She created his world and made him the hero of her story. Now she's living that story with him.
Samantha and her twin brother spent their childhood creating an imaginary world beneath the willow tree in their backyard. Two years after her brother's death, Samantha is unexpectedly transported to their fantasy world, where she meets Takeem, the hero of every story she's ever written.
With Takeem by her side, and danger at every turn, Samantha discovers the world she created is nothing like what she imagined. Having somehow landed in the middle of her own evolving story, she must now find the courage to live it.
Just finished reading “Sehmah’s Truth (Beneath the Willow, Book l) by A.J. Culey. I want to first say thank you to A.J., as I won a signed copy of this book on Goodreads.com. This book was beautifully written. It flowed with such fluency in a lyrical and sometime poetic form. It travels well from reality to a land of make believe. It touches on pain, fear, anger, loss, love, hate and prejudices. Categorized as a New Adult/College Fantasy, I think it reads very nicely for any age group above that level. I’ve never been one to shy away from YA/NA books, as a matter of fact, some of the better books in my library are indeed those types of books. I highly recommend this read and I am on my way to get “Jennara in Flux (Beneath the Willow Book 2) to continue my journey with Sehmah, Takeem and the rest of the gang.
Synopsis (from back cover): She created his world and made him the hero of her story. Now she's living that story with him.
Samantha and her twin brother spent their childhood creating an imaginary world beneath the willow tree in their backyard. Two years after her brother's death, Samantha is unexpectedly transported to their fantasy world, where she meets Takeem, the hero of every story she's ever written. With Takeem by her side, and danger at every turn, Samantha discovers the world she created is nothing like what she imagined. Having somehow landed in the middle of her own evolving story, she must now find the courage to live it.
Stick with me for this review (if you feel so inclined). Because I was wrong about this book. It's quite a journey. Trust me on this but you can trust this author... That's why I gave it four stars.
Ok. So...
If you're one of those unbearably jolly people, read this book. If you're low and lonely, read it to understand that other people feel the same. On the other hand, if you're feeling slightly down, a touch grumpy, don't read this book.
This book is bleak. The first third of this book is really bleak. Not Morrissey and the Smiths pretty pretty, tongue-in-cheek, self aware bleak. It's like a primal scream. The imagery it uses is dark, straight to the point - ash, high impenetrable walls, dead forests. It is Bleak. (Note the capital B). You have no idea if there will be a light at the end of tunnel, and if there is, whether it's a train or not.
That's not to say the writing is bland or blunt. AJ Culey writes straight, clear prose gilded with poetic touches. A phrase that stuck with me early on was the description of a character "aged with sadness".
A young woman is battered with the grief of losing her twin brother. Her aunt has attempted to care for her but it proves too much. Samantha, the grieving sister (funny there are words for people that lose their husbands and wives, but nothing for parents that lose children and siblings that lose siblings), runs away and is transported to a fantastical world she once created with her brother. But the world has changed beyond her comprehension - hence the ash, the walls, the dead forests, and as she searches for her brother, she discovers the dark history of a world that has turned on itself. Torn itself apart. Perhaps in the way a grieving young woman can turn on herself in her road to survival.
The first third of the book was difficult for me. Let me explain why. The reviews I had read made it seem this was about how a heartbroken girl uses her imaginary world to deal with her brother's death. Also, the blurb says it's about a heartbroken girl using her imaginary world to deal... yadda yadda yadda...
It starts off and I thought it was like the film "What Dreams May come". I thought it was a brutally bludgeoned version of Narnia, if Lucy had lost Edmund in the blitz and returned to find Aslan's head on a spike.
The bleak imagery of Lutia, the imaginary world, came with similarly depressed characters. Oh, everyone was unhappy. Mothers are nasty to sons, big brothers are nasty to little brothers. It's like a goth club on downers.
Then there are these flashbacks about the world. And I'm thinking, why are there flashbacks in an imaginary world? How does that work? Are they dreams, stories written by her brother, what?
Nobody chuckles. Not a smirk. No snark. Everybody is deathly serious even though a half-pig-half-cat beast flies in like something from a classic anima movie. The bad guys seem to be archetypal evil ninja assassins.
I start to worry that I may not be enjoying this.
And then everything starts to tie together. With strong knots. And I mean everything. The flashbacks not only make perfect sense in the world created by the author, but they enrich the story to such an extent, every character that has come before, every motivation, even what I assumed was heavy-handed symbolism starts to make wonderful, rich sense. Feelings of loss are spread across the whole tale, not just the twin who lost her brother.
And this world not only reflects its creators' loss, its thick, unctuous, satisfying history, tragic and extremely painful to read in parts, the politics and people and creatures, even the plants themselves become interesting, enthralling even.
I am not one to warm to half-pig-half-cats generally - I am of a generation that watched Ewoks overthrow an Empire - but this particular half-pig-half-cat (they're called Nargnets), whatever his name is (this is a moot point), well, he was the one that really got me invested in this. His story is a doozy and it sold the rest of the book to me.
By the last third, I was desperate to reach the end, to find out how the future of this world and Samantha's grief would be tied up. It's a little psychedelic, a touch cosmic, but is not disappointing. It is also not so much about Samantha, but another protagonist who has a deep and traumatic character arc to get through. He also has arms that every girl would apparently like wrapped around her when flying bareback on a Nargnet.
Yeah, so if you like solid world building, sophisticated story-telling that flashes back and forth organically but never with too much complication, if you like your Bleak to have the sharp tang of hope in the most surprising places, visit Lutia. It is really not as inhospitable as it first seems.
*I received this book gratis in exchange for an honest review*
When I began reading this book, I had flashes to Bridge to Terabithia, but this is not a derivative work. The resemblance quickly faded as I realized this was a deeper tale, with many entwined tales and goals. I found myself drawn into Samantha’s fears and dreams. Though she seemed spoiled and selfish to me at first, that changed as her basic good nature and sense of adventure shone through. She is, after all, a teenager.
The societal complexities between the Royals, Blues and Spinners were fascinating, especially in regards to the mixed-breeds and outlying races. But the different factions are introduced slowly enough that you can get a feel for each before plunging into the political ramifications. I sometimes got a bit confused over the time changes and differing points of view, as wellas the symbolism of the colors, alliances, etc., but it wasn’t bad enough to throw me out of the tale.
The author spins a wonderfully complex tale with a fascinating society of magic and war. The details of the dark magic that created the seven walls was especially powerful. I also love the concept of the End Song. I especially admired the slow burn of the details coming together near the end. It wasn’t a sudden bang, it was a gradual build to the solution. All the ties began to come together, bit by bit. A well-crafted and delightful story.
I am glad to see that it is book 1 of a series, as I'm anxious to hear more from this fantastic world.
Five Category Rating System: Concept: Star Writing: 1/2 Star Structure: 1/2 Star Credibility: Star Character: 1/2 Star ------------------------- Total: 3 1/2 Stars
Audience Suitability: Young Adult - Violence, Adult Situations
"Sehmah's Truth" is the first book in a Fantasy series. Unlike the vast majority of series books, "Sehmah's Truth" completes its arc while still leaving sufficient material for a sequel. (I feel betrayed by novels that leave too much of the story unresolved so as to have material for subsequent volumes. Thankfully, "Sehmah's Truth" does not fall into this group.) "Sehmah's Truth" left me feeling that one story had completed and another was about to begin, which is just right.
This is not to say that "Sehmah's Truth" does not have its issues. There were some pretty sudden shifts in point of view and its lack of subtext occasionally interrupted my suspension of disbelief. Character development was pretty good but left me yearning for a stronger effort. It took me a couple of instances to realize that some chapters provided insight into historical events for the central characters as well as for the reader. Once I understood this, it became easier to follow what was going on.
On the plus side, "Sehmah's Truth" is imbued with strong and intriguing fantasy concepts, intriguing characters, a compelling quest theme, and solid world building. It sets limits for sorcery and magical creatures and does not violate those limits.
I found "Sehmah's Truth" to be an interesting and enjoyable read and would recommend it to any fan of Fantasy.
Sehmah's Truth is the story of Samantha, who has lost her twin brother and now takes refuge in the stories they used to write for each other. What writer or lover of stories wouldn't want to see their imaginary worlds and characters come to life? While that idea pulls you in, the best speculative fiction is always grounded in human emotion, and what keeps you there is Samantha's journey to grieve for her brother and find herself. Like Takeem, readers can't help but be drawn to Culey's plucky heroine as she navigates a world familiar and yet not. Looking forward to book two!
Samantha is missing Jonathan, her brother, after he passed away. She is whisked away to a magical world she created with him as children and she is searching for him after she gets there. The world she created is not what she expects when she gets there, but we learn a good bit about the history of that world throughout the novel.
It jumps around a good bit, but it doesn't take you out of the story as you learn characters pasts and some are not what you think they are. Good guys can be bad guys and bad guys good
This is a book I want to tell absolutely everybody about. It seems like it hasn't gotten a lot of attention , but it is a fantastic fantasy portal story that combines adventure with remarkable character development. I would compare it to Bridge to Teribithia for a slightly older audience, with the same combination of worldbuilding and heartbreak.
Samantha, also known as Sehmah, used to create magical stories with her twin brother, Jonathan. But when he and their parents were killed in a car crash, she was left completely alone. Now, on her eighteenth birthday, she returns to her fantasy world--but this time, for real. There, she must encounter the consequences of the world that she's created for the characters that are no longer just figments of her imagination.
There were a lot of exceptional characters in this book, but my favorite was Samantha's aunt, Jennifer. She's the most realistic and grounded character in the series, and her struggle to care for her niece while also grappling with her own sublimated grief is very compelling.
Comparatively, I found the fantasy world a little flat at first. Readers are introduced to many different timelines in this world, and it's somewhat disorienting. However, with time, I felt as absorbed in this world as I did in the characters.
This is a truly tragic story, a meditation on loss, grief, and the responsibility of the artist toward their creation. I hope more readers will pick it up!
I'm going to be honest, when I started this one, I was skeptical. It opens with a handful of short scenes that bounce around enough that I couldn't tell what kind of journey I was in for. Somewhere in the earliest chapters, however, the characters started to grow on me. The world building is deep, and the story doesn't follow the expected path. I found myself surprised a number of times, and reading far later into the night than I should have because I didn't want to put it down. I also love that, while it obviously leaves it open for a sequel, it can stand on its own as well. I look forward to jumping back into this world at some point with the next book!
I just couldn't seem to get into the story. For the most part, it is written well, scenes described in ways to bring the reader into the world, though at times overly wordy and repetitive (thesaurus at times would've been beneficial), but I just couldn't seem to get into the plot.
Some of the characters were interesting to read about, to learn their history and see how they developed throughout the story. One issue I had was multitude of characters and names being tossed around. It was difficult to keep track of everyone, who was who, who did what, who is good, who is bad, etc.
Some of the dialogue seemed forced and unnatural. And the flirty love stuff between Samantha and Takeem just seemed weird and out of place at times.
The world building was done well and was interesting, but the time jumping and different perspectives made the book seem choppy and hard to follow.
Overall, though written well, I just couldn't seem to make much sense of the story and get into it. It may very well be right up your alley, but it just really wasn't for me. 2.5 stars.
There is a lot of jumping around of characters in the book. From Takeem/Samantha, to the history before Takeem, and back to Jennifer on Earth. I felt like a ping pong ball sometimes. The author could do with making these transitions a little clearer for eBook, but it wasn't terrible, just disjointed at times.
That being said I had a hard time liking characters. They all had such flaws and such heartbreaks. However, the more I read the more I liked them. Many of their flaws fell away - particularly Takeem. Samantha was still depressing and grief stricken from time to time but she started to come alive more and more - making her a better character.
Plot
This plot is a slow burn. It takes a while to makes its point and for the full plot to form, but when it does it is quite enjoyable. By the time I was halfway through the book I raced through the last half. It took me 12 days to get through the first half of the book and three to get through the other half. The creativity of the world and the art in which the author portrays it really takes shape in the second half. This is likely due to character introduction and the flashbacks taking over much of the first part of the book.
The plot, like the character's backstories and overall emotions, is dark. The world she created; Lutia. It is dreary and dark. She brings light but her own light is dimmed by recent tragedies. The world of Lutia is as broken and messed up as she is. I don't want to ruin anything, but this plot as more depth than it first seems. It is important to give it time - at least 50%. This book does not standalone - the ending is clearly meant to go into a second book.
Overall
This book is bleak and I'm not sure it is suitable for most YA readers. It is SUPER dark starting out. No one seems to be happy in this book at the beginning...or for most of it. That is the first thing that hits me. I sighed like a billion times for the first 25% of this book because the characters are just so miserable. It dredges up deeper darker feelings; loss, betrayal, unhappy choices, death, and oppression. Not normally my cup of tea, and then the author hints at more going on - which a little more push than earlier. Once I figured that out it started to flow better.
The characters are interesting but some of the secondary characters seem a little generic at times. This improves as the book goes on but I didn't get a good feel for them until much later. That being said, if you can get over the darker themes, this book is quite good. The reason comes down to the world building. I freaking love this world. The plot and characters can go hang next to the vivid imagery of this world. The plot was good, the characters were okay, but the WORLD was amazing. From the willow trees (Shrouded Ones) to Huk. Amazing imaginary.
Rating
4 Stars
I liked it. I couldn't merry up the darker themes with the YA feel at times, but I still enjoyed it. I don't know if I would recommend it to anyone under the age of 16. Honestly it wasn't until after I finished it that I decided I liked it and it was more because of the world and the creativity of it than anything else. If you like creative fantasy worlds - this book is for you.
I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. More reviews at creatingworldswithwords.wordpress.com.