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Vision
Madi sees demons, the very embodiment of the vices that stalk humanity. Gift or curse, it has never done anything good for her—only shown her how ugly the world truly is.
Her visions might have helped the night of Cassi’s accident—maybe she could have seen something, stopped it. But she ran—like always.
Now, with Cassi clinging to life, Madi struggles to keep herself and Vision Records from falling apart. The demons, however, have plans of their own.
Her visions might have helped the night of Cassi’s accident—maybe she could have seen something, stopped it. But she ran—like always.
Now, with Cassi clinging to life, Madi struggles to keep herself and Vision Records from falling apart. The demons, however, have plans of their own.
244 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
128 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 20, 2012
I think this book is awesome! I might be biased though :)
February 3, 2014
I'm trying to become more open to self-published books, especially since many of them have (so I've been told) attained higher levels of professionalism in the last few years. And in the first few pages of this book, I was hoping this might be the novel that proved to be "different" -- because while I've read high-quality self-published non-fiction and poetry, I've yet to read a self-published novel that is up to snuff. Instead, I always feel as if I'm reading fan-fiction ... which is fine, but I don't go for fan-fiction much these days.
This book, while not quite being an exception, wasn't horrible, either. In the book's defense, this isn't the kind of novel I'd usually pick up -- paranormal with Christian themes -- because I generally don't go for paranormal. And there were things the authors did right, such as practice the restraint many amateur authors lack in keeping the story focused on one point-of-view character rather than "head-hopping." Although grammatical and other errors weren't totally egregious, it was painfully obvious what the authors' and editor's grammatical "blind spots" were. The biggest storytelling shortcoming was the pacing -- the authors seemed compelled to cover every little detail rather than just cut to the chase. We don't need to know that a character unlocked her car door, put her keys in the ignition, turned on the radio, defrosted the windows, and pulled out of the parking lot to get a clear sense of "setting" in the story. These sorts of cumbersome details took up far more time than needed, while thematic questions remained unresolved or were only partially explained.
The book was very professionally designed and had some interesting ideas, although it felt more like a series of events than a cohesive whole. Perhaps most disappointing, since I read it for my book club, is that I don't feel it offers up a ton of food for thought. But perhaps the discussion will prove me wrong.
This book, while not quite being an exception, wasn't horrible, either. In the book's defense, this isn't the kind of novel I'd usually pick up -- paranormal with Christian themes -- because I generally don't go for paranormal. And there were things the authors did right, such as practice the restraint many amateur authors lack in keeping the story focused on one point-of-view character rather than "head-hopping." Although grammatical and other errors weren't totally egregious, it was painfully obvious what the authors' and editor's grammatical "blind spots" were. The biggest storytelling shortcoming was the pacing -- the authors seemed compelled to cover every little detail rather than just cut to the chase. We don't need to know that a character unlocked her car door, put her keys in the ignition, turned on the radio, defrosted the windows, and pulled out of the parking lot to get a clear sense of "setting" in the story. These sorts of cumbersome details took up far more time than needed, while thematic questions remained unresolved or were only partially explained.
The book was very professionally designed and had some interesting ideas, although it felt more like a series of events than a cohesive whole. Perhaps most disappointing, since I read it for my book club, is that I don't feel it offers up a ton of food for thought. But perhaps the discussion will prove me wrong.
July 24, 2012
It was good and fast. The dialog seemed so lifelike that it was almost spooky. I'm not much of a reader of Christian fiction but this seemed so real and convincing that it didn't bother me. It was a little difficult getting through the sadness but its great to have a female heroine for a change without action being the focus. I enjoyed the references to the music scene and the trials and tributions of music publishing.
June 20, 2012
An excellent book! I really empathized with the main character during her struggles.
March 25, 2018
There were some good parts of this book, but overall it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t get the visions of the demons and found them distracting and annoying. I didn’t care for the characters. Although not overly done, the religious points were still too much for my taste. I wasn’t a fan of the song lyrics thrown in towards the end. I could see why some would like this, it just wasn’t my style.
August 5, 2012
Full review and interview with the authors on my blog!
http://littlehyuts.blogspot.com
This is an absolutely fantastic book! And I DO NOT give out praise like that all willy nilly. I immensely enjoyed reading Vision and am so glad I was given a chance to review it. So, a BIG thanks to the authors!
I was not quite sure what to expect when I agreed to review this novel. The synopsis intrigued me and I was interested to see how the authors had chosen to portray demons. There are a lot of different takes on demons and for the most part I am not that fond of them as a subject for a book. However, Cathy and Galen changed my mind with this one. The demons in this book do have a supernatural element to them but they are more than that.
