The Seven Rays

by Jessica Bendinger, Angela Dawe (Narrator)

You are more than you think you are.

That is the anonymous message that Beth Michaels receives right before she starts seeing things. Not just a slept-through-my-alarm-clock, late-for-homeroom, haven’t-had-my-caffeine-fix kind of seeing things. It all starts with some dots, annoying pink dots that pop up on and over her mom and her best friend’s face. But then things get out of control and Beth is seeing people’s pasts, their fears, their secrets, their desires. The images are coming at Beth in hi-def streaming video and she can’t stop it. Everyone thinks she’s crazy and she’s pretty sure she agrees with them. But crazy doesn’t explain the gold envelopes that have started arriving, containing seeing keys and mysterious tarot cards. To Beth, it all seems too weird to be true. You are more than you think you are? But here’s the thing: What if she is?

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Fiction, Supernatural, Teen

MP3 CD

First published May 4, 2009

About the author

Jessica Bendinger is an acclaimed Hollywood screenwriter who launched onto the scene with her original script for the hit hip hop cheerleading comedy, Bring it On. Never shying away from challenges and new opportunities, Bendinger has also added the title of producer, director, and most recently, novelist to her repertoire. A self described “creative seeker,” Bendinger relies on her enthusiasm and curiosity when choosing the next frontier she would like to explore.

Bendinger is slated to release her first and highly-anticipated novel, The Seven Rays on November 24, 2009 with Simon & Schuster. The story follows 17 year-old, Beth Michaels, who uncovers elements of the supernatural on her journey of self discovery. The words: “You are more than you think you are” mysteriously present themselves to Beth and ultimately drive her quest. The novel reaches well beyond the interest of young adults, appealing to all as it explores the universal question—“Are we making the most of our lives?”

Reviews

[Morgan F · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stumbled across a free copy of this book online, and with the gorgeous cover and intriguing premise, I dove into it right away. Oh, how I wish I looked at the Goodreads ratings first.

I should give anyone reading this a warning. I will be ranting. A lot.

Firts off, this was the weirdest, most ridiculous, juvenile, annoying book I've read in a long time. And the most painful thing is that it could have been great. It really could have. Underneath the mess of a plot were some good, orginal ideas. Unfortunatley, several things ruined it.

Let's start with the narrator. Beth is supposed to be smart. She is a seventeen year old senior finishing high school early and taking college courses. Instead of a sophisticated young lady, we get a narrator who is fond of bathroom humor and nonsensical slang. Seriously, she is constantly talking about bodily functions, and refers to her name as Pee Poo. She'll be in a dire situation and be all "Oh, yeah. My name is Pee Poo." Her slang isn't cool or hip, but something a twelve year would be embarrassed to say. She refers to her visions as "grooze" or "feelsees", and uses them casually in conversation as if anyone can tell what the hell she is talking about. She is not witty either, just very cheesy. Beth devotes the same amount of energy to worrying about body odor as she does in life-threatening situations. I just cannot believe some of the stuff the author wrote. My eyes were in constant eye-rolling motion.

Then there is the romance between Beth and Richie aka Hot Guy. Who is Richie you may ask? Richie is the attractive older guy who suddenly falls for our narrator after spending five minutes with her for no apparent reason at all. Other than that, I have no idea who he is. I have no other physical description of him other than that he is hot, and his only personality trait is that he is "sweet". I know he has a younger sex-obsessed brother and an alcoholic mother, but these concepts were just pushed aside in order for Beth and Richie to have more "omg we can't make-out or else risk electrocution" time.

Other than that, it was just flat out weird and weirdly written. I have no problem strange if it is at least written well, but this is not the case. Bendinger would rely far too much on the visual, assuming her readers know what the hell is going on. She might as well have been describing a keleidoscope. She would often clump up the supernatural. Some parts would be devoid as so much as a "feelsee", then others were just leadened with it. The ending was rushed, but nothing was resolved anyway.

I'm not sure whether this book is a result of an author trying too hard to be trendy, or an author having a good idea lazily executed. I just pretty much hated it the entire way. My lip was constantly curled in a snarl. You might be asking why I bothered to finish it then. Once I have an answer I shall get back to you.

I will not be reading the sequel.

Oh, and one more thing. Song-gasms. WTF!?

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book by its cover and book trailer and I was excited to read it. About ten pages in I got skeptical. The jacket said it is written for 14 years or older. Already within the first chapter we were talking about things that are not at all okay for 14 year olds. I kept reading because the plot was interesting, but it just got worse. By page 200 I had to put the book down and stop reading. It made me, a 34 year old married woman with children feel dirty. In my opinion the book has soft porn designed to stimulate young minds to desire music that pushes sex. The main characters went for 0 to 60 in a couple of minutes. Why?

It is sad to me that some Young Adult fiction can be wrapped up in great appealing characters and push trashy values. The author here threw in a semi-feel good ultimate message. Her premise that jealousy and lies be combated by love was lost for me amongst all of the sexual, alternative undertones. I gave it 2 out of 5 stars.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure how to describe this book. OMGWTFBBQ is really the only apt phrase that springs to mind. I started reading it months ago and had to put it down because it honestly made my head spin. There's a girl (Beth) and she can *see* things--ropes of emotion, memories, stuff like that. The premise is different, but not that far off from your regular YA fantasy, you think, right?

Well, no, because there are things in this book that I can't even describe properly. Like when Beth listens to her iPod she can feel the memories of the artists, which ends up being thinking about sex and she has her first orgasms. To make it better, the boy she likes, Richie, *sees* her and this is... romantic? Maybe? (Side note: At the end there is an ad telling us we can buy the "Seven Rays" Soundtrack on iTunes. Um... no thanks!)

When they first kiss, his whole body gets covered in a crust. Yes, I said crust. And this is... good? Not cause for a trip to the doctor?

He breaks Beth out of a mental institution (?!) and they go on a cross-country spree together, making lame jokes and talking about how much they love each other. Except, I really can't imagine it. I mean, the relationship feels so wrong as to be like another language.

Oh, and while I'm on the subject of language. The author, Jessica Bendinger, has a lot of word play. I guess if you've seen "Bring It On" you can think of the "she puts the whore in horrifying"-type lines in that movie. And then picture it *on every page*. It gets old real fast, is all I'm saying. Not nearly as clever or endearing as the author seems to think.

Finally--blessedly--the book finally comes to an end. Beth and the other girls sprinkled throughout the book are all told they have powers and they are sisters. That's pretty much it. We can only hope there isn't more to the girls' story. Ugh!

[Nicole]

This book is weird, as in: was I on something when I read this? An hallucinogen maybe. And a lot of WTF? moments riddled throughout the story. But I think...I kinda...sort of...liked it and all of it's strangeness.

What is the story about? Well, to be honest, I have no clue. Still, after I have read it, I'm confused and unclear of the story. But it was compelling (somehow). It got me to keep reading with this question repeating in my head of what the heck is going on? Unfortunately, the ending didn't give a wholly satisfying answer. It only vaguely touched on what Beth actually is. I'm assuming there is a sequel. And now, I feel like I have to read the sequel to understand the first book.

Okay, so let me try to tell you what this book is about or at least what I think happens in it. In a nutshell, Beth goes crazy (she actually goes to a psychiatric facility) but wait(!) she's not actually crazy. All the strange things she's seeing--and they are very strange indeed (this book is very visual and it kind of feels like you're stuck in a kaleidoscope)--are actually there. And if she wants to figure out the truth of the weird symbols she sees (and why she is seeing them), she must journey to New York. And who helps her get there? Hot Guy aka Richie. The whole romantic part of the novel was just as strange as the rest of the novel. Now I keep saying strange but what is strange? I think you have to read it to fully grasp it. But a little help for you is this: electricity, music proxy orgasms, skin peeling, ropes, knots, grooze, feelsees, dots, energy monsters, baby personal demons, and so much more I can't even describe.

If you're into the strange or weird originality, then I'd give the book a shot. Just beware that you may not find many answers or much closure when you finish.

[Holly Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I almost put this book down, 80 pages from the ending. I was so put off by the developments in the plot, that it was almost unbearable to continue. I hardly ever fail to complete a novel, and thus I pushed forward hoping for the upswing that never came.

What kills me is that this could have been a great book. The premise is very interesting and original. I was intrigued to see where the plot could go and how the story would unfold. Unfortunately I was very disappointed. It almost seemed as if the author put a lot of thought into the idea, but lost interest in its execution.

This is one of the first books of this nature that I have read that used a lot of juvenile slang. Maybe I am showing my age here (I am only 26), but there were words and phrases that I could hardly decipher. This made reading very exhasperating at times.

I read a lot of supernatural ya novels, so I can tell you that for a book marketed to young adults, this book is filled to the brim with sex, and inappropriately so! InStyle even listed this book on its holiday gift guide under the section for Kids and Teens. Imagine a mothers mortification when she finds out she gave her 13 year old daughter a book that has more R-Rated references than some romance novels.

Finding out that the writer of this novel Jessica Bendinger, wrote Bring It On, was really surprising. This is nothing like that story, so don't assume you will like this if you enjoyed that story, or prepare to be disappointed.
Pass on this book.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beth Ray is beginning to realize she's not just your average teenage girl. She's seeing strange visions, and then there are the letters: shiny gold envelopes containing hints of a great destiny. Her mother tries to keep them from her, but the envelopes manage to find Beth wherever she goes.

And then a big hairy bloke shows up on a flying motorbike and takes her to a wizard school in Scotland... wait, wrong book.

What happens to Beth, instead, is that she undergoes laser eye surgery to try to correct her sight, and when that just makes the visions more intense, the next stop is psychiatric help. Meanwhile, she's having a whirlwind romance with an older "bad boy," Richie McAllister. And when I say whirlwind, I mean whirlwind. Beth and Richie go from mere acquaintances to making out in about 2.5 seconds, and for no discernible reason. This romance is simply not developed at all. There's nothing, then BAM! they're dating, and then BAM! they suddenly have a deep devotion to each other.

Anyway, kissing Richie leads Beth to yet another discovery: electricity passes between the two of them when they touch, and not the metaphorical kind. Is this yet another YA novel about two people who have some supernatural reason they can't fool around? Yes. This "abstinence porn" thing is getting kind of tired, people. Have your characters stay chaste if you want, or put them to bed if you want (it can be done tastefully; see Maggie Stiefvater 's Shiver), but hundreds of pages of "but we caaaan't" angst? It's been done.

All of this is narrated in a slangy style that doesn't sound like any actual teenagers I've met. It reads like an adult trying too hard; if you've read magazines like Seventeen, you get the idea. Beth gets into the "fetal posish," and when she listens to something, she's giving it her "ear-tention." While spying on someone using her visionary power: "I eye-bandoned my eye-dropping and decided eavesdropping might be easier." Richie is "loaded with flirt juice." Then there's the pseudo-mystical poetry Beth finds in the gold envelopes. It doesn't scan smoothly, and contains an awkward mix of informal and elevated language.

Later, Beth meets the six other Rays who will be her companions. (All of these young women are more interesting than Beth, and if future books follow them instead, I would consider reading them.) There's an initiation of sorts, and Beth learns more about her destiny and her powers. The ending implies that this is a "set-up" book, introducing the characters and putting them into position (posish?) for further adventures.

The Seven Rays is a book in search of a target audience. The "finding yourself" theme is a classic motif in young-adult literature, and the frequent sexual references place this firmly in the older-teen range. However, constant mentions of "pee," "poo," and "snot" will probably annoy everyone over 10. The cheesy "teen slang," I suspect, will turn off teens and adults alike. I think there's supposed to be a spiritual message, but the story and its putative moral get bogged down in illogical plot twists, bathroom humor, and the irritating writing style. I can't really recommend it to anyone.

There are several scenes toward the middle of the book, though, that are actually quite moving. I really felt for Beth when she was committed to the mental hospital, trying to prove her sanity to a smarmy doctor and wondering why she'd been sold out by those who were supposed to love her. The scene in which she wanders New York alone and bereft is also affecting. These scenes give the reader a glimpse of what The Seven Rays could have been if it hadn't been trying so hard to be trendy and/or "enlightening." Jessica Bendinger has assembled all of the essential ingredients of a good coming-of-age fantasy; it just wasn't realized very well. 1.5 stars.

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, to a person not open to a new readin experience, could be interpreted as confusin and not connected...at all, but to me, this book made perfect sense. Now, im not sayin my readin skills are any higher than anyone else on this page, im 16 and i know my brain isnt done developin and im also not as smart as some of the Adults who have read and reviewed, but since my brain isnt as fully developed, it is open to many ways of doin things, which is what this book needs. To read this book you cant just READ the book, you have to probe deeper and be able to jump from story to story and remember things and be able to connect them at the right moments. This book will give you a peice of information in the beginning that wont click or make sense till the end and thats where you need to make the ropes like Beth does. Also in the "probin deeper" parts, for example: the relationship between Beth and Richie, Beth has been crushin on Richie for a while, and it was obvious that he was flirtin with her, and their "instant love" thing isnt completley out there, by that i mean when they kiss and they get "electrocuted" it isnt just a random zap, if you probe deeper you might find that this could represent the "spark" two people will feel towards eachother that CONNECTS to love at first sight. and the mom part, that could be interpreted as when the mom realizes that the child SHE raised because 7RI gave her up is now goin BACK to those people and her "mother" feels betrayed because those people didnt help her get older, see her through her pains, her sorrows, or see grow up and help at all. So again, once you PROBE deeper and CONNECT to the back story at the end, you get a deeper connected meaning to the story. Im not sayin the other reviews are wrong im just sayin those people must have just read the book by goin through the motions and not "stoppin to smell the roses." I stopped, so to speak, and found this book very interesting and intriguing, you just have to be patient and open to new experiences.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first word that comes to mind is "Original". Whoever said this is the "next Twilight" was really reaching. I read this book because of the originality I sensed from it, not because it is a redux (which it isn't). It is far from being that kind of love story. This book is about self discovery. Realizing who you really are. Growing up.

This is one of those books that must be read a couple of times in order for you to grasp the "whole" concept. It was engrossing, and I read it in under 4 hours. I simply could not put it down.

Did I love it? No.
Did I hate it? No.
Did I like it a lot? Yes.

I'm afraid my rating of 3 stars will possibly turn to 4 once I read it again a couple of times.This book was mind boggling at times too. Without giving too much away, make sure you pay attention at the beginning of each chapter - it means something. This book totally took me to places I wasn't expecting. You grow up with Beth. You wonder right along with her "Why her?". There is so much to be explored from this book. So many storylines that need exploring, and I look forward to Mrs. Bendinger elaborating more on these stories - because believe you me, the name of the book "The Seven Rays" wasn't an accident. There are seven delectable stories to choose from, so which way will she go next? As long as Beth and Richie are in it, I'm game.

See? I liked it so much I'm actually thinking sequels and spin-offs!

[Thalia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read the review on my blog:
http://thaliasbooks.tumblr.com/post/9...

[hiba ☕︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I had a lot of mixed feelings while reading this book.
I’ll just sum it up into two parts:

-5 stars for the amazingly original idea and story structure
-2 stars for execution

Let’s talk more about this, shall we? When I first cracked open The Seven Rays, I admit, I was equally as intrigued as I was mortified. Why mortification, you ask? Well, the author has absolutely ZERO understanding of how teenagers talk. Allow me to show you how how Jessica Bendinger thinks we teenagers speak:

“That is totes my fave spot!”
“Quit being ridic.”
“We are becoming snore pie with yawn sauce, Beth!”
“Eff her!”
And, my personal favourite:
“Love me or leave me, baby. But I ain’t laying down shit without a contract. And that’s the truth whether you believe my rhymes are goofy or Gucci.” (yes, that’s an actual frickin’ line, verbatim)

Moving on. Jessica Bedinger has also portrayed a very, very, VERY horrible sense of humour through the main character, Beth. When I tell you that I was physically, from-the-bottom-of-my-heart cringing throughout the jokes Beth made that were genuinely meant to make the reader laugh, I mean it. God, they were so, so, so, so, so BAD. So bad.
And this is coming from someone who laughs at any and everything.

Now that I got the biggest flaws out of the way, let’s continue.

1. There was some serious insta-love here. Be warned (the insta-love does make sense to an extent because of the whole flu-power thing, but it was unbelievable, nevertheless).

2. If you’ve read the book, then I know you read that music scene, and I know that we both puked in our mouths, just a little.

3. I’d be lying to you if I said this book’s plot wasn’t so absolutely intriguing and gripping, because it was. Excellently so. I wish so badly that the execution was better because I honestly see this as being one of my favourite books. I mean, the exotic nature of the Seven Rays? The girls and their different background stories? The mystery and strangeness that is their powers, the uniqueness? The poetry, the Tarot cards, the hidden depths? That was so, so *chefs kiss*. I loved how the author sprinkled the background stories of the Seven Rays in between Beth’s story. It was so strategic and was honestly the only thing that kept me reading.

4. Unfortunately, the whole of point 3 was ruined by the LACK OF FREAKIN’ ANSWERS. This book leaves you with more questions than when you started and I am SO. FRUSTRATED. I don’t know what the origin story of the Seven Rays are because stupid sister Mary said Sarah has to tell them in her own time. Okay???? Could this preferably have been BEFORE THE BOOK ENDED? I guess not. And what the hell happened with Richie and Beth’s fate? Are they going to stay together or is Beth going to be with six other men, as is her destiny as the Seventh Ray? WHAT was that whole movie of violent images the girls saw at the end? HOW CAN YOU END A FRICKIN STANDALONE BOOK WITH SO MANY POWERFUL, UNANSWERED QUESTIONS?

5. Just wanted to drop this line that really irked me (context: Va-Va, a very beautiful Ray, covers up her beauty to avoid attention, and her fathers have something to say about it):
“You practically a Muslim, girlene!” Daddy Benji would shriek at her. “Take off that burqa!” he screamed on her twenty-first birthday. “You givin’ me the creeps with your bagy lady outfits!”
Okay:
A. Learn the difference between a burqa and loose clothing
B. Don’t use the phrase “you practically a Muslim” as an insult
C. Why are you creeped out by loose clothing?

Yeah, that was it for this book for me. If there is a second novel--despite by better judgement--I might read it, solely because the unanswered questions are driving me nuts and anyone who knows me knows that I hate that. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to try to scrub my brain with bleach to get the mental image of “Richie and Beth’s music scene” and Beth’s absolutely HORRIBLE jokes--that are seared to the back of my eyelids, by the way--out of my head.

[Patrycja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad ale też szału nie ma
Ale żreć w kółko fasolkę i serowe burrito to trzeba mieć nieźle we łbie, a typiara całą książkę jadła tylko to XD

[oliwka · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

[Rachael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beth Michaels might be going crazy. One day she’s perfectly normal, and the next, she starts seeing these strange pink dots everywhere. Unfortunately, it doesn’t even stop there. Ropes, chains, and disgusting black gunk show up on virtually every person she sees, as well as glimpses into a people’s minds, memories, secrets, and fears if she looks at someone for too long. But even though other people think Beth is crazy too, the thing is, she might not be. Because along with this strange new vision, Beth also starts receiving gold envelopes with mysterious message, envelopes Beth soon finds out she’s been receiving her whole life but hasn’t been aware of until now. The first message Beth gets says “You are more than you think you are.” And as Beth soon finds out, that’s probably true.

The Seven Rays is one confusing jumbled mix mash of too many things at once. Yes, there are paranormal occurrences, lots of them in fact, the period of doubting sanity, and romance, among other things. That’s precisely the problem with this book. Bendinger tries to include way too many things into her debut novel that the story loses its sense of purpose. On one hand, Beth has normal everyday problems with her mother and best friend. On the other, there’s this romance with Beth and Richie. Then, on an imaginary third hand, there’s all that supernatural stuff. It’s this imaginary third hand that screws this book up the most. There’s just so much about destiny and special skills as well as some kind of special prophecy or organization that’s never adequately explained that floods the story in the worst possible way. This is the kind of novel where I really wonder how it got published considering the story is such a mess. Is it because Bendinger is a moderately well known screenwriter? If that’s so, I think Bendinger better stick to that.

The Seven Rays may be enjoyed by fans of Swoon by Nina Malkin and The Hollow by Jessica Verday. I doubt I will read any sequel to this novel.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

3.0 out of 5 stars Mystical, spiritual -- confusing..., December 15, 2009

This review is from: The Seven Rays (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I am not quite sure how to review this book as it started out well but then got bogged down by some excess detail that didn't add anything to the story, poems that were enigmatic, and a character - Beth -- who really ended up being irritating rather than engaging.
Her fixation on her smell and her complete lack of attention to personal hygiene throughout the book were disturbing and frankly, a bit gross. I was never sure exactly where this story was going. Lots of references to "pee", snot, body odor, greasy hair, etc.?!

Anyway -- Beth is a normal high school girl -- "a blonde geek with a 4.1 GPA" who wants to go to college when her plans are derailed by the arrival of a gold envelope and a note with the enigmatic message: You are more than you think you are. She, henceforth referred to as Aleph Beth, and cohort crush Richie (gorgeous of course) are led on a merry chase to New York where the mysteries of who she is and her mission are revealed through tarot cards, meeting other characters, and solved. Sort of.

Meanwhile, the other 6 complements of the "Seven Rays" are introduced in successive chapters but none of the stories are really told and it seems a gathering of a really motley crew with different "powers." Not sure even what these Seven Rays are supposed to ultimately DO.

There's a lot of vague sexual description -- quite strange actually since Beth and Richie don't actually engage -- but the nuances of what is happening are very clear. I'm given to understand that these 7 Rays have a mission and Aleph Beth is supposed to have 7 children by 7 different men. I am wondering if there will be a sequel because this novel really didn't provide a definitive ending!
I will have to give this book to some teens and see what their reaction is -- I'm a bit ambivalent!

[Ithlilian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of books where people learn to deal with their abilities, and for the most part The Seven Rays is just that. I like that the ability in this book is not just hearing thoughts or seeing into the future. The main character Beth see dots, tubes, knots, and other such things on people and thinks she is going crazy. She gets cryptic gold envelopes from some place she has never heard of and doesn't figure too much out about her powers until the end. It's a touching story and I feel bad about some of the things Beth has to go through in this book. She is more mature than some irritating drama filled teenagers I've read about and that's a definite bonus. I also appreciate that the author made the book as up to date as possible. I felt like the things going on in the high school in the book were realistic and believable. I loved most of the book, but the end was certainly different. Everything starts happening very fast and more questions are opened than are answered. It definitely makes me want to read the rest of the series hoping some things will be resolved and explained though. I enjoyed being taken though Bath's experiences as she learns and grows, and I think the series shows promise for it's originality.

[Lillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh god, most of the time I wanted to scream "WTF?!" Half of the book is pointless Richie Mac and Beth scenes. I mean, Richie Mac and Beth Ray? Such interesting names that I did not just forget and had to look at the book to write this review. It's sort of like Twilight Bella and Edward. The plot was garbage, again like Twilight, three quarters into the book and then something happens. I still can't figure out what the moral or point is of the book! So they have to pass all these tests for no reason and bring their mother back to life so she can give them tons of money to do whatever they like, because they're the seven rays? Makes no sense. And the fact that Beth has the least interesting ability(in my opinion) bugs me a lot, her being handicapped or something would be better. I hate Beth, she is dull, stupid, and not at all lovable. I even like Shirl better than her, and I remembered her name clearly. The only reason why I gave two stars, not one, is because there are like 5 short chapters that I like in the book. Nessa, Shirl, Va-Va, and etc should have been the main character or something, because they are a hundred times better than Beth.

[P.A. Pursley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could get back the last week of my life. This is such a bad and confusing book. It is terribly written, the story line doesn't seem to go anywhere, and there seems to be spatters of different religions in there like she didn't want to offend anyone? It was weird and I would not recommend it at all.

The first part of the book had me interested but it got worse as it progressed. By the time I realized I really didn't like this book, I was almost done with it so I pushed through it to see if it would actually go anywhere. Nope. It didn't.

If you like confusing stories that go no where...this book is for you. Maybe.

[Penny · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is such a bizarre piece of work, I'm not sure what to make of it. It started out fun, got interesting, then got bizarre, then got really bizarre, and then became a full on crap-fest, theeeen it ended okay. Unfortunately the conclusion was really open-ended. No word on whether or not it will become a series.

Am I still interested in this storyline? Enough to pick up a sequel? The answer to both those questions is no.

[Stephanie Bain · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good fast read i enjoyed every bit of it if there was another ya sure id read it but ya isnt amazing but its good.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started really really good and just got really weird!

[Chioma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like nothing I have ever read before, The Seven Rays is a unusual and elaborate story filled with fantasy and mystery going deep into a new world filled with mythical beings way different from your average vamp.

If I could sum of this book in three words, I would say it was just plain freaky. I can definitely guarantee that throughout this book there will be a bunch of "umm what"s and a ton of "huh"s and you will go back and read a lot of pages right after you finished reading them because somethings are just plain weird and pretty confusing.

Don't get me wrong people, I could not put this book down. It was just so unusual. I would try to find a better word to describe it but that seems to fit perfectly. It kept your interest all the way through because everything about this book was new and unique and downright freaky.

It all starts with the dots. Of all the paranormal and fantastical abilities out their Beth is lucky enough to see...dots. But first comes the dots, then comes people's entire lives flashing before her eyes. And now she knows she is crazy, except that there are mysterious letters she is receiving that are telling her otherwise.

Despite thinking she is crazy, Beth was strong. She was the kind of girl who did not wait for answers, she got off her butt and traveled across the country to go find them. She is slowly discovering that what she is able to do goes farther than just seeing dots. At times I really felt sorry for Beth. One by one people were abandoning her and she had no idea why. It was kinda sad the way the only person she could trust through all this was the typical "hottest guy in school"/"school's biggest player" . Usually not the kind of company you would like to keep going on a life changing cross country journey, but despite the cliches of the situation, he turned out to be a very likable character.

All that being said, I would have to say at a lot of parts the book were a bit confusing. I had to flip back a lot to previous pages to make sure I knew what the heck was going on, and even after that I still wasn't sure what was happening.

All in all I really enjoyed this book. It was so unusual and like nothing I have ever read before. Even though I can see how a lot of people might not like it as it was pretty confusing and seemed very...unfinished. Either way it is a book that will be on your mind long after you finish reading it.

[C McCrimmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won't go into what the book was about, but if you are the kind of person that finds most movies that are coming out now to feel like excuses for huge cinematic action without much story to back them up, you will probably have problems with this book. There is story there and at times it was fleshed out and I started to get interested in what was going on, but many times it fell short of actually achieving anything other than a lead up to the next big action scene. There were a lot of things that got resolved and wrapped up at the end so quickly that I looked to see if there was going to be another book. I didn't find any evidence on a quick Google search of it being part of a series.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book has a cool premise, but the storyline and character building just don’t follow through. I understand that the MCs are teenagers, but even the adult dialogue is juvenile. The reasoning for the insta-love is explained, but honestly doesn’t work. The pacing doesn’t make sense and the first half of the book could have been cut down by at least 50 pages. Even by the end, I couldn’t really tell you anything about the characters or feel anything about a single one. A solid meh.

[Jenna ⭐ · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was the cover that made me do it.


What I Liked-
The Basic Idea of the book
The basic idea of the book is quite intriguing. A young girl named Beth Michaels starts to see these things that she calls 'feelsees.' Basically, 'feelsees' are squiggly lines, dots and such that appear all over people and give Beth a sort of insight on people and their thoughts and emotions. Shortly after these 'feelsees' take over Beth's vision, she starts to receive letters from an unknown source telling her that she is 'Not who she thinks she is.' After a few misadventures with 'hot guy' Richie Mac, the two eventually start to unravel the mystery of Beth's life. It was a good premise.

The Cover-
That cover is absolutely beautiful, though I have to admit, I do like the Polish cover a bit more. That cover is definitely the reason I picked up the book. It's. Just. So. Pretty.

What I Disliked-
The Characters-
Beth-
Beth was so annoying. I didn't understand how she, a smart high-schooler student who is finishing high school early and taking colleges classes, could use such annoying words. Throughout the entire book she uses words such as 'crap', 'poo', and 'pee'. I'm a highschooler and I have never heard a student, let alone a senior, say any of those words. My ten year old brother would never say half the things Beth does. Then, oh then, she refers to herself as 'Pee Poo'.

Good luck with that Beth. Be sure to write that on your college application. I'm sure every college would love to get an application from Beth 'Pee Poo' Michaels. On top of that, Beth was just overly stupid. Seriously, how is this girl getting accepted to any college. If this girl is getting a 4.1 grade point average, then why the heck am I not getting a 5.4, at least. Come on.

Richie
Ah, the stereotypical hot guy. Pretty much all I know about Richie, Beth's 'boyfriend', is that he is hot and he has a brother who likes to put condoms on girls he's slept with's lockers (...), and that his mom abused him or something. He and Beth meet somewhere and they kiss and 'Boom!' Insta-love. "Damn to the depths whatever author thought of 'Insta-love'." "That would be the French." (Little Pirates of the Caribbean reference there ;) ) Anyhow, after Richie and Beth kiss, Richie's mouth burns and he gets covered in this weird crusty film. That just sounds... wonderful.


All the other supporting characters
I honestly did not understand most of the characters in this book. Their motives and issues were not developed and ,frankly, they just didn't make sense. For instance, out of no where, Beth's mother goes nuts and decides to burn all of Beth's stuff. Who in their right mind does that; Who in their wrong mind does that? Beth's friend who I can't remember the name of for the life of me was just as stupid as Beth. She was just a cardboard cut-out.

The switching perspectives-
I know that this is one of the aspects of the book that a lot of people enjoyed, but I just don't quite agree. While I do think that the other six rays point of view was much more intriguing than Beths, I just didn't care for it. Maybe its just that I don't care for rotating points of view.

The plot structure of the book-
I think this book, if written properly, could have been wonderful. It could have been original and creative, but due to the way it was written and structured, it just fell flat and stupid. It was hard to get into and had me rolling my eyes almost every single sentence. Its truly hard to believe that Jessica Bendinger, the author of the book, wrote the screen write for one of my favorite movies, Aquamarine.

The Sexual Tension-
This book was highly disturbing. It was like one of those books where the two characters could not be together for reasons that make no sense whatsoever. Sorry, Jessica Bendinger but that has already been done. *Cough* Twilight *Cough* I swear, this book took some of my innocence and flushed it right down the toilet. Sexual themes were brought up so many times that I just could not handle it and had to put the book down for a little while to watch some My Little Pony. I'd have to say, like many others that have read this book, that the most disturbing scene of all had to be the one where Richie and Beth went to the hotel where Beth experienced her first song-gasm... Yes, that's right. A song-gasm.

Overall-
What could have been a great and original book went straight down the drain. It was stupid, too sexual for a YA book, and had way too much potty mouth slang. I would suggest you guys read the book Angelfall: It's so much better. Never ever going to read the sequel (if there is one), I have much more important things to do with my life...

[Jinny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Elizabeth has always been a relatively normal teen. But lately she’s been having what she thinks are vision issues. It started small, just dots on people. But later she starts seeing ropes extending from others, blobs attached to bodies, and streaming movies of everyone’s thoughts and feelings. She knows they’re not there, but she sees them anyway. Stranger yet, she is receiving strange letters in gold envelopes with mysterious poems and tarot cards. Convinced that she’s off gone off the deep end, her mother sends her to a psychiatric institute.

In the meantime, Richie Mac has become obsessed with Elizabeth ever since that one kiss they shared when they were ‘studying’. Bewilderingly, he has acquired some similar powers to Elizabeth and can read her mind no matter how far apart he is. Love and passion driving him, he helps Elizabeth break out of the hospital so that she can find her destiny.

I have very mixed feelings towards this book. I never heard of this book initially, didn’t know a thing about it. I saw it in the New Books/Arrivals section in my public library and decided to give it a go. Only after finishing the novel did I decide to Google the book and see what popped up. Apparently this book is being hailed as ‘the new Twilight’. While I am mostly indifferent to the Twilight series, I can tell you The Seven Rays is not a new Twilight sensation at all. When I read Twilight, I could, at least, understand what was happening. The Seven Rays’ plot is largely unexplained and leaves me unsatisfied and puzzled.

The premise sounded extremely fascinating and unique. And when I began reading, I actually really liked it. Granted, Elizabeth isn’t the most likeable protagonist ever as she has something of a condescending personality … but I did like the story. I thought it was heading in a good direction and there was plenty of intrigue to keep me reading, as well as fun word-play/word blending. Around the halfway point, I began to feel a bit frustrated because it was still all intrigue and no answers (I mean, by the halfway point, I’d like to at least understand what the point of the story is about). Elizabeth herself didn’t have any idea what was happening either. Characters don’t know what’s going on, reader doesn’t know what’s going on … sounds like a bad mix.

The ending felt extremely rushed and as a result, sloppy. It was as if all of the plot was crammed into the last twenty or thirty pages, and it ended in the most unsatisfying way possible. If I had questions during the course of the novel, they certainly have multipled tenfold by the ending. Why did Richie receive powers? Who is Nessa really and why does she help Elizabeth? How did Elizabeth’s mom come to be in the care of Elizabeth? What do they mean by Elizabeth going from Fool to Magician??? It felt like the author was trying to plan for a surprising ending or twist by withholding things, but it did not receive the desired effect. The ending felt cheap.

I have an inkling that, based on the way the story ended, that there may be a sequel of some sort, but it would be too late for me. I should get some feeling of finality from this book, even if there is a sequel planned; some sort of closure. I liked the premise and the way the story began, but this book is so shrouded in pseudo-mysteriousness that it’s not really worth navigating through.

(This review is also posted at http://skyink.net)

[Cheyenne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that overall this book was good, but not too great. I think that this book was really funny and I enjoyed the dialogue between Richie Mac and Beth. I didn't like the fact that the author had Beth stay in that naive state about her true powers until the very end. I liked how this book had snippets of the other 6 rays and didn't just clearly focus on Beth and only Beth. I think that Beth, as a character, could use some work. She was funny and smart that much you could tell, but she seemed to have a lot of struggles with herself even before she had full access to her gift.

The minor characters such as her mother and Shirl, I really didn't like. You could easily hate both of those characters because there was no evidence in there actions that either of them truly cared about Beth. Her mother I was fine with until Beth had to go to that psychiatric ward, and she was freaking out all over the place. I understand the want of a parent to want to protect your child but
she was a total Helicopter parent, and that got annoying fast.

Other supporting characters, that were not too minor, were Richie Mac and Nessa. I loved the romance between Richie Mac and Beth. I admit I was a little hesitant about him in the beginning because the author tried to make a point that this character is supposed to come off as a player. I liked how he didn't actually fit that part and actually truly cared about Beth. Nessa, was an interesting one. I thought when Beth first met her that she would be one of the seven rays. But, as the book came to an end that was sadly, false. I felt like Nessa was a true friend to Beth and not a condescending as Shirl.

The Seven Rays and the true nature of the talents were heavily blurred and I didn't like that. Initially, you could tell what their powers were but, they never went into detail with that as I had hoped they would. Beth, as the main character got to actually use her powers and it was interesting to see but I was hoping for more use of her powers and not just an accidental use.


I thought the power transferring to Richie and Nessa also having a power and all of that stuff about Beth not having any free will because of her power and where her "Destiny" lied, was a bunch of phooey. I didn't understand why they would bring that up, only to not even continue with it. There were A LOT of loose ends in this book. I don't know why the author thought she could just wrap the book up by having Beth and Richie get back together, but I thought it could have been better if she tied those loose ends. But hey, maybe there is meant to be a sequel coming, even though I wouldn't recommend that , because there probably wouldn't be any story.

Overall, I thought the story was good, but could have been better. I give it three stars at the most. Really, from an author who has written so many great screen plays for some great movies and television shows, I thought she would have done better. But, this was just her first book after all, she should continue writing just not with this particular story.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reread 6 May 2014

The first time I read this I had the sense that it was underwhelming and confusing. So let's see how the second time does. My 2011 ranting was 4 stars even though I did not enjoy it that much. My opinion was not so harsh then. I was more on the positive side. Now in 2014, my rating is 2 stars.

Besides feeling underwhelmed and confused for 3/4 of the book. I have to say I read some reviews and was shocked when one reviewer dubbed this book as "soft porn". When I went back, I understood why. I did not understand why the author needed to focus on sex. Not just normal sex. It was weird listening to Ipod and feeling what the singers felt during sex. Like Beth said it was a proxy experience, that is a good way to describe it. She marveled over all the orgasms she felt. It was disgusting and unnecessary. Then there was the part that she had a destiny to have 7 children with 7 different man and if Richie had sex with her more than once, he could die.

Beth can see people live - past and present. She sees dots, knots, static and braids which relate to people and their honesty. She eats a burger and sees where the meat is from, who made the burger. Gosh, it was insane. You don't even know what is going on with her powers for a good half of the book. She just runs around experiencing weird things and people think she is nuts.

Don't get me started on Richie. She doesn't even know him, he doesn't even know her and all of a sudden he is kissing her, running away with her. Confessing his undying love to her. I did not buy how much he adored her and went on and on about how she was different when he did not know anything about her. I did not care for him as a character. This book is suppose to be a paranomral romance but no it isn't. There is so much going on for this to be a romance.

In Beth's quest for the truth, interspersed are chapters about six different girls. Then there are baddies chasing after Beth and the reader does not know why. She goes to New York City and takes these tests administered by the 6 girls from the previous chapters. Apparently to discover herself. This book shouldn't even have been titled Seven Rays, it should have been the Discovery of pervert Aleth Beth. Seven Rays implies focus on not just one person. The names were so odd and hard to pronounce. Beth's was pronounced "Olive Bait". The whole book was a convuluted mess. I thought the Seven Rays would be a sort of team. But this was more about Beth. Even by the end, only some truth is revealed.

Confusing. Juvenile. Misleading

My second read of this book isn't better but I understand why I don't like this book.

[Julia H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Krótka ocena: ciekawa i ekscytująca książka, ale niekoniecznie z tych, które zachowam w mojej biblioteczce

Do przeczytania tej pozycji zachęciła mnie okładka, opatrzona krótką zapowiedzią (z przodu!) "Dziewczyna naznaczona magicznym darem. tajemniczym i... śmiertelnie niebezpiecznym dla miłości." Od razu zaczęłam się zastanawiać cóż bardziej może szkodzić miłości, niż zazdrość. "Siedem promieni" - jedna z kilku książek kupionych na wyprzedaży, poszła na pierwszy ogień.

Bohaterką tej dość ciekawej powieści jest Elisabeth, w skrócie Beth. Wiedzie życie podobne do innych amerykańskich nastolatek, po za jednym szczegółem - jest wybitną uczennicą. Jednak sceny, w których są przedstawione jej wygłupy z przyjaciółką (o oryginalnym imieniu Shirl), pokazują, że niewiele się różni od swoich rówieśniczek. Pewnego dnia zaczyna widzieć coś, czego nie widzi nikt inny, kolorowe liny, spirale i inne wzory, wychodzące z napotkanych ludzi. Specjalista diagnozuje u niej chorobę oczu i Beth przechodzi operację. Jednak to nic nie pomaga. Dziewczyna w dalszym ciągu widzi dziwne kształty i coraz bardziej się niepokoi. Do szkoły przychodzi do niej tajemniczy list w złotej kopercie zaadresowany pierwotnie do Alef Bet - czy to pomyłka? Podczas pierwszego pocałunku z chłopakiem (Richiem Makiem) uwalnia się z jej ciała potężna energia, która parzy im obojgu usta i podniebienia - co jest tego przyczyną?

Debiutancka powieść Bendinger (hollywoodzkiej scenarzystki i autorki scenariusza czwartego sezonu "Seksu w wielkim mieście") wciąga już od pierwszych stron, nie można jej zarzucić wiele błędów, jednak dość mocno zawiodło mnie zakończenie. Jest trochę rozczarowujące i wygląda na napisane w pośpiechu - nie zamyka wszystkich wątków, ba, nawet do nich nie nawiązuje i jest napisane nieco zbyt powierzchownie. Zdecydowanymi plusami tej książki są: galeria niesamowitych i tajemniczych postaci (Nessa - dziewczyna chodząca w kolorowych bluzach, wiecznie przemawiająca spod kaptura; Sarah - przemawiająca telepatycznie kobieta od lat będąca w śpiączce; siostra Mary - zakonnica w terapeutycznych butach, która bynajmniej nie zajmuje się modlitwą), interesujące wizje zjawisk nadprzyrodzonych, opisy fizycznych uniesień jakich czytelnik się nie spodziewa i sama postać Beth, z którą niezwykle łatwo się utożsamić niemal każdej młodej dziewczynie. Starsze czytelniczki może razić przesadnie kolokwialny język, który pojawia się miejscami, ale mimo wszystko po tę pozycję warto sięgnąć. Cztery wieczory i po książce!

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolute fun read! A crazy and interesting ride! Bendinger had me literally LOL several times. The Hymenator! What a classic! Also the whole situation with Richie reading Beth's mind when they were at the rest stop had me in hysterics. Every girl, I'm sure, could empathize with her at this moment...how mortifying for a kind of first date (since they didn't really know each other or go out before) with a hottie that you want to be on your top game with.
I was surprised with the turn that the story took. I thought that it was just going to be a fun teeny-bopper book with nothing more than the hottie being an unexpected true love with a fantasy side note. However, it quickly became much more. There were life lessons that were intertwined into this unique story. We got to see Beth deal with her inner "demons" and "monkeys". Thinking back over this book, it's amazing too think of the total journey that Bendinger takes us on...from regular high school girl, to psych ward patient, to being one of the Seven Rays.
My only complaint is the seemingly abrupt ending. The last 30 or so pages were just rushed through. I would have enjoyed a more complete ending with every loose end neatly tied. I still have a lot of questions that I want the answers to and I don't expect (or really want) a sequel...
So who was Beth's "mom", the one who raised her? Was she a Ray from another set of Seven Rays (or is there only one "family" of them)? Did she not past the tests and that's why she wanted to "rescue" Beth? How did she come to parent Beth? And if 7RI had been following her all her life why did they seem to approve or at least allow Beth to stay with her? She obviously didn't trust them.
Am I the only one that thought that the idea that Beth will move on from Richie a HUGE bummer? I like my happily ever afters and this was upsetting. So she loves intensely? Sleeps with the guy? Creates a child with him? And then just moves on to the next? Seven times???? Did Bendinger mention an out? Mary had told Richie that they would love intensely until she got pregnant and then she would just move on. OR if they continued to have sex after she conceived it would cause his death. But she also mentioned that Beth would have to make a conscience decision? Does that mean she could just stay with Richie?
I would love to hear what others think about these questions and your own questions.

[Kasey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off so amazing! I had so many hopes, it sounded so good and then I started it. And it was amazing! I loved Beth, she was so funny and interesting and smart! I felt so bad for Beth because her supposed best friend was absolutely awful to her almost all the time! Her mom was crazy but really seemed like she loved her and cared about her! Then the floaters started and Beth met Richie and I was even more invested. Then we were getting glimpses into these other people's lives every other chapter and I was even more intrigued because clearly these people had things in common with each and with Beth. Then Beth gets Lasik and the world literally falls apart. She starts feel-seeing and at this point I'm even more intrigued because this is really unique. Beth's mom ends up checking her into a mental institution and of course I was horrified because Beth isn't crazy. I could go step by step and tell you all the things I loved about this book. I loved Nessa and I loved Richie, thank god for him I don't know what Beth would've done without him! But let me tell you why this book gets 2 stars instead of the 4 stars. It deserved 4 stars up until the last 50 pages. This is a standalone novel, it is absolutely not acceptable to introduce new crazy information in the last 50 pages that leave you with questions that will never be answered and that's exactly what happened. I'm sorry, what was that? Oh wait these other girls are Beth's sisters, and of course they look nothing alike because their Dad's are all different men but it's okay because there's some mystical reason that we still don't know the answer too that explains it. They put Beth through a series of tests and some were self explanatory but some like the tattoo weren't. So what's up with tattoo, what's up with what Mary(evil villain in my mind) told Richie if things were going to be that bad why would he stick around? What about the other girls, what about the big secret, why was their mom in a coma, why do we not know why, what's the mystical reason? None of these things were answered and I am so so so disappointed because I was invested in this book. It sucked me in and then spit me out without any answers or resolution. I'm sorry but it deserves the 2 star rating and I will not recommend it.