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She
Shortlisted for The Word Guild Awards, Novel-Futuristic category, this is the classic tale of betrayal and friendship -- with an evil entity thrown in to confuse and enlighten the heroine.An entity from nothing space and time, Akaesman lurks in his dominion, waiting, watching through his peephole into our world for the right prey. And when he spots a good one, he forces himself into our space and time, evading the Akaesman patrol, invading his chosen one. He spreads his evil to everyone, one by one, male and female, changing them forever into his image.But the young songwriter and her fiancé, enjoying the end of their road trip, have never heard of Akaesman. On the eve of the summer solstice, they fly home to Toronto down a local highway past slumbering fields, toward a thick starlight-sucking forest, oblivious of their Akaesman. He comes out of a green neon wind. He smacks their car; he cracks the window; he's in her. Her songwriting career is dead. Her name is gone.When she learns of his presence, she resists him; she wrestles with him; she seeks help in her battle. Yet she loses ground. She's ready to quit. And that's when she discovers that there is more than one kind of evil...-----5 of 5 "Put simply this is the best urban fantasy story that I have ever read period .... you feel exactly how the main character feels. “She” is written with a pace that makes you feel every single word combined with hauntingly beautiful descriptions to forge a story that is anything but forgettable. That is the mark of a truly talented writer, someone who tells a story that you feel as opposed to reading words on a cold piece of paper. " Shane Porteous on She, from his Goodreads review."Shireen’s pen has all the force of a great storyteller and the artistic skills of reviving a past scene in its most original form." Ernest Dempsey on Shireen Jeejeebhoy's award-winning biography The Judy Taylor Story"If you want a book you can't put down, get Lifeliner into your hands..." Gloria Oren on Shireen Jeejeebhoy's award-winning biography The Judy Taylor Story
- GenresAmazon
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 30, 2011
516 people want to read
About the author
Shireen Jeejeebhoy
10 books32 followersI write books; years post-brain injury, I read books with *longer-than-a-minute memory and comprehension* again. I write non-fiction pieces; I read the news, which is supposedly non-fiction. I write poetry occasionally; I've gotten out of the habit of reading poetry -- must fix. I wrote short stories in another life.
I write blog posts; I read opinion pieces. I photograph things that catch my eye; I enjoy my Flickr Friends' photographs.
I tweet; I read tweets, well, okay, I read tweets addictively. I post Facebook status updates through third-party apps when I must.
I use Goodreads to track my reading progress as I relearn to read with comprehension and solid recall; I wrestle with the Goodreads website to write reviews again -- when I'm on the computer. I maintain a few websites; I visit many. I am Canadian. That is my life today.
I write blog posts; I read opinion pieces. I photograph things that catch my eye; I enjoy my Flickr Friends' photographs.
I tweet; I read tweets, well, okay, I read tweets addictively. I post Facebook status updates through third-party apps when I must.
I use Goodreads to track my reading progress as I relearn to read with comprehension and solid recall; I wrestle with the Goodreads website to write reviews again -- when I'm on the computer. I maintain a few websites; I visit many. I am Canadian. That is my life today.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 7, 2011
SHE is written by Canadian Author Shireen Jeejeebhoy.
One fated night a young songwriter and her fiance are out driving when they collide with something unknown and unseen to them. Through the green neon winds this thing cracks the window and invades into her being.
As they approach the Highway Patrol the word Akaesman is first mentioned on that eve of Summer Solstice.
'An entity from nothing space and time, Akaesman lurks in his dominion, waiting, watching through his peephole into our world for the right prey. And when he spots a good one, he forces himself into our space and time, evading the Akaesman patrol, invading his chosen one. He spreads his evil to everyone, one by one, male and female, changing them forever into his image'
Not only is her songwriting ability gone from this moment but also her life as she knows it.
Can anyone explain what has happened to her? Can she rid herself of it, Can she re-build her life and be herself again?
I will be honest I was reluctant to read this book at first when Shireen approached me to review it for her as fantasy is not my cup of tea. After reading it, I'm still not sure where I stand on this genre! Shireen has written a book packed full of emotion and really gets over to you the struggle that this girl is facing without the support and love of her friends around her, and boy what a struggle she has. As the story progressed, I started to lose my compassion for the lead as I wanted more from her, I wanted her to help herself more but that is the point of the whole story and the part I had difficulty in understanding. I imagine anyone who loves fantasy novels with spirits that they can't see etc would really enjoy this book. My little brain has trouble grasping anything that isn't real!!
It's a strong story that flows really well. Loved the Grandmother character and the cat Smokey was adorable!
Thank you Shireen for sending me a copy of this book and I am really glad I did read it.
You can find out more about Shireen by following her on twitter @ShireenJ or via her website http://jeejeebhoy.ca/
One fated night a young songwriter and her fiance are out driving when they collide with something unknown and unseen to them. Through the green neon winds this thing cracks the window and invades into her being.
As they approach the Highway Patrol the word Akaesman is first mentioned on that eve of Summer Solstice.
'An entity from nothing space and time, Akaesman lurks in his dominion, waiting, watching through his peephole into our world for the right prey. And when he spots a good one, he forces himself into our space and time, evading the Akaesman patrol, invading his chosen one. He spreads his evil to everyone, one by one, male and female, changing them forever into his image'
Not only is her songwriting ability gone from this moment but also her life as she knows it.
Can anyone explain what has happened to her? Can she rid herself of it, Can she re-build her life and be herself again?
I will be honest I was reluctant to read this book at first when Shireen approached me to review it for her as fantasy is not my cup of tea. After reading it, I'm still not sure where I stand on this genre! Shireen has written a book packed full of emotion and really gets over to you the struggle that this girl is facing without the support and love of her friends around her, and boy what a struggle she has. As the story progressed, I started to lose my compassion for the lead as I wanted more from her, I wanted her to help herself more but that is the point of the whole story and the part I had difficulty in understanding. I imagine anyone who loves fantasy novels with spirits that they can't see etc would really enjoy this book. My little brain has trouble grasping anything that isn't real!!
It's a strong story that flows really well. Loved the Grandmother character and the cat Smokey was adorable!
Thank you Shireen for sending me a copy of this book and I am really glad I did read it.
You can find out more about Shireen by following her on twitter @ShireenJ or via her website http://jeejeebhoy.ca/
March 26, 2013
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Zarine and Jim are driving home from a road trip. While Zarine was napping, to her dismay, Jim decides to come off of Highway 10 and take a back road through the forest. Zarine is suddenly filled fear and begs Jim to go back on the highway. Out of nowhere comes a neon green wind that spins their car, damages the windshield and invisibly enters Zarine. Her life is inexplicably changed. This is Zarine’s journey, fighting Akaesman Syndrome.
I love the fact that someone mixed an alien invasion into a Christian Fantasy novel. This book was brilliantly written, with the good versus evil concept. Akaesman, even the description of him and his behavior tells you that this ‘thing’ is Satan. I enjoyed the fact that she needed to be spiritually strong to defeat him. There were a lot of parallels to Christianity, the way we think and how it assists in overcoming obstacles. I enjoyed this very much. I felt really bad for Zarine with the situation she had with her friends. The issues she had with them were realistic and so was what she was going through, her symptoms seemed close to Fibromyalgia. I loved her fighting spirit and the fact that she never gave up. All in all, a great book that teaches us to never give up, and that when you feel alone, you’re not.
I love the fact that someone mixed an alien invasion into a Christian Fantasy novel. This book was brilliantly written, with the good versus evil concept. Akaesman, even the description of him and his behavior tells you that this ‘thing’ is Satan. I enjoyed the fact that she needed to be spiritually strong to defeat him. There were a lot of parallels to Christianity, the way we think and how it assists in overcoming obstacles. I enjoyed this very much. I felt really bad for Zarine with the situation she had with her friends. The issues she had with them were realistic and so was what she was going through, her symptoms seemed close to Fibromyalgia. I loved her fighting spirit and the fact that she never gave up. All in all, a great book that teaches us to never give up, and that when you feel alone, you’re not.