To me they seemed to be depicted as the negative subconscious thoughts that tend to plague humans. That voice that encourages defeat and lack of confidence when life seems to be dragging you down.
However, Vision is not so much about the demons, as it is about the main character and what she can do in her life because she can see them. This book was original and had a wonderful story line. I like books with a message and this one really stood out to me.
I enjoyed Maddies' character. She is strong and determined and most importantly, she has hope. She never gives up on Cassie, which is something I so admired about her. She portrays a friend anyone would be lucky to have. I enjoyed the development of her character as the story progressed and am so glad that she eventually found her voice.
Music is a huge part of this book and really made the story special. I enjoyed all the references to music artists and even looked some of them up.
Vision had a perfect ending. It kind of makes your heart swell at the last page. I don't want to give it away, so I am not going to say anything more.
This book has a great pace and I was hooked from the first chapter. I told myself I was only going to read the first fifty pages, but the story compels you to read on. I ended up not moving from my spot until I was finished. It was one of those situations where you have to know what is going to happen next.
I am highly recommending this book to all readers. If you are looking for something different that also happens to be a page turner, read this book!
http://littlehyuts.blogspot.com
This is an absolutely fantastic book! And I DO NOT give out praise like that all willy nilly. I immensely enjoyed reading Vision and am so glad I was given a chance to review it. So, a BIG thanks to the authors!
I was not quite sure what to expect when I agreed to review this novel. The synopsis intrigued me and I was interested to see how the authors had chosen to portray demons. There are a lot of different takes on demons and for the most part I am not that fond of them as a subject for a book. However, Cathy and Galen changed my mind with this one. The demons in this book do have a supernatural element to them but they are more than that.
To me they seemed to be depicted as the negative subconscious thoughts that tend to plague humans. That voice that encourages defeat and lack of confidence when life seems to be dragging you down.
However, Vision is not so much about the demons, as it is about the main character and what she can do in her life because she can see them. This book was original and had a wonderful story line. I like books with a message and this one really stood out to me.
I enjoyed Maddies' character. She is strong and determined and most importantly, she has hope. She never gives up on Cassie, which is something I so admired about her. She portrays a friend anyone would be lucky to have. I enjoyed the development of her character as the story progressed and am so glad that she eventually found her voice.
Music is a huge part of this book and really made the story special. I enjoyed all the references to music artists and even looked some of them up.
Vision had a perfect ending. It kind of makes your heart swell at the last page. I don't want to give it away, so I am not going to say anything more.
This book has a great pace and I was hooked from the first chapter. I told myself I was only going to read the first fifty pages, but the story compels you to read on. I ended up not moving from my spot until I was finished. It was one of those situations where you have to know what is going to happen next.
I am highly recommending this book to all readers. If you are looking for something different that also happens to be a page turner, read this book!
August 3, 2012
I picked up the book and started reading just a few days ago (and as you can see I finished it extremely quickly). It instantly captured my attention and held it the whole way through! I enjoyed it very much & can't wait to get more of my friends to read it so I can talk with them about it. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who reads the description and finds even the smallest bit of interest in it. You will not be disappointed! :)
*spoiler*
One of the main things that you are introduced to from the beginning of the book is the "vision" that Madi possesses. This "vision" is quite unique and it is something that I haven't experienced in any other book I've read. The way that she sees and hears these demons and even interacts with them is extremely interesting. At first I imagined it as her being able to see demons that reflected the person's true feelings towards whatever was in front of them. Later, I begin to think that Madi was seeing just one side of a person's conscience, the evil side that is usually represented as the devil on a person's shoulder in most cartoons. In either case, its a huge burden on her and greatly impacts her life and her impression of the world around her.
While Madi's vision was what first captured my attention in the book, the built up mystery behind Cassidy's accident kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. I could tell that I wasn't going to be told until later about the true story behind Cassi' accident, but little by little more was revealed as the story continued. I was glad to finally find out what happened to her, though the circumstances were quite a shock to me and it seemed that it had been somewhat of a surprise for Madi as well.
I also enjoyed the musical references, which were bound to be present since Madi & Cassi owned a record label. I didn't recognize many of the artists' names but that comes from not being well versed in the indie music scene. (Though there were some mainstream names tossed around that I recognized so I wasn't completely out of the loop.) I found the lyrics present in the book very pleasant to read, though I wish I knew the tune/beat to read them to.
