Book Review: Xor Shape of Darkness by Moshe Sipper

 On his twelfth birthday Lewis Nash comes home from school to find that his house has blown up to smithereens, killing his father. Having lost his mother in an accident four years earlier, Lewis realizes he is now an orphan — but he has no time to dwell on it. The moment he gets off the school bus a fearsome wolf-man tries to grab him. The boy is saved in the nick of time by Master Long, who reveals to him that he’s a Shaper from a place called Xor, which is being devoured by the Realm Pirates. Lewis learns that he must do his utmost to become the powerful Shaper he was destined to be.

Because, it would seem, he’s the one and only chance Xor has.

Dr. Sipper has published over 140 scientific papers, and is the author of three books: Evolved to Win, Machine Nature: The Coming Age of Bio-Inspired Computing, and Evolution of Parallel Cellular Machines: The Cellular Programming Approach. He is an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Computational Intelligence and AI in Games and Genetic Programming and Evolvable Machines, an Editorial Board Member of Memetic Computing, and a past Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation.
Dr. Sipper won the 1999 EPFL Latsis Prize, the 2008 BGU Toronto Prize for Academic Excellence in Research, and five HUMIE Awards—Human-Competitive Results Produced by Genetic and Evolutionary Computation (Gold, 2011; Bronze, 2009; Bronze, 2008; Silver, 2007; Bronze, 2005).

My Review:

Pros:    Throughout explanations of the Realm, Lewis interjects and explains things in a simpler way, so the reader doesn't lose interest with confusing world making. I also admire how these interjections are entertaining and lighten up the story.

Cons:  The beginning felt slow, but necessary. Once we were introduced to Lewis things picked up quickly and the reader gets engaged in the story.


Characters: I want the other characters to be a surprise, so just know they're all fairly well rounded. I will allow myself to gush over Lewis Nash, though--the main character of the story. For a complex personality of a twelve year old boy--who technically isn't human--I found him to be my favorite character. He's the kind of character that I want to adopt and take care of, regardless of his tendency to turn into a bed if he gets tired.

Movie Potential:    Definitely not. There's a nice spin to a well-used plot, but it will still feel too cliche to movie watchers. It wouldn't be anything to hit the big screen, but it could possibly show up as a made-for-tv disney movie.

Writing style:  The narration carries the innocence and wonder of a child, but the maturity and reasonable wisdom of Yoda. Considering Lewis' personality, though, it makes total sense and was enjoyable to read.

Format:    Kindle for iPod Touch--no problems.

Other:    Plot: there were twists that I didn't think would be there. Nothing completely unpredictable, but still pretty entertaining.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Flash Fiction: love by TXT

Flash Fiction: Written quickly, in one sitting. Don't bother editing.


 Name: Kristina Aziz. Hobby: Flash Fiction


 Don't think I'll be dropping vowels or punctuation so recklessly in the future.


I love u.

I love u more.
Impossible!
Not really. I love u more than coffee.
WOW thats alot. I love u more than the stars.
I love u so much Im letting u win.
ur so sweet!
Can I sleep now?
I GUESS. Text me tomrw?
Of course.

Book Review: Alif the Unseen By G. Willow Wilson

In an unnamed Middle Eastern security state, a young Arab-Indian hacker shields his clients--dissidents, outlaws, Islamists, and other watched groups--from surveillance and tries to stay out of trouble. He goes by Alif--the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, and a convenient handle to hide behind. The aristocratic woman Alif loves has jilted him for a prince chosen by her parents, and his computer has just been breached by the State's electronic security force, putting his clients and his own neck on the line. Then it turns out his lover's new fiance is the head of State security, and his henchmen come after Alif, driving him underground. When Alif discovers "The Thousand and One Days," the secret book of the jinn, which both he and the Hand suspect may unleash a new level of information technology, the stakes are raised and Alif must struggle for life or death, aided by forces seen and unseen. 

 Website: gwillowwilson.com

Twitter: GWillowWilson


Also wrote: The Butterfly Mosque; Cairo; Air series; and  more

My Review:

Story:   It's interesting, for sure. I haven't yet read a book with the middle east as the setting where the main protagonist is male. But the issues it brings up, the truth behind the facade of this novel still hit their mark. The element of love has you rooting for Alif from the first chapter.



Favorite Quote:  "Metaphors are dangerous. Calling something by a false name changes it, and metaphor is just a fancy way of calling something by a false name."



Movie Potential: I have mixed thoughts on whether this would make a good movie or not. On the one hand, there's plenty of action and room for the special effects movies are so known for. On the other hand, the pacing is perfect for a book, but less so for a movie. A lot of the first part of the book would probably be lost and shortened. If anything, this would probably make a decent one-season television series.



Writing style:   The writing is educated, not patronizing to the reader in any way. I came across more than one word I had to look up, and it gave me a thrill I hadn't felt since fourth grade, learning new words from a book I enjoyed reading.



Other:     The elements in this novel are varied, but fit together well. Romance, danger, philosophy, revolution and society all play roles in the story and overlap without trouble. The different themes and escalating plot, starting from a man on his computer to a full blown revolution taking soldiers from multiple worlds keeps you on your toes, reading as fast as you can. It's not only captivating, but stimulating. It sends your mind reeling and proves to be unpredictable in plot or dialogue.



Overall Rating:    5/5 stars

Follow Friday

Yes, I know, I seem to be skipping more of these lately. But I do it when I can. <3

Just a reminder, I get my featured blogger from Alison, and parajunkee has her own favorite. You can find both in the linky.

This week's feature:

(click picture to visit)



This week's question:

Q: Have you ever bought a book BECAUSE of its bad review?

my answer: No. Reviews, quite honestly, don't have a lot of impact on my decision to buy in the first place. I use reviews to determine how soon and in what order to buy the books I want, or to check out the premise and general opinion of a book that's just recently come out. The general point of what I'm saying is, whether a review is bad or good doesn't affect my overall decision on a singular level. If I'm really undecided and depending on reviews, I take a sample of reviews from many different people all over the internet.



My question/activity: Share a story from your early reading days.


My early reading story: I was in kindergarten, and no one had told my teacher that I could already read. Thing is, I was shy. So whenever she came near me, I would stop reading (because I could only read out loud at the time). It took her two months to figure out that I was ahead of my peers as far as reading went.


Linky:
 

flash fiction: love letter

Definition of flash fiction: A piece of fiction that is written quickly, in one sitting, with minimal edits.


 Flash Fiction is my best friend.

 And Yes, I realize there are a lot of song lyrics.

My love:
You lift me up and touch the sky. There, among the stars, even the ever-changing moon cannot touch my heart the way you do. The brilliance in your eyes outshines the glimmering fire of celestial dancers.


When there's a tear, you wipe my eye. You are my rock, my pillow, my shoulder to cry on, and my best friend. I do believe that if you were to leave, my heart would die of grief and I would be soon to follow.


You are the shadow to my light. when opening my eyes to the unforgiving sun becomes too difficult a task, you are there. You hold me close and guard me with a shadow I'm not afraid of, with a brilliance that heals instead of burns.


You take the darkness away from the night. When my demons come too close, when at my darkest hour tears begin to fall, you are there to be my beacon of light. You tell me simple words of love that brighten my mood and fill me with strength.


Sometimes, it seems the only one who doesn't see your beauty is the face in the mirror looking back at you. Don't trust that fickle, deceiving reflection. You need only to open your eyes a little more and look around, away from that perfect pane of glass. You will see those who see the truth--and with open ears you will hear for yourself how beautiful you are.


You walk around thinking you're not pretty. Your hair flutters down around your face, and you walk to the side looking at the ground. What are you looking for, sister? Look up, allow me a glimpse at your storytelling eyes. You think you're not worthy of anyone's praise, but that's not true because I know you. I've seen how supportive you are, and how your love shines through even when you yell. I know you will always be there, and that is why in my eyes you are perfect.