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June 14, 2011It's a bit difficult to review one's own book. First one is convinced it's the worst dreck ever, then the thought creeps in that it's brilliant, but of course reality is in between. And so I am eminently unqualified to star it or rate it. But I hope you will!
July 15, 2013
I wanted to rate this 4 1/2 stars... not quite a 5, but outstanding allegorical fiction. I'm still processing, but I hope to elaborate further at a later time. I predict I'll be thinking about "She" for a while.
November 23, 2013
This book is interesting for two reasons; not only is it a well written fantasy book in its own right it also holds, for me, a deeper meaning. The main character has been invaded by an alien force called Akaesman and this invasion causes the character to change radically; emotionally and physically. The deeper meaning is this could be the story of almost every person who has a 'hidden' disease, whether that be M.E., Fibromyalgia, Lupus or other disorders which can't be seen or understood easily by those around them.
Zarine, the 'she' in the story, is having a normal evening drive with her fiancee. On the way they encounter a force on a forest road which blows the car off course and causes Zarine to be slightly injured. Her fiancée gets control over the car again and they reach the edge of the forest where they are stopped by the Akaesman Patrol who look them over and advise Zarine to visit her GP first thing. After her encounter Zarine starts to change physically, mentally and emotionally. Her friends put this down to a lack of will, depression and laziness, mocking what they can't see or understand and telling her it's all in her mind. Zarine is bewildered but struggles on, helping herself the best way she can whilst facing professionals who tell her she is perfectly fine. Eventually she finds the help she needs and embracing faith and expressing true grit she pushes through to her conclusion.
This book follows the story of a woman who was normal one day and who gradually became unable to do the things she once took for granted. It looks at her relationship with her friends and family, the inevitable 'pull yourself together' conversations and the lack of care from some health professionals who simply don't have the answers but won't admit it. It highlights misconceptions about 'hidden' illnesses beautifully and, at one point, reduced me to tears with its realism, emotions and truthfulness.
Shirleen Jeejeebuoy has written a story people can relate to who have a relative or friend in a similar situation to the main character. Her heroine isn't there to be pitied, she is there to show there is light at the end of the tunnel and things can get better no matter what obstacles are thrown in the way or other people's ignorance. Resilience and bravery will win out.
Very inspiring!
Zarine, the 'she' in the story, is having a normal evening drive with her fiancee. On the way they encounter a force on a forest road which blows the car off course and causes Zarine to be slightly injured. Her fiancée gets control over the car again and they reach the edge of the forest where they are stopped by the Akaesman Patrol who look them over and advise Zarine to visit her GP first thing. After her encounter Zarine starts to change physically, mentally and emotionally. Her friends put this down to a lack of will, depression and laziness, mocking what they can't see or understand and telling her it's all in her mind. Zarine is bewildered but struggles on, helping herself the best way she can whilst facing professionals who tell her she is perfectly fine. Eventually she finds the help she needs and embracing faith and expressing true grit she pushes through to her conclusion.
This book follows the story of a woman who was normal one day and who gradually became unable to do the things she once took for granted. It looks at her relationship with her friends and family, the inevitable 'pull yourself together' conversations and the lack of care from some health professionals who simply don't have the answers but won't admit it. It highlights misconceptions about 'hidden' illnesses beautifully and, at one point, reduced me to tears with its realism, emotions and truthfulness.
Shirleen Jeejeebuoy has written a story people can relate to who have a relative or friend in a similar situation to the main character. Her heroine isn't there to be pitied, she is there to show there is light at the end of the tunnel and things can get better no matter what obstacles are thrown in the way or other people's ignorance. Resilience and bravery will win out.
Very inspiring!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews