Step Back In Time By Ali McNamara

Step Back In Time by Ali McNamara

My Rating: 5 out of 5

How many lifetimes would you travel to find a love that lasts for ever?

When single career girl Jo-Jo steps onto a zebra crossing and gets hit by a car, she awakes to find herself in 1964. 

Praise for Ali McNamara!

Ali McNamara has done it again! Another amazing novel, brilliantly written with loveable characters.

Like Jo-Jo, I too was forced to listen to the Beatles music throughout my childhood and succumb to my parents obsession. However, unlike Jo-Jo I loved the Beatles and even loved their films! So, when Ali announced this book last year. I was eager to purchase it. But, my life has been so busy I didn't have time to do anything. Until recently. 

This book has felt like it was written for me! So not only has Ali written a brilliant book, she also taught me a lesson. To give time for myself, friends, family and my husband to be Jon!

Thank you Ali! Jenny x

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Maleficent by Elizabeth Rudnick

 

Maleficent By Elizabeth Rudnick

My Rating: 5 out of 5

What I thought... 

An amazing book! Predictable, because we all know the tale of Sleeping Beauty. Yet, it was totally unpredictable. Well written, by Elizabeth Rudnick for Disney.

This Disney Sleeping Beauty 'retelling' is Maleficent's side of the story, hence the title of the book.

I picked this book up, because Sleeping Beauty is one of my favourite fairytales and the title intrigued me. I thought it would be just the same story, but told from Maleficent's point of view.

When I started to read this book, I disliked Maleficent, because she is a villain. However, I couldn't help but start to like her, then feel sorry for her. And by the end of the book, I didn't want her to die. Like we all know she does. 

How wrong was I?

*Spoilers alert*

'But I took that from her. I even took her chance of happiness in the moors away from her. And now she lies here, lifeless. And I have no one to blame but myself.'

In this book we are told how Maleficent was brought up in the 'Faerie world', the moors and how her parents fought for allegiance with the human world, resulting in their untimely deaths. Now, Maleficent was just a baby when this happened. The faeries and creatures of the moors bring Maleficent up, surrounded by love and happiness. Until one day Maleficent meets a boy and falls in love.

Fairytales always begin with love and how love can be deceived. This is exactly what happens to Maleficent when the boy, later steels her wings in order to become king. That's when we start to see the Maleficent we all know and kind of love, the evil faerie whose gift to the princess Aurora, is on her sixteenth birthday, to prick her finger on a spinning wheel and fall asleep forever. 

Now, if you don't know the disney tale, then the three good fairies, who have different names in this book, take baby Aurora to a cottage, deep in the forest where the princes will be brought up. 

However, Maleficent becomes obsessed in watching the child grow up (a little creepy), by watching her secretly. As Aurora grows, Maleficent becomes soft. Until only a few weeks before Aurora's sixteenth birthday, she meets Maleficent and is adamant that she is her fairy god mother, who has been watching over her, all her life. 

And to much Maleficent's disapproval Aurora, just won't stop going to the moors, at night to spend time with Maleficent.

Now, I don't want to give away too much of the story away, so I'll stop there. I would defiantly recommend this book, it has a great twist to the original Disney story. I was in awe by it and could not put it down.

Book revising

This is the first time, I have ever revised my own work. I think it is, because I'm taking it kind of seriously. I've always loved writing, especially stories. Fantasy ones, where anything can happen and you can take your readers on a real adventure. 

Revising your work is hard. You have to be your own critique and editor. Making hard decsions about your book, whether to remove a pointless character, snip a large chunk out, or add a huge part into it. 

It's difficult, well, nobody said it was easy.

I'm kind of lucky here, as I posted my book onto Wattpad and my readers have become my editor and critque, all rolled into one. And they have been extremely helpfull in pointing out errors (embarrassing ones too). I would suggest to young, new writers to use Wattpad, not only for the likes and reads. But to get use to people critiquing your work, good as well as bad. And it helps, a lot. 

It has been a year since my book, 'Faerie' was created. From one idea, to brancing out into a full blown story. A whole year has passed since I started planning 'Faerie', it took me three months to gather my ideas, create character profiles, research topics, and to write the first sentence. 

It wasn't until August 2013, that I sat down and began my first draft, and it wasn't until the September that I thought about posting the first five chapters onto Wattpad. I wanted to see if people liked it, I wanted feedback and people to take judgment on to it. 

With a first draft, you have to be reckless. Don't look back at your work (Or you'll be forever changing things and will never finish it). This is exactly what I did. It was hard not to look back as my readers began to comment, pointing out spelling and grammer mistakes. I took that one boared and jotted it down for later. 

I wrote the final chapter of the story on, April 2014. It took me nine months, to push this book out (yes, I see this as my baby). I'm pleased it took me that long, it meant I didn't rush to the finish line (I also have a full time job). However, if I was doing this proffessionally than I would need to do my first draft a lot quicker, but alas, I got there in the end. 

Now, I have to start back at the beginning, pull all of my idea books for 'Faerie.' and read my book, Something I haven't done. This is where you'll look at your origional ideas for the plot, characters and progession of your story and see if it has gone in the correct direction. Has your characters changed? Has the plot? Also, look out for spelling and grammer mistakes and any waffle you have accentidently put in.

Well, I betterget back to revising and making my first draft stronger than before.

If you are interested in reading my first draft you can here - http://www.wattpad.com/story/8219152-faerie-wattpadprize14

My book blurb:

Once Upon a Time the Beryl crystal maintained equilibrium in the mythical kingdom of Faerie, which resides alongside our own mortal world. When the crystal is stolen, the land of Faerie began to slowly perish.

When researcher Sophia Rose comes across an ancient crystal in Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum it represents an unwelcome intrusion of myth and magic into her carefully ordinary life. Though descended from the magical and mythical Fair Folk, she is determined to remain untouched by her family's legacy. She hides the crystal, but Sophia finds it impossible to hold the world of Faerie at bay any longer. 

  

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane - Book Review

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman

The ocean at the end of the lane is like a new found fairytale. A fantasy for both young and old. It was dark, enchanting, and imaginative. Gaiman's way with words are powerful and mind blowing.
I loved how he wrote from a child's perceptive, as an adult looking back on his distorted childhood memory. And then questioning himself constantly whether it was real or not.

I've never read any of Neil Gaiman's books before. I have to admit, it took me 42 pages to get into the book, It was quite slow paced. However, once the story began moving, I was immediately sucked into the story. I really wish, the field of furry, snake like tails really existed and that I had a pond, that was an ocean. However, I do have a fairy circle down at the bottom of my garden.

For any one questioning themselves whether to read this or not, do it, you will not regret it.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars