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Insight #1
Insight
Before that fateful summer night, Willow had balanced the insight of emotion, and the vivid images. That night, the figure in her nightmare marked her wrist with a star, giving her father no choice but to tell Willow a family secret that would abruptly change life, as she knew it, forever. Before Willow had time to absorb the shock of her father's secret, her soul mate that had shared every stunning dream with her, found her, and darkness captured her closest friends. In order to save them, she must weave through broken myths and the undeniable power of the Zodiac. In the end, Willow discovers that at the moment of our birth we are all given a divine gift.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 20, 2010
866 people are currently reading
7921 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Magee
106 books874 followersI'm an obsessive daydreamer. Lover of loud alternative music. I love to laugh until it hurts. Fall is my favorite season. Black is my favorite 'shade.' Strong believer in the saying: there is a reason for everything, therefore I search for 'marked moments' every moment of everyday...and I find them. Life is beautiful!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 503 reviews
April 4, 2013
Me: Oh thank goodness I've finally finished this book!
Friend: Was it good?
Me: It really depends on your definition of the word"good".
Friend: Why? What's the book about?
Me: Well, I don't even know where to begin. Insight could've been an amazing story. The plot was unique but I felt SUPER bored while I read it. There were some structural errors; the characters were poorly portrayed and underdeveloped; and there was a lack of finesse in describing the settings and events in the book. I felt like my mind wandered as I read this because of the lack of excitement and emotion. It was basically about a girl named Willow who discovered that she and her family had supernatural abilities and could travel from different dimensions by utilizing "strings". She met Landen, literally the boy of her dreams, and BOOM -- they fall in love. There were a lot of kissing scenes and "I love yous" that made me want to throw my laptop away. But as all love stories go, there's a conflict when the evil Drake tried to separate the lovers and take Willow as his own. Willow's and Landen's friends and family tried to help them escape Drake and save the unfortunate friends he had tried to kill. They were all strangely supportive of the lovers. Everything went smoothly and they arrived at a very happy conclusion. I just -- it was all so very dull. I did not feel excited or thrilled. My emotion ran through a single plane --- this emotion was raw boredom. I HATED IT SO FREAKING MUCH!!! I WISH I NEVER READ IT!!!
...But anyway, uh, do you have any recommendations of what I should read next?
Friend:
June 18, 2012
Insight is one of those indie pubs whose plot sounds incredibly exciting and fast paced, but turns out that there is a reason why it was not published, and it’s not because the author is special.
I could list off so many of the faults I found in Insight. There is obviously the faulty grammar and spelling that is found in any indie, but in addition, there is a plot that cannot surpass the speed of a sloth and a moronic premise that makes you want to smash your head repeatedly against your kindle.
The characters were all so naive and pathetic. Everyone, even the adults, seemed to be clones of Edward and Bella. It was just so horrendous reading how they perceived their world and how they acted throughout situations.
For example, would you continue to hang around a guy whom you state repeatedly is obviously creepy and is staring at you like your prey? Then when he goes and assaults you, blame your friends for not stopping him fast enough. I mean, really? Really?
This is our pathetic protagonist. Hooray!! *party streamers*
Willow is such a wimpy protagonist. The author portrays her as one without faults: one who is ready to charge to save her friends, one who actually cares about others and a person one can relate to. However, whenever she is seen acting as a typical protagonist, it doesn’t feel real. The flatness of her character is remarkable. All she truly seems to care about is kissing Landen and being so special whenever someone is not in “danger.” Nothing matters, not even the creepy guy who is following her and causing everyone around her burdens. She just lives her life acting like everything is perfect, even though around her, people are dying and suffering.
The romance in this novel is just so frustrating. Apparently in Insight, everyone from one certain planet has a soul mate. Once you meet that soul mate, you fall in love immediately and start making out. Basically, that is how love works in Insight. I understand that the author stayed true to the concept, but this caused all of the emotions in love to feel forced and unrealistic. Unlike most stories, the true love has to take time to discover. I appreciate the build up so much more. In these scenarios, the lovers already know they’re stuck together for life and just make out all of the time. In a sense, it feels like prostitution.
Before I go on and rant on, I must mention the love interests. Yes, even a story about true love happening spontaneously has a love triangle. Confusing and somewhat ironic, yes it is. What the heck? I mean, the main character hooks up with Landen for pretty much the whole book, yet the bad guy is still considered another possibility for a soulmate. Really? I mean, if you show us all of those kissing scenes and special scenes, why would you even include a second guy to be “considered” for love when he’s obviously going to be tossed into the garbage and die. It is a useless addition to this already trashy indie.
I cannot state how much I abhor Insight. The characters and plot are just BS. Nothing can convince me to even consider recommending or looking at Insight again. Let me warn you, if you even consider reading Insight, be prepared for monotone conversation, situations that are ridiculously hilarious, that aren’t even supposed to be funny, and a cheesy, clichéd love triangle that should have been omitted to save much grief from the reader suffering through Willow’s idiotic narration. Please, I beg you, do not ever consider reading Insight.
Note: The grammatical errors made in Insight are too numerous of a number to allow forgiveness for.
I could list off so many of the faults I found in Insight. There is obviously the faulty grammar and spelling that is found in any indie, but in addition, there is a plot that cannot surpass the speed of a sloth and a moronic premise that makes you want to smash your head repeatedly against your kindle.
The characters were all so naive and pathetic. Everyone, even the adults, seemed to be clones of Edward and Bella. It was just so horrendous reading how they perceived their world and how they acted throughout situations.
For example, would you continue to hang around a guy whom you state repeatedly is obviously creepy and is staring at you like your prey? Then when he goes and assaults you, blame your friends for not stopping him fast enough. I mean, really? Really?
This is our pathetic protagonist. Hooray!! *party streamers*
Willow is such a wimpy protagonist. The author portrays her as one without faults: one who is ready to charge to save her friends, one who actually cares about others and a person one can relate to. However, whenever she is seen acting as a typical protagonist, it doesn’t feel real. The flatness of her character is remarkable. All she truly seems to care about is kissing Landen and being so special whenever someone is not in “danger.” Nothing matters, not even the creepy guy who is following her and causing everyone around her burdens. She just lives her life acting like everything is perfect, even though around her, people are dying and suffering.
The romance in this novel is just so frustrating. Apparently in Insight, everyone from one certain planet has a soul mate. Once you meet that soul mate, you fall in love immediately and start making out. Basically, that is how love works in Insight. I understand that the author stayed true to the concept, but this caused all of the emotions in love to feel forced and unrealistic. Unlike most stories, the true love has to take time to discover. I appreciate the build up so much more. In these scenarios, the lovers already know they’re stuck together for life and just make out all of the time. In a sense, it feels like prostitution.
Before I go on and rant on, I must mention the love interests. Yes, even a story about true love happening spontaneously has a love triangle. Confusing and somewhat ironic, yes it is. What the heck? I mean, the main character hooks up with Landen for pretty much the whole book, yet the bad guy is still considered another possibility for a soulmate. Really? I mean, if you show us all of those kissing scenes and special scenes, why would you even include a second guy to be “considered” for love when he’s obviously going to be tossed into the garbage and die. It is a useless addition to this already trashy indie.
I cannot state how much I abhor Insight. The characters and plot are just BS. Nothing can convince me to even consider recommending or looking at Insight again. Let me warn you, if you even consider reading Insight, be prepared for monotone conversation, situations that are ridiculously hilarious, that aren’t even supposed to be funny, and a cheesy, clichéd love triangle that should have been omitted to save much grief from the reader suffering through Willow’s idiotic narration. Please, I beg you, do not ever consider reading Insight.
Note: The grammatical errors made in Insight are too numerous of a number to allow forgiveness for.
February 16, 2012
Once again, I find myself comparing a YA novel to another YA novel I’ve read recently. I don’t do this because I can’t describe it accurately without comparison, but because it is too similar not to mention. It’s as if one author read the work of the other author and thought, “Hey, that’s an interesting idea! I should write a story like that, too -- and maybe make it better.” The only problem here is that the story just ends up being the same, with only a few differences here and there.
The novel to which I am comparing this is Significance, by Shelly Crane. In both novels, there is this strange, mystical connection between the main love interest. They both fall madly in love -- practically instantly after first meeting each other -- and are in physical pain when separated for too long. Also in both stories is the appearance of the super villain, who comes to the heroine through her dreams. My final comparison (which is, sadly, not limited to these two novels) is the utter lack of proofreading that went into this project. Seriously, people, would it hurt to have a freaking proofreader!! So many misspelled words, missing punctuation (including periods at the end of the sentences), and horrible grammar. At one point, the narrator shares that “My parents, Dane and Clarissa, had banners…” which really confused me, because I knew that her parents names were Jason and Grace. (It should have read “My parents, Dane, and Clarissa had banners…”. Come on, people, these are very basic rules, here!) I might be able to forgive a few of the punctuation errors, given that I read this on a Kindle, and they tend to change things around a bit, but since when does adding an apostrophe make something plural? Answer: NEVER!
Moving on, I found the initial description of the string very confusing. It’s almost as if it was over-explained. Despite the thorough explanation, I still never got a really good image of it in my head, so I felt myself sort of glossing over the references to it in the rest of the book. I feel as though a simpler description might have been better.
**BRIEF SPOILER **
The concept of traveling between dimensions was interesting, but I was literally rolling my eyes at the whole “past lives” part. I’m seriously getting tired of that current trend in YA fiction. And what's with the sister being their long-lost daughter from another life? What the heck? Can you say bizarre?
**END SPOILER**
The name choices bothered me a bit, and I see I’m not the only reviewer on Goodreads who thinks so. Willow strikes me more as a sidekick/best friend character than a heroine (or maybe that’s just my memory of Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer coming back to me), and Drake is just too obvious and cheesy a name for the villain. Also, the author apparently couldn't decide if the guy's name is Guardian or Gaurdian. She flipped back and forth between the two names (once even on the same page, one line down from the other) that it wasn't clear.
Aside from the names themselves, there were simply too many of them for me to follow! I had just barely begun to correctly identify each of her childhood friends when they are ripped out of the storyline and a few dozen new names are thrown at me in rapid succession. I kept searching for helpful hints in the writing to remind me who was related to whom and how. Then, by the time Willow’s friends’ names are mentioned again, I’d completely forgotten which one Willow was closest to and which one had a crush on one of the guys (who I’d forgotten, as well). I was half-tempted to go back and write out a list so I could keep track of them, but was already getting so frustrated that it wasn’t worth the time.
**OKAY, SO THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH HAS A BRIEF SPOILER, BUT NOTHING THAT WOULD RUIN THE STORY IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET**
Also along the subject of names is the fact that, despite coming from a dozen different dimensions, they all have fairly normal, recognizable names. Even in our own dimension (aka, planet Earth), different countries have different sounding names, but I’m suddenly supposed to believe that a completely different freaking dimension has names as recognizable as Clarrisa and Brady and Rose? And since when does Jeep export vehicles to other dimensions, too?
**END SPOILER**
I found it a little annoying that people kept asking questions that went unanswered and didn’t think to prod a little more to get the answers. This happened more than once throughout the story. Seriously, if you wanted to know the answer, ask again. If you don’t really care that it isn’t answered, why did you ask in the first place? Most of the time, after the questioner asked said question, the story moved on without ever revisiting the subject. It was almost as if the questions were asked simply to get the reader thinking about it, and the lack of immediate answers served to build the mystery. If that was the strategy, it fell flat as far as I was concerned, because I simply found myself getting frustrated.
The most blatant and annoying question that kept getting deflected was what Drake wanted with Willow in the first place! Seeing that this conflict was the main driving force of the plot, it would have made sense for it to be explained better (and sooner). I understand the point of dragging it out to draw out the suspense, but it just got tiresome.
The way simple expressions and actions were over-explained got a bit old, too. When has nodding a head in response to a question ever meant anything other than yes? It is really necessary to write that “he nodded his head yes” or “shook her head no”? Also, there was a lot of extraneous explanation following the emotions that Willow senses. “Rose gave off an emotion of surprise, meaning that wasn’t what she meant.” Couldn’t we have figured that out on our own?
**BRIEF SPOILER**
What are the odds that, when two soul mates find each other, two of their friends/relatives also discover that they are soul mates? I might be able to forgive the coincidence of that happening to one friend, but two? Come to think of it, I could add that to my list of similarities to Significance.
**END SPOILER**
I love a good, happy love story as much as the next person, but this one was a bit over-the-top on the lovey dovey happy stuff. There wasn’t enough depth in the main characters’ love story to really draw me in and actually care about them. They dreamed about each other, then they met each other and were instantly in love. We don’t know why they were in love, just that they were, and they made sure everyone knew it. I’m not saying that I need a list of reasons that they loved each other, but most romance novels go through a lot of storytelling before we get to the “I love you”s. Their relationship seemed a little co-dependent to me. Instead of it being a first person narrative, it was almost a two person narrative. We stop hearing “I” and start hearing a lot more “we”s. Can’t she have a single thought on her own anymore?
I find as I sit here writing, that I could go on and on about what annoyed me about this story, but I won’t bore you. Most of the people who read and reviewed this story gave it 4+ stars, so my voice will definitely fall in the minority, but I just found the whole thing a bit boring. The idea was certainly an original one, but there was simply too much going on for me to follow, and, after a while, I stopped caring about trying. I’m just glad it’s finally over.
The novel to which I am comparing this is Significance, by Shelly Crane. In both novels, there is this strange, mystical connection between the main love interest. They both fall madly in love -- practically instantly after first meeting each other -- and are in physical pain when separated for too long. Also in both stories is the appearance of the super villain, who comes to the heroine through her dreams. My final comparison (which is, sadly, not limited to these two novels) is the utter lack of proofreading that went into this project. Seriously, people, would it hurt to have a freaking proofreader!! So many misspelled words, missing punctuation (including periods at the end of the sentences), and horrible grammar. At one point, the narrator shares that “My parents, Dane and Clarissa, had banners…” which really confused me, because I knew that her parents names were Jason and Grace. (It should have read “My parents, Dane, and Clarissa had banners…”. Come on, people, these are very basic rules, here!) I might be able to forgive a few of the punctuation errors, given that I read this on a Kindle, and they tend to change things around a bit, but since when does adding an apostrophe make something plural? Answer: NEVER!
Moving on, I found the initial description of the string very confusing. It’s almost as if it was over-explained. Despite the thorough explanation, I still never got a really good image of it in my head, so I felt myself sort of glossing over the references to it in the rest of the book. I feel as though a simpler description might have been better.
**BRIEF SPOILER **
The concept of traveling between dimensions was interesting, but I was literally rolling my eyes at the whole “past lives” part. I’m seriously getting tired of that current trend in YA fiction. And what's with the sister being their long-lost daughter from another life? What the heck? Can you say bizarre?
**END SPOILER**
The name choices bothered me a bit, and I see I’m not the only reviewer on Goodreads who thinks so. Willow strikes me more as a sidekick/best friend character than a heroine (or maybe that’s just my memory of Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer coming back to me), and Drake is just too obvious and cheesy a name for the villain. Also, the author apparently couldn't decide if the guy's name is Guardian or Gaurdian. She flipped back and forth between the two names (once even on the same page, one line down from the other) that it wasn't clear.
Aside from the names themselves, there were simply too many of them for me to follow! I had just barely begun to correctly identify each of her childhood friends when they are ripped out of the storyline and a few dozen new names are thrown at me in rapid succession. I kept searching for helpful hints in the writing to remind me who was related to whom and how. Then, by the time Willow’s friends’ names are mentioned again, I’d completely forgotten which one Willow was closest to and which one had a crush on one of the guys (who I’d forgotten, as well). I was half-tempted to go back and write out a list so I could keep track of them, but was already getting so frustrated that it wasn’t worth the time.
**OKAY, SO THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH HAS A BRIEF SPOILER, BUT NOTHING THAT WOULD RUIN THE STORY IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET**
Also along the subject of names is the fact that, despite coming from a dozen different dimensions, they all have fairly normal, recognizable names. Even in our own dimension (aka, planet Earth), different countries have different sounding names, but I’m suddenly supposed to believe that a completely different freaking dimension has names as recognizable as Clarrisa and Brady and Rose? And since when does Jeep export vehicles to other dimensions, too?
**END SPOILER**
I found it a little annoying that people kept asking questions that went unanswered and didn’t think to prod a little more to get the answers. This happened more than once throughout the story. Seriously, if you wanted to know the answer, ask again. If you don’t really care that it isn’t answered, why did you ask in the first place? Most of the time, after the questioner asked said question, the story moved on without ever revisiting the subject. It was almost as if the questions were asked simply to get the reader thinking about it, and the lack of immediate answers served to build the mystery. If that was the strategy, it fell flat as far as I was concerned, because I simply found myself getting frustrated.
The most blatant and annoying question that kept getting deflected was what Drake wanted with Willow in the first place! Seeing that this conflict was the main driving force of the plot, it would have made sense for it to be explained better (and sooner). I understand the point of dragging it out to draw out the suspense, but it just got tiresome.
The way simple expressions and actions were over-explained got a bit old, too. When has nodding a head in response to a question ever meant anything other than yes? It is really necessary to write that “he nodded his head yes” or “shook her head no”? Also, there was a lot of extraneous explanation following the emotions that Willow senses. “Rose gave off an emotion of surprise, meaning that wasn’t what she meant.” Couldn’t we have figured that out on our own?
**BRIEF SPOILER**
What are the odds that, when two soul mates find each other, two of their friends/relatives also discover that they are soul mates? I might be able to forgive the coincidence of that happening to one friend, but two? Come to think of it, I could add that to my list of similarities to Significance.
**END SPOILER**
I love a good, happy love story as much as the next person, but this one was a bit over-the-top on the lovey dovey happy stuff. There wasn’t enough depth in the main characters’ love story to really draw me in and actually care about them. They dreamed about each other, then they met each other and were instantly in love. We don’t know why they were in love, just that they were, and they made sure everyone knew it. I’m not saying that I need a list of reasons that they loved each other, but most romance novels go through a lot of storytelling before we get to the “I love you”s. Their relationship seemed a little co-dependent to me. Instead of it being a first person narrative, it was almost a two person narrative. We stop hearing “I” and start hearing a lot more “we”s. Can’t she have a single thought on her own anymore?
I find as I sit here writing, that I could go on and on about what annoyed me about this story, but I won’t bore you. Most of the people who read and reviewed this story gave it 4+ stars, so my voice will definitely fall in the minority, but I just found the whole thing a bit boring. The idea was certainly an original one, but there was simply too much going on for me to follow, and, after a while, I stopped caring about trying. I’m just glad it’s finally over.
September 24, 2016
A beautiful heart-warming fantasy book.
Willow and Landen.
Two youngsters whose souls have been destined to be together for over 4 million years.
They have lived their lives separately from each other, knowing each other only from the dreams that they have.
Finally they meet and they start their life together.
"The universe along with this dark, forsaken dimension is yearning for our love."
"I know it's nuts, but I loved him so much that it hurt. His absence from my waking life was agony."
"When you find your soul mate, you find the person that completes you. They are everything and everyone you life."
But they are in danger from another dimension, Esterious, and their love might put in risk everyone that they love, including the universe.
I totally loved this book. It was very different from the books that I've read. I cant wait to read the others.
Willow and Landen.
Two youngsters whose souls have been destined to be together for over 4 million years.
They have lived their lives separately from each other, knowing each other only from the dreams that they have.
Finally they meet and they start their life together.
"The universe along with this dark, forsaken dimension is yearning for our love."
"I know it's nuts, but I loved him so much that it hurt. His absence from my waking life was agony."
"When you find your soul mate, you find the person that completes you. They are everything and everyone you life."
But they are in danger from another dimension, Esterious, and their love might put in risk everyone that they love, including the universe.
I totally loved this book. It was very different from the books that I've read. I cant wait to read the others.
October 20, 2011
Jamie Magee's imagination will suck you right in. Insight involves astrology, other dimensions, past lives, fate, dangerous encounters, and most of all love. I didn't want to put the book down and when I did I couldn't stop thinking about it.
All the characters are easy to follow and connect with. The dialogue of the story makes you feel like you are right there in the middle of it. The message that I got out of reading this is that your destiny may be written out for you but you have the power to change it.
If you are looking for something new to read than I definitely recommend Insight.
I will leave you with my new saying " I live in Infante. I want to live in Chara, but I truly belong in Neime." If you want to find out what I am talking about then read this great book. You will not regret it!!
All the characters are easy to follow and connect with. The dialogue of the story makes you feel like you are right there in the middle of it. The message that I got out of reading this is that your destiny may be written out for you but you have the power to change it.
If you are looking for something new to read than I definitely recommend Insight.
I will leave you with my new saying " I live in Infante. I want to live in Chara, but I truly belong in Neime." If you want to find out what I am talking about then read this great book. You will not regret it!!
February 2, 2020
This is one of those books where the plot and story sound incredibly interesting and you have incredibly high hopes that you’ve discovered a hidden gem, only to have your hopes dashed to smithereens when you realize it’s terrible and there’s a reason it’s undiscovered. Add to that the cringe worthy grammatical errors AND spelling errors and this book just made me want to cry.
April 28, 2011
Having read some fantastic reviews for this novel I was looking forward to an action packed read full of intrigue and suspense. To be honest I was disappointed.
The storyline was unique and had the potential to be spellbinding, but some of the scenes were so weak they frustrated me. For example the demons that instilled unimaginable terror into everyone they went near were only awarded one sentence of description. They had red hair and spikes growing out of their spines and sounded more cute than frightening! I really felt that considering the amount of times they were mentioned and the severity of the consequences their fear was to bring upon the people they ‘sat on’ they deserved more delineation than they were given.
The description of the ‘storms’ in ‘the string’ came across as nothing more than a mild earth tremor certainly not something so severe and dangerous that it should be avoided if you valued your life!
I became confused over the significance of the blue and green flowers, the petals while covering Hannah’s and Jessica’s bodies kept them alive, I know earlier in the book Willow told Landen she thought the flowers represented them, is this why they kept the girls alive??? I don’t know, am I supposed to know???
I did like the characters Willow and Landen, it was great to finally read a ‘love’ story where both characters were strong and more importantly equal, it worked well
**(I tried my hardest to ignore the numerous typing errors…….no-one is perfect but one expects these things to be corrected in the editing stage and I hope Jamie finds a more competent editor for her next book,which by the way I WILL be reading)**..... Since reading a number of kindle books I now realise that typing errors are a major issue with every kindle book I have read and it is not an editing issue just an 'ebook' issue which I hope is a problem that will be solved in the near future sorry Jamie xx....
The storyline was unique and had the potential to be spellbinding, but some of the scenes were so weak they frustrated me. For example the demons that instilled unimaginable terror into everyone they went near were only awarded one sentence of description. They had red hair and spikes growing out of their spines and sounded more cute than frightening! I really felt that considering the amount of times they were mentioned and the severity of the consequences their fear was to bring upon the people they ‘sat on’ they deserved more delineation than they were given.
The description of the ‘storms’ in ‘the string’ came across as nothing more than a mild earth tremor certainly not something so severe and dangerous that it should be avoided if you valued your life!
I became confused over the significance of the blue and green flowers, the petals while covering Hannah’s and Jessica’s bodies kept them alive, I know earlier in the book Willow told Landen she thought the flowers represented them, is this why they kept the girls alive??? I don’t know, am I supposed to know???
I did like the characters Willow and Landen, it was great to finally read a ‘love’ story where both characters were strong and more importantly equal, it worked well
**(I tried my hardest to ignore the numerous typing errors…….no-one is perfect but one expects these things to be corrected in the editing stage and I hope Jamie finds a more competent editor for her next book,which by the way I WILL be reading)**..... Since reading a number of kindle books I now realise that typing errors are a major issue with every kindle book I have read and it is not an editing issue just an 'ebook' issue which I hope is a problem that will be solved in the near future sorry Jamie xx....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2011
I am completely amazed that I am just now finding out about The Insight Series. Insight is a truly amazing and inspirational tale weaved with unique mythology and modern day values. The characters are each unique, with an important role to play defining destiny.
Insight begins in the midst of one of Willow's painful repetitive nightmares where she finds herself face-to-face with her tormentor of many years. She will soon find that her life is fated to be intertwined with the maker of these horrible dreams. Lucky for her, she is blessed with a loving and talented family, loyal friends, and a total kick butt soul mate. She will have to rely on everyone she knows to survive the trials that lie ahead of her. Willow is such a great protagonist. Honest, caring, loyal, and completely accepting of who she is. She is one of those heroins we love, you know...the ones that don't whine a bunch.
One thing I found slightly confusing about Insight was the amount of characters that played major roles. In the beginning, I thought I was going to have to make a chart to keep everyone straight. As I continued to read, the bonds were reinforced and each character carved out a little spot in my heart. Ms. Magee created an amazing group of interdependent characters who are ultimately striving for the same goal. Love and equality. Landen, Willow's soul mate, was one of my favorite characters. He and Willow met in their dreams, but their families have known each other for many years. This young couple will fight to save more than one world.
Another of the characters that really spoke to me was Dane. He and Willow have been friends throughout school, never more; however, Dane never hesitated to protect Willow from harm...even if the harm was herself. I was relieved to find out that Dane found his soul mate and was still highly involved in Willow's life.
I loved the overall theme of Insight. It provided a fresh outlook on fate and destiny. Willow and Landen have a difficult task ahead of them and I cannot wait to see how amazing these two will be.
Insight begins in the midst of one of Willow's painful repetitive nightmares where she finds herself face-to-face with her tormentor of many years. She will soon find that her life is fated to be intertwined with the maker of these horrible dreams. Lucky for her, she is blessed with a loving and talented family, loyal friends, and a total kick butt soul mate. She will have to rely on everyone she knows to survive the trials that lie ahead of her. Willow is such a great protagonist. Honest, caring, loyal, and completely accepting of who she is. She is one of those heroins we love, you know...the ones that don't whine a bunch.
One thing I found slightly confusing about Insight was the amount of characters that played major roles. In the beginning, I thought I was going to have to make a chart to keep everyone straight. As I continued to read, the bonds were reinforced and each character carved out a little spot in my heart. Ms. Magee created an amazing group of interdependent characters who are ultimately striving for the same goal. Love and equality. Landen, Willow's soul mate, was one of my favorite characters. He and Willow met in their dreams, but their families have known each other for many years. This young couple will fight to save more than one world.
Another of the characters that really spoke to me was Dane. He and Willow have been friends throughout school, never more; however, Dane never hesitated to protect Willow from harm...even if the harm was herself. I was relieved to find out that Dane found his soul mate and was still highly involved in Willow's life.
I loved the overall theme of Insight. It provided a fresh outlook on fate and destiny. Willow and Landen have a difficult task ahead of them and I cannot wait to see how amazing these two will be.
May 5, 2011
GENRE: YA Paranormal Romance
THEME: Magic/Zodiac
RECEIVED: From Author
AUTHOR: Jamie Magee
MY BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com
REVIEW:
I was happy to get the chance at reviewing Insight by Jamie Magee as apart of the Nurture Your Books Tour. I love finding books with a new twist in magic and other worlds that the author created. Magee does a great job in her debut book.
Willow Hayward is the lead female character; she has a special connection to people who need her in her world and as she finds out from other worlds. She has reoccurring dreams both good and bad, of two different boys. Little does she know that her life is a lot more complicated then she ever imagined. She has a destiny, but these two boys will fight for her to choose a life with one of them.
The story line was unique and had a lot going for it. The details were very descriptive that it felt like you were almost there experience it. I did feel that for the first book a little too much happened it was a bit hard to take it all in. There were so many characters to keep track of but I found all of them wonderful and even the dangerous ones fascinated me.
The romance was my favorite part, of course, the relationship be tween Willow and Landen was just so pure and adorable that I wanted to hug them both. The chemistry was all there and I loved their special “connection” that gave the reader some great scenes with them.
I also loved the worlds she created in each dimension, also how each person is always meant to find their soul mate no matter what world they are living in. It gave the story a lot of romance and warm fuzzy moments.
A solid debut for Magee, so many unique bits and twist that really keep you reading till you hit the end. I recommend this book for YA fantasy and romance fans, whom want to try out something different.
THEME: Magic/Zodiac
RECEIVED: From Author
AUTHOR: Jamie Magee
MY BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com
REVIEW:
I was happy to get the chance at reviewing Insight by Jamie Magee as apart of the Nurture Your Books Tour. I love finding books with a new twist in magic and other worlds that the author created. Magee does a great job in her debut book.
Willow Hayward is the lead female character; she has a special connection to people who need her in her world and as she finds out from other worlds. She has reoccurring dreams both good and bad, of two different boys. Little does she know that her life is a lot more complicated then she ever imagined. She has a destiny, but these two boys will fight for her to choose a life with one of them.
The story line was unique and had a lot going for it. The details were very descriptive that it felt like you were almost there experience it. I did feel that for the first book a little too much happened it was a bit hard to take it all in. There were so many characters to keep track of but I found all of them wonderful and even the dangerous ones fascinated me.
The romance was my favorite part, of course, the relationship be tween Willow and Landen was just so pure and adorable that I wanted to hug them both. The chemistry was all there and I loved their special “connection” that gave the reader some great scenes with them.
I also loved the worlds she created in each dimension, also how each person is always meant to find their soul mate no matter what world they are living in. It gave the story a lot of romance and warm fuzzy moments.
A solid debut for Magee, so many unique bits and twist that really keep you reading till you hit the end. I recommend this book for YA fantasy and romance fans, whom want to try out something different.
January 1, 2011
Insight was one of those books that make you read it way too fast because of it's fast pace and constant excitement. Yet... when you close the book you wish you would have read it a little slower because you're sad that it has ended
I won't lie about the few editorial issues it had, (Which I'm told is on a fast track to being fixed!) But, overall it wasn't difficult to read through them and become thoroughly engaged in the story.
Trying my best to not give anything in the story away, having read it for the second time, I still sat up late at night and nudged my boyfriend with his headphones in his ears and said "Let's move to Chara!"
This book brings such a great energy to it's readers, I would recommend it to anyone who claims to love fantasy or romance! You cannot possibly read only one chapter per night, because the anticipation of what happens next is too strong.
I give this book the highest rating I can give it, and I put it on my bookshelf next to my Harry Potter Series and Little Men.
If you're wanting to get lost in fantasy for a few hours, have your heart strings pulled, and become engaged in a classic good vs bad (But with a few twists incorporated!) then you should probably read Inisight. Just sayin. =)
I won't lie about the few editorial issues it had, (Which I'm told is on a fast track to being fixed!) But, overall it wasn't difficult to read through them and become thoroughly engaged in the story.
Trying my best to not give anything in the story away, having read it for the second time, I still sat up late at night and nudged my boyfriend with his headphones in his ears and said "Let's move to Chara!"
This book brings such a great energy to it's readers, I would recommend it to anyone who claims to love fantasy or romance! You cannot possibly read only one chapter per night, because the anticipation of what happens next is too strong.
I give this book the highest rating I can give it, and I put it on my bookshelf next to my Harry Potter Series and Little Men.
If you're wanting to get lost in fantasy for a few hours, have your heart strings pulled, and become engaged in a classic good vs bad (But with a few twists incorporated!) then you should probably read Inisight. Just sayin. =)
April 9, 2011
This is a case of a book whose cover doesn't do it justice. Had I seen this book on a shelf in a bookstore I probably would of passed it over. I wouldn't have looked at the back cover blurb at all, but thanks to Book Lovin' Bitches, I did.
It would have been a shame to miss out on this wonderful young adult novel too. The characters are very vivid and the plot is unique. I loved that Willow and her family were from different dimensions. I liked that the author used the concept of having a soul mate in this story as well.
One thing that gave me pause while reading, was how her parents kept all of this a secret from her. For 18 years? But other than that, I found this to be a fantastic read, that is more than just another YA novel with a paranormal twist.
This is also Jamie Magee's debut novel. I think it is a pretty strong debut. As far as young adult novels go, I enjoyed it as much as I did Delerium, which is currently my favorite YA book this year, so that is saying something.
So this one goes on the Highly Recommended pile.
Best Quote: "Life itself is a gift from God, and love is the most powerful thing in the universe."
It would have been a shame to miss out on this wonderful young adult novel too. The characters are very vivid and the plot is unique. I loved that Willow and her family were from different dimensions. I liked that the author used the concept of having a soul mate in this story as well.
One thing that gave me pause while reading, was how her parents kept all of this a secret from her. For 18 years? But other than that, I found this to be a fantastic read, that is more than just another YA novel with a paranormal twist.
This is also Jamie Magee's debut novel. I think it is a pretty strong debut. As far as young adult novels go, I enjoyed it as much as I did Delerium, which is currently my favorite YA book this year, so that is saying something.
So this one goes on the Highly Recommended pile.
Best Quote: "Life itself is a gift from God, and love is the most powerful thing in the universe."
March 7, 2011
I was contacted via e-mail by this talented author and was asked to review her debut novel and she offered to send me a review copy and she agreed to guest blog for me in the meantime. When I read how passionate she was about these characters I purchased this book-and was finished in one sitting.
Magee's writes with an elegance that flows effortlessly, and has the kind of natural talent that makes it hard for other writer's to review her. In other words, I hate her...and I wish I had written this book. Don't worry, I don't still hate her...I hated her around the middle of the book, then I picked it back up and got over myself.
Insight is a ya/paranormal series that uses astrology to craft the world of Willow Hayward. The heroine of this first novel is first seen in dreams...on the night of the full moon, and the reader is sucked into a strange new world driven by the Zodiac. I was blown away by how this author crafted a world that used such a mundane concept-and re-imagined it into a fresh explanation for psychic phenomenon and what defines a soul mate.
December 15, 2012
Review comming soon
So the more I think about this book, the more I hate it, I gave up on it after half way due to the fact of undeveloped characters and plot. Willow and Laden were great together, but it seemed somewhat undeveloped and fake. The worlds were the best part that I though made me give this at leaf 2 stars. Though, I was thoroughly disappointed as I was expecting a better development in this story.
So the more I think about this book, the more I hate it, I gave up on it after half way due to the fact of undeveloped characters and plot. Willow and Laden were great together, but it seemed somewhat undeveloped and fake. The worlds were the best part that I though made me give this at leaf 2 stars. Though, I was thoroughly disappointed as I was expecting a better development in this story.
February 18, 2011
4.5 stars
One word WOW.Insight is beautiful written.I love how Jamie Magee wove in soul mates,zodiac signs,insights(like powers),strings to travel to different dimensions and reincartion all in to the story.
Willow is the main character and what an amazing one at that.She is so likeable and the way she puts everyone before herself is great.
Landen is awesome I loved him from the start. what i liked the most from his character is his relonship with his grand-father. Landen and Willow are so cute together you can just tell the bond they have even from the start when they just dreamed about each other.
Drake want's Willow and he will stop at nothing until he gets her. Even tho i should not like him as character i find that i do something just pulls me to him.
To sum up this book it's awsome altough i just liked it at the start but by the time Willow gets told about her insight i totaly loved it and was sucked right in to this new world.my favourite part of this book was the idea that everyone has a soul mate.Quote that I loved the most and cried happy tears with is "I found you.No one can keep us apart now,and our love will now be the story told to define how sacred love is"
Please Jamie hurry up and write + publish book 2 I need it NOW and please let there be more of Marc in it to.
One word WOW.Insight is beautiful written.I love how Jamie Magee wove in soul mates,zodiac signs,insights(like powers),strings to travel to different dimensions and reincartion all in to the story.
Willow is the main character and what an amazing one at that.She is so likeable and the way she puts everyone before herself is great.
Landen is awesome I loved him from the start. what i liked the most from his character is his relonship with his grand-father. Landen and Willow are so cute together you can just tell the bond they have even from the start when they just dreamed about each other.
Drake want's Willow and he will stop at nothing until he gets her. Even tho i should not like him as character i find that i do something just pulls me to him.
To sum up this book it's awsome altough i just liked it at the start but by the time Willow gets told about her insight i totaly loved it and was sucked right in to this new world.my favourite part of this book was the idea that everyone has a soul mate.Quote that I loved the most and cried happy tears with is "I found you.No one can keep us apart now,and our love will now be the story told to define how sacred love is"
Please Jamie hurry up and write + publish book 2 I need it NOW and please let there be more of Marc in it to.
September 7, 2014
For a relatively short, 19-chapter book, this was such a pain to finish. Seriously. It took me a whole week to get through the story - Damn it - I even forced myself to continue reading in hopes that everything wrong about this book would eventually get better somehow. So did it? Well, I'm sure you could guess.
Insight is a paranormal-fantasy book which deals with parallel worlds, other dimensions, supernatural abilities and the existence of soulmates. So if you think about it, this book actually had the potential to be kickass.
Unfortunately, everything about this book failed to hit the mark. The plot wasn't well thought of and there were too many characters - most of which had zero character development and had the same voices. Moreover, I thought that the world-building was basic and mediocre, the plot was terribly boring and the pacing was so slow it nearly killed me. Would it hurt to give the story even a little more excitement? Because, ugh...please...I can only take so much boredom.
Generally, I can describe this book as a 'could've-been-great' one. Could've yet wasn't.
Insight is a paranormal-fantasy book which deals with parallel worlds, other dimensions, supernatural abilities and the existence of soulmates. So if you think about it, this book actually had the potential to be kickass.
Unfortunately, everything about this book failed to hit the mark. The plot wasn't well thought of and there were too many characters - most of which had zero character development and had the same voices. Moreover, I thought that the world-building was basic and mediocre, the plot was terribly boring and the pacing was so slow it nearly killed me. Would it hurt to give the story even a little more excitement? Because, ugh...please...I can only take so much boredom.
Generally, I can describe this book as a 'could've-been-great' one. Could've yet wasn't.
January 26, 2016
2.5 forever stars
So this was an okay YA novel. I enjoyed the concept behind the story and the fact that it weaves into a much larger story with other series. However I felt there were some big issues with flow and clarity. I would get confused on what was going on, where the characters were and why somethings were even happening. Some of the dialog felt off too. I don't know if this was the first book in this whole mass of connected series or not. I tried to look into it but got confused (check them all out and you'll understand.)
Any ways like I said the overall concept and story line was good. I enjoyed reading it and may even try to read the next one in hopes that this was the authors first book and her writing style improves with the others.
So if you are in the mood for a paranormal, multi-realm, super-powerish and forever love type of story then I would say to at least check this one out.
So this was an okay YA novel. I enjoyed the concept behind the story and the fact that it weaves into a much larger story with other series. However I felt there were some big issues with flow and clarity. I would get confused on what was going on, where the characters were and why somethings were even happening. Some of the dialog felt off too. I don't know if this was the first book in this whole mass of connected series or not. I tried to look into it but got confused (check them all out and you'll understand.)
Any ways like I said the overall concept and story line was good. I enjoyed reading it and may even try to read the next one in hopes that this was the authors first book and her writing style improves with the others.
So if you are in the mood for a paranormal, multi-realm, super-powerish and forever love type of story then I would say to at least check this one out.
January 30, 2011
Insight is like a breath of fresh air- it will leave you feeling refreshed and giddy at the same time. Once I started reading I could not bring myself to part with the book. Jamie Magee has taken the concept of soulmates and weaved a truly captivating story. The book is both profound and light at the same time. Magee has a way with making the words in the book seem so real, so real that I am almost led to believe that Willow and Landen do exist and if I just chose to open my eyes to see the "strings" I can lead myself to Chara. A truly amazing read!
December 22, 2014
I put this in the okay category because some others may like it, but I found that I was at best annoyed by the characters. It too me forever to finish because I could only read a bit before being reminded why I stopped the last time.
January 13, 2013
(this was free on amazon for my kindle.)
i hated it, but had to see what happened. now i hate it even more.
i hated it, but had to see what happened. now i hate it even more.
no-thank-you
December 14, 2016I'm not interested in soul mates or book series that are way too long. I'll be taking this one off my Kindle. Plus the prologue is weird and I'm just not interested in the first chapter.
August 7, 2018
DNF. I got a little more than half way through this book. Not that this affects my review in any way but I only read it at work because I didn’t have any physical books with me. The book started off okay, the characters were fine, typical teenagers in my eyes. What I didn’t like and even though it is a theme in the book was the instant romance. I’ve read books before where they find their soulmates in their dreams and they finally meet but this one was different the second they saw each other boom love although ya they’d seen each other in dreams, granted. But they never spoke to each other. I tied to continue it but after I put it down during that initial hit of reading I couldn’t pick it back up.
July 13, 2014
I finished this beast. It might have taken me forever to do it, but I got it done.
Now. This book is awful. I felt nothing from it. Which is strange, let me assure you, because this book is nothing but mush. I have decided that I don't like mush. Magee may have seriously ruined my enjoyment of any kind of romance ever again.
I was actually annoyed with the book from the very beginning. There was never a time while I read this book that I actually enjoyed it. The only reason I finished it was because I spent weeks trying to read the damn thing. And I didn't want to have spent weeks reading it to not know how it ended. It became a slow torture. I could only read half a chapter at a time, if that. It was just that horrible.
Willow. I hate that name now. Not that I ever really loved it before, but this is the second book I've read that has completely ruined the name. I never want to meet a Willow in real life because I think that I would be completely rude to her. I wouldn't want to come within ten feet of her just in case her low IQ rubbed off on me. Because Willow needs some serious help. And I don't mean from her friends. She needs to see a therapist. Stat.
She makes her nightmares out to be worse than they really are. She's pathetic. It was difficult to feel sorry for her when all she does is whine.
Why do I have to be so different.
All I saw was a girl trying to get from one breath to the next.
Yuck. This melodramatic bullshit carries on throughout the entire book.
She is incredibly selfish. Landen points this out and Willow immediately gets pissed off and he eventually bows to her will.
Willow not only has nightmares but she dreams of Landen. Turns out he's her soulmate. Once they meet each other face to face, they can no longer be separated from each other by dimensions. Or even just the string. The co-dependence was supposed to be taken as romantic instead of pathetic and disturbing. Unfortunately, Magee points out Willow's desperation so often that it can't be taken as anything other than ridiculous.
Landen. He's your typical objectified male. Perfect in every way. Sensitive. Only has eyes, thoughts, time, opinions and life for Willow. I'm pretty sure he was mindless. You know, perfect for molding to your will.
The writing is stiff, dry and the flow is unnatural. Nothing comes together. You can actually see where Magee tries to glue circumstances together. Oftentimes questions are brought up right before major revelations instead of being foreshadowed earlier on.
The romance is awkward, unbearably sweet and overkill, so much so that I don't see the point in the whole set up for a possible love triangle. There's no need for it. Ironically, there is a need for it since the whole plot is based around it, which leaves this book floundering in ridiculousness.
There's no development. Magee tries to cover this up with excessive affection and cooing. It was just creepy, not cute.
I am aware that the point of the book was to resist temptation. Or something. Magee tries to flounce the whole book off as a learning experience and that love is supposed to conquer all. It didn't work for me. It only made her characters seem incredibly flimsy, weak minded, soulless, selfish and ignorant. They also never appeared to be their age. They acted much too young.
Willow and Landen have some powers. That's cool. The problem though, was that there was no limit to what they could do. The list continued to grow as the author needed it, rather than her setting parameters somewhere along the way and adhering to them. There was no understanding of their potential. Their parents supposedly knew things about them, but ultimately wound up not knowing a damn thing that was important or that explained why they even had these abilities. So far their abilities haven't really served any purpose. It was just extra fluff to distract you from the lack of a solid plot. Again, it didn't work. They're even immortal. Why on earth is that even necessary? You know what I think? I think Magee read a bunch of paranormal romances and decided she was going to blend them all into one story. I'm glad she decided not to bother with vampires and werewolves, though I'm not convinced that they won't show up in the following books. Seriously...
Editing. This wasn't that bad. Mainly, it was just the lack of punctuation. But there was weird writing too.
* A breathless smile escaped my lips.
* Willow's soul had a lot going on. It was always pulsing. She could feel everything in her soul. So if something was supposed to be profound, it wasn't really. Because Magee had desensitized her readers with the overuse of the "metaphors."
* Danced. I wish someone would have told you how often you used this word to describe actions. It's yuck. Eyes danced, rainbows danced, light danced, fingers danced, lips danced, etc.
There's a slut in this book. And do you know what happens to her? You guessed it. She dies.
Drake. The bad boy. He's evil. I didn't really see how he was evil. Because he showed up in Willow's dreams? Yeah, I guess that's as evil as can be.
Overall
Be warned, if you're not up for sap/mush overkill, like me, this book will not be for you.
If you like books that have at least a little bit of sense, this book will not be for you.
The dimensions could have been interesting if time was spent detailing them properly instead of being wasted with witnessing Willow and Landen coddle each other.
I will not read another book in this series. And since Magee has a thing with repetitive phrases/words, I won't touch another book of hers, period.
Now. This book is awful. I felt nothing from it. Which is strange, let me assure you, because this book is nothing but mush. I have decided that I don't like mush. Magee may have seriously ruined my enjoyment of any kind of romance ever again.
I was actually annoyed with the book from the very beginning. There was never a time while I read this book that I actually enjoyed it. The only reason I finished it was because I spent weeks trying to read the damn thing. And I didn't want to have spent weeks reading it to not know how it ended. It became a slow torture. I could only read half a chapter at a time, if that. It was just that horrible.
Willow. I hate that name now. Not that I ever really loved it before, but this is the second book I've read that has completely ruined the name. I never want to meet a Willow in real life because I think that I would be completely rude to her. I wouldn't want to come within ten feet of her just in case her low IQ rubbed off on me. Because Willow needs some serious help. And I don't mean from her friends. She needs to see a therapist. Stat.
She makes her nightmares out to be worse than they really are. She's pathetic. It was difficult to feel sorry for her when all she does is whine.
Why do I have to be so different.
All I saw was a girl trying to get from one breath to the next.
Yuck. This melodramatic bullshit carries on throughout the entire book.
She is incredibly selfish. Landen points this out and Willow immediately gets pissed off and he eventually bows to her will.
Willow not only has nightmares but she dreams of Landen. Turns out he's her soulmate. Once they meet each other face to face, they can no longer be separated from each other by dimensions. Or even just the string. The co-dependence was supposed to be taken as romantic instead of pathetic and disturbing. Unfortunately, Magee points out Willow's desperation so often that it can't be taken as anything other than ridiculous.
Landen. He's your typical objectified male. Perfect in every way. Sensitive. Only has eyes, thoughts, time, opinions and life for Willow. I'm pretty sure he was mindless. You know, perfect for molding to your will.
The writing is stiff, dry and the flow is unnatural. Nothing comes together. You can actually see where Magee tries to glue circumstances together. Oftentimes questions are brought up right before major revelations instead of being foreshadowed earlier on.
The romance is awkward, unbearably sweet and overkill, so much so that I don't see the point in the whole set up for a possible love triangle. There's no need for it. Ironically, there is a need for it since the whole plot is based around it, which leaves this book floundering in ridiculousness.
There's no development. Magee tries to cover this up with excessive affection and cooing. It was just creepy, not cute.
I am aware that the point of the book was to resist temptation. Or something. Magee tries to flounce the whole book off as a learning experience and that love is supposed to conquer all. It didn't work for me. It only made her characters seem incredibly flimsy, weak minded, soulless, selfish and ignorant. They also never appeared to be their age. They acted much too young.
Willow and Landen have some powers. That's cool. The problem though, was that there was no limit to what they could do. The list continued to grow as the author needed it, rather than her setting parameters somewhere along the way and adhering to them. There was no understanding of their potential. Their parents supposedly knew things about them, but ultimately wound up not knowing a damn thing that was important or that explained why they even had these abilities. So far their abilities haven't really served any purpose. It was just extra fluff to distract you from the lack of a solid plot. Again, it didn't work. They're even immortal. Why on earth is that even necessary? You know what I think? I think Magee read a bunch of paranormal romances and decided she was going to blend them all into one story. I'm glad she decided not to bother with vampires and werewolves, though I'm not convinced that they won't show up in the following books. Seriously...
Editing. This wasn't that bad. Mainly, it was just the lack of punctuation. But there was weird writing too.
* A breathless smile escaped my lips.
* Willow's soul had a lot going on. It was always pulsing. She could feel everything in her soul. So if something was supposed to be profound, it wasn't really. Because Magee had desensitized her readers with the overuse of the "metaphors."
* Danced. I wish someone would have told you how often you used this word to describe actions. It's yuck. Eyes danced, rainbows danced, light danced, fingers danced, lips danced, etc.
There's a slut in this book. And do you know what happens to her? You guessed it. She dies.
Drake. The bad boy. He's evil. I didn't really see how he was evil. Because he showed up in Willow's dreams? Yeah, I guess that's as evil as can be.
Overall
Be warned, if you're not up for sap/mush overkill, like me, this book will not be for you.
If you like books that have at least a little bit of sense, this book will not be for you.
The dimensions could have been interesting if time was spent detailing them properly instead of being wasted with witnessing Willow and Landen coddle each other.
I will not read another book in this series. And since Magee has a thing with repetitive phrases/words, I won't touch another book of hers, period.
May 28, 2018
Honestly it was an alright read for a free iBook, but a terrible book compared to most books published
March 25, 2017
What an interesting journey into a unique world! Fun concepts, a unique environment, and the build toward greater and more exciting conflicts. The romance aspects were pretty fast, and this a book geared toward more of a New Adult audience as far as maturity. I enjoyed the complexities of the world building most.
December 31, 2016
The cover is awesome but it doesn't depict the book at all. Thanks to the prologue, I was able to really know what this book is about.
Willow Haywood lives on Earth in a small town, with her father, mother and younger sister, Libby. She has always known who her soul mate was. She just doesn't know where or when he is. "...lost in a dark dream. I was having one of the bad dreams... The same dream had haunted me since childhood." He appears to her every night but sometimes another being invades her dreams. Drake Blakeshire, is the antagonist. He is described as the blonde, buff hot guy that all girls swoon over. Drake wants to love Willow and join forces with her to control the universe but there are many secrets that surround Willow. Her father and her father's friends know these secrets. The book strives to reveal everything to Willow but it takes forever to get there.
Willow has the gift or insight of emotion. She can feel what others around her are feeling like fear, confusion, anger, joy, etc. "Feeling the emotions of the ones around me isn't the only aspect of my gift. While I'm awake, I can also see images of the people who are not here." Unbeknownst to Willow, she has the ability to travel great distances in the string. Later the reader learns what the string is and how it works.
Her family move to another planet and another solar system, called Chara. Her father is from Chara. Her mother is human. Here she meets up with her love and her father's friends where Willow gets to know her new surroundings and the responsibilities she has with Drake after her.
"I cannot recall a single day of my life that I have not seen him. This intoxicating person has always mesmerized me with his intense blue eyes, which give way to perfect lips highlighted by sensual dimples that come to life when he smiles at me." Landon Chambers is Willows soul mate. He is able to meet her in her dreams and they have known each other for many years. I felt the love interest came into the book too soon. There was some nice tension going on but hardly any explanation to who he was or where he was. Then, pow, he shows up and the book dies down.
It was hard to keep all the friends straight. There were several of them and individually, they just weren't memorable. In fact, there were many characters in this book and it was hard for me to keep all of them straight. The character, Perodine, shows up a few times but there really isn't much explanation on her she is.
Nearing the end of the book, I became very confused. Things take a strange turn and I didn't understand what the characters were doing. Even though the author explains most everything and what things mean for Willow and Landon, it takes a long time to get there and I was so overwhelmed with information that I wasn't able to take it all in and remember it. I don't remember the reasons for Drakes obsession. I don't understand all the secrets to with the characters. There are several holes in the story and the book just became frustrating to me to keep up.
Overall, this is a young adult, science fiction novel about a young girl and boy trying to right some wrongs. Some might feel it is paranormal but I think SciFi fits it much better. The book has a lot of information for the reader to absorb. It takes forever for the book to reach the peak and then inform the reader what everything is all about. Once the reader got some answers the book would slow down and drag. Even the ending dragged. There is so much information to take in, like a large number of characters, locations, facts about all the characters and their histories, etc. I didn't follow everything and by the end of the book, didn't care. The book is quite long, maybe a little too long. I would recommend this book with reservation. I felt it was for older teens and adults, definitely have to enjoy science fiction and have an excellent memory.
Content: some love scenes but are not graphic, petting
Willow Haywood lives on Earth in a small town, with her father, mother and younger sister, Libby. She has always known who her soul mate was. She just doesn't know where or when he is. "...lost in a dark dream. I was having one of the bad dreams... The same dream had haunted me since childhood." He appears to her every night but sometimes another being invades her dreams. Drake Blakeshire, is the antagonist. He is described as the blonde, buff hot guy that all girls swoon over. Drake wants to love Willow and join forces with her to control the universe but there are many secrets that surround Willow. Her father and her father's friends know these secrets. The book strives to reveal everything to Willow but it takes forever to get there.
Willow has the gift or insight of emotion. She can feel what others around her are feeling like fear, confusion, anger, joy, etc. "Feeling the emotions of the ones around me isn't the only aspect of my gift. While I'm awake, I can also see images of the people who are not here." Unbeknownst to Willow, she has the ability to travel great distances in the string. Later the reader learns what the string is and how it works.
Her family move to another planet and another solar system, called Chara. Her father is from Chara. Her mother is human. Here she meets up with her love and her father's friends where Willow gets to know her new surroundings and the responsibilities she has with Drake after her.
"I cannot recall a single day of my life that I have not seen him. This intoxicating person has always mesmerized me with his intense blue eyes, which give way to perfect lips highlighted by sensual dimples that come to life when he smiles at me." Landon Chambers is Willows soul mate. He is able to meet her in her dreams and they have known each other for many years. I felt the love interest came into the book too soon. There was some nice tension going on but hardly any explanation to who he was or where he was. Then, pow, he shows up and the book dies down.
It was hard to keep all the friends straight. There were several of them and individually, they just weren't memorable. In fact, there were many characters in this book and it was hard for me to keep all of them straight. The character, Perodine, shows up a few times but there really isn't much explanation on her she is.
Nearing the end of the book, I became very confused. Things take a strange turn and I didn't understand what the characters were doing. Even though the author explains most everything and what things mean for Willow and Landon, it takes a long time to get there and I was so overwhelmed with information that I wasn't able to take it all in and remember it. I don't remember the reasons for Drakes obsession. I don't understand all the secrets to with the characters. There are several holes in the story and the book just became frustrating to me to keep up.
Overall, this is a young adult, science fiction novel about a young girl and boy trying to right some wrongs. Some might feel it is paranormal but I think SciFi fits it much better. The book has a lot of information for the reader to absorb. It takes forever for the book to reach the peak and then inform the reader what everything is all about. Once the reader got some answers the book would slow down and drag. Even the ending dragged. There is so much information to take in, like a large number of characters, locations, facts about all the characters and their histories, etc. I didn't follow everything and by the end of the book, didn't care. The book is quite long, maybe a little too long. I would recommend this book with reservation. I felt it was for older teens and adults, definitely have to enjoy science fiction and have an excellent memory.
Content: some love scenes but are not graphic, petting
May 5, 2011
I must say, I was rather surprised by this read. I thoroughly enjoyed the worlds she created. Infante (as this dimension is known) is wholly recognizable as today's society and it was interesting to see it positioned as the youngest amongst those explored. Chara is certainly a place that I would love to visit. The culture and beliefs...all peace and love...how could one resist! I mean to have your true soul mate be found as an actual reality not a fantasy, the ability to use your insight for the good of others, and the chance to live in a land so beautiful in every way, what's not to love? Now Esterious is another story altogether and though it is dark and loathsome, there is a reason for it becoming that way that is revealed late in the text...but still, it's a land to be traveled around as opposed to through whenever possible. Moving forward....
The characters were varied and numerous. Seriously, you may need to take notes on more than one occasion to keep track of just who everyone is and their connections to each other, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few rough patches as well. There is no doubt that her dream boy is well....dreamy. Looks and attitude make a wonderful package indeed. The boy from her nightmares is equally memorable for several reasons but certainly not least on that list is the malice he emanates when push comes to shove. Perodine, on the other hand, remains a mystery till the final pages. She appears in a dream sequence that Willow has and although it seemed she was there to answer a few questions, she really only served to confuse the issues further. Also, when Landen is following his "beacon" to find his soul mate, it sort of just happens in the blink of an eye. One second he's searching and the next *POOF* she's there. I understand that the past events of the story play into the scenario that unfolds but it still felt sort of sudden when it actually happened. On the other hand...
The talents, or insights, that they each have (including Willow) cover a range of fascinating areas, one of the most predominate ones being that of the traveler as they are able to see the "strings" through which they can travel to the other dimensions or worlds. This is especially useful in aiding other travelers in their search for their soul mates. I loved the fact that the drive to find that one person that completed them was more of a given than a "group activity". The many insights encountered are explored throughout their adventure but never so much as to over shadow the story at the heart of it all.
In short, a magical yet realistic journey awaits all those willing to enter the "string"....and who knows, you may even find a bookish version of your soul mate. Recommended for Young Adult fans of all ages. There is not a hint of foul language nor are there any scenes that go beyond demure anticipation. Happy reading....
The characters were varied and numerous. Seriously, you may need to take notes on more than one occasion to keep track of just who everyone is and their connections to each other, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few rough patches as well. There is no doubt that her dream boy is well....dreamy. Looks and attitude make a wonderful package indeed. The boy from her nightmares is equally memorable for several reasons but certainly not least on that list is the malice he emanates when push comes to shove. Perodine, on the other hand, remains a mystery till the final pages. She appears in a dream sequence that Willow has and although it seemed she was there to answer a few questions, she really only served to confuse the issues further. Also, when Landen is following his "beacon" to find his soul mate, it sort of just happens in the blink of an eye. One second he's searching and the next *POOF* she's there. I understand that the past events of the story play into the scenario that unfolds but it still felt sort of sudden when it actually happened. On the other hand...
The talents, or insights, that they each have (including Willow) cover a range of fascinating areas, one of the most predominate ones being that of the traveler as they are able to see the "strings" through which they can travel to the other dimensions or worlds. This is especially useful in aiding other travelers in their search for their soul mates. I loved the fact that the drive to find that one person that completed them was more of a given than a "group activity". The many insights encountered are explored throughout their adventure but never so much as to over shadow the story at the heart of it all.
In short, a magical yet realistic journey awaits all those willing to enter the "string"....and who knows, you may even find a bookish version of your soul mate. Recommended for Young Adult fans of all ages. There is not a hint of foul language nor are there any scenes that go beyond demure anticipation. Happy reading....
May 12, 2011
This review is based on an e-book copy of Insight by Jamie Magee that I purchased for myself via my Kindle.
*WARNING: Review may contain minor spoilers.*
As soon as I saw the summary of this story I was hooked, it was immediately put on my wish list and one of the first purchases I made upon receiving my first Amazon Gift Card. I was excited to read it but as I bought more and more books Insight eventually fell the wayside. When things calmed down and I was finally able to pick it up again I did so believing that it would blow me out of the water.
Insight had a lot of potential to be an amazing read. Between the actual insights themselves, the use of the zodiac and the manipulation of dreams there was a lot that could be done with it. Unfortunately these amazing concepts never really shown through for me. Instead they were mired by the romance between Willow and her love. As soon as Willow met the one that she was destined to be with any traces of the plot seemed to fall to the wayside, it was all "Let's hurry through the plot so we can be all lovey-dovey again!" which just doesn't work for me. There was an excuse for this as both Willow and her dream-boy suffered immense pain upon separation which in all honesty put me in mind of Twilight when Edward left Bella.
I tried to like this story, I really did, but about half-way through it became work. Actually once the love interest simply became the love I was over it. Considering she had dreamed of this guy the majority of her life than suddenly he just poof appeared it seemed rather anticlimactic. And than after that, as I said before, their love was the primary focus. At least that’s the way that I saw it.
And the ending, I won't give it away I promise just in case you do decide to read it, was just so anticlimactic. Not that the story really built it up to much of a climax. There wasn't much excitement at all. I never was concerned for the characters or worried about the outcome.
I'm giving Insight by Jamie Magee a two out of five. It was an okay read but it never really captivated me in the slightest. I wanted so badly to give this book at least a three but it just wasn't there for me. Outside of reading it I never really contemplated the story, Insight tended to be out of sight as well as out of mind. Normally I would have flown through a book of it's length in a single day and it wasn't the case here. I never found myself dropping everything to read this book or staying up all night to discover it's conclusion, I was lukewarm at best. Seeing all of the high ratings for this book I was expecting more and unfortunately I just couldn't. At ninety-nine cents [e-book version] I'm not saying that it was a bad buy just one that will be soon forgotten.
*WARNING: Review may contain minor spoilers.*
As soon as I saw the summary of this story I was hooked, it was immediately put on my wish list and one of the first purchases I made upon receiving my first Amazon Gift Card. I was excited to read it but as I bought more and more books Insight eventually fell the wayside. When things calmed down and I was finally able to pick it up again I did so believing that it would blow me out of the water.
Insight had a lot of potential to be an amazing read. Between the actual insights themselves, the use of the zodiac and the manipulation of dreams there was a lot that could be done with it. Unfortunately these amazing concepts never really shown through for me. Instead they were mired by the romance between Willow and her love. As soon as Willow met the one that she was destined to be with any traces of the plot seemed to fall to the wayside, it was all "Let's hurry through the plot so we can be all lovey-dovey again!" which just doesn't work for me. There was an excuse for this as both Willow and her dream-boy suffered immense pain upon separation which in all honesty put me in mind of Twilight when Edward left Bella.
I tried to like this story, I really did, but about half-way through it became work. Actually once the love interest simply became the love I was over it. Considering she had dreamed of this guy the majority of her life than suddenly he just poof appeared it seemed rather anticlimactic. And than after that, as I said before, their love was the primary focus. At least that’s the way that I saw it.
And the ending, I won't give it away I promise just in case you do decide to read it, was just so anticlimactic. Not that the story really built it up to much of a climax. There wasn't much excitement at all. I never was concerned for the characters or worried about the outcome.
I'm giving Insight by Jamie Magee a two out of five. It was an okay read but it never really captivated me in the slightest. I wanted so badly to give this book at least a three but it just wasn't there for me. Outside of reading it I never really contemplated the story, Insight tended to be out of sight as well as out of mind. Normally I would have flown through a book of it's length in a single day and it wasn't the case here. I never found myself dropping everything to read this book or staying up all night to discover it's conclusion, I was lukewarm at best. Seeing all of the high ratings for this book I was expecting more and unfortunately I just couldn't. At ninety-nine cents [e-book version] I'm not saying that it was a bad buy just one that will be soon forgotten.
September 22, 2015
Rating: 1.5/5
(I received a free ecopy of this book from the publisher, Alvasiha, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
***Minor spoilers***
Willow has always known she was different than the other people in her town. She's able to feel the emotions of others. This ability is called an "insight." What she doesn't yet know is that she has this ability because she is from another dimension, somewhere named Chara. When someone dark comes searching for Willow in her hometown, her parents finally decide that it's time to bring Willow and her sister, Libby, back home to Chara. Along the way she ends up meeting the boy she dreams about every night, and learns that soulmates are actually real.
I was super excited to read this book at first. The cover was pretty, the summary sounded good, and the plot seemed quite unique. Not far in, I could tell that I wasn't going to enjoy this book as well as I hoped.
I spent most of this book bored, and it wasn't just because of what was happening. This author's writing style just doesn't do anything to grab my attention. I found that the writing lacked fluidity and as a result, everything I was reading felt extremely choppy. There was also a lot of telling instead of showing, and some needless repetitive explanations for simple actions. At some point I got tired of the same phrases used to describe Willow sensing someone's emotions or Landen, her love interest, sensing someone's intent. It just felt like the author felt a constant need to point it out. Every few sentences we're told about Willow sensing someone's grief or calm or excitement, and since she's always around people, it never stops.
In this novel, there are several different dimensions, and the one with Earth as we know it is called Infante. To travel between dimensions or different locations in the same dimension, you travel through something called the string. That's basically all I understood about travelling through dimensions in this book. It was a good idea in theory but the way it was written was so confusing. We're told about it being a bright white, how you have to wear black clothing to see each other, that there are doorways, storms, and colours. I just didn't understand how most of the stuff worked and it was quite frustrating. Later in the book, we're introduced to even more confusing stuff.
Overall, I couldn't bring myself to enjoy this book very much. The choppy writing was apparent to me throughout the book and frustrated me as I was reading. I found that the concepts weren't explained clearly enough for me to understand exactly what was going on. I wouldn't exactly recommend this book to anyone, but if it's already in your schedule, I'd suggest going in with low expectations.
(I received a free ecopy of this book from the publisher, Alvasiha, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
***Minor spoilers***
Willow has always known she was different than the other people in her town. She's able to feel the emotions of others. This ability is called an "insight." What she doesn't yet know is that she has this ability because she is from another dimension, somewhere named Chara. When someone dark comes searching for Willow in her hometown, her parents finally decide that it's time to bring Willow and her sister, Libby, back home to Chara. Along the way she ends up meeting the boy she dreams about every night, and learns that soulmates are actually real.
I was super excited to read this book at first. The cover was pretty, the summary sounded good, and the plot seemed quite unique. Not far in, I could tell that I wasn't going to enjoy this book as well as I hoped.
I spent most of this book bored, and it wasn't just because of what was happening. This author's writing style just doesn't do anything to grab my attention. I found that the writing lacked fluidity and as a result, everything I was reading felt extremely choppy. There was also a lot of telling instead of showing, and some needless repetitive explanations for simple actions. At some point I got tired of the same phrases used to describe Willow sensing someone's emotions or Landen, her love interest, sensing someone's intent. It just felt like the author felt a constant need to point it out. Every few sentences we're told about Willow sensing someone's grief or calm or excitement, and since she's always around people, it never stops.
In this novel, there are several different dimensions, and the one with Earth as we know it is called Infante. To travel between dimensions or different locations in the same dimension, you travel through something called the string. That's basically all I understood about travelling through dimensions in this book. It was a good idea in theory but the way it was written was so confusing. We're told about it being a bright white, how you have to wear black clothing to see each other, that there are doorways, storms, and colours. I just didn't understand how most of the stuff worked and it was quite frustrating. Later in the book, we're introduced to even more confusing stuff.
Overall, I couldn't bring myself to enjoy this book very much. The choppy writing was apparent to me throughout the book and frustrated me as I was reading. I found that the concepts weren't explained clearly enough for me to understand exactly what was going on. I wouldn't exactly recommend this book to anyone, but if it's already in your schedule, I'd suggest going in with low expectations.
April 3, 2011
“I can't control my destiny, I trust my soul, my only goal is just to be. There's only now, there's only here. Give in to love or live in fear. No other path, no other way. No day but today.” - Jonathan Larson, writer/producer/author of the musical RENT
Willow Haywood is plagued by nightmares where a sinister shadowed figure is always present. in one of their nocturnal encounters, he marks her tattoo with a star. when her father Jason sees it, he reveals to her the family's guarded history.
Willow also dreams of a man and a place where she feels at peace, secure and very much in love. she knows that he is her soulmate but does not know how and where to find him until he unexpectedly shows up in the flesh.
when Willow's dearest friends are captured by Drake Blakeshire, she must learn to face and accept her destiny to save them.
i was in for a lot of surprise when i started reading this book. at first, i had a little difficulty understanding the author's ideas of insights, strings and traveling through them. i got past that though quickly and i realized that this was exactly how Willow felt when she learns about her family's secret and how this ties up with her unique abilities.
as far as i am concerned, i saw a lot of fresh ideas and i have to give author Jaime Magee a thumbs up for them. her tale combines fantasy, the Zodiac and the paranormal. it also highlights the redeeming strength of love, the amazing power of choice and how these two elements play a vital role in our lives.
i had a fun ride with Willow, her soulmate Landen Chambers and their respective families and friends as they each joined hands in facing a dark adversary.
Insight took me to a world both familiar and unknown and it was good to escape to that world for a while.
Disclosure of Material Connection: i am a member of the Book Lovin' Bitches E-book Tours and a copy was provided by the author. although payment may have been received by Book Lovin' Bitches E-book Tours, i did not receive any payment in exchange for this review nor was i obligated to write a positive one. all opinions expressed here are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. this disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Willow Haywood is plagued by nightmares where a sinister shadowed figure is always present. in one of their nocturnal encounters, he marks her tattoo with a star. when her father Jason sees it, he reveals to her the family's guarded history.
Willow also dreams of a man and a place where she feels at peace, secure and very much in love. she knows that he is her soulmate but does not know how and where to find him until he unexpectedly shows up in the flesh.
when Willow's dearest friends are captured by Drake Blakeshire, she must learn to face and accept her destiny to save them.
i was in for a lot of surprise when i started reading this book. at first, i had a little difficulty understanding the author's ideas of insights, strings and traveling through them. i got past that though quickly and i realized that this was exactly how Willow felt when she learns about her family's secret and how this ties up with her unique abilities.
as far as i am concerned, i saw a lot of fresh ideas and i have to give author Jaime Magee a thumbs up for them. her tale combines fantasy, the Zodiac and the paranormal. it also highlights the redeeming strength of love, the amazing power of choice and how these two elements play a vital role in our lives.
i had a fun ride with Willow, her soulmate Landen Chambers and their respective families and friends as they each joined hands in facing a dark adversary.
Insight took me to a world both familiar and unknown and it was good to escape to that world for a while.
Disclosure of Material Connection: i am a member of the Book Lovin' Bitches E-book Tours and a copy was provided by the author. although payment may have been received by Book Lovin' Bitches E-book Tours, i did not receive any payment in exchange for this review nor was i obligated to write a positive one. all opinions expressed here are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. this disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
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May 30, 2013Insight by Jamie Magee was one of by far my favorite books that I ever read. Magee's books will have your mind racing with anticipation and excitement. Her book, Insight, was great! The main character in the book is Willow and the love of her life Landen. What willow doesn't know is that she is special, special as in she can feel what others can't. Willow has an "Insight" which is a special gift that is very rare in her generation, only her and her grandmother are the only ones in their dimensions who have that gift.
Willow started noticing her gift since she was a young child. She would have bad dream, but only when the new moon was present is when she would have dreams that would hurt her. Willow didn't understand what was going on until she finally told her parents. Willow's mom was shock when she told her but her father was perfectly fine, because he understood what she was talking about, he too was from the same dimension. Willow's father was a land from Chara, meaning the land of happiness. Chara was the ideal place for Willow to fully use her insight and understand how to use it correctly.
During the story Willow will have these bad dreams about a man from a dark place called Esteroius. Esteroius was where bad power was at, but not all the people their were bad and some were good. They were only good because they wanted to be good, some even left Esteroius to live in a different dimension. Willow and Landen both have a mission to end her bad dreams but in order to fulfill that they need to be together at all times. They say when you find your true love they become inseparable from one another.
They find out where they have to go, into Esteroius. In there they defeat the head commander and Esteroius is back to its ordinal dimension. Willow and Landen are presented with their dream house given by her father and mother. Willow doesn't know for sure if her nightmares will ever go away but when they do come back to haunt her Landen and both their families will come together and help each other.
I personally recommend this book with the passion of romance, excitement, and immortal stories. This book should and will be given an amazing 5 stars this book was so great!! I would love to read another one of Jamie Magee's book!!
Willow started noticing her gift since she was a young child. She would have bad dream, but only when the new moon was present is when she would have dreams that would hurt her. Willow didn't understand what was going on until she finally told her parents. Willow's mom was shock when she told her but her father was perfectly fine, because he understood what she was talking about, he too was from the same dimension. Willow's father was a land from Chara, meaning the land of happiness. Chara was the ideal place for Willow to fully use her insight and understand how to use it correctly.
During the story Willow will have these bad dreams about a man from a dark place called Esteroius. Esteroius was where bad power was at, but not all the people their were bad and some were good. They were only good because they wanted to be good, some even left Esteroius to live in a different dimension. Willow and Landen both have a mission to end her bad dreams but in order to fulfill that they need to be together at all times. They say when you find your true love they become inseparable from one another.
They find out where they have to go, into Esteroius. In there they defeat the head commander and Esteroius is back to its ordinal dimension. Willow and Landen are presented with their dream house given by her father and mother. Willow doesn't know for sure if her nightmares will ever go away but when they do come back to haunt her Landen and both their families will come together and help each other.
I personally recommend this book with the passion of romance, excitement, and immortal stories. This book should and will be given an amazing 5 stars this book was so great!! I would love to read another one of Jamie Magee's book!!
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