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. 

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.

A Bowl For The Soul

THE PERFECT UNCOMMON HEIST 

"Time, the greatest thief of all"- Katarina Bishop; Heist Society 

Hi bookworms! It has been quite a while since the last post of A Bowl For the Soul. This time, it's dedicated to the brilliant Heist Society trilogy by Ally Carter.

Ally Carter never cease to surprise her fans with new YA series that is just as amazing as her previous works. That includes Heist Society series that consists of three books: Heist Society, followed by Uncommon Criminals, and closed with the finale of Perfect Scoundrels. Ally Carter has created another phenomenal ensemble characters. This time it has nothing to do with spies or espionage but it's about a group of teenage grifters with the central character, a girl named Katarina Bishop (Even the name sounds cool) who came from a family of con-men (and women).

The first book introduce us to Katarina, a teenage thief protege, enrolls herself  in a prestigious boarding school- with a little bit of con here and there to worm her way into the school. Then after a mere three months there, her friend 16-year-old billionaire W.W Hale V, arranges for her expulsion. After bringing her home, he breaks that five paintings have been stolen from a mobster, Arturo Taccone and that her father is the prime suspect. Determined to save her father by locating the real thief and stealing the paintings back, Kat gathers a 'heist society' to pull off the job before a two-week deadline- where her father will be arrested, only to discover that the works were stolen by world renowned Visily Romani, a thief famous for reclaiming Nazi-spoils. By planning the theft of the Henley museum in London, well known for its security, and always having to be one step ahead of Interpol and the mobster on her tail, Kat is going to pull a heist that will make them remembered by every thieves in the world.