Review: The Blackfish Prophecy by Rachel Clark

Summary/Cover Image from Goodreads:

Best friends Terra and Tiluk live alongside the wild orcas of Washington State. On the other side of the continent, Miles wallows in anger and self-pity fueled by his parents' divorce. In a moment of harrowing fate, their lives converge when Miles witnesses a captive orca brutally kill his trainer at a marine amusement park.

When Miles contacts Terra and her family of whale biologists to better understand the "killer" whale, the three teens soon realize they are more linked to each other - and the whales - than they every imagined. Driven by a primal urge to connect with the highly-evolved consciousness of the orca, the teens take extraordinary risks to challenge big business and renew lost traditions.

Their journey is set to restore an ancient mystical bond between humans and whales that ultimately reveals The Blackfish Prophecy…a revelation about Terra - and those like her - that's about to change everything.

Review: 

When I was first asked to read and review Rachel Clark's The Blackfish Prophecy, I instantly said yes. The story seemed exciting, and I was especially interested in learning more about the whales as well as The Blackfish Prophecy.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me, and because of that I ultimately gave up at around 30%.

What Didn't Work for Me: 

1. Showing versus Telling: The Blackfish Fish Prophecy did a lot more telling than showing. In the first portion of the book I feel that almost everything was described in excessive detail - the whale sanctuary, the house Terra's family lives in, Mile's family, etc. While I love details, it got in the way here. More times than one I was left skipping paragraphs of text wondering when the action, or the "good stuff," would start. 
2. The Characters: I think what truly held me back from enjoying The Blackfish Prophecy was the characters. I couldn't connect to them nor could I really relate, and to make things worse, I felt that they never came to "life." For the first 30% I read, they stayed incredibly one dimensional.  Yes, I was told what they were feeling, but I never "felt" it myself. 
3. Pacing: The pacing here was slow. In the first 30%, the narrative focuses on description as well as background, and it was hard to get through. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate background and description as much as the next person, but when they start getting in the way of moving the plot forward, it hurts more than helps, in my opinion. 

What I Did Like: 

1. The Premise: Again, I found the premise interesting, and I could see younger readers who love nature and wildlife eating this book up. 

In all, Rachel Clark's The Blackfish Prophecy was not for me. I wanted to love this book, and I really tried to enjoy it. However, the cons outweighed the pros, and because of that, I decided not to continue. As always, my opinion is one in a million. Many people have loved this book and saw something in it I couldn't. 

Grade: N/A due to not finishing 

The Blackfish Prophecy is now out! 

Source: eBook provided by publicist for review 

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Blog Tour: Elle Newmark's The Sandalwood Tree (Review and Giveaway!)

Sumary/Cover from Publisher's Website:

A sweeping novel that brings to life two love stories, ninety years apart, set against the rich backdrop of war-torn India.

In 1947, American historian and veteran of WWII, Martin Mitchell, wins a Fulbright Fellowship to document the end of British rule in India. His wife, Evie, convinces him to take her and their young son along, hoping a shared adventure will mend their marriage, which has been strained by war.

But other places, other wars. Martin and Evie find themselves stranded in a colonial bungalow in the Himalayas due to violence surrounding the partition of India between Hindus and Muslims. In that house, hidden behind a brick wall, Evie discovers a packet of old letters, which tell a strange and compelling story of love and war involving two young Englishwomen who lived in the same house in 1857.

Drawn to their story, Evie embarks on a mission to piece together her Victorian mystery. Her search leads her through the bazaars and temples of India as well as the dying society of the British Raj. Along the way, Martin's dark secret is exposed, unleashing a new wedge between Evie and him. As India struggles toward Independence, Evie struggles to save her marriage, pursuing her Victorian ghosts for answers.

Bursting with lavish detail and vivid imagery of Calcutta and beyond, The Sandalwood Tree is a powerful story about betrayal, forgiveness, fate, and love.

Review:

When I first heard about Elle Newmark's The Sandalwood Tree, I was beyond excited. Containing history, an India setting, and characters that sounded intriguing, I thought I would love it. However, after reading about 100 pages of it, I could not go any further because it was not the book for me.

Nevertheless, before I get to why that was, let me tell you a bit about it. The Sandalwood Tree tells the story of Evie Mitchell, a 1940s American homemaker dealing with a crumbling marriage and life in chaotic India, as well as Adela and Felicity, two young Englishwomen who is letters Evie discovers in her house. Thankful to find an escape from her life, Evie quickly falls into the intriguing life of these two British women, while facing her own life woes. Combining viewpoints from all three sets of characters as the novel progress, the reader quickly fall into to the world of India in the late 1800s and 1940s as all three characters face the changing of India and the complications that come from life, love, and friendship.

The main reason why I could not get into this novel was the characters. While on the surface they appeared interesting, I was not able to relate to them in many ways, leaving me to feel very little towards them. In addition, Evie's character annoyed me to no end. I wanted to feel for her character- understand and relate to her- but when it came down it she was a very unlikable woman so to say.

Furthermore, while I thought the plot sounded nifty at first, I found the execution to be lacking. Constantly I became sidetracked while reading and I never felt truly committed to the book. The plot also tended to jump around a lot, flying from one part to the next and back again for me, confusing me to no end. However, I will say, Elle did a fantastic job of creating the setting in this with her writing, making it truly pop off the page and come to life in the few chapters I read.

In all, while Elle Newmark's The Sandalwood Tree possesses a great idea, it just was not the book for me for a variety of reasons. However, I still feel many historical fiction fanatics will be able to find likable and loveable parts in it, which is why I am giving my copy away (see portion below).

Grade: N/A

Source: Publisher/Publicity Firm- thanks Tracee/Artia Books!

Becasue I would love to put my ARC (advanced reading copy) in the hands of someone who may enjoy, I've decided to give it away. The only thing I ask is that you review it when finished with it. Amazon, Goodreads, on your blog, it dosen't matter where as long as you do so. The review can be any length as well.

To enter, please follow the following rules and fill out the form.

Rules:
- Must be 13 years or older to enter. (Please realize that this is an adult book and may contain some adult themes)
- Must review the book somewhere when finished (Amazon/Goodreads/LibraryThing/Barnes and Noble/etc.)
- Open internationally
- This giveaway will close on April 1, 2011!

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER.*

Middleworld by J&P Voelkel

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Fourteen-year-old Max Murphy is looking forward to a family vacation. But his parents, both archaeologists and Maya experts, announce a change in plan. They must leave immediately for a dig in the tiny Central American country of San Xavier. Max will go to summer camp. Max is furious. When he's mysteriously summoned to San Xavier, he thinks they've had a change of heart.

Upon his arrival, Max's wild adventure in the tropical rainforests of San Xavier begins. During his journey, he will unlock ancient secrets and meet strangers who are connected to him in ways he could never have imagined. For fate has delivered a challenge of epic proportions to this pampered teenager. Can Max rescue his parents from the Maya Underworld and save the world from the Lords of Death, who now control the power of the Jaguar Stones in their villainous hands? The scene is set for a roller-coaster ride of suspense and terror, as the good guys and the bad guys face off against a background of haunted temples, zombie armies, and even human sacrifice!

Review:

Every once in a while I come upon a book I just can not get into nor finish for the life of me, and The Jaguar Stones: Middleworld was unfortunately one of those types of books

One of the main reasons for not enjoying this book was Max, the main character. I felt that he was just too whiny and bratty for my tastes, leaving me to have a hard time putting up and sympathizing with him and his situation, and don't even get me started about connecting to him or his situation. It was just hopeless, sadly enough. Plus, the other characters introduced in this (I read up to 224, more than half way) were ones that I would've had the possibility of liking if they actually were developed a bit more. I do admit though that I did like Lola. She was spunky and original and I have a feeling if this was told in her POV instead I would've loved the book.

While the premise of this is quite awesome, I had an extremely hard time trying to get into the book. Maybe it was just the mood I was in or maybe it was just not the thing for me, but I couldn't make it through the whole book. Though, I do give J&P huge props for the level of research they must have put into this to make the Mayan aspects be three dimensional and realistic.

In all, Middleworld wasn't the book for me mostly because I couldn't connect to the main character, which is a bad thing for me no matter how amazing the rest of the book is. I do feel that tween/teen boys will eat this right up and even girls if they love adventure books. Perhaps if I get the time latter on to finish it latter on, I'll see a different light about it but for now the situation is hopeless.

Grade: N/A (didn't finish)

Middleworld is now out!

Source: Publicist at Goodman Media. Thanks Jenny!