doesn't. 

Thumbs up to the author for such a brilliantly executed story with enlightenment of some serious issues in the society. It's a very well-laid storyline with clear thoughts of the characters and being a unique story that does more than just a short story. I do wish that Earle would write more about the adventures of Mr. Towry, as I would love to know more about this particular chimp!

Author's Profile: 

T. Lucas Earle is a writer, filmmaker, and amateur statistician  He lives in LA, a comfortable 60 meters above sea level, where only three out of every 100,000 people are murdered. 

T. Lucas has a degree from Emerson College, which makes for a terrific placemat. He spends his days reading terrible scripts - a job for which he receives  nominal remuneration. Like many slightly brain-damaged children of hypoxic former left-wing political cult members of the 1970s , he will review almost anything. I once caught him writing a review for a Hamilton Beach toaster oven  instruction manual.

When T. Lucas is not reading and groaning quietly to himself, he writes and groans much louder.  He has written several short stories, a screenplay or two, and is working up the courage to write a note to the fetching young lady who works at the Starbucks on Glendale Ave. He's been published in Electric Spec, The Colored Lens, and on Amazon, where you can find his short stories. Find out more at his official website.

Reviewer Notes: I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own and do not reflect those of the author, my clients or tour companies I work with. This is not a paid review. To form your own opinion please support the author and acquire your own legal copy of the book.

A Bowl For the Soul

BACK IN TIME: THE MINE

Hi everyone! Let us start with a question regarding time-travelling. What would you do if you travel back in time? Not back to a few years but back to a few decades or more than half century; which means you, or maybe, your parents are not even born yet. When I was a kid I used to think: that'll be cool! Of course being the 8 year-old kid that I was, it's quite a naïve thought. Perhaps, that is one of the reason why I was ecstatic when John Heldt approached our blog with a review request. I've always love a good time-travelling story especially considering all the funny things that could happen to the main character when he or she landed in an entirely different era. Add that with a romantic twist and wonderful historical descriptions, voilá! The perfect book for my reading time. The Mine consist of all the elements said above. It's the first book in John Heldt's Northway Passage series, which consist of 3 more books: The Journey, The Show, and The Fire.

 

The Mine started with the main character, Joel Smith, having discovered an abandoned mine in May 2000. While exploring it, he re-emerged from the mine to an entirely different time. He was still in the same place, but landed in May 1941. He was penniless (modern money did not qualify in pre-war era and credit card was not even invented yet!), have no place to go home to, and perplexed at what he is going to do next. 

Thankfully, after days of walking around and catching a wagon to Seattle (his hometown back in the 21st century), he made good friends with Tom Carter and (here's the catch) his independent, straightforward grandmother, Ginny. Seriously, the young version of Joel's grandmother is one of my favourite character in The Mine; a strong-willed woman during the pre-war era was difficult to be found. Then Joel was introduced to Grace Vanderberg. Sweet and smart, Grace felt immediate attraction to Joel and vice versa. Unfortunately there's a catch, Grace was engaged and this proves to be one of the conflict that arises for Joel. Eventually after spending time in each other's company, Joel's cocky (and a bit arrogant) attitude is softened up by Grace's compassionate nature. Their romance evolves for months as in 1940's, holding-hands and afternoon walks are required for a budding relationship back then. It turns out for both Joel and Grace that their mutual attraction becomes something much more serious and they are falling in love with each other. Think of the Notebook and this tender, beautiful love is just like that. I just can't help but sigh contentedly as I read this wonderfully written romance. 

Bookworm Buzz

INTERVIEW WITH JUAN CARLOS CANTU

Hello bookworms! Today we have an author interview with Juan Carlos Cantu, who penned Age Warfare. To those who have checked out our review of the book, here's a little insight to the brain behind Age Warfare.

Hi Juan, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself and your background?

Thank you for the opportunity to tell your audience a little bit about me and my literary work. I’m originally from Mexico, and came to the U.S. as a student some 10 years ago. My educational background is not a literary one -I’m an economist by training- but I’ve always had a knack for writing. Ever since I moved here I’ve always lived in Texas. After a couple of years in Austin (a town I learned to love) I now live Houston. I really don’t write for a living (I have a full-time job, which is not related to publishing in any way). I am simply someone who likes to share and exchange ideas.

What inspired you to write your first novel?

I’ve always been concerned about the environment. The U.S. has many great things, but I remember one of the surprises I experienced coming here was how much waste is produced --how little recycling is done. Not that where I come from everyone recycles, but my expectation was to find a very well-developed recycling culture here. Another major shock for me was to learn how a very big portion of the population don’t think climate change even exists.

So, after a couple of months reading about finance, energy, demographics and the environment, and with the encouragement of a friend, I came up with the idea for Age Warfare. The goal was to create a story palatable enough to be read as an action-style, fast-paced novel, but with the underpinnings of all these environmental concepts that are currently afflicting the planet and which many people around the world seem to disregard (or more dishearteningly, ignore). The inspiration came from the realization that something genuinely different could be written by combining youth activism, social networks, political movements, energy economics, ecological depletion, and demographic imbalances -all of this wrapped up in a nail-biter story that stealthily lays out the importance of taking care of the planet. This, is what Age Warfare is.

Give us an insight into your main character in Age Warfare. How did you come up with Ethan Maxwell’s character? 

The story of Ethan Maxwell in Age Warfare is a story of personal transformation. It’s the evolution from apathy into action. He starts off as a very disengaged, disgruntled teenager, and throughout the novel you witness his evolution into someone who is determined to change the world. At first, he is a little bit misunderstood, and cares about stuff that not everyone is interested in, but it comes a point in the story when his leadership skills blossom and he becomes an instrumental figure in the struggle of his entire generation.

In creating Ethan, I needed someone who was inspiring; a leader who was able to harness the power of social networks and defy the status quo to improve the conditions of his generation. But I also did not want to create this cliché-ridden main character who is invincible, the best at everything he tries; the impossibly good-looking lad who gets all the girls he wants, or the one who always kicks ass. I wanted to keep him real. With great strengths, but with great flaws also, simply because that is how we all are. I wanted someone reachable, relatable, and complex. His name came from from a friend’s suggestion at the word “Maxwell” (as in Maxwell House, but without the “House” part, since Ethan would grow “homeless” if the status quo keeps its course).

What are you working on at the minute?

During my free time, I am currently working on Age Warfare’s sequel. I have already laid out the structure of the story.

Do you ever get writer’s block? If so, how do you overcome it?

I really did not “suffer” from that during the time I wrote Age Warfare. I wrote it in a span of 4 ½ month. The creation process of that story was extremely intense. Every time I had free time I sat down and wrote 500 to 750 words, and that happened mostly every day. The emotional rush of that creative period was extremely, extremely enjoyable. Now, I must say I don’t feel the same way. Probably because it’s more about extending characters and situations that have already been created in the first one, or simply because I have allowed myself time write about other stuff.

A Bowl For the Soul

JOURNEY TO HOUSE OF HADES

"Nico, I've seen a lot of brave things. But what you just did? That was maybe the bravest."- Jason Grace to Nico de Angelo; House of Hades.

Hello bookworms! I've been a fan of all Rick Riordan's work since The Lighting Thief- including the likes of The Percy Jackson and The Olympians and The Kane Chronicles. Now, with his most recent ongoing series, The Heroes of Olympus, I have been waiting for ages to grab a copy of the 5th instalment: The House Of Hades. Let me tell you; it is worth the long-wait! 

My copy of House of Hades. I abandon my other books just to start reading it!

Rick Riordan reading House of Hades

Once again, Riordan has managed to make me roared in laughter with the right jokes thrown around on the right timing yet keeps me on my toes throughout the book due to the suspense and plot twists (you will not see it coming). House of Hades continues from the end of the Mark Of Athena, where the gang has gotten hold of Athena Parthenos; the key to stop the incoming war between the Greeks and the Romans, but Percy and Annabeth fell to the depths of Tartarus during the process and Gaea is soon waking up to take over the world. The future seems bleak for our heroes but as we all know, it will be hard to break these demigods. Now, their friends are on board of Argo II to rescue Percy and Annabeth from Tartarus and to close the Doors of Death (all the vile creatures aka monsters and Titans are escaping from Tartarus through the door to answer Gaea's summon to create havoc) at House Of Hades. 

I have to say this is true!

We can feel each of the characters' dilemmas because Riordan alternated POVs between all the main characters. This time they have to face their personal fears such as helplessness, feeling of being useless, and failing their loved ones. My spotlight is turned to Leo Valdez in House of Hades. He was awesome and funny since the beginning of the series yet had captured little of my attention up until House of Hades. Guaranteed a spot as the comic relief during the story has always been Leo's job. Then in House of Hades, he matured immensely. Towards the end of the book, his jokes and mischief had sobered much and Jason had noticed a faraway light in his best friend's eyes. He no longer pins after Hazel and he made a great promise that will be hard to keep (Spoiler! To skip spoiler, continue directly to the next paragraph: Leo was stranded on Calypso's island and fallen for her. He promised to return and saved her yet this had been an impossible thing to do for centuries- once you leave, you will never find the island again.) So let's see whether Leo and Calypso will become a new ship in the series. I hope it will because I'm ecstatic at the thought of it! I want Leo to find a way back to Calypso or else..well nothing actually since I'm not the author and I don't own any of the characters (sigh).

A Bowl For the Soul

 AGE WARFARE: A FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

I'm sure that most of you have at least one or two dystopian-themed books in your shelves. Aside from vampires and werewolves, dystopian seems to be the rage these days. How can you not love this literary genre? It has all the suspense of an impending future that people are always curious to find out  about. With these stories, you can imagine the future of the world along with the author. I started reading Age Warfare with excitement because I'm a major fan of dystopian novels. Add science fiction to it, and then this story becomes the perfect package. This is the debut novel of Juan Carlos Cantu and we are very pleased that he approached us to review it. 

Synopsis:

A social movement pushing for change brews in the United States. The crushing difference between the appalling conditions the younger generation (called limiters) have to endure and the opulent lifestyles of the older folks (called precollapsers) is increasingly unsustainable. The year is 2053, and the compulsive use of technology has molded human interaction, behavior, and learning capabilities, degrading them to a level which decades earlier would have been thought of as pathological. The world is mired in ecological crisis, as the governments around the world intrusively impose regulations aimed at moderating energy consumption growth in an increasingly strained planet. 

This is the world in which Ethan Maxwell is born: a world of harsh conditions; one that apparently no other youth around him seems to have a problem with. His story is one of transformation, one of survival –and one of hope. Accompany Ethan in the journey that takes him from an inconspicuous high school in Boston, Massachusetts, to the zenith of a worldwide social movement that threatens to rock the very structures that keep his generation oppressed and neglected. Age Warfare is the tale of a not-so-foreign future that paints the picture of what could happen if we continue in the current path, but also one that leaves us with the hope of knowing that there is always another opportunity to start anew.

From the beginning of the story, it has captured my interest immediately. I was hanging on to pages after pages, and found it hard to stop reading it. Age Warfare is a unique, wonderful story that taught me a lesson: We have to take good care of the ecosystem. Unlike most dystopian novels, Age Warfare shows a detailed version of what will happen if the society doesn't do something to stop the degradation of our environment. Age Warfare describes a possible future if humanity keeps squandering the natural resources and earth has finally taken its toll from global warming.