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Camileon
Camile Leon is a young woman searching for the hidden truth about her absentee father, a mysterious lost necklace, and the details of her early childhood-none of which she can remember. She persistently digs for the truth, but at each attempt, her mother dodges her questions and swiftly changes the subject. Before her mother is able to reveal the truth, something terrible happens, and Camile fears she will lose her mother forever. She also fears that the details regarding her past will remain unknown.Just as Camile loses hope on learning the particulars about her past, she makes a shocking discovery which reveals her entire life has been a carefully constructed web of deceit. Almost simultaneously, she experiences strange occurrences that shred the fabric of her reality. She blames these incidents on her extreme stress and hyperactive imagination. As the lies continue to unravel, startling facts emerge-bringing terrible heartache, confusion, and despair.Facing a powerful nemesis, Camile must find the strength within herself to discover the truth. Failing could bring deadly consequences.
240 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2008
36 people want to read
About the author
Shykia Bell
4 books41 followersShykia Bell is an author, poet, artist, and creator of The Bell Studio. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 26, 2010
Treat this reivew as 3.5 stars.
Camile Leon has lived her life searching for answers about her past. Her father disappeared from her life when she was young and years of her childhood are missing from her memories. Her mother has always been closed mouth about both her father and her lost childhood and Camile has never been able to get much out of her. When she finally presses her mother for answers, her mother falls suddenly ill and Camile begins to wonder if her push for answers was the cause.
Shortly after her mother falls ill, Camile discovers a long lost necklace in her mother’s possessions and clues about her past begin to unlock her memories. Camile begins to doubt her sanity and events unfold leading her to the answers she’s been searching for all of her life.
Camileon is the debut novel of author, Shykia Bell. I discovered this book through a friend of mine and fellow book blogger, Reads For Pleasure several weeks ago. She tweeted about receiving a Sci-fi book from a new author and asked if I had heard anything about it since she didn’t read much Sci-Fi. My response was no, but my interest was immediately piqued! It’s always refreshing to find a new African American author writing in fiction in the Urban Fantasy genres and Ms. Bell doesn’t disappoint.
She’s created an original story with a perspective that I found refreshing. Camileon is written in third person POV and there were a few scenes that created the feeling of being told what was going on rather than experiencing the moment by reading it. But it wasn’t too much of a distraction for me to continue to reading.
If you’re looking for a unique storyline from an up and coming author, I recommend Shykia Bell’s Camileon. As usual, I don’t like giving away spoilers in my reviews but I will say that Ms. Bell is currently working on the next installment of the Camileon saga and I’m looking forward to it’s release.
Camile Leon has lived her life searching for answers about her past. Her father disappeared from her life when she was young and years of her childhood are missing from her memories. Her mother has always been closed mouth about both her father and her lost childhood and Camile has never been able to get much out of her. When she finally presses her mother for answers, her mother falls suddenly ill and Camile begins to wonder if her push for answers was the cause.
Shortly after her mother falls ill, Camile discovers a long lost necklace in her mother’s possessions and clues about her past begin to unlock her memories. Camile begins to doubt her sanity and events unfold leading her to the answers she’s been searching for all of her life.
Camileon is the debut novel of author, Shykia Bell. I discovered this book through a friend of mine and fellow book blogger, Reads For Pleasure several weeks ago. She tweeted about receiving a Sci-fi book from a new author and asked if I had heard anything about it since she didn’t read much Sci-Fi. My response was no, but my interest was immediately piqued! It’s always refreshing to find a new African American author writing in fiction in the Urban Fantasy genres and Ms. Bell doesn’t disappoint.
She’s created an original story with a perspective that I found refreshing. Camileon is written in third person POV and there were a few scenes that created the feeling of being told what was going on rather than experiencing the moment by reading it. But it wasn’t too much of a distraction for me to continue to reading.
If you’re looking for a unique storyline from an up and coming author, I recommend Shykia Bell’s Camileon. As usual, I don’t like giving away spoilers in my reviews but I will say that Ms. Bell is currently working on the next installment of the Camileon saga and I’m looking forward to it’s release.
November 10, 2008
Nothing Is As It Seems...
Camile Leon is a young woman searching for the truth about her past and her MIA father. The only thing she has of her father is a photograph and a mysterious necklace. When she tries to broach the subject with her mother Kylie, Kylie ducks and dodges the questions never giving Camile a straight answer. When Camile pushes a little too hard for answers, her mother ends up in a coma, leaving Camile to go on a journey to seek out the truth of her past.
When strange things begin to happen, she begins to question her sanity. In the quest to find the answers to her past she learns that the life that she knew was nothing but a lie, carefully constructed to cover up something so bizarre that when she finds out the truth, she will be forever changed.
Shykia Bell is a masterful storyteller. Her writing reminds me so much of the storyteller Clive Barker; they both have very active imaginations that can weave a story together that will have you glued to the pages. She did a wonderful job in her debut novel and I look forward to reading more in this series. This is a book that I couldn't put down. There were so many twists and turns that it left me stunned at the end. I thought this book was excellent and I would recommend it to anyone that loves to read books of the supernatural.
Reviewed by: LeonaR
Camile Leon is a young woman searching for the truth about her past and her MIA father. The only thing she has of her father is a photograph and a mysterious necklace. When she tries to broach the subject with her mother Kylie, Kylie ducks and dodges the questions never giving Camile a straight answer. When Camile pushes a little too hard for answers, her mother ends up in a coma, leaving Camile to go on a journey to seek out the truth of her past.
When strange things begin to happen, she begins to question her sanity. In the quest to find the answers to her past she learns that the life that she knew was nothing but a lie, carefully constructed to cover up something so bizarre that when she finds out the truth, she will be forever changed.
Shykia Bell is a masterful storyteller. Her writing reminds me so much of the storyteller Clive Barker; they both have very active imaginations that can weave a story together that will have you glued to the pages. She did a wonderful job in her debut novel and I look forward to reading more in this series. This is a book that I couldn't put down. There were so many twists and turns that it left me stunned at the end. I thought this book was excellent and I would recommend it to anyone that loves to read books of the supernatural.
Reviewed by: LeonaR
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February 1, 2021Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2021
If you are looking for a book with a highly imaginative world I highly recommend Camileon. I couldn't put this book down
If you are looking for a book with a highly imaginative world I highly recommend Camileon. I couldn't put this book down
June 22, 2013
I started this book after reading the first few chapters of the second book, Chamileon: Beyond the Veil. I didn't realize it was a second in a series until it just seemed to be missing things. Then I looked up the author and found this book, Chamileon. Luckily it was available as an ebook so I could get it right away.
Camile Leon is an only child with only a mother in the picture. She knows that her father was no longer in her life when she was very little. He could be dead, he could have run off, or left for a good reason. Camile is quiet, shy, and reserved. She feels as if she always blends into the background since no one ever notices her, and when they do she is usually the butt end of the joke and wishes she were invisible again. One day in high school she yelled back at a boy who wouldn't stop teasing her, telling him that she wished he would just disappear. The next day he didn't show up for school and many people blamed her, but she went straight home and she didn't do anything. A week later he showed up back at school. No one knows what happened, not even the boy.
Years later Camile is living on her own with a job, but the rest of her situation is still the same. She starts to daydream more often and swears she hears different people when no one is around. After finding a picture of her and her dad in a book (she never had a picture of him)at her mom's place, she confronts her mom to find out more information about her dad. When her mother finally broke down to tell her something strange happens and Camile's normal life turns into a thriller of supernatural happenings.
I really enjoyed this book. I think this is the first paranormal book I've read that doesn't have a love story involved (I'm not saying there is none, just none that I have read), which I'm totally OK with. I enjoyed reading a story that could stand alone without a love story. Don't get me wrong I love a good relationship in a book and how that drives a story, this book didn't need that and Bell didn't have one in there. I was a little robbed from the thriller experience since I read the beginning of the next book so for that reason I'm a little disappointed. Even though I knew the outcome I was still sent on a rollercoaster ride since I didn't know the specifics and how it came to be. So I just treated this book as a prequel for my own regards, even though its technically the first. I believe this can fit in a couple genres. It's kind of a paranormal/Sci-Fi/thriller. Bell really created an interesting world, and I can't wait to get back to Camileon: Beyond the Veil and see more of that world.
Camile Leon is an only child with only a mother in the picture. She knows that her father was no longer in her life when she was very little. He could be dead, he could have run off, or left for a good reason. Camile is quiet, shy, and reserved. She feels as if she always blends into the background since no one ever notices her, and when they do she is usually the butt end of the joke and wishes she were invisible again. One day in high school she yelled back at a boy who wouldn't stop teasing her, telling him that she wished he would just disappear. The next day he didn't show up for school and many people blamed her, but she went straight home and she didn't do anything. A week later he showed up back at school. No one knows what happened, not even the boy.
Years later Camile is living on her own with a job, but the rest of her situation is still the same. She starts to daydream more often and swears she hears different people when no one is around. After finding a picture of her and her dad in a book (she never had a picture of him)at her mom's place, she confronts her mom to find out more information about her dad. When her mother finally broke down to tell her something strange happens and Camile's normal life turns into a thriller of supernatural happenings.
I really enjoyed this book. I think this is the first paranormal book I've read that doesn't have a love story involved (I'm not saying there is none, just none that I have read), which I'm totally OK with. I enjoyed reading a story that could stand alone without a love story. Don't get me wrong I love a good relationship in a book and how that drives a story, this book didn't need that and Bell didn't have one in there. I was a little robbed from the thriller experience since I read the beginning of the next book so for that reason I'm a little disappointed. Even though I knew the outcome I was still sent on a rollercoaster ride since I didn't know the specifics and how it came to be. So I just treated this book as a prequel for my own regards, even though its technically the first. I believe this can fit in a couple genres. It's kind of a paranormal/Sci-Fi/thriller. Bell really created an interesting world, and I can't wait to get back to Camileon: Beyond the Veil and see more of that world.
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June 28, 2011Great...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews