Don your intergalactic spacesuits, BEYOND by Maureen A. Miller will take you to unknown galaxies and introduce you to some odd beings. This young adult science fiction novel is a fantastic read, and I give it 4 stars.
In the novel, seventeen-year-old Aimee Patterson is accidentally abducted by aliens while out for a walk, and due to the rotation of the galaxies, can't be returned to her planet for five Earth years. While on the Guardian ship Horus, Aimee meets a lot of people--some really handsome, some creepy--and has some interesting experiences. When the ship is affected by a disease, Aimee must work with Warrior Zak to find a cure.
I really liked this novel. For someone who hasn't read much true science fiction, BEYOND is a great introduction into the genre. The technological ideas will blow your mind. I imagined a much more complex plot with schemers and master manipulators, but in the end the plot was straightforward and simple. Whether that added to or detracted from the book, I'm not sure; I enjoyed reading it either way.
I would have liked some more distinction of time on the ship. Understandably, time on the ship is not the same as Earth time, but based on Aimee's routine, it seems like she is only away from Earth for three Earth nights before being returned. The reader only knows of 2 times that Aimee sleeps and one meal; yet Aimee is told that it will be something like an Earth month that she has to remain on the ship before being able to return to Earth, and her body grows into a more adult womanly figure. Time paradoxes aside, the passage of time in the novel was not clearly illustrated, and so it was a tad difficult to get my bearings.
The romance was sweet and a great illustration of the sublime nature of teenage love, but the issue with time makes it difficult for me to determine whether the declarations of love are believable.
On the technical side, the pace was well done, and there weren't any grammatical issues that detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
Overall, this was a great novel, and I look forward to reading the next in the series, telling us what happened to Zak after Aimee is returned to Earth.
**Review originally written for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=8953.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Unforgettable You by Marci Boudreaux - 3 stars
UNFORGETTABLE YOU by Marci Boudreaux is an emotional contemporary romance in the spirit of the movie Notting Hill that provides a lovely afternoon escape into the lives of an innkeeper and a movie star. I give it three stars.
In the novel, Carrie Gable is attempting to save her mother-in-law Doreen's ancestral homestead by opening it up to a group of actors who are filming a movie in her Iowa town. While dealing with the large group, Doreen's Alzheimer's gets worse, and handsome actor Will Walker becomes the shoulder for Carrie to lean on. When the movie wraps, Carrie and Will have to figure out how to make a long distance relationship work. But real life is never easy, and unexpected events conspire to keep them apart.
I enjoyed UNFORGETTABLE YOU. The plot was a simple and modern but loose interpretation of the Cinderella story --the servant falls in love with Prince Charming. There were several aspects of the novel that could have been expanded to enrich the story, but that is more of a personal preference. The ending was satisfying, even if a bit foreseeable.
The characters were well illustrated and believable, giving the novel some strong emotional muscle. Sensitive readers will definitely need tissues. The dialogue was witty, and readers can clearly see the friendship deepening. I could have used a bit more expansion of Carrie's turn around in the end, though; it seemed a bit abrupt.
There was a funny near-reference to The Princess Bride's ROUS's (Rodents of Unusual Size); the comment about 50-pound rats might have been a bit funnier if that connection were expressly made. The depiction of life with Alzheimer's was accurate, but that aspect of the novel is not the focal point. And the romance was definitely realistic, but graphic enough to be appropriate for adults only.
There were some technical issues that were distracting and occasionally confusing. In the very beginning, there was not enough narration to give context to the dialogue. Occasionally, wording was awkward or incorrect (e.g., ravage v. ravish), or revisions were incomplete, leaving behind extraneous words.
Overall though, the novel is a nice weekend read, and if you like contemporary romance, you'll want to put this on your reading list.
**Review originally written for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=13673.
In the novel, Carrie Gable is attempting to save her mother-in-law Doreen's ancestral homestead by opening it up to a group of actors who are filming a movie in her Iowa town. While dealing with the large group, Doreen's Alzheimer's gets worse, and handsome actor Will Walker becomes the shoulder for Carrie to lean on. When the movie wraps, Carrie and Will have to figure out how to make a long distance relationship work. But real life is never easy, and unexpected events conspire to keep them apart.
I enjoyed UNFORGETTABLE YOU. The plot was a simple and modern but loose interpretation of the Cinderella story --the servant falls in love with Prince Charming. There were several aspects of the novel that could have been expanded to enrich the story, but that is more of a personal preference. The ending was satisfying, even if a bit foreseeable.
The characters were well illustrated and believable, giving the novel some strong emotional muscle. Sensitive readers will definitely need tissues. The dialogue was witty, and readers can clearly see the friendship deepening. I could have used a bit more expansion of Carrie's turn around in the end, though; it seemed a bit abrupt.
There was a funny near-reference to The Princess Bride's ROUS's (Rodents of Unusual Size); the comment about 50-pound rats might have been a bit funnier if that connection were expressly made. The depiction of life with Alzheimer's was accurate, but that aspect of the novel is not the focal point. And the romance was definitely realistic, but graphic enough to be appropriate for adults only.
There were some technical issues that were distracting and occasionally confusing. In the very beginning, there was not enough narration to give context to the dialogue. Occasionally, wording was awkward or incorrect (e.g., ravage v. ravish), or revisions were incomplete, leaving behind extraneous words.
Overall though, the novel is a nice weekend read, and if you like contemporary romance, you'll want to put this on your reading list.
**Review originally written for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=13673.
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