August 25, 2012

The Ark by Kenneth Newman

As per the title, one is able to assume that this novel is about God along with Noah and the ark – which is correct. But, in this novel, Newman puts a modern spin on the whole story. Usually with religious novels, they are either hit or miss. I was a bit interested and also a bit nervous to start this book because of that. I must say, The Ark is a hit!

I thought it would take me awhile to get through this, honestly. But, it hasn’t at all. From the first page, there hasn’t been a dull moment. It is full of action.

There is the classic theme of Good vs. Evil. God vs Satan. The Humans vs The Giants. They are present throughout the whole novel.

In The Ark, Noah is cast aside by many members of the community and also his own family for his beliefs. They think he is crazy for believing so much in God and trusting Him to guide him through life. When God appears before him telling him that the world is going to end, and tells Noah that he needs to build an ark to keep him and the animals safe, everything takes a turn for the worse. The family starts falling apart, and a huge target is put onto Noah and The House of Seth from the outsiders.

Then at the end – my favorite, there is a huge twist! I never saw it coming which made me super excited.
Overall, The Ark is an easy, fun read. I, myself, am a Christian so it was especially entertaining for me to read. The chapters were short, so it makes the book seem not as long. And Newman never leaves you with a dull moment.

It is a great modernized retelling of Noah and The Ark, and I would recommend anyone who has some interest in the Bible and God to pick it up. Even non-believers could be entertained. Very well written.

5/5 Stars from me!

To purchase this novel visit 
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ark-ken-newman/1111560066
or
http://www.amazon.com/The-Ark-ebook/dp/B008BTYF62
it is available for ebook and paperback!

Read ahead for spoilers

August 15, 2012

Solo: A Memoir of Hope by Hope Solo

There is much to be said about this outspoken goal keeper for the US Women’s National Team. Some people will describe her as selfish, some as too outgoing. People say she needs to keep her comments to herself. To me, she is an amazing goal keeper who says the things many people think, but are too afraid to say, and doesn’t care what the media says about her. Why should she? She is an Olympic gold medalist – more than once, and the greatest goal keeper in the world. In her autobiography, you, as the reader, gain an insight into what made Hope into the person she is today.

When you think of star athletes, you think of fame, fortune maybe, and having a life where everyone looks up to you. For Hope, the story did not go that way. She has had to face much adversity to get to the place she is today.

Her books takes you through stories about her personal family life, some of which could be really hard to share with people. Especially knowing the media hasn’t always been on your side – there will always be critics. The stories are filled with emotion, and gives you a pretty good insight into the type of person she is, which does not include selfish.

There aren’t many good ways to critique an autobiography, you can’t judge the story, because it is all real. But, the writing in this book was full of intelligence and class. Hope has faced many issues with her team and with the media, she explains how every one of those events came about. She may not apologize for everything she says, which she shouldn’t, but she gives her perspective on the situations and makes you realize that the media does, in fact, blow things up in order to get a good story.

It will have you crying one minute, then laughing the next. I guarantee, if you ever had a negative opinion about Hope, your mind will instantly be changed after reading this emotion-filled memoir.

5/5 stars. Beautifully written, and had me hooked from the very first page.



Read ahead for spoilers

August 13, 2012

Angel by Sebastian Michael

Angel is a story about Damion - the most beautiful boy in the world. He could get anything he wanted. He could get anyone he wanted. On paper, his life seemed ideal. Who wouldn’t have people showing them adoration all of the time. But, to Damion, this wasn’t always a blessing, and when it comes to what he wants, the end result may surprise you.

“But beauty is the cruelest gift the gods bestow. With it, you are everything to everyone, even if you are nothing to yourself”

Alright now I have a few things to say, I will state the cons first since the last part of a review is usually what people remember.

The story was really good, but the writing style had it running a bit dry at time. The beginning was very slow; it took me awhile to get through. I can’t pin point the exact reason. It could have been the length of the chapters, or just the writing.

It felt like the ending was written FIRST. This is not a writing style I am opposed to - if it doesn’t make the beginning run slow because the main events have already been written. I see why the first part was as long as it was; the tone was just very… sophisticated… I guess I could say. Nothing wrong with that, but for me it’s hard to read at times.

Now for the reasons you must read this.

As I stated before, the story is great. It points out that beauty is not always a blessing, which I feel the world needs to recognize more.

The last half of the book moved very quickly. There were many exciting events that made reading it seem like a breeze.

THE ENDING. The ending. The ending. Reading the rest of the book was so worth it just to see how it ended up. It really doesn’t disappoint.

3/5 Stars for me only for the slow beginning.

To read more about Sebastian Visit his site at www.sebastianmichael.com
or visit the books page at http://www.optimistcreations.com/angel.html

Read ahead for spoilers