Hold on, baby, you're losing it. Stay with me, please. I know you feel alone, but I'm here now. Even if it doesn't seem like it, I was always here. I will wait right where you can see me with open arms. I promise you will always be safe and wanted.


The water's high, you're jumping into it and letting go...promise me that if you dive into the cold, unforgiving sea that you will take me with you. So different from the calming rivers in front of us, even in death we will be there for each other.


And no one knows that you cry, and even if you don't, I know the pain you feel. When you ache like that, my heart yearns to comfort you. Please, just let me hold you and know everything is okay.


You don't tell anyone that you might not be the golden one. It doesn't matter if you're not really perfect. You're amazing, even with your flaws. So smile, take all of life's up and downs. Because I will always be there to help heal any wounds.


And you're tied together with a smile, but you're coming undone. Don't pretend to be someone you aren't for my sake. I love you just the way you are, and I will stand by you every step of the way.


I guess love was all you ever wanted, because you're giving it away like it's extra change. Hoping it will end up in their pockets, but they leave you out like a penny in the rain. But don't worry, because your love is never wasted. Those near you would miss your caring hugs and concerned eyes. And we love you too.


Those who don't only act that way because it's not their price to pay. But we who know you would die if you ever left, becuae sometimes your love is the only thing keeping our heads above water.


When I lost it all, you got it back. When I had no control over what was happening or who I was, you reminded me of who my friends were and helped keep my feet on the ground.


you believed in me when I gave up on myself again. You refused to let me fall to pieces and dove in to save me, even when I refused to bring you down with me for even a second. You carried me on wings of serenity until I found the strength to fly on my own.


Sudden rains reveal your face. And I remember to dance and celebrate with the flowers, instead of hiding inside by myself. I know no matter where I go I'll always have your hand to hold. There are times when we'll sink, but we'll swim again. And while I still cry, I know soon I will laugh so much my lungs start hurting. Because I will always be able to be with you, even when I have to choke out the words, "No, we're just friends." to curious strangers.


I was a tender reed bent in the wind. But then the storm passed, and you helped me stand upright again. Even when the shattering of my life isn't your fault, you will always be around to help pick up the pieces and glue them back together.


So here we are, nothing to lose. Let's jump right in and face everything head-on. Because while we may not be friends forever, you are the greatest friend I will ever have.


...No pressure or anything. That's just how much I love you.

The schedule for this blog (so far)

If it says 'draft' it means I haven't finished the book/started the review yet. Just saying. I might also throw in a few surprise giveaways for, say, the 100th follower and/or 1000th site visit somewhat soon.

book review: Incarnate By Jodi Meadows

New soul
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.
No soul
Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?
Heart
Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?
Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.



Jodi's Author Bio can be found on my 'Author Idols' Page.


My Review:

Characters: It's incredibly easy to fall in love with a lot of these characters. To root for them, or even against them. Even the monsters and mysteries (like the world's creator) are well imagined and fit seamlessly into the novel.


World: I read the Kindle version of this book, and I'm not sure if there's a map to the world in a physical book. I usually don't do much more than glance at book maps, but for this novel I would have studied it a bit. It's not so much that knowing where everything is is crucial to the story, but there are things that come up throughout the novel that having a map would be helpful to understand more.


Pros: The Plot twists in this novel were gorgeous. I didn't see any of them coming, and the emotional parts were just that--emotional. The characters were well-rounded, but more on them later.


Cons:  A couple characters (mostly the 'bad guys') were a bit cut-and-dry. It was made too obvious that they were bad, and there was no sense of sympathy for them. An exception here would be Ana's father, for obvious reasons we can't just label him 'good' or 'evil' like we can to some other characters.


Good Movie?  I believe it would make an exceptional movie. Not only that, but it would be a box-office hit because of it's action elements and near-fantasy genre. As far as movies go, I'd see this in theaters (as opposed to waiting for it to come on Netflix)


Rating: 5/5 stars and added to 'Author Idols'