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Lacuna Valley #1
Prophecy Girl
Ever since Samantha Winthrop's mother moved them to Lacuna Valley, supposedly in search of better weather, the list of strange questions she has no answers for has been growing out of control.
Does her little sister, Violet, have the ability to make things happen just by "praying" for them? Are Sam's dreams really predicting the future? Is she destined to marry the boy she just met, and what is the mysterious orb that he's guarding? Why does she get the impression that there are dangerous creatures watching from the woods?
While Sam should be focusing on answering those questions, there is one other that makes them seem almost irrelevant: Is her mother planning on killing her and Violet?
Does her little sister, Violet, have the ability to make things happen just by "praying" for them? Are Sam's dreams really predicting the future? Is she destined to marry the boy she just met, and what is the mysterious orb that he's guarding? Why does she get the impression that there are dangerous creatures watching from the woods?
While Sam should be focusing on answering those questions, there is one other that makes them seem almost irrelevant: Is her mother planning on killing her and Violet?
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 20, 2012
10 people are currently reading
676 people want to read
About the author
Faith McKay
6 books190 followersFaith McKay is the author of LIPSTICK & ZOMBIES and PROPHECY GIRL. She lives to write and only has bad days when she forgets that fact. When she’s not writing she can be found enjoying horror and comedy with equal abandon. When she’s found a good horror comedy you can hear her shouting things like “Ha! Right in the eye!” while giggling uncontrollably.
She grows a little weirder every day.
You can find out more about Faith McKay on McKayManor.com or by following her on twitter. If you want to see all of her horrifying works in one place, you can check out her Amazon author page.
She grows a little weirder every day.
You can find out more about Faith McKay on McKayManor.com or by following her on twitter. If you want to see all of her horrifying works in one place, you can check out her Amazon author page.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
November 8, 2012
This is my wife's debut novel and it's amazing. Everyone should add it to their shelves. It will be available on November 20th in all eBook formats!
November 20, 2012
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This is the type of book that is so easy to fall in love with!
Samantha is amazing. She may only be sixteen years old, but she is forced to make decisions that adults would have trouble with. Instead of shying away from her responsibilities, she stands up and does everything in her power to protect the one person in the world she would do anything for, her sister.
Violet is adorkable. She reminds me so much of my little sister. How loving they can be, and sometimes so annoying you just want to scream. For someone so young, she holds so much power. That alone paints a pretty big target on her back. It seems everyone has a plan on what to do with Violet. I don't think I can even imagine what is going through her head throughout the book. How does a nine year old handle knowing that people want to kill her?!?
One of the themes of the book is child abuse. I was glad we never had to see Violet hurt, but what was done to Samantha was enough to make me cry a bit. I liked how the seriousness of Sam's situation (the abuse) was not sugar coated or glossed over. You got a real good in-depth look into how confusing child abuse can be for the child. Sam wanted to love her mother so much. To believe that her mother was capable of loving her back, but she also had to wrestle with the knowledge that her mother would never love her and was more likely to hurt her and her sister to get what she wanted. That is a lot for a person to take in, especially a sixteen year old.
Nick = my hero! He to has too much going on in his life and so much responsibility. I loved his sense of humor and all of the sun glasses. The best was the banter between Nick and Sam. I think my favorite scene was when Nick and Sam were in the back of the truck on their "date." It was so funny, quirky, and cute. My Favorite quote from
that scene:
"I wasn't sure what to feed a vegetarian, but with my advanced cooking skills I knew I'd be up to the challenge." He pulled out a jar of strawberry jam and another of peanut butter. He looked over at her with his eyebrows raised.
"I'll take two."
"Our high class date continues! I brought carrot sticks, too. And chips, yogurt, and juice boxes."
"Aww!"
"No! Don't you 'aww' me. These are very adult juice boxes. Not cute at all. See!" He held a box out to her. "Organic!"
"I see! Not adorable. These are serious juice boxes."
The beginning of the book was full of mystery. I could feel Sam's frustration in wanting to know what was up with her mother. I had a bad feeling we weren't going to like what was in the little green book! This book is the perfect start to an amazing series! I did not expect that ending and am keeping my fingers crossed that their evil mother gets what is coming to her! If you haven't read this yet, you best get on with it! You are missing out!
This is the type of book that is so easy to fall in love with!
Samantha is amazing. She may only be sixteen years old, but she is forced to make decisions that adults would have trouble with. Instead of shying away from her responsibilities, she stands up and does everything in her power to protect the one person in the world she would do anything for, her sister.
Violet is adorkable. She reminds me so much of my little sister. How loving they can be, and sometimes so annoying you just want to scream. For someone so young, she holds so much power. That alone paints a pretty big target on her back. It seems everyone has a plan on what to do with Violet. I don't think I can even imagine what is going through her head throughout the book. How does a nine year old handle knowing that people want to kill her?!?
One of the themes of the book is child abuse. I was glad we never had to see Violet hurt, but what was done to Samantha was enough to make me cry a bit. I liked how the seriousness of Sam's situation (the abuse) was not sugar coated or glossed over. You got a real good in-depth look into how confusing child abuse can be for the child. Sam wanted to love her mother so much. To believe that her mother was capable of loving her back, but she also had to wrestle with the knowledge that her mother would never love her and was more likely to hurt her and her sister to get what she wanted. That is a lot for a person to take in, especially a sixteen year old.
Nick = my hero! He to has too much going on in his life and so much responsibility. I loved his sense of humor and all of the sun glasses. The best was the banter between Nick and Sam. I think my favorite scene was when Nick and Sam were in the back of the truck on their "date." It was so funny, quirky, and cute. My Favorite quote from
that scene:
"I wasn't sure what to feed a vegetarian, but with my advanced cooking skills I knew I'd be up to the challenge." He pulled out a jar of strawberry jam and another of peanut butter. He looked over at her with his eyebrows raised.
"I'll take two."
"Our high class date continues! I brought carrot sticks, too. And chips, yogurt, and juice boxes."
"Aww!"
"No! Don't you 'aww' me. These are very adult juice boxes. Not cute at all. See!" He held a box out to her. "Organic!"
"I see! Not adorable. These are serious juice boxes."
The beginning of the book was full of mystery. I could feel Sam's frustration in wanting to know what was up with her mother. I had a bad feeling we weren't going to like what was in the little green book! This book is the perfect start to an amazing series! I did not expect that ending and am keeping my fingers crossed that their evil mother gets what is coming to her! If you haven't read this yet, you best get on with it! You are missing out!
November 28, 2012
Really enjoyable read... great plot, characters, drama and witty banter! Looking forward to the next book in the series!
April 9, 2013
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to author Faith McKay.)
16-year-old Sam is starting at another new school, her family moves around a lot! The thing is it’s for really bizarre reasons too, like the weather!
Sam can’t wait to turn 18 and get out of her parent’s house, and not just because of the constant moving, but because her mother beats her.
Strange things are going on following their latest move to Lacuna Valley though, her sister Violet makes things happen by praying for them! Even huge things like making it rain in the desert, and Sam’s dreams seem to be coming true. Then there’s the way that people keep asking them why they moved here – as if moving there is a bad thing.
Things really begin to turn weird after Sam finds her grandma’s diary though, and the prophecies she foretold. Can Sam really dream the future? Can Violet really make things happen just by praying for them? And who is the boy who guards the orb?
This was a good start to a YA paranormal trilogy, with some interesting ideas regarding the supernatural.
Sam was an interesting character. She didn’t really believe in things unless she saw them with her own eyes, and she wasn’t ready to just accept whatever destiny someone else had in mind for her. I was shocked by the way her mother treated her though, and how willing she was to accept that treatment! Having your head smashed into a wall is not the sort of treatment you should willingly accept from anyone never mind your own mother! It did annoy me a bit that Sam didn’t stick up for herself more, especially when she had a younger sister that her mother could have turned on too!
The romance in this book was quite light and a little strange at times! I don’t want to give too much away, but Sam at first had no interest in the love interest at all, and then seemed to suddenly love him! Quite a quick occurrence, but I suppose you can’t argue with fate!
The storyline was okay, and the book did have an ending, even though not everything was tied up – this being book 1 in the series.
Overall; a good start to a new YA paranormal trilogy.
6.5 out of 10.
16-year-old Sam is starting at another new school, her family moves around a lot! The thing is it’s for really bizarre reasons too, like the weather!
Sam can’t wait to turn 18 and get out of her parent’s house, and not just because of the constant moving, but because her mother beats her.
Strange things are going on following their latest move to Lacuna Valley though, her sister Violet makes things happen by praying for them! Even huge things like making it rain in the desert, and Sam’s dreams seem to be coming true. Then there’s the way that people keep asking them why they moved here – as if moving there is a bad thing.
Things really begin to turn weird after Sam finds her grandma’s diary though, and the prophecies she foretold. Can Sam really dream the future? Can Violet really make things happen just by praying for them? And who is the boy who guards the orb?
This was a good start to a YA paranormal trilogy, with some interesting ideas regarding the supernatural.
Sam was an interesting character. She didn’t really believe in things unless she saw them with her own eyes, and she wasn’t ready to just accept whatever destiny someone else had in mind for her. I was shocked by the way her mother treated her though, and how willing she was to accept that treatment! Having your head smashed into a wall is not the sort of treatment you should willingly accept from anyone never mind your own mother! It did annoy me a bit that Sam didn’t stick up for herself more, especially when she had a younger sister that her mother could have turned on too!
The romance in this book was quite light and a little strange at times! I don’t want to give too much away, but Sam at first had no interest in the love interest at all, and then seemed to suddenly love him! Quite a quick occurrence, but I suppose you can’t argue with fate!
The storyline was okay, and the book did have an ending, even though not everything was tied up – this being book 1 in the series.
Overall; a good start to a new YA paranormal trilogy.
6.5 out of 10.
January 17, 2013
"The more she knew about all of this, the more she came to realize that ignorance really was bliss, but the monsters would still kill you just the same."
I am entirely on the fence about this book. On the one hand, the writing style is easy to fall in love with. It is so smooth it just rolls off the tongue. It draws you in and pulls you along.
The plot is complex and unpredictable. I have no idea where this story in heading, but I look forward to reading it! It is unlike any other other paranormal book I have read, and that makes it simply refreshing. This is just book one, and I can already see the enormity of it all. It's a huge undertaking, and I applaud McKay's venture.
And since I know that some people have issues with reading Indie books due to editing issues, you will be comforted to know that this is cleanly done. Only minor issues.
The issues that I did have with the book were simple. The ages of the characters simply didn't mesh with their behaviour at times. Violet, our MC's younger sister, is supposed to be nine, but I can't help but envision her as being six or seven. Samantha, *Sam*, is 16. She's counting down the days to her escape, but there were moments at the beginning of the book that I felt she was acting a little further away from adulthood.
On the plus side, Sam, and her inevitable love interest Nick, mature throughout the story, making their sexual tension a little less awkward, and their dialogue is very well done. They really did grow on me.
As a quick side note, I found it strange that vegetarianism randomly snuck into this story, and was described as not being a popular choice, and that people felt threatened by it. I just wanted to point out that it is, in fact, growing in popularity, with 7.3 million Americans living the lifestyle. There are 400 million vegetarians worldwide, and I don't know a single person who is threatened by vegetables.
Except brussel sprouts.
Those bitches are deadly.
Copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Find more reviews at www.contagiousreads.blogspot.com
I am entirely on the fence about this book. On the one hand, the writing style is easy to fall in love with. It is so smooth it just rolls off the tongue. It draws you in and pulls you along.
The plot is complex and unpredictable. I have no idea where this story in heading, but I look forward to reading it! It is unlike any other other paranormal book I have read, and that makes it simply refreshing. This is just book one, and I can already see the enormity of it all. It's a huge undertaking, and I applaud McKay's venture.
And since I know that some people have issues with reading Indie books due to editing issues, you will be comforted to know that this is cleanly done. Only minor issues.
The issues that I did have with the book were simple. The ages of the characters simply didn't mesh with their behaviour at times. Violet, our MC's younger sister, is supposed to be nine, but I can't help but envision her as being six or seven. Samantha, *Sam*, is 16. She's counting down the days to her escape, but there were moments at the beginning of the book that I felt she was acting a little further away from adulthood.
On the plus side, Sam, and her inevitable love interest Nick, mature throughout the story, making their sexual tension a little less awkward, and their dialogue is very well done. They really did grow on me.
As a quick side note, I found it strange that vegetarianism randomly snuck into this story, and was described as not being a popular choice, and that people felt threatened by it. I just wanted to point out that it is, in fact, growing in popularity, with 7.3 million Americans living the lifestyle. There are 400 million vegetarians worldwide, and I don't know a single person who is threatened by vegetables.
Except brussel sprouts.
Those bitches are deadly.
Copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Find more reviews at www.contagiousreads.blogspot.com
February 22, 2017
I wasn't sure what to think of this book when I started it- the writing was good, flowed nicely and at a good pace, but I wasn't sure where the story was going. Then I hit Chapter 3- I had a hard time putting it down!
I love the situation of this book- the fact that it's real (more than most people know) and at the same time, has elements of paranormal and magic. The sibling bonds are certainly a strong point in this book, and I love that. The mix of humor with suspense is wonderful, and the comic reliefs are hilarious. I love a well rounded book that has me cracking up at one point, crying at another, and wringing my hands in worry and suspense at others. This book is just that- well rounded, and deep.
The characters are all very real and believable, and I love all of them. I adore the relationship between Sam and Nick- they are just addicting! I love their love of music, and the way the act together- just really deep and real.
When I reached the end, I was so sad it was already over! I can not wait to read the next book, and see what happens!
Certainly a book I'd recommend, and an author I'd read just about anything from.
*I was given an ebook copy of this book, by the author, in exchange for an honest review.
November 22, 2012
I would like to thank Faith McKay for this book for review purposes.
This is a very different story line. Let me explain: 1) Sam and Violet's mother is trying to kill them (literally!). She is crazy! She needs the girls to carry out her plan but once the plan is finished, she will not need them anymore. 2) Violet is special. When she "prayers" for people or something it happens. Sam is special. Her dreams (though they are a bit sketchy) are predicting the future and all she wants to do is protect her sister. 3) Nick is special. He is destined to marry Sam and his future is already planned out for him. This does not make him happy because he doesn't really want this life. He doesn't want Sam to be burden with this life, but knows that she will be part of it.
Best Part of the Book: I loved the relationship between Sam and Nick. It is not a perfect relationship but they are there for each other, when it counts. I love their sense of humor and their love of music. Plus, Nick's collection of sunglasses! I love how Violet is so young and knows that she is special, but doesn't want to hurt anyone. You have to remember that she is just 9 years old.
Not so great about book: The only thing that I didn't like about this book was the cliffhanger. But, that is just me. I cannot wait for Book 2 to see what happens.
This is a very different story line. Let me explain: 1) Sam and Violet's mother is trying to kill them (literally!). She is crazy! She needs the girls to carry out her plan but once the plan is finished, she will not need them anymore. 2) Violet is special. When she "prayers" for people or something it happens. Sam is special. Her dreams (though they are a bit sketchy) are predicting the future and all she wants to do is protect her sister. 3) Nick is special. He is destined to marry Sam and his future is already planned out for him. This does not make him happy because he doesn't really want this life. He doesn't want Sam to be burden with this life, but knows that she will be part of it.
Best Part of the Book: I loved the relationship between Sam and Nick. It is not a perfect relationship but they are there for each other, when it counts. I love their sense of humor and their love of music. Plus, Nick's collection of sunglasses! I love how Violet is so young and knows that she is special, but doesn't want to hurt anyone. You have to remember that she is just 9 years old.
Not so great about book: The only thing that I didn't like about this book was the cliffhanger. But, that is just me. I cannot wait for Book 2 to see what happens.
April 28, 2013
This book was gifted to me for a honest review.
The story is about sisters Samantha and Violet who are constantly moved from place to place with there mum/dad. They never know why they move until they move to Lacuna Valley, a strange town where everything is still and peaceful. Here Sam meets Nick and his Brother Zach. Violet is a bit strange and prays for things to happen, its not until they move to Lacuna Valley that Sam finally believes that Violet can actually can do this. Things come to light after Sam reads the green book that was her late Grandmothers. Sam starts to have dream prophecies while in lacuna valley. Sam is constantly physically abused by her mum until Violet steps in and stops her mum by making Sam invisible to her mum.
It took me a while to get into this book. I thought it was a bit slow at the beginning and it just didn't grab me from the start. For me things got exciting once Sam and Violet leave her parents house and go and stay with Mary. I understand the pace of the book in relation to the story but felt at times there was just too much going on, with the Seasonals, werewolves, the orb. I didn't know what was going to come into next. We don't hear too much about the orb or were its kept. The ending just stopped so you cant guess if or what's going to happen next.
For me this book was a bit confusing at times, it was ok.
The story is about sisters Samantha and Violet who are constantly moved from place to place with there mum/dad. They never know why they move until they move to Lacuna Valley, a strange town where everything is still and peaceful. Here Sam meets Nick and his Brother Zach. Violet is a bit strange and prays for things to happen, its not until they move to Lacuna Valley that Sam finally believes that Violet can actually can do this. Things come to light after Sam reads the green book that was her late Grandmothers. Sam starts to have dream prophecies while in lacuna valley. Sam is constantly physically abused by her mum until Violet steps in and stops her mum by making Sam invisible to her mum.
It took me a while to get into this book. I thought it was a bit slow at the beginning and it just didn't grab me from the start. For me things got exciting once Sam and Violet leave her parents house and go and stay with Mary. I understand the pace of the book in relation to the story but felt at times there was just too much going on, with the Seasonals, werewolves, the orb. I didn't know what was going to come into next. We don't hear too much about the orb or were its kept. The ending just stopped so you cant guess if or what's going to happen next.
For me this book was a bit confusing at times, it was ok.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2013
Find all my reviews at http://mamabookasaurus.blogspot.com and follow me on TWITTER:@MAMABookasaurus • FACEBOOK • Pinterest • MySpace • Tumbr
TECHNICALLY 2.8 ROUNDED TO 3
I would like to take a moment and thank the author for a copy of this book.
This book was somewhat tough to get through but it had a center that made it definitely worth reading. I will be honest... it took me a long time to read the first 3/4 of the book. As in weeks. Let me start off with my constructive criticisms and then I'll end with the positive yummy bits.
The premise of the book interested me. Strange abilities, mysterious guardians and dangerous creatures usually ring my bell. What was unfortunate about this novel was the missing connection between the reader and the two main teenage characters. I could not engage with either Sam or Nick. The problems for me that snagged the connection was the pacing, the lack of character development, the underdeveloped minor characters and plot, the mind-blowing long philosophical or repetitive internal monologues, the typos and the vague references to all the supernatural beings and abilities. The fact that all but one adult was portrayed as remote, clueless, ignorant, completely lacking in empathy or responsibility, blinded by truth and oblivious was very irritating. There was this bizarre undertone to most of the book that was exacerbated by the slow pace. This left me confused and I admit... bored.
I found some scenes were stalled, almost repeating themselves. Most of the book was Sam's internal monologues. Those were overtly philosophical and repetitive questions.
The dialogue was sparse, disjointed, sometimes unnecessary and sometimes felt like it was out from left field. It wasn't realistic conversations, but vague, obtuse or choppy. A pet peeve of mine was how the same situations didn't change Sam or her opinions. She was very helpless, bitter and unintelligent about how to deal with things. I felt we only scratched the surface with Nick. He was very flat. Sam's parents were just weird but I think that was because their characters weren't fully developed and expressed. The inconsistencies were a bit bothersome.
No phone but the mom gossips. The kids never go to town and the town is OK with never seeing the kids? The dad seems very ill one minute and trying to get a job and running out to dinner the next. What were these snippets of information that never came to fruition? Why does Sam act like abuse is OK when she's been around enough to know that cops ARE your friends and Child Protective Services really CAN help? What about the secondary characters? We get unfocused snap shots that leave you interested in what they could be. The other thing was this... if Violet could wish for anything and it come true, then WHY don't they have her wish for her mother to turn good and forget all about her obsession, drop dead or vanish away to a deserted island? It is such an easy fix that NO ONE seems to think to do it. The problems left me pondering:
but I kept returning to the book because there was some real genius underneath. Let me explain the exceptional aspects to this novel.
The basic core of the book is interesting. Two sisters, two different powers, a wretched and mysterious mother, a dark boy with secrets and other supernatural beings. (Sorry, can't get away spoilers!) There are some secondary characters that could steal the show if given time and support to ripen and mature. Violet and two other (females) that shall not be named made me feel:
I could really get behind these characters, especially if they were honed to perfection. I can't tell you about two of the characters because they would be spoilers, but let's discuss Violet. Who wouldn't give to be their own "genie-in-a-bottle" in real life? Her innocence and naivete is both enduring and irritating. As a mother of nine, seven and two, I completely understand her mental and emotional level. My kids are the same. What makes her my favorite is there is more time given to her character, more meat given to her structure and that made her very interesting! The fact that you have these two sisters with very different abilities is a mysterious puzzle I want to see solved. The orb idea is unique and I want to see the mythology behind it flushed out. If the next book is written in first person POV or even a different character's point of view (POV) then the book should be way more engaging.
Sam and Nick's romance is complicated by an age old prophecy, but I felt it was age appropriate. No massive make out sessions in the truck. No clandestine meetings to hit third base in the music room. However, I felt their dialogue was not typical teen "speak" and their awkwardness was given a steroid injection. It was really heavy with random hits of bizarre laughter. You could never figure out the relationship as it bounced around like a kid in a bounce house.
I am hoping the next installment will have the proper amount of time to fully mature. This book needed a good deal of time with an editor to refine and rebuild sections. Given that, the core is interesting enough to warrant the upgrade to a three rating.
TECHNICALLY 2.8 ROUNDED TO 3
I would like to take a moment and thank the author for a copy of this book.
This book was somewhat tough to get through but it had a center that made it definitely worth reading. I will be honest... it took me a long time to read the first 3/4 of the book. As in weeks. Let me start off with my constructive criticisms and then I'll end with the positive yummy bits.
The premise of the book interested me. Strange abilities, mysterious guardians and dangerous creatures usually ring my bell. What was unfortunate about this novel was the missing connection between the reader and the two main teenage characters. I could not engage with either Sam or Nick. The problems for me that snagged the connection was the pacing, the lack of character development, the underdeveloped minor characters and plot, the mind-blowing long philosophical or repetitive internal monologues, the typos and the vague references to all the supernatural beings and abilities. The fact that all but one adult was portrayed as remote, clueless, ignorant, completely lacking in empathy or responsibility, blinded by truth and oblivious was very irritating. There was this bizarre undertone to most of the book that was exacerbated by the slow pace. This left me confused and I admit... bored.
I found some scenes were stalled, almost repeating themselves. Most of the book was Sam's internal monologues. Those were overtly philosophical and repetitive questions.
The dialogue was sparse, disjointed, sometimes unnecessary and sometimes felt like it was out from left field. It wasn't realistic conversations, but vague, obtuse or choppy. A pet peeve of mine was how the same situations didn't change Sam or her opinions. She was very helpless, bitter and unintelligent about how to deal with things. I felt we only scratched the surface with Nick. He was very flat. Sam's parents were just weird but I think that was because their characters weren't fully developed and expressed. The inconsistencies were a bit bothersome.
No phone but the mom gossips. The kids never go to town and the town is OK with never seeing the kids? The dad seems very ill one minute and trying to get a job and running out to dinner the next. What were these snippets of information that never came to fruition? Why does Sam act like abuse is OK when she's been around enough to know that cops ARE your friends and Child Protective Services really CAN help? What about the secondary characters? We get unfocused snap shots that leave you interested in what they could be. The other thing was this... if Violet could wish for anything and it come true, then WHY don't they have her wish for her mother to turn good and forget all about her obsession, drop dead or vanish away to a deserted island? It is such an easy fix that NO ONE seems to think to do it. The problems left me pondering:
but I kept returning to the book because there was some real genius underneath. Let me explain the exceptional aspects to this novel.
The basic core of the book is interesting. Two sisters, two different powers, a wretched and mysterious mother, a dark boy with secrets and other supernatural beings. (Sorry, can't get away spoilers!) There are some secondary characters that could steal the show if given time and support to ripen and mature. Violet and two other (females) that shall not be named made me feel:
I could really get behind these characters, especially if they were honed to perfection. I can't tell you about two of the characters because they would be spoilers, but let's discuss Violet. Who wouldn't give to be their own "genie-in-a-bottle" in real life? Her innocence and naivete is both enduring and irritating. As a mother of nine, seven and two, I completely understand her mental and emotional level. My kids are the same. What makes her my favorite is there is more time given to her character, more meat given to her structure and that made her very interesting! The fact that you have these two sisters with very different abilities is a mysterious puzzle I want to see solved. The orb idea is unique and I want to see the mythology behind it flushed out. If the next book is written in first person POV or even a different character's point of view (POV) then the book should be way more engaging.
Sam and Nick's romance is complicated by an age old prophecy, but I felt it was age appropriate. No massive make out sessions in the truck. No clandestine meetings to hit third base in the music room. However, I felt their dialogue was not typical teen "speak" and their awkwardness was given a steroid injection. It was really heavy with random hits of bizarre laughter. You could never figure out the relationship as it bounced around like a kid in a bounce house.
I am hoping the next installment will have the proper amount of time to fully mature. This book needed a good deal of time with an editor to refine and rebuild sections. Given that, the core is interesting enough to warrant the upgrade to a three rating.
November 28, 2012
Detailed Review: I loved this book. It was really nice to say that it was interesting, captivating, unusual and heroic! Faith McKay has a style to her writing that will make the readers read once more; twice and all over again. I thought the story was quite good as it told the story of a girl called Sam Winthrop. The start of the story was quite hilarious. It starts off as Sam's out of the house at her backyard (which is not really much though...) but suddenly her sister, Violet comes out and tries to make Sam play Littlest Pet Shop...
See what happens then.
“Do you want to play Littlest Pet Shop? You can have the turtle.” Violet tilted her
head to the side with a small hopeful smile.
Sam cringed and sunk down further in her chair. “Not today, kid.”
“You suck. You're no fun at all anymore.” Violet kicked the pile of dead grass. “I bet you'd
come inside and play if it rained,” she pouted.
I thought Violet was adorable. Yes, adorable. I mean, the kid's practically stuck on Littlest Pet Shop while her sister is dying in a desert-like world out in their backyard, wishing for rain. Then the impossible happens...
“If it started raining I'd probably dance in it.”
Apparently Sam's pretty desperate to run in the rain. Guess what happens next...
Guess!
“Yeah?” Violet smiled and got down on her knees, clasped her hands together, and began to
pray for it to rain.
And then...
She opened her jaw wide to pop her ears.
“See!” Violet squealed.
Sam opened her eyes and blinked in disbelief at the dark shade on the hills in front of her. She
looked up to see gray clouds rolling through the sky. Violet giggled and jumped up and down next
to her.
“After you dance, can we play Littlest Pet Shop, please?!” Violet begged.
“Sure, kid...”
So as you know when Violet prays, her wishes comes true like wishing rain which Sam later on got her wish from her younger sister, Violet.
SAM; The main protagonist of the story - she was really cool yet 'skippy' and strong even through the toughest times from her mother. She has shown the most result from this girl of ignorance to a girl who has truly found her way in the world.
VIOLET; officially granted, sweet. Violet 'Vi' as Nick considers her - I thought Violet was a very adorable and sweet girl who definitely is such an unbelievable yet hyper girl. McKay has turned this little innocent girl into a girl who has yet to see it all.
NICK; hehe...I thought Nick was a really interesting character...destined to get married to a girl called Sam? Now there's a dream come true for some people. McKay the author, has made this character inexplicably admirable and mysterious from the start and revealing his status and so-called love for Sam.
In the end, let's just say you have to read it to believe it. It's all true, scout's honour! Actually I've never been a scout before...but...oh well. I have to say Faith McKay's writing has this fluid, non-existant annoyance that some books have. Her writing was quality and equally promising.
Though some parts may confuse the reader's, never fear - you may get your wish by praying with Violet all the way through the story!
Brief Review: 'Equally exciting, captivating and mysterious - I can't wait to read the second book of the Lacuna Valley series! McKay's writing is definitely promising and I can't wait to read more of it when her second book comes out! Keep praying with Violet's wishes.'
My Rating: 4/5 "Really Liked It"
You can find more at my blog!
See what happens then.
“Do you want to play Littlest Pet Shop? You can have the turtle.” Violet tilted her
head to the side with a small hopeful smile.
Sam cringed and sunk down further in her chair. “Not today, kid.”
“You suck. You're no fun at all anymore.” Violet kicked the pile of dead grass. “I bet you'd
come inside and play if it rained,” she pouted.
I thought Violet was adorable. Yes, adorable. I mean, the kid's practically stuck on Littlest Pet Shop while her sister is dying in a desert-like world out in their backyard, wishing for rain. Then the impossible happens...
“If it started raining I'd probably dance in it.”
Apparently Sam's pretty desperate to run in the rain. Guess what happens next...
Guess!
“Yeah?” Violet smiled and got down on her knees, clasped her hands together, and began to
pray for it to rain.
And then...
She opened her jaw wide to pop her ears.
“See!” Violet squealed.
Sam opened her eyes and blinked in disbelief at the dark shade on the hills in front of her. She
looked up to see gray clouds rolling through the sky. Violet giggled and jumped up and down next
to her.
“After you dance, can we play Littlest Pet Shop, please?!” Violet begged.
“Sure, kid...”
So as you know when Violet prays, her wishes comes true like wishing rain which Sam later on got her wish from her younger sister, Violet.
SAM; The main protagonist of the story - she was really cool yet 'skippy' and strong even through the toughest times from her mother. She has shown the most result from this girl of ignorance to a girl who has truly found her way in the world.
VIOLET; officially granted, sweet. Violet 'Vi' as Nick considers her - I thought Violet was a very adorable and sweet girl who definitely is such an unbelievable yet hyper girl. McKay has turned this little innocent girl into a girl who has yet to see it all.
NICK; hehe...I thought Nick was a really interesting character...destined to get married to a girl called Sam? Now there's a dream come true for some people. McKay the author, has made this character inexplicably admirable and mysterious from the start and revealing his status and so-called love for Sam.
In the end, let's just say you have to read it to believe it. It's all true, scout's honour! Actually I've never been a scout before...but...oh well. I have to say Faith McKay's writing has this fluid, non-existant annoyance that some books have. Her writing was quality and equally promising.
Though some parts may confuse the reader's, never fear - you may get your wish by praying with Violet all the way through the story!
Brief Review: 'Equally exciting, captivating and mysterious - I can't wait to read the second book of the Lacuna Valley series! McKay's writing is definitely promising and I can't wait to read more of it when her second book comes out! Keep praying with Violet's wishes.'
My Rating: 4/5 "Really Liked It"
You can find more at my blog!
January 2, 2013
Prophecy Girl is the story of Samantha a sixteen year old whose nomadic parents never let her stay in any town long enough to form bonds with anyone except her little sister. There is something darker behind that curtain: a mother who manipulates one child and beats the other all while searching the continent for a magical relic. When Samantha finally learns the secret behind her family's nomadic life she also learns that her mother intends to kill her and her sister as soon as she has the magical orb.
I love a bit of magic in the modern day, hence why I was drawn to this book. I was a bit apprehensive however to read it since the last two young adult titles I read I was not impressed by. I was starting to believe I may have grown out of the genre. Nope. I just needed to read the right book.
I read through quite quickly and enjoyed the ideas and story. I really loved the characters of Sam, Violet and Nick all of whom I find quite believable. I was stalled a bit by the father however - how do you not notice your wife is a bitch who beats and manipulates her kids and purposefully moves you from one town to another to make you sicker? I get that she was hiding her actions from him, but even then, sixteen years with a person and she managed to NEVER let a hint of her real self slip through? I'm hoping the follow up books might reveal Danielle (the mother/bitch) to have had some sort of mind control over him or something other wise I might have to start despising the man almost as much as his wife.
Something that a lot of books lately have been lacking for me - the romance element - finally touched me in this book (I was starting to worry I was becoming a cynic). I love the complexities of Samantha's relationship, the doubt, the prophecy, the timing. I adored their banter to the point where one particular scene made me want to draw a comic of it (I haven't felt that urge in YEARS)(the juice box scene for anyone interested). I also found it believable, all the anger, doubts and insecurities both common to the teen years and unique to their unusual situation. I did for a little while question some of the references they both made to 80's movies and a few things that might not have been pop culture to their generation, but I can also see they are not current pop culture kids, so guess it isn't awful, though I might have found the references (which I got because I'm old ;p ) even funnier if one of them fell flat on the other because the other kid didn't get the reference. Also (and this is very important with romance to me) if I'm wishing there was more kissing then you know you've got a winner couple in my opinion.
The ending (which I'm not going to spoil completely but you might want to skip this paragraph to avoid inadvertent spoilers and overall spoilers) was a gut stabber, and I'll confess if that had been the ending for a stand alone novel I probably would have rage quit. I can see however the benefit of such an ending for the series tension as a whole, but I wish there had been a bit more good guys winning to it. The action and shock of it however was fast paced and well done.
I'm very much looking forward to the sequel which should be released some time this year.
I recommend this book to paranormal romance lovers, urban fantasy fans and young adult readers (and those who enjoy the genre despite no longer fitting the classification ;p ).
I love a bit of magic in the modern day, hence why I was drawn to this book. I was a bit apprehensive however to read it since the last two young adult titles I read I was not impressed by. I was starting to believe I may have grown out of the genre. Nope. I just needed to read the right book.
I read through quite quickly and enjoyed the ideas and story. I really loved the characters of Sam, Violet and Nick all of whom I find quite believable. I was stalled a bit by the father however - how do you not notice your wife is a bitch who beats and manipulates her kids and purposefully moves you from one town to another to make you sicker? I get that she was hiding her actions from him, but even then, sixteen years with a person and she managed to NEVER let a hint of her real self slip through? I'm hoping the follow up books might reveal Danielle (the mother/bitch) to have had some sort of mind control over him or something other wise I might have to start despising the man almost as much as his wife.
Something that a lot of books lately have been lacking for me - the romance element - finally touched me in this book (I was starting to worry I was becoming a cynic). I love the complexities of Samantha's relationship, the doubt, the prophecy, the timing. I adored their banter to the point where one particular scene made me want to draw a comic of it (I haven't felt that urge in YEARS)(the juice box scene for anyone interested). I also found it believable, all the anger, doubts and insecurities both common to the teen years and unique to their unusual situation. I did for a little while question some of the references they both made to 80's movies and a few things that might not have been pop culture to their generation, but I can also see they are not current pop culture kids, so guess it isn't awful, though I might have found the references (which I got because I'm old ;p ) even funnier if one of them fell flat on the other because the other kid didn't get the reference. Also (and this is very important with romance to me) if I'm wishing there was more kissing then you know you've got a winner couple in my opinion.
The ending (which I'm not going to spoil completely but you might want to skip this paragraph to avoid inadvertent spoilers and overall spoilers) was a gut stabber, and I'll confess if that had been the ending for a stand alone novel I probably would have rage quit. I can see however the benefit of such an ending for the series tension as a whole, but I wish there had been a bit more good guys winning to it. The action and shock of it however was fast paced and well done.
I'm very much looking forward to the sequel which should be released some time this year.
I recommend this book to paranormal romance lovers, urban fantasy fans and young adult readers (and those who enjoy the genre despite no longer fitting the classification ;p ).
January 10, 2013
Prophecy Girl is an urban tale of a sixteen year old girl who discovers her already terrible life is worse than she could have imagined. With parents who continue to move around the US, she finds herself in Lacuna Valley, a dry and dreary western town. With the isolation she faces from living in the middle of nowhere, her mother continues to abuse her and her father continues to stand by & let it happen. Soon Sam finds out that her mother actually has intentions to kill her, her little sister can pray to make things happen, and they're all part of a plot for obtaining ultimate power. She's introduced to werewolves and mysterious creatures called seasonals that inhabit the valley, and discovers that destiny is more real than she ever thought possible.
The protagonist, Sam, made me picture Merida from Disney's Brave as she was described as having big, red curly hair. She was an interesting character and dealt with everything that was thrown at her realistically. Though she at times seemed a bit timid, she had numerous moments where she stood up for herself and you couldn't help but cheer her on. Her sister, Violet, was absolutely adorable. She was friends with everyone and anyone, and had a pet rat named Penguin. Blessed with the power to pray for whatever she wanted and have it happen, she showed remarkable restraint for such a young girl... though this often came off as a writing flaw because it was unrealistic to me.
When Sam moves to Lacuna Valley, she makes two prominent friendships: Nick and Mary. Mary is the first person she really gets to know, as she is assigned to show her around the school. She loves mandarins and is very kind, though I didn't see as much of her in the story as I would have liked to. Nick is into the same obscure music that Sam likes, and keeps a collection of sunglasses. The two seem to be instantly attracted to each other.
I really enjoyed the story. The dialogue was quirky at times, though some of it felt unnecessary and should have been cut out/shortened. It was written in third person, but I felt I would have enjoyed it more in first person instead. At times it actually read like first person but it quickly turned around to third. Sam's emotional reactions seemed more prominent than the action, and that's usually how I decide if a book should be in first or third person.
My main issues with Prophecy Girl lie with the plot and conflict. I won't go into specifics as that may spoil the book, but the main conflict that drove the story seemed to have an easy and obvious fix that was never brought up by anyone. It felt like a big plot hole that agitated me continuously. It's frustrating to have this conflict that all of the characters seem torn over when it seems to have a pretty easy solution, based on the information the author has given you.
All in all, I really liked Prophecy Girl and would like to thank Faith McKay for sending me a copy! While I'm not the biggest urban fantasy reader, if it's your thing, I'm sure you'll love this.
The protagonist, Sam, made me picture Merida from Disney's Brave as she was described as having big, red curly hair. She was an interesting character and dealt with everything that was thrown at her realistically. Though she at times seemed a bit timid, she had numerous moments where she stood up for herself and you couldn't help but cheer her on. Her sister, Violet, was absolutely adorable. She was friends with everyone and anyone, and had a pet rat named Penguin. Blessed with the power to pray for whatever she wanted and have it happen, she showed remarkable restraint for such a young girl... though this often came off as a writing flaw because it was unrealistic to me.
When Sam moves to Lacuna Valley, she makes two prominent friendships: Nick and Mary. Mary is the first person she really gets to know, as she is assigned to show her around the school. She loves mandarins and is very kind, though I didn't see as much of her in the story as I would have liked to. Nick is into the same obscure music that Sam likes, and keeps a collection of sunglasses. The two seem to be instantly attracted to each other.
I really enjoyed the story. The dialogue was quirky at times, though some of it felt unnecessary and should have been cut out/shortened. It was written in third person, but I felt I would have enjoyed it more in first person instead. At times it actually read like first person but it quickly turned around to third. Sam's emotional reactions seemed more prominent than the action, and that's usually how I decide if a book should be in first or third person.
My main issues with Prophecy Girl lie with the plot and conflict. I won't go into specifics as that may spoil the book, but the main conflict that drove the story seemed to have an easy and obvious fix that was never brought up by anyone. It felt like a big plot hole that agitated me continuously. It's frustrating to have this conflict that all of the characters seem torn over when it seems to have a pretty easy solution, based on the information the author has given you.
All in all, I really liked Prophecy Girl and would like to thank Faith McKay for sending me a copy! While I'm not the biggest urban fantasy reader, if it's your thing, I'm sure you'll love this.
March 17, 2013
Also posted on Rally the Readers.
* A copy was provided by the author for review.
2.5 Stars
Prophecy Girl is probably one of the toughest books I’ve read. I knew going into the book that there was an undertone of harsher themes, but that wasn’t even what put a damper on the book for me; I had several other issues with it.
The characters, Sam and Nick, were the typical interpretation of troubled teenagers. As the reader, I pretty much knew four things about them: 1) They share a love of the same bands, 2) Nick likes sunglasses and Sam hates her mother, 3) They both dearly love their younger siblings, and 4) Both of them are connected to the supernatural. Nick and Sam were both pretty boring. I have nothing against them, but that’s the thing! I didn’t care about them—at all.
The villains in the story weren’t any more plausible. Sam’s abusive mother and passive father are the worst parents in the history of the universe. Okay, I can deal with that, but why?! Why did they decide to have children if they couldn’t care less about them?! Why do they send them to school and buy them things if they are only using Sam and Violet for their abilities?! Why does the father stay with his controlling and abusive wife?! Where did the father even go for the last half of the book?! And how does the mother even have friends to gossip with on the telephone?! The mother was one-dimensionally evil; she had no clear motives. Nothing of substance happened with the conflict until nearly the end of the book. All I was left with was a pile of questions.
Violet, Sam’s younger sister, was the light at the end of the tunnel for both Sam and me. She was such a cutie, and on top of that, she was interesting! Violet is a puppetmaster, meaning that she can pretty much control everything. If she wants something to happen, all she has to do is wish for it. It was amusing to see her wish for childish things like all-day recess and rain. The kid really brought the best out of the book. She made me wish that I knew more about Sam’s powers, which are prophetic dreams. I think having more insight into Sam’s supernatural powers would have helped to move the story along.
The seasonals were another interesting element of the book. They were majorly cool and kind of bad-arse. I kind of wished they would have rained down on the insignificant humans, specifically Sam’s mother, instead of letting the unprepared teenagers handle the conflict. It was disappointing because the seasonals were barely in the book at all. I was left waiting in suspense for their appearance, and the whole meet-and-greet lasted for a little over three pages.
Prophecy Girl is such a promising book, but the execution just isn’t there. The elements of the story that were up to par were not nearly as focused on as much as they should have been. I think that was one of the biggest problems I had with the book.
* A copy was provided by the author for review.
2.5 Stars
Prophecy Girl is probably one of the toughest books I’ve read. I knew going into the book that there was an undertone of harsher themes, but that wasn’t even what put a damper on the book for me; I had several other issues with it.
The characters, Sam and Nick, were the typical interpretation of troubled teenagers. As the reader, I pretty much knew four things about them: 1) They share a love of the same bands, 2) Nick likes sunglasses and Sam hates her mother, 3) They both dearly love their younger siblings, and 4) Both of them are connected to the supernatural. Nick and Sam were both pretty boring. I have nothing against them, but that’s the thing! I didn’t care about them—at all.
The villains in the story weren’t any more plausible. Sam’s abusive mother and passive father are the worst parents in the history of the universe. Okay, I can deal with that, but why?! Why did they decide to have children if they couldn’t care less about them?! Why do they send them to school and buy them things if they are only using Sam and Violet for their abilities?! Why does the father stay with his controlling and abusive wife?! Where did the father even go for the last half of the book?! And how does the mother even have friends to gossip with on the telephone?! The mother was one-dimensionally evil; she had no clear motives. Nothing of substance happened with the conflict until nearly the end of the book. All I was left with was a pile of questions.
Violet, Sam’s younger sister, was the light at the end of the tunnel for both Sam and me. She was such a cutie, and on top of that, she was interesting! Violet is a puppetmaster, meaning that she can pretty much control everything. If she wants something to happen, all she has to do is wish for it. It was amusing to see her wish for childish things like all-day recess and rain. The kid really brought the best out of the book. She made me wish that I knew more about Sam’s powers, which are prophetic dreams. I think having more insight into Sam’s supernatural powers would have helped to move the story along.
The seasonals were another interesting element of the book. They were majorly cool and kind of bad-arse. I kind of wished they would have rained down on the insignificant humans, specifically Sam’s mother, instead of letting the unprepared teenagers handle the conflict. It was disappointing because the seasonals were barely in the book at all. I was left waiting in suspense for their appearance, and the whole meet-and-greet lasted for a little over three pages.
Prophecy Girl is such a promising book, but the execution just isn’t there. The elements of the story that were up to par were not nearly as focused on as much as they should have been. I think that was one of the biggest problems I had with the book.
November 29, 2012
I thought Prophecy Girl had a pretty interesting concept that I haven’t really seen before. It had some paranormal elements that I’ve seen before with tons of magic and certain creatures that were new to me. Overall, I was torn between a 3 star rating and a 4 star rating, but I decided upon 4 stars due to the originality of the story.
Sam was the kind of YA heroine that surprised me. She was rarely, if ever, predictable and she was a complicated person. Sam was fiercely protective of her sister, yet self conscious and somewhat awkward in any other situation. She developed a crush on Nick, yet rarely pursued him or sought him out or let herself become romantically distracted. It was a little refreshing to read a book with a little bit of romance, but not have the heroine get completely sidetracked about it. At the same time, it was annoying because Sam kept fighting the inevitable and not really thinking clearly about anything. It was like she was afraid to do anything for herself, but when it came to her sister, she didn’t hesitate to go above and beyond.
I really liked Nick’s character. I thought he was easy going and added a lot of humor to the situation. He had his own little quirks that made him unique and I could see exactly why Sam was drawn to him.
I sensed from the beginning that something weird was up with Sam’s mom and it’s evident in the synopsis that something isn’t right. I suppose in the sense of magic and fairy tales, it’s not the first time an evil mother figure has been terribly cruel to her daughter, but it was so shocking! I mean, it wasn’t just spoken about or hinted at. There were scenes where Sam’s mother grabbed her hair and threatened her and it was utterly jaw dropping to read. It’s not the kind of fairy tale child abuse that we all sort of pick up on and not really think about. It’s definitely real child abuse that is quite evident and in your face and I loved this aspect because it was so real and added so much depth and grit to the story.
The story was descriptive, especially when it came to the setting of Lacuna Valley. There were very insightful moments and scenes of pure awe when it came to the openness of the landscape. While it was a descriptive, magical, and unique story that was decently written, I hesitated to rate it any higher because I felt like something was lacking in some of the writing. There was something not pulling me into the words when I was reading and I tripped over some sentences a few times and had to force myself back into the world again, if that makes sense. I can’t really say for sure what it was that created this phenomenon for me, though. It wasn’t badly written by any means, it was just lacking something for it to truly draw me in with the writing.
I would definitely recommend this book to others. It’s a great YA novel with wonderful characters and an interesting plot. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
Sam was the kind of YA heroine that surprised me. She was rarely, if ever, predictable and she was a complicated person. Sam was fiercely protective of her sister, yet self conscious and somewhat awkward in any other situation. She developed a crush on Nick, yet rarely pursued him or sought him out or let herself become romantically distracted. It was a little refreshing to read a book with a little bit of romance, but not have the heroine get completely sidetracked about it. At the same time, it was annoying because Sam kept fighting the inevitable and not really thinking clearly about anything. It was like she was afraid to do anything for herself, but when it came to her sister, she didn’t hesitate to go above and beyond.
I really liked Nick’s character. I thought he was easy going and added a lot of humor to the situation. He had his own little quirks that made him unique and I could see exactly why Sam was drawn to him.
I sensed from the beginning that something weird was up with Sam’s mom and it’s evident in the synopsis that something isn’t right. I suppose in the sense of magic and fairy tales, it’s not the first time an evil mother figure has been terribly cruel to her daughter, but it was so shocking! I mean, it wasn’t just spoken about or hinted at. There were scenes where Sam’s mother grabbed her hair and threatened her and it was utterly jaw dropping to read. It’s not the kind of fairy tale child abuse that we all sort of pick up on and not really think about. It’s definitely real child abuse that is quite evident and in your face and I loved this aspect because it was so real and added so much depth and grit to the story.
The story was descriptive, especially when it came to the setting of Lacuna Valley. There were very insightful moments and scenes of pure awe when it came to the openness of the landscape. While it was a descriptive, magical, and unique story that was decently written, I hesitated to rate it any higher because I felt like something was lacking in some of the writing. There was something not pulling me into the words when I was reading and I tripped over some sentences a few times and had to force myself back into the world again, if that makes sense. I can’t really say for sure what it was that created this phenomenon for me, though. It wasn’t badly written by any means, it was just lacking something for it to truly draw me in with the writing.
I would definitely recommend this book to others. It’s a great YA novel with wonderful characters and an interesting plot. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
June 18, 2013
Read this and other reviews at my blog.
Samantha and her family have moved around the country all her life, supposably searching for better weather for her father's severe allergies. Lacuna Valley quickly shows itself to be different than anywhere else. She meets a boy who seems to know more about her and her family and she does, and her sister's praying is starting to look like she really can make things happen just by wishing for them. As Sam learns more about her family, she has to wonder, does her mother really want to kill her?
This novel was really hard for me to review. I was on the fence about a lot of it. The characters were hard to get attached to. I honestly couldn't tell you what Nick looks like. If his description was there, it was rushed so quickly to make it unmemorable. I was able to get more of a visual for some of the side characters than I could for the main characters. But beyond that, Sam and Nick especially were really poorly fleshed out. There were boring. I didn't hate them, but I couldn't root for them either. I just didn't care. I found myself more interested in Violet and Zach than anyone else. Danielle was the hardest to figure out. One minute it felt like she was just mentally unbalanced. Then the next it would seem that she was nothing more than a self absorbed, heartless, monster. She was too hot and cold and it made her difficult to deal with. She felt very one dimensional at that. You could've put in a cardboard box with a knife and you would have just as much of a villain.
The story was nice. Muddled and felt poorly thought out or executed, I'm not sure which, but it was still nice. The plot is intriguing. You want to know what happens. However, when you get to the end of the book, although you kind of want to know what happens next, because of the weak characters and the thin plot, you don't care as much as you should. The plot only feels thin because of the writing. If it had been better written, I think it would've been amazing. But instead it jumps around, confusing you. It was also really really slow to start. You have all these scenes or whining and that characters going back and forth, arguing about the same thing they were in the previous chapter with no new information coming out of them. It wasn't until the last quarter of the book that things really pick up, but by then, it's too late to save it. Not enough can be fit into that remaining section to satisfy you. You finish the book and are left with far more questions than you should have and a sense of frustration at the lack of resolution.
It had it's moments, and I will still read the next in the series, but I hope that some of the flaws are fixed for it, because a little gem of a story is hiding in here just waiting to be shined.
Samantha and her family have moved around the country all her life, supposably searching for better weather for her father's severe allergies. Lacuna Valley quickly shows itself to be different than anywhere else. She meets a boy who seems to know more about her and her family and she does, and her sister's praying is starting to look like she really can make things happen just by wishing for them. As Sam learns more about her family, she has to wonder, does her mother really want to kill her?
This novel was really hard for me to review. I was on the fence about a lot of it. The characters were hard to get attached to. I honestly couldn't tell you what Nick looks like. If his description was there, it was rushed so quickly to make it unmemorable. I was able to get more of a visual for some of the side characters than I could for the main characters. But beyond that, Sam and Nick especially were really poorly fleshed out. There were boring. I didn't hate them, but I couldn't root for them either. I just didn't care. I found myself more interested in Violet and Zach than anyone else. Danielle was the hardest to figure out. One minute it felt like she was just mentally unbalanced. Then the next it would seem that she was nothing more than a self absorbed, heartless, monster. She was too hot and cold and it made her difficult to deal with. She felt very one dimensional at that. You could've put in a cardboard box with a knife and you would have just as much of a villain.
The story was nice. Muddled and felt poorly thought out or executed, I'm not sure which, but it was still nice. The plot is intriguing. You want to know what happens. However, when you get to the end of the book, although you kind of want to know what happens next, because of the weak characters and the thin plot, you don't care as much as you should. The plot only feels thin because of the writing. If it had been better written, I think it would've been amazing. But instead it jumps around, confusing you. It was also really really slow to start. You have all these scenes or whining and that characters going back and forth, arguing about the same thing they were in the previous chapter with no new information coming out of them. It wasn't until the last quarter of the book that things really pick up, but by then, it's too late to save it. Not enough can be fit into that remaining section to satisfy you. You finish the book and are left with far more questions than you should have and a sense of frustration at the lack of resolution.
It had it's moments, and I will still read the next in the series, but I hope that some of the flaws are fixed for it, because a little gem of a story is hiding in here just waiting to be shined.
March 17, 2013
Also posted on Rally the Readers.
* A copy was provided by the author for review.
2.5 Stars
Prophecy Girl got off to a solid start. Thanks to some vivid imagery, I immediately had the sense that Lacuna Valley was a desolate locale and probably one of the last places a teenage girl would want to live in. Sam’s unhappiness not only with her new home but with yet another move was also palpable from the outset. We’re soon introduced to Sam’s little sister, Violet, and her ability to seemingly have her prayers become reality. The exposition had me intrigued, but unfortunately, I ended up with a stack of questions about the plot that sometimes went unanswered.
I never connected enough with the main character, Sam, to really form an opinion of her. It was kind of like meeting someone for the first time, hanging out with her for a bit, then realizing that you didn’t have much in common to ever go beyond being acquaintances. I thought that Violet was a better developed character; I liked her plucky spirit. I also liked Nick, Sam’s sunglasses-obsessed classmate, and how he came to her defense when she was being harassed on the school bus. The chemistry between Sam and Nick was nicely done and was one of the highlights of the book.
My main issue with Prophecy Girl was the trickling pace at which the plot details were revealed. Sam asks plenty of questions but either receives vague responses or none at all for the longest time. I found this rather frustrating. Also, the answers to the questions that popped into my head while reading didn’t always sate my curiosity. For instance, Sam’s abusive monster of a mother, Danielle, whom I despised, seeks the magical orb that controls Lacuna Valley’s weather and the types of residents who are drawn to live there. She wants its power, but what, exactly, does she plan to use that power for? I’d hoped that the novel’s climax would fill in the specifics, but it didn’t, and the next thing I knew, I’d reached the last page. I understand that this is only the first book in the series and that not all of the cards can be thrown down on the table. I do, however, think that a bit more explanation here and there would have made this a smoother read because there were times when I struggled to piece together the various threads of the story.
There are some interesting ideas here, such as Violet’s ability and the seasonals, mysterious, supernatural beings who live in the valley, but they weren’t fleshed out enough to make this an especially compelling read. I didn’t become very attached to Sam as a protagonist, either, which also kept me from really getting into the book. Although the beginning was promising, in the end, this just wasn’t for me.
* A copy was provided by the author for review.
2.5 Stars
Prophecy Girl got off to a solid start. Thanks to some vivid imagery, I immediately had the sense that Lacuna Valley was a desolate locale and probably one of the last places a teenage girl would want to live in. Sam’s unhappiness not only with her new home but with yet another move was also palpable from the outset. We’re soon introduced to Sam’s little sister, Violet, and her ability to seemingly have her prayers become reality. The exposition had me intrigued, but unfortunately, I ended up with a stack of questions about the plot that sometimes went unanswered.
I never connected enough with the main character, Sam, to really form an opinion of her. It was kind of like meeting someone for the first time, hanging out with her for a bit, then realizing that you didn’t have much in common to ever go beyond being acquaintances. I thought that Violet was a better developed character; I liked her plucky spirit. I also liked Nick, Sam’s sunglasses-obsessed classmate, and how he came to her defense when she was being harassed on the school bus. The chemistry between Sam and Nick was nicely done and was one of the highlights of the book.
My main issue with Prophecy Girl was the trickling pace at which the plot details were revealed. Sam asks plenty of questions but either receives vague responses or none at all for the longest time. I found this rather frustrating. Also, the answers to the questions that popped into my head while reading didn’t always sate my curiosity. For instance, Sam’s abusive monster of a mother, Danielle, whom I despised, seeks the magical orb that controls Lacuna Valley’s weather and the types of residents who are drawn to live there. She wants its power, but what, exactly, does she plan to use that power for? I’d hoped that the novel’s climax would fill in the specifics, but it didn’t, and the next thing I knew, I’d reached the last page. I understand that this is only the first book in the series and that not all of the cards can be thrown down on the table. I do, however, think that a bit more explanation here and there would have made this a smoother read because there were times when I struggled to piece together the various threads of the story.
There are some interesting ideas here, such as Violet’s ability and the seasonals, mysterious, supernatural beings who live in the valley, but they weren’t fleshed out enough to make this an especially compelling read. I didn’t become very attached to Sam as a protagonist, either, which also kept me from really getting into the book. Although the beginning was promising, in the end, this just wasn’t for me.
April 23, 2013
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was such an amazing read! The author did such a great job at creating such a wonderful story that I couldn't help but be sucked in.
This book is the story of two sisters, Violet and Sam. Their family has moved to another small town in the middle of nowhere, just like many times in the past. The girls have no idea why they keep moving and their parents never really tell them anything about their reasons for moving. Soon they find out that this town is very different than any of the other towns they have lived in and they are sucked in to the middle of a crazy drama. Sam is especially affected by this turn of events because she is the older sister and is almost more like a mom to Violet than a sibling.
The characters in this book are all very well written. I fell in love with Violet and her precociousness. She is such a friendly little girl and loves to help those she cares about. The only problem is that she always believes that people are good and in this book that is not always the case. You can definitely see why Sam feels so protective of her. All of the other characters were wonderful too. The only character that wasn't was Sam and Violet's father. He is really not talked about in the book and it is almost as if he really isn't a part of the family. I do wish that his character would have been explained a little better. With all of the craziness that happened with the family during the book you would think he would have been more involved and it would have been nice to have a little more explanation as to why he wasn't.
My favorite part of this book was how well the author did in creating such an evil villain. I do not usually enjoy the villains in books. I am more of the good always wins kind of person. That being said, I think that the villain in this book is the most truly evil character I have ever encountered in a book. I think that most of the reason why this villain seemed so evil is because of who they are. Their character is one that should be kind and caring toward the girls but instead the further in to the book you get the more and more you realize how horrible they truly are. Sorry to be a bit vague but I really am trying not to give anything away.
Other than the vagueness with the father's character there is nothing in this book that I didn't love. The story is original and enthralling and you can't help but be drawn in thoroughly. Sam and Violet face such crazy obstacles that they have to overcome when they just want to live a normal, happy life, and just when you think things can't get any crazier, they do. I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out so that I can finally find out what happens to Sam and Violet.
This was such an amazing read! The author did such a great job at creating such a wonderful story that I couldn't help but be sucked in.
This book is the story of two sisters, Violet and Sam. Their family has moved to another small town in the middle of nowhere, just like many times in the past. The girls have no idea why they keep moving and their parents never really tell them anything about their reasons for moving. Soon they find out that this town is very different than any of the other towns they have lived in and they are sucked in to the middle of a crazy drama. Sam is especially affected by this turn of events because she is the older sister and is almost more like a mom to Violet than a sibling.
The characters in this book are all very well written. I fell in love with Violet and her precociousness. She is such a friendly little girl and loves to help those she cares about. The only problem is that she always believes that people are good and in this book that is not always the case. You can definitely see why Sam feels so protective of her. All of the other characters were wonderful too. The only character that wasn't was Sam and Violet's father. He is really not talked about in the book and it is almost as if he really isn't a part of the family. I do wish that his character would have been explained a little better. With all of the craziness that happened with the family during the book you would think he would have been more involved and it would have been nice to have a little more explanation as to why he wasn't.
My favorite part of this book was how well the author did in creating such an evil villain. I do not usually enjoy the villains in books. I am more of the good always wins kind of person. That being said, I think that the villain in this book is the most truly evil character I have ever encountered in a book. I think that most of the reason why this villain seemed so evil is because of who they are. Their character is one that should be kind and caring toward the girls but instead the further in to the book you get the more and more you realize how horrible they truly are. Sorry to be a bit vague but I really am trying not to give anything away.
Other than the vagueness with the father's character there is nothing in this book that I didn't love. The story is original and enthralling and you can't help but be drawn in thoroughly. Sam and Violet face such crazy obstacles that they have to overcome when they just want to live a normal, happy life, and just when you think things can't get any crazier, they do. I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out so that I can finally find out what happens to Sam and Violet.
January 2, 2013
I'll admit it, when I first started reading this book I felt incredibly unsure. It starts off nice and slow, nothing interesting happens for a while. Then the reality of it all hits me like a freight train. Sam's family is far, far from normal. Her family is, putting it nicely, dysfunctional. Sam's mother is abusive, her father is horribly ill, Sam herself gets terrible nightmares that seem to be coming true, and her little sister has the uncanny power to pray for things and they become real. Sounds sort of religious right? Well, it's not. At. All. Which is what caught me by surprise. I expected some hard core religious involvement in this book, and I got about 1%, and that's only because Violet 'prays' for things. This is a paranormal sort of book. Exactly my type of read.
It's got everything from seasonals to werewolves to magical orbs and killers. I loved every second of it!
Sam is a very flawed protagonist but her character develops well throughout the book and she ends up becoming a strong heroine. She's really insecure in the beginning. She doesn't stand up for herself and she's very self-conscious, which completely drove me up the wall at first. Her sense of reality made me want to cry too, it was just bad. But then she met Nick, her sweet prince charming, and Sam become so much more tolerable. But don't get me wrong, there's no insta-love the moment Nick and Sam meet. (I seriously would have cried if there was)
At first, they're both really shy around each other, then they slowly become friends until Sam realizes that Nick is super weird and she gets freaked out (there's a reason for his weirdness though). They get back together, but the 'falling in-love' gradually builds. It's a cute romance they have going on.
Nick's character isn't the bad-boy sort (even though it appears to be that way at first). He's the cute, charming prince-look-alike. He's the sort of boy you could bring home and your parents would just love him. No, he doesn't wear polo shirts. He's just a sweet guy, great boyfriend-material, that I instantly took the liking for. Sam and Nick make an adorable couple.
As for the story itself, it's really a mixture of the overused and the original. I hadn't heard of seasonals before, so that's a new one, but werewolves... yeah, we all know the hype on that. Really though, the plot is very well written. McKay's writing is shockingly fluid, she's created a spellbinding story that kept me completely absorbed. The only time I stopped reading was when I had turned the last page. Now I'm left itching for more.
This is a fabulous beginning to an incredibly promising series. I can't wait for the second book to come out!!
Highly recommended to anyone who loves a gripping paranormal read!
It's got everything from seasonals to werewolves to magical orbs and killers. I loved every second of it!
Sam is a very flawed protagonist but her character develops well throughout the book and she ends up becoming a strong heroine. She's really insecure in the beginning. She doesn't stand up for herself and she's very self-conscious, which completely drove me up the wall at first. Her sense of reality made me want to cry too, it was just bad. But then she met Nick, her sweet prince charming, and Sam become so much more tolerable. But don't get me wrong, there's no insta-love the moment Nick and Sam meet. (I seriously would have cried if there was)
At first, they're both really shy around each other, then they slowly become friends until Sam realizes that Nick is super weird and she gets freaked out (there's a reason for his weirdness though). They get back together, but the 'falling in-love' gradually builds. It's a cute romance they have going on.
Nick's character isn't the bad-boy sort (even though it appears to be that way at first). He's the cute, charming prince-look-alike. He's the sort of boy you could bring home and your parents would just love him. No, he doesn't wear polo shirts. He's just a sweet guy, great boyfriend-material, that I instantly took the liking for. Sam and Nick make an adorable couple.
As for the story itself, it's really a mixture of the overused and the original. I hadn't heard of seasonals before, so that's a new one, but werewolves... yeah, we all know the hype on that. Really though, the plot is very well written. McKay's writing is shockingly fluid, she's created a spellbinding story that kept me completely absorbed. The only time I stopped reading was when I had turned the last page. Now I'm left itching for more.
This is a fabulous beginning to an incredibly promising series. I can't wait for the second book to come out!!
Highly recommended to anyone who loves a gripping paranormal read!
January 14, 2013
Enter To Win A Copy of Prophecy Girl!!! Review & Giveaway @ Say It With Books
There are lot of YA Fantasy books out there with the same cliché plots and cliché characters; honestly this cliché-ness does not bother me that much as long as the book is well written. But there are some books that come up with some completely different concept-Prophecy Girl was one such book.
Prophecy Girl has interesting combo of characters-you get werewolves,seasonals(that's a completely new and interesting one),a girl who can make things happen by praying for them, a girl who sees the future, a psychotic mom and a guy who's obsessed with sunglasses!
The book started out with Samantha and her family moving to Lacuna Valley, it's a really small town and Sam's not really happy about the move. McKay does not ease into the child abuse issue, she does not sugar coat instead she makes one witness the Sam's abuse right in the beginning.
Initially I did not like Sam very much-she was weak and didn't stand up for herself when she's bullied at school. She takes it all instead of fighting back. But as the story progresses Samantha grows stronger and learns to stand up for herself. I loved Sam's relationship with her sister Violet-Violet is a really adorable kid and the interaction between the sisters was really sweet. Sam loves her sister and she goes to great lengths to protect her sister from her mother.
Violet was pretty awesome for a 9 year old kid because she felt guilty about using her powers to control things. And then we have Nick-he was a really sweet guy. There was no insta-love,Sam and Nick had a complex relationship. Nick had his entire life planned out for him and he didn't want to enforce his destiny on Sam. He was really protective of Sam and his younger brother, Zach.
Sam and Violet's mom was power crazy and she was determined to get what she wanted even if it meant using her own children.
When it comes to the pace of the story I loved the first and last parts of the story-I felt that the story was a bit dragged out during the middle. I also didn't feel that Sam's dad was really "in" the story, he was just there and he didn't do anything about the whole situation. I hope he'll be a little more involved in the sequel. I didn't really get some of the pop culture references either. And I wasn't entirely comfortable with the writing style; it was an engaging read nevertheless.
“Yes,”she choked out the word. This was always the hardest part, giving her mother what she wanted —unquestioned obedience.
There are lot of YA Fantasy books out there with the same cliché plots and cliché characters; honestly this cliché-ness does not bother me that much as long as the book is well written. But there are some books that come up with some completely different concept-Prophecy Girl was one such book.
Prophecy Girl has interesting combo of characters-you get werewolves,seasonals(that's a completely new and interesting one),a girl who can make things happen by praying for them, a girl who sees the future, a psychotic mom and a guy who's obsessed with sunglasses!
The book started out with Samantha and her family moving to Lacuna Valley, it's a really small town and Sam's not really happy about the move. McKay does not ease into the child abuse issue, she does not sugar coat instead she makes one witness the Sam's abuse right in the beginning.
Initially I did not like Sam very much-she was weak and didn't stand up for herself when she's bullied at school. She takes it all instead of fighting back. But as the story progresses Samantha grows stronger and learns to stand up for herself. I loved Sam's relationship with her sister Violet-Violet is a really adorable kid and the interaction between the sisters was really sweet. Sam loves her sister and she goes to great lengths to protect her sister from her mother.
Violet was pretty awesome for a 9 year old kid because she felt guilty about using her powers to control things. And then we have Nick-he was a really sweet guy. There was no insta-love,Sam and Nick had a complex relationship. Nick had his entire life planned out for him and he didn't want to enforce his destiny on Sam. He was really protective of Sam and his younger brother, Zach.
Sam and Violet's mom was power crazy and she was determined to get what she wanted even if it meant using her own children.
When it comes to the pace of the story I loved the first and last parts of the story-I felt that the story was a bit dragged out during the middle. I also didn't feel that Sam's dad was really "in" the story, he was just there and he didn't do anything about the whole situation. I hope he'll be a little more involved in the sequel. I didn't really get some of the pop culture references either. And I wasn't entirely comfortable with the writing style; it was an engaging read nevertheless.
July 29, 2013
First off, this was a very entertaining read. There were a few things that kept me from rating this 5 stars, but I'll get to those later. Let's start with the yummy stuff first!
Real-life, strong, like-able (and hate-able) characters: Check.
All of the characters are well-developed. What's good about these characters is that they are not all perfect. Even the good guys have flaws. You like Sam, you like Violet, and you just straight-on hate the mom. They 'boy she just met'--Nick--is very like-able. He's strong and cute and I love the way he jumps to Sam's defense. Sam shows growth in this story, becoming stronger and more confident as the story moves along...maybe a little too confident as she and Nick get in over their heads.
And is Nick just a normal boy? You tell me! And there's a part in this book about Nick that is revealed that will make the young girls eat their hearts out. They'll all be saying, "I want a boyfriend like Nick!" Girls. Will. Love him.
Visuals: Check
The writing gives the flavor of the surroundings...you can picture Lacuna Valley, feel the heat and boredom, feel the cold, picture the school. All very nicely drafted to give the readers a place to ground themselves while reading.
Flaws: Check (what novel doesn't have them??)
The beginning of the novel moved a little too slowly for me. It takes a looooong time to get to the heart of the book: Sam and Violet's powers and what that means. I mean, Violet's powers are obvious...you see them almost immediately, but it takes Sam far too long to accept that something strange is going on. I found myself getting frustrated that the same questions keep arising with no answers until close to the middle of the book.
Sam and Nick laugh too much. Sorry. Yes, they're happy together and I get that, but I need some other description than "She laughed" or "He laughed" or "They laughed" to keep my interest.
There has to be more to Nick and his Dad than meet the eye, but I don't know what. Otherwise, not sure how they protect the orb against the unworldly beings. This is sort of just hanging out there...not sure if this is what it is (I hope not), or is developed in later books (I hope so). What is it about David that makes the bullies back off with just a word? Not sure. Like I said, he's a strong character, but I'm not really sure 'why'. I was hoping to get more.
I definitely have this in My Series To Keep Reading list!
Real-life, strong, like-able (and hate-able) characters: Check.
All of the characters are well-developed. What's good about these characters is that they are not all perfect. Even the good guys have flaws. You like Sam, you like Violet, and you just straight-on hate the mom. They 'boy she just met'--Nick--is very like-able. He's strong and cute and I love the way he jumps to Sam's defense. Sam shows growth in this story, becoming stronger and more confident as the story moves along...maybe a little too confident as she and Nick get in over their heads.
And is Nick just a normal boy? You tell me! And there's a part in this book about Nick that is revealed that will make the young girls eat their hearts out. They'll all be saying, "I want a boyfriend like Nick!" Girls. Will. Love him.
Visuals: Check
The writing gives the flavor of the surroundings...you can picture Lacuna Valley, feel the heat and boredom, feel the cold, picture the school. All very nicely drafted to give the readers a place to ground themselves while reading.
Flaws: Check (what novel doesn't have them??)
The beginning of the novel moved a little too slowly for me. It takes a looooong time to get to the heart of the book: Sam and Violet's powers and what that means. I mean, Violet's powers are obvious...you see them almost immediately, but it takes Sam far too long to accept that something strange is going on. I found myself getting frustrated that the same questions keep arising with no answers until close to the middle of the book.
Sam and Nick laugh too much. Sorry. Yes, they're happy together and I get that, but I need some other description than "She laughed" or "He laughed" or "They laughed" to keep my interest.
There has to be more to Nick and his Dad than meet the eye, but I don't know what. Otherwise, not sure how they protect the orb against the unworldly beings. This is sort of just hanging out there...not sure if this is what it is (I hope not), or is developed in later books (I hope so). What is it about David that makes the bullies back off with just a word? Not sure. Like I said, he's a strong character, but I'm not really sure 'why'. I was hoping to get more.
I definitely have this in My Series To Keep Reading list!
March 12, 2013
3.5 Stars
Prophecy Girl is an intense read and I was taken aback in the first chapter, because Sam was treated awfully by her mother. She is one of the nastiest villains I have read about for a while, she reminds me of the White Witch from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but she is not afraid to physically abuse her kid. It was quite emotional and I was horrified as no child should grow up with a mother like that and be treated that way. However the storyline is really good and I couldn’t help but continue to read.
Sam and her family have moved to Lacuna Valley and it appears to be in the middle of a desert. It is all part of her mother’s master plan which Sam will figure out soon enough. In the small town, all is not what it seems but Sam is determined to unravel the truth. As the story unfolds, Sam’s attitude starts to shift and she sees people for who they are. They all may be trying to manipulate her, but she is starting to stand up and hold her own. The plot grows steadily as we learn along with Sam, the circumstances and the prophecies that have been foretold and what her role will be in it.
Sam is a quiet girl and has spent most of her life being angry at the people around her. She has a special connection to her sister Violet who is the complete opposite to Sam. Violet has always been her number one priority and all Sam wants to do is take her and get away from her mother, but it seems like it will never happen. At her new school she is able to make friends and her burden doesn’t seem as bad.
I was intrigued by this story from the first chapter and I was hopeful that Sam’s life would improve. She finds it hard to trust anyone as she has lived in fear her whole life. The longer I read this book, the deeper the plot became and Sam developed into a responsible young woman that anyone would look up to. She is a tough character and she takes on too much responsibility for someone who is only sixteen. There is a touch of romance in the book, which I think will grow in the future. The storyline was captivating, but far from finished and I hope that Sam will be able to alter her Fate in the next book.
I received a copy of this book from the Author in exchange for an honest review.
Prophecy Girl is an intense read and I was taken aback in the first chapter, because Sam was treated awfully by her mother. She is one of the nastiest villains I have read about for a while, she reminds me of the White Witch from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but she is not afraid to physically abuse her kid. It was quite emotional and I was horrified as no child should grow up with a mother like that and be treated that way. However the storyline is really good and I couldn’t help but continue to read.
Sam and her family have moved to Lacuna Valley and it appears to be in the middle of a desert. It is all part of her mother’s master plan which Sam will figure out soon enough. In the small town, all is not what it seems but Sam is determined to unravel the truth. As the story unfolds, Sam’s attitude starts to shift and she sees people for who they are. They all may be trying to manipulate her, but she is starting to stand up and hold her own. The plot grows steadily as we learn along with Sam, the circumstances and the prophecies that have been foretold and what her role will be in it.
Sam is a quiet girl and has spent most of her life being angry at the people around her. She has a special connection to her sister Violet who is the complete opposite to Sam. Violet has always been her number one priority and all Sam wants to do is take her and get away from her mother, but it seems like it will never happen. At her new school she is able to make friends and her burden doesn’t seem as bad.
I was intrigued by this story from the first chapter and I was hopeful that Sam’s life would improve. She finds it hard to trust anyone as she has lived in fear her whole life. The longer I read this book, the deeper the plot became and Sam developed into a responsible young woman that anyone would look up to. She is a tough character and she takes on too much responsibility for someone who is only sixteen. There is a touch of romance in the book, which I think will grow in the future. The storyline was captivating, but far from finished and I hope that Sam will be able to alter her Fate in the next book.
I received a copy of this book from the Author in exchange for an honest review.
May 4, 2013
This book was original and interesting. This book is about 2 girls one named Sam who had prophetic dream and her little sister Violet who could wish something would happen and it would. They move to a small valley town called Lacuna Valley and while there weird things start to happen, strange people and creatures try to befriend and kill them, and 2 boys, Nick and his little brother Zach, try to love and save them. Sam and Violet are the key to a prophecy about a magical orb that can control the world. The bad guy is much closer than they think and when they find out who it is will they go against them or join them? The plot was interesting and original. Though it did at times get very long-winded and slow. I thought that though the plot was interesting something made it hard for me to read and enjoy this book. In all honesty I'm not really sure what it was that made it so hard to get into.
I did not like the characters in this story very much. Sam is rude, angry, judgmental, and harsh. She was just a very unlikable character. She asked for people to stop lying to her but then turned around and lied to them. She would accept that things were happening and then wouldn't. She would say would would do anything to keep her sister safe and then just give up and let the bad guy hurt her. She was so contradictory I didn't get her. Nick was a total push-over he let everyone walk all over him. He did anything to avoid conflict and he was so vague it was hard to relate to him. These 2 through the book are supposedly in love with each other but to me the love seemed shallow and more like good friends than lovers. Violet was cute. Zach was bouncy and obnoxious but in a cute way.
Overall I liked the plot line but I think the character development needs some work. I think that they need to be more thought out so that they are deeper and easier to relate too. I think that the creatures need to seem more creature than they did. Yes they are human-like creatures but the werewolves just seemed like stand-offish people and the seasonals just seemed like extreme sports lovers they weren't otherworldly enough. That was fine for the werewolves but the seasonals should have been more otherworldly.
I did not like the characters in this story very much. Sam is rude, angry, judgmental, and harsh. She was just a very unlikable character. She asked for people to stop lying to her but then turned around and lied to them. She would accept that things were happening and then wouldn't. She would say would would do anything to keep her sister safe and then just give up and let the bad guy hurt her. She was so contradictory I didn't get her. Nick was a total push-over he let everyone walk all over him. He did anything to avoid conflict and he was so vague it was hard to relate to him. These 2 through the book are supposedly in love with each other but to me the love seemed shallow and more like good friends than lovers. Violet was cute. Zach was bouncy and obnoxious but in a cute way.
Overall I liked the plot line but I think the character development needs some work. I think that they need to be more thought out so that they are deeper and easier to relate too. I think that the creatures need to seem more creature than they did. Yes they are human-like creatures but the werewolves just seemed like stand-offish people and the seasonals just seemed like extreme sports lovers they weren't otherworldly enough. That was fine for the werewolves but the seasonals should have been more otherworldly.
March 31, 2013
I am going to have to be brutally honest here, I wasn't sure if I liked Sam's character at first. I know that a lot of really bad things happened to her and Violet to make them the way they were but for some reason she sort of grated on me a little. I think mainly because I wanted her to stand up for herself. I wanted her to fight back, not just with her mom but with the kids at school too.
Usually I sympathize with people in this situation but for whatever reason I just didn't with Sam. I felt for her don't get me wrong, I am not completely cold hearted, but I wanted her to be stronger and I was rooting for her the whole time to be stronger. To be better and to stand up and fight.
I think that is why I never did connect with her and I feel bad about that because really this was a great story. One filled with twists and turns that weren't predictable at all and an ending that will leave you wanting more.
Violet and Nick were fabulous characters, both funny and strong and a great support system for Sam, especially since they both went through challenges of their own along the way.
Nick was kind and caring, a little quirky at times and stuck up for Sam. He really was what she needed in a friend and companion.
Violet was endearing. Sweet and annoying (to Sam) at times and everything a little sister is suppose to be. She was also very smart. She knew she was different and although she liked that about herself, she also wanted to be good and make sure that she never hurt anybody.
Sam and Violet's mother was just...actually I can't say because I honestly try not to cuss in my reviews and there are no words for her in my vocabulary right now that are pretty so I will just say that she was a monster.
Their dad wasn't much better. What kind of father lets his wife do that to his kids?
Overall even though I didn't connect with Sam like I really wanted to, I did enjoy this read and I really think a lot of people will love it as well.
I give this one 4 Solid Stars.
Usually I sympathize with people in this situation but for whatever reason I just didn't with Sam. I felt for her don't get me wrong, I am not completely cold hearted, but I wanted her to be stronger and I was rooting for her the whole time to be stronger. To be better and to stand up and fight.
I think that is why I never did connect with her and I feel bad about that because really this was a great story. One filled with twists and turns that weren't predictable at all and an ending that will leave you wanting more.
Violet and Nick were fabulous characters, both funny and strong and a great support system for Sam, especially since they both went through challenges of their own along the way.
Nick was kind and caring, a little quirky at times and stuck up for Sam. He really was what she needed in a friend and companion.
Violet was endearing. Sweet and annoying (to Sam) at times and everything a little sister is suppose to be. She was also very smart. She knew she was different and although she liked that about herself, she also wanted to be good and make sure that she never hurt anybody.
Sam and Violet's mother was just...actually I can't say because I honestly try not to cuss in my reviews and there are no words for her in my vocabulary right now that are pretty so I will just say that she was a monster.
Their dad wasn't much better. What kind of father lets his wife do that to his kids?
Overall even though I didn't connect with Sam like I really wanted to, I did enjoy this read and I really think a lot of people will love it as well.
I give this one 4 Solid Stars.
December 24, 2012
I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I first heard about this story. And I began reading and everything seems so normal… Until you realize that Sam’s mother is abusive, her father is useless, and her sister seems to have a magical ability to pray things into existence. ARE YOU HOOKED YET?! I am!! In the first few paragraphs of the story, Sam tells Violet she misses the rain and Violet does something amazing- she makes it rain! Or did she! I had to know what was going to happen from that moment on!
I really love Sam’s character. She lives a really hard life, and when you’re in an abusive lifestyle it’s hard. It’s not like you can tell anyone your mom beats you. Her whole outlook on life is amazing to me. She tries to will away the pain and yet also sometimes stands up for herself even when she knows it’ll be worse for her, except that when the spotlight is on her, it isn’t on her sister. I want to rescue her… And yet she has the ability to rescue herself
The secondary characters are always a major part of the story for me. Violet, her little sister, is the perfect embodiment of a little sister. She cute, annoying, and most of all adores her big sister. As long as Violet and Sam have each other, that’s all that matters. And then there’s Nick… You gotta love when a book boyfriend is this cool. He also fascinates me as his life is no walk in the park either. I don’t wanna say too much about him as spoilers will get involved! LOL now her parents…all I can think are bad words which are not appropriate here
The writing is amazing. It’s so real. A lot of paranormal books are based on aspects that are fantasy, but Sam seems so understandable. Her life is hard but relatable. I love the surprises and where the story goes and I really can’t wait to see where is leads next! It’s heartwarming, it’s tearful, it’s funny, and it’s got suspense- what else do you need? Overall, I loved this story. Even with some darker more complex aspects, I will still say this is for everyone, so go get your copy!! 5 PAWS from me!!
I really love Sam’s character. She lives a really hard life, and when you’re in an abusive lifestyle it’s hard. It’s not like you can tell anyone your mom beats you. Her whole outlook on life is amazing to me. She tries to will away the pain and yet also sometimes stands up for herself even when she knows it’ll be worse for her, except that when the spotlight is on her, it isn’t on her sister. I want to rescue her… And yet she has the ability to rescue herself
The secondary characters are always a major part of the story for me. Violet, her little sister, is the perfect embodiment of a little sister. She cute, annoying, and most of all adores her big sister. As long as Violet and Sam have each other, that’s all that matters. And then there’s Nick… You gotta love when a book boyfriend is this cool. He also fascinates me as his life is no walk in the park either. I don’t wanna say too much about him as spoilers will get involved! LOL now her parents…all I can think are bad words which are not appropriate here
The writing is amazing. It’s so real. A lot of paranormal books are based on aspects that are fantasy, but Sam seems so understandable. Her life is hard but relatable. I love the surprises and where the story goes and I really can’t wait to see where is leads next! It’s heartwarming, it’s tearful, it’s funny, and it’s got suspense- what else do you need? Overall, I loved this story. Even with some darker more complex aspects, I will still say this is for everyone, so go get your copy!! 5 PAWS from me!!
April 30, 2013
I was given this book from the author in exchange of a honest review, thanks to the
Never Too Old For Y.A. Books group on GR.
I have mixed feelings and don't know what to think about this book.
I was bored for most of the time and it didn't grip me until I reached at least 2/3 of the book.
The story was good and it got a little more interesting toward the end, but it wasn't very exciting and I didn't really feel connected to the characters.
I didn't like much the main characters of this book.
Sam was so childish and weak for the first half of the book that made me sick. I really wanted to kick her. So it seemed a little weird when she suddenly showed her balls. But still appreciated the change.
I didn't like Nick half of the time. I liked him one moment, I didn't the next. He was confusing and we never really got to know him well.
I felt nothing when they somehow fell in love. I didn't feel connected to them and didn't have a feel of their feelings for each other. It was only there that they had a like for each other and were attracted to each other somehow. And a couple of scenes between them were cute. But they seemed also pushed a lot by the knowledge of that prophecy, of their destiny.
With Violet was like with Nick. Sometimes I liked her, she apparently had more balls than her sister. And other times I thought she was a spoiled child.
Zach was... noisy. But a nice kid.
I liked Mary and especially her mother Susan.
I kind of liked Isobel, though I didn't get to know her well.
I didn't like the werewolves and Tommy.
David was a stupid jerk, made me want to kick his butt.
Sam's father was a stupid and weak guy. Made me angry and annoyed.
The mother was just pure evil and gave me the shivers.
The ending got me annoyed for how the author left us hanging.
If I'm going to rate this book 3 stars is only for the last third of the story. But then, there's the rest of it that I'd rate 2 stars.
Hard decision...
It's gonna show 2 stars but it's actually 2.5 stars.
Never Too Old For Y.A. Books group on GR.
I have mixed feelings and don't know what to think about this book.
I was bored for most of the time and it didn't grip me until I reached at least 2/3 of the book.
The story was good and it got a little more interesting toward the end, but it wasn't very exciting and I didn't really feel connected to the characters.
I didn't like much the main characters of this book.
Sam was so childish and weak for the first half of the book that made me sick. I really wanted to kick her. So it seemed a little weird when she suddenly showed her balls. But still appreciated the change.
I didn't like Nick half of the time. I liked him one moment, I didn't the next. He was confusing and we never really got to know him well.
I felt nothing when they somehow fell in love. I didn't feel connected to them and didn't have a feel of their feelings for each other. It was only there that they had a like for each other and were attracted to each other somehow. And a couple of scenes between them were cute. But they seemed also pushed a lot by the knowledge of that prophecy, of their destiny.
With Violet was like with Nick. Sometimes I liked her, she apparently had more balls than her sister. And other times I thought she was a spoiled child.
Zach was... noisy. But a nice kid.
I liked Mary and especially her mother Susan.
I kind of liked Isobel, though I didn't get to know her well.
I didn't like the werewolves and Tommy.
David was a stupid jerk, made me want to kick his butt.
Sam's father was a stupid and weak guy. Made me angry and annoyed.
The mother was just pure evil and gave me the shivers.
The ending got me annoyed for how the author left us hanging.
If I'm going to rate this book 3 stars is only for the last third of the story. But then, there's the rest of it that I'd rate 2 stars.
Hard decision...
It's gonna show 2 stars but it's actually 2.5 stars.
May 1, 2013
..Spoilers ahead..
*Copy given for an honest review*
Sam is this supposed "Prophecy Girl", her dreams can give clues to future events. Her little sister Violet is what people have labeled a "puppet master" she prays/wishes for something and it happens. She is a key player in the events in this book. She can control things, the weather, actions, people. She can make someone do things against their will if she wanted. Their mother is trying to control her, and they pray together. Even though Violet doesn't always pray for what her mother wants her too.
The mother is pure hate, she is a such an horrible person. She treats Sam like she is nothing but worthless trash, while using Violets "prayers" to help her out. Sam can not wait until she is eighteen years of age, then she is free of her. But the thing is Sam doesn't think she'll make it that far because her mother will probably kill her first. If she doesn't there is still Violet to protect.
She is an evil woman who is in search of a magical orb. And because of this search they keep on moving from small town to small town. What she wants with this orb is unknown, what she could do with it, is terrifying.
We have Nick, the protector of the orb. He comes from a long line of protectors as the role is past on from one generation onto the next. Who by the way made me think of
Xander, whenever he spoke or did anything.
A little slow at times for me, as we got closer to the end I felt like things were dragging on and not really going anywhere. I just wanted something to happen and for the story to pick up. I didn't really like Sam some of the time, Nick I liked all of the time.
I found myself left with many unanswered questions at the end of this book. There is much more to this story and I can only hope my questions get answered as the series continues.
*Copy given for an honest review*
Sam is this supposed "Prophecy Girl", her dreams can give clues to future events. Her little sister Violet is what people have labeled a "puppet master" she prays/wishes for something and it happens. She is a key player in the events in this book. She can control things, the weather, actions, people. She can make someone do things against their will if she wanted. Their mother is trying to control her, and they pray together. Even though Violet doesn't always pray for what her mother wants her too.
The mother is pure hate, she is a such an horrible person. She treats Sam like she is nothing but worthless trash, while using Violets "prayers" to help her out. Sam can not wait until she is eighteen years of age, then she is free of her. But the thing is Sam doesn't think she'll make it that far because her mother will probably kill her first. If she doesn't there is still Violet to protect.
She is an evil woman who is in search of a magical orb. And because of this search they keep on moving from small town to small town. What she wants with this orb is unknown, what she could do with it, is terrifying.
We have Nick, the protector of the orb. He comes from a long line of protectors as the role is past on from one generation onto the next. Who by the way made me think of
Xander, whenever he spoke or did anything. A little slow at times for me, as we got closer to the end I felt like things were dragging on and not really going anywhere. I just wanted something to happen and for the story to pick up. I didn't really like Sam some of the time, Nick I liked all of the time.
I found myself left with many unanswered questions at the end of this book. There is much more to this story and I can only hope my questions get answered as the series continues.
April 22, 2013
I received this book as a read for review in exchange for an honest review.
Wow, I really loved this book and can't wait for the next one. 4 1/2 stars.
Sam and her family move, a lot. They constantly move from one small town to the next. Sam feels that something isn't right in her family and shes absolutely correct. Faith McKay gives just enough detail about peoples motives and whats really going on to keep you gripped to the story but still pretty clueless about whats really going on and who people really are. The premise of the story also was original, I haven't read this idea before.
I love how strong Sam is and how there's no insta-love here. When she feels that Nick has crossed a line she stays mad, she doesn't go running to him the second things get tough. I felt like I could really know any of the characters in my day to day life. They all felt natural and had reactions that I could easily imagine myself having in their shoes.
The urge to jump into the pages of this book and protect Sam at home was incredibly strong. The mother in me cried for her, several times. The descriptions of these scenes were dealt with in a manner that touched my heart and didn't go over the top.
While the ending definitely lets you know that there is a second book there isn't a cliffhanger and hallelujah for that. I'm not a fan of cliffhangers, you have to wait too damn long for the next book!!
I would highly recommend this book to everyone and will be doing just that!
Favourite quotes: A warm tingling traveled up Sam's spine and she felt a little hummingbird where her heart should be.
A light feeling filled her that made her legs shake and her heart feel like it might float away, so she ran her fingers into his hair and pulled him hard against her to keep herself steady.
She could try and pin down a long list of why she loved him, but mostly, she would just look at him and her mind would clear of all her thoughts and worries-demolished by the joy that swelled out her chest and exploded around her. She loved him, and that didn't really have to make sense.
Wow, I really loved this book and can't wait for the next one. 4 1/2 stars.
Sam and her family move, a lot. They constantly move from one small town to the next. Sam feels that something isn't right in her family and shes absolutely correct. Faith McKay gives just enough detail about peoples motives and whats really going on to keep you gripped to the story but still pretty clueless about whats really going on and who people really are. The premise of the story also was original, I haven't read this idea before.
I love how strong Sam is and how there's no insta-love here. When she feels that Nick has crossed a line she stays mad, she doesn't go running to him the second things get tough. I felt like I could really know any of the characters in my day to day life. They all felt natural and had reactions that I could easily imagine myself having in their shoes.
The urge to jump into the pages of this book and protect Sam at home was incredibly strong. The mother in me cried for her, several times. The descriptions of these scenes were dealt with in a manner that touched my heart and didn't go over the top.
While the ending definitely lets you know that there is a second book there isn't a cliffhanger and hallelujah for that. I'm not a fan of cliffhangers, you have to wait too damn long for the next book!!
I would highly recommend this book to everyone and will be doing just that!
Favourite quotes: A warm tingling traveled up Sam's spine and she felt a little hummingbird where her heart should be.
A light feeling filled her that made her legs shake and her heart feel like it might float away, so she ran her fingers into his hair and pulled him hard against her to keep herself steady.
She could try and pin down a long list of why she loved him, but mostly, she would just look at him and her mind would clear of all her thoughts and worries-demolished by the joy that swelled out her chest and exploded around her. She loved him, and that didn't really have to make sense.
March 22, 2013
This is a hard book to rate. It delves into some deep issues, specifically, being a victim of child abuse, and developing a victim mentality that makes it difficult to see your way to what actions you need to take to protect yourself. There are some wonderful descriptions, especially towards the beginning of the novel, that really give a window into Sam's mentality and where she is at the beginning of the story. The premise was interesting, some the supporting characters were very well drawn (especially Violet!), and there was some interesting new supernatural beings that I really wish we had seen more of.
On the other hand, I felt that the plot dragged for the vast majority of the novel. Much of the immediate tension or suspense was created by variations of the same problem. While I realize these are troubled teenagers, the relationship between Sam and Nick was so up and down it left my head hurting, in large part because it also didn't have to be that way. At a certain point, you want to just shake (one person in particular) and say: stop fighting and figure things out! I realize that there was a reason for all this, but it took enough away from the reading experience that I found my attention and interest flagging throughout the middle section of the book.
I think there would have been a lot more suspense in the story had the titular prophecy not been so detailed. It made it pretty clear what to expect from the rest of the novel and the only question therefore became how. And while the how was not exactly what I expected (yay!), it only made the final 2-3 chapters more interesting without having held me for the whole middle of the novel.
However, any author who takes on child abuse with such understanding, and doesn't shy away from the ugliness as well as the emotional and mental impact, has my highest respect.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
On the other hand, I felt that the plot dragged for the vast majority of the novel. Much of the immediate tension or suspense was created by variations of the same problem. While I realize these are troubled teenagers, the relationship between Sam and Nick was so up and down it left my head hurting, in large part because it also didn't have to be that way. At a certain point, you want to just shake (one person in particular) and say: stop fighting and figure things out! I realize that there was a reason for all this, but it took enough away from the reading experience that I found my attention and interest flagging throughout the middle section of the book.
I think there would have been a lot more suspense in the story had the titular prophecy not been so detailed. It made it pretty clear what to expect from the rest of the novel and the only question therefore became how. And while the how was not exactly what I expected (yay!), it only made the final 2-3 chapters more interesting without having held me for the whole middle of the novel.
However, any author who takes on child abuse with such understanding, and doesn't shy away from the ugliness as well as the emotional and mental impact, has my highest respect.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
February 8, 2013
I couldn’t devour this book fast enough. When I wasn’t reading this book I was thinking about this book or I was carrying it around with me. I simply just could not put it down.
Sam is one of those main characters that more books should have, she is strong and confident, and a little emotional. She wasn’t handed an easy life, her mother abuses her and even when asked about it, she just says she’s fine. She is forced to move all the time, and is never really able to develop relationships. They move to the Lacuna valley, and everything seems so normal, until her sister prays for it to rain and it actually does rain, then the secrets unfold from there. Sam is someone you can relate to, someone you can look up to, she stays strong through everything, manages to find some sort of happiness through the pain. She manages to find herself and stand up for herself.
Sam meets a boy on her first day of school, his name is Nick, and like every story, he is the smoky bad boy, and he also completes the story. I really fell in love with him, he was a little nosy, and he did things to drive a sort of wedge in between him and Sam, or maybe it was Sam that was just a little to over the top but he is very important nonetheless.
Sam makes new friends and starts to build relationships and learn the secrets of the valley. She struggles with her relationship with their mother, does what ever she can to protect her sister from the things she can’t control. This book literally has it all, the mystery, the boy meets girl love stories and a brand new view on the supernatural elements that seem to be crossing so many books these days. Going back, I really do not regret picking this one up, even though it has that dreaded #1 in the title, now I just need to patiently wait for a news about another book.
Sam is one of those main characters that more books should have, she is strong and confident, and a little emotional. She wasn’t handed an easy life, her mother abuses her and even when asked about it, she just says she’s fine. She is forced to move all the time, and is never really able to develop relationships. They move to the Lacuna valley, and everything seems so normal, until her sister prays for it to rain and it actually does rain, then the secrets unfold from there. Sam is someone you can relate to, someone you can look up to, she stays strong through everything, manages to find some sort of happiness through the pain. She manages to find herself and stand up for herself.
Sam meets a boy on her first day of school, his name is Nick, and like every story, he is the smoky bad boy, and he also completes the story. I really fell in love with him, he was a little nosy, and he did things to drive a sort of wedge in between him and Sam, or maybe it was Sam that was just a little to over the top but he is very important nonetheless.
Sam makes new friends and starts to build relationships and learn the secrets of the valley. She struggles with her relationship with their mother, does what ever she can to protect her sister from the things she can’t control. This book literally has it all, the mystery, the boy meets girl love stories and a brand new view on the supernatural elements that seem to be crossing so many books these days. Going back, I really do not regret picking this one up, even though it has that dreaded #1 in the title, now I just need to patiently wait for a news about another book.
February 21, 2013
WARNING:May contain spoilers..
This was my first r2r and i m glad i went with this book. Prophecy girl by Faith McKay is an easy read not to mention, quite entertaining as well. In the ever growing list of tales of the Supernatural and the introduction of new beings in our world, this one tells us about "seasonals" , a certain type of creatures that live in a small town and change in appearance according to the climate and hence the name. Apart from them Werewolves are also in existence. The Prophecy girl herself is Samantha, Sam for short, and her sister Violet has the ability to control things and people around her which she believes is achieved by prayer. I felt Sam was very relateble and seemed like the kind of sister anybody would want. Violet is easily lovable as her character is supposed to be. The way Danielle treats her daughter Sam evokes a lot of sympathy for Sam and everything seems to get brighter once Mary and Nick enter the storyline. Soon a lot of secrets are spilled and Sam finds out about her Grandmother s prophecy and is thrown into a dilemma of who to trust and what to do. All she wants is to keep violet safe and maybe have a shot at a normal life. Towards the end they get close to solving all problems but blow it. The story is intelligent at some point but predictable at others. Sam s character is very admirable and Nick seems like a very nice guy. The use of light romance and absence of unnecessary sex plot is very appreciable. I look forward to the next book in this series and hope its filled with a lot of mystery.
Thank you for this lovely book Faith!
This was my first r2r and i m glad i went with this book. Prophecy girl by Faith McKay is an easy read not to mention, quite entertaining as well. In the ever growing list of tales of the Supernatural and the introduction of new beings in our world, this one tells us about "seasonals" , a certain type of creatures that live in a small town and change in appearance according to the climate and hence the name. Apart from them Werewolves are also in existence. The Prophecy girl herself is Samantha, Sam for short, and her sister Violet has the ability to control things and people around her which she believes is achieved by prayer. I felt Sam was very relateble and seemed like the kind of sister anybody would want. Violet is easily lovable as her character is supposed to be. The way Danielle treats her daughter Sam evokes a lot of sympathy for Sam and everything seems to get brighter once Mary and Nick enter the storyline. Soon a lot of secrets are spilled and Sam finds out about her Grandmother s prophecy and is thrown into a dilemma of who to trust and what to do. All she wants is to keep violet safe and maybe have a shot at a normal life. Towards the end they get close to solving all problems but blow it. The story is intelligent at some point but predictable at others. Sam s character is very admirable and Nick seems like a very nice guy. The use of light romance and absence of unnecessary sex plot is very appreciable. I look forward to the next book in this series and hope its filled with a lot of mystery.
Thank you for this lovely book Faith!
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