Self-Publishing: A Reviewer’s Perspective

Over the past 3 years that I’ve taken more of an interest in learning about the publishing industry, my views on self-publishing have been varied.  As I seem to be cursed with the ability to see both sides of nearly every issue, I can understand where both supporters and opponents of self-publishing are coming from.  But as a book reviewer, my views on self-publishing have taken on a new angle and are likely different than Joe Schmoe off the street.  What are these views exactly?  Well, read on to get a good look at how complex my opinion on this is.

Good: Books that normally would not be published are being published.

Bad: Books that normally would not be published are being published.

One of the good things about self-publishing is that it gets out some excellent books that would never be accepted by major publishing houses.  Maybe the book is too controversial, unusual or the publisher doesn’t think there’s a market for it (note that these three things are not mutually exclusive).  These are the kinds of self-published books that I love.  On the other hand, sometimes there are good reasons for major publishers not accepting it.  Like the fact that it is complete crap designed to fulfill its creator’s fantasies. Continue reading →

Fire Star by Chris d’Lacey

(Cover picture courtesy of Great Books by Doshisha International Readers.)

There is a fire star coming, signalling a time of new beginnings.  A time for dragons to rise again.

A research trip to the Arctic and a contract for a new book—life can’t get much better for David Rain.  But as soon as David finds himself in the icy climes, he begins to write his legend of bears, dragons, and the mysterious fire star.  Soon he realizes that his tale is beginning to mirror real life, and that an old enemy is on her way to meet him.  Can David thwart her terrible plan?  Or will his world be destroyed forever?

After hinting at it in the first book and explaining a little bit in the second book, Chris d’Lacey finally gives readers a full explanation about the origin of dragons—both the clay kind and the real ones.  As it turns out, Liz Pennykettle was hiding quite a few things from both David, her tenant, and Lucy, her own daughter.  This time, it’s going to cost her dearly as the scheming Gwilanna returns, with one thing on her mind: returning dragons to the world.

The thing I like most about Fire Star is how much depth the characters have.  We see David behaving more like a college student now that he’s temporarily out of the Pennykettle house and around Zanna, the quirky goth girl he loves.  Their relationship is believable, but it’s also unusual because they seem to be complete opposites.  This definitely makes for weird chemistry, but it works very well.

Filled with plot twists and turns, especially at the end, Fire Star is—to use the cliché—absolutely riveting.  It’s surprisingly fast-paced for a children’s novel, which makes it an enjoyable read for both children and tweens.  I would definitely recommend it.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble

Photography Guest Post

I bet you didn’t know I’m an amateur photographer, did you?  Well, I am and I posted a collection of photos called The Animals of Canada over at 1001 Scribbles.  So, if you’re a photography fan or just like cute animals, go check it out!  And for those of you that care, here’s my first guest post for 1001 Scribbles: A Sample of Canada.

Matched by Ally Condie

(Cover picture courtesy of Writing from the Tub.)

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander’s face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham’s face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it’s a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she’s destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can’t stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society’s infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

(Summary courtesy of Amazon.)

Matched by Ally Condie has garnered quite a bit of attention and hype, but once again we must ask ourselves: Does it deserve it?

Well, in a word, no.

Yet because it doesn’t live up to all of the hype doesn’t mean it is a bad novel.  In fact, it’s quite a good novel.  But is it absolutely amazing and the best thing since man learned how to make fire?  Of course not.  If I had to classify Matched, I’d put it under the ‘average’ category.  It’s an average YA novel, nothing more.

At the risk of sounding like every other book reviewer that’s read this book (and even a few that haven’t), I would describe it as ‘Orwellian’, simply because there is no other word for it.  The level of control the Officials have over every aspect of people’s lives is frightening and teens will be able to see the allusions to our own world.  For example, every meal is tailored to the individual so they receive the proper amount of nutrition for their age, occupation, metabolism and body type.  This could be seen as an allusion to how obsessed we are today with the fitness culture—all Ally Condie did was take things up a notch.  People who are so politically inclined could point out that if the government continues to ‘intrude upon our lives’, the society in Matched is a natural progression.

Like in pretty much all YA novels, there is a love triangle.  This one, however, is a bit different because in the beginning, Cassia is quite willing to accept Xander as her Match.  She didn’t start out as a rebel, but the poem her grandfather gave her and her growing love for Ky change her.  One of the best parts of Matched is the character development—the love triangle isn’t forced at all.

So there are quite a few good things about Matched, but I wouldn’t say there was really anything exceptional.  It was good, but not memorable because even though I have an excellent memory for books and it’s only been six days since I’ve read this book, I wasn’t able to remember the name of the main character without looking it up.  I can recall every detail of Scroll of Saqqara, name every character in Feed and can rant about everything I hated about Inheritance for hours, but I wasn’t able to remember Cassia.  Which, of course, brings me back to my original point: Matched is good, but it’s not great or memorable.

I give this book 3.5/5 stars.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble

Guest Posting and Other Site-Related Information

So I got it into my head that next month, June, is going to be History Month here on The Mad Reviewer.  What does that mean?  Well, it means for one month I’m going to review only historical fiction and non-fiction history books that I love.  Trust me, there’s going to be something for everyone here, even if you think you don’t like history.  Some of my book reviews will be on books that got my dear little sister interested in history (for the full story, click here) as well as historical fiction books that I truly enjoyed.  There’s going to be a lot of Carolyn Meyer, some Philippa Gregory, some Kathryn Lasky and even a Jack Whyte book review, so stay tuned!  These books will take you to ancient Egypt, Tudor England, WWII, ancient Britain, Viking Scandinavia and many more places you’ve never even dreamed of.

I’m guest posting yet again!  This time, it’s over at ForTheLoveOfBooks in which I review another fairytale retelling.  This time it’s a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.  It’s aptly named Beastly and was a truly spectacular fail.  I guess Alex Flinn needs to take a leaf out of Marissa Meyer’s book.  If you’re interested in seeing me completely trash a book, here’s a link to the review: Beastly by Alex Flinn.