*end spoiler*
*spoiler*
One of the main things that you are introduced to from the beginning of the book is the "vision" that Madi possesses. This "vision" is quite unique and it is something that I haven't experienced in any other book I've read. The way that she sees and hears these demons and even interacts with them is extremely interesting. At first I imagined it as her being able to see demons that reflected the person's true feelings towards whatever was in front of them. Later, I begin to think that Madi was seeing just one side of a person's conscience, the evil side that is usually represented as the devil on a person's shoulder in most cartoons. In either case, its a huge burden on her and greatly impacts her life and her impression of the world around her.
While Madi's vision was what first captured my attention in the book, the built up mystery behind Cassidy's accident kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. I could tell that I wasn't going to be told until later about the true story behind Cassi' accident, but little by little more was revealed as the story continued. I was glad to finally find out what happened to her, though the circumstances were quite a shock to me and it seemed that it had been somewhat of a surprise for Madi as well.
I also enjoyed the musical references, which were bound to be present since Madi & Cassi owned a record label. I didn't recognize many of the artists' names but that comes from not being well versed in the indie music scene. (Though there were some mainstream names tossed around that I recognized so I wasn't completely out of the loop.) I found the lyrics present in the book very pleasant to read, though I wish I knew the tune/beat to read them to.
*end spoiler*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2012
Okay, seriously, I never, never would have thought I would say that about a book about demons. There are just some parts of the whole YA, paranormal genres that I will not read ~ zombies, vampires, werewolves. I probably would have lumped demons in there with them too. But, like I said, the cover grabbed me and the author was so nice - I had to give it a shot.
I immediately loved Madi and admired how devoted she was to her best friend, Cassi, who was in a coma in the hospital. Madi works really hard to keep Cassi's dream business going until Cassi gets week and can come home. And the demons weren't real creepy and gross, they basically were just there hanging out around the people that Madi had to deal with, sort of their evil alter-egos.
As Madi tries to keep the business going for Cassi, she has to learn to lean on and trust the people in her life. That doesn't come easy for her. She grows a lot as she learns to rely on others and to reach out to those around her. She starts to see past the demons and to see the good in people.
Visions really made me stop and think about good vs. evil and how evil is all around us, all the time. What matters is how we live our lives and what we do with what we've got. This is really an awesome book, especially for the YA audience, the age group that can be so easily swayed to bad. This book shows us the importance of good.
I am so very glad that this cover caught my eye and that I was able to read this amazing book. I wish all the best for these two authors, Cathy Newcomb and Galen Snowden. I really hope they write more books in the future and that I get a chance to read whatever's next.
I immediately loved Madi and admired how devoted she was to her best friend, Cassi, who was in a coma in the hospital. Madi works really hard to keep Cassi's dream business going until Cassi gets week and can come home. And the demons weren't real creepy and gross, they basically were just there hanging out around the people that Madi had to deal with, sort of their evil alter-egos.
As Madi tries to keep the business going for Cassi, she has to learn to lean on and trust the people in her life. That doesn't come easy for her. She grows a lot as she learns to rely on others and to reach out to those around her. She starts to see past the demons and to see the good in people.
Visions really made me stop and think about good vs. evil and how evil is all around us, all the time. What matters is how we live our lives and what we do with what we've got. This is really an awesome book, especially for the YA audience, the age group that can be so easily swayed to bad. This book shows us the importance of good.
I am so very glad that this cover caught my eye and that I was able to read this amazing book. I wish all the best for these two authors, Cathy Newcomb and Galen Snowden. I really hope they write more books in the future and that I get a chance to read whatever's next.
August 1, 2016
I really thought this book was so good until the supernatural gift the main character had was gone. I know there was a message in there of why it happened, but the spiritual world she could see made the book hard to put down. Some character development lacking. The ending so so.(though I am very picky about endings. I just finished review where I did not like the ending of a book either. It was hard to rate this;It really does not merit a 4 with me, but a 3 is not high enough. So I really want to set it at 3.5 *s I recommend this book to some teens-your discretion - and anyone else. It is a christian book, but non Christians would probably like it also. Some may not.
August 25, 2016
This was a really good idea for a book. It was 2.5 stars for me. I didn’t understand enough about her visions - I felt like another book should have come before it to explain that more. Also, the demons breaking in to the conversations was distracting. Overall, it was interesting. I definitely think the authors could write more books and make this a series if they wanted. There’s definitely room in the story to grow!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews