Reviews for the Literary Inclined discussion

Aerenden: The Child Returns by Kristen Taber
Congratulations Kristen!!!

We will be doing a group review of this book. So if you would like to participate in the this please get your copy of this book and read it before the end of October. Email or message me a copy of your review by November 9th if you want it to be added in to the group review in time.

If there are any questions let me know!!!

I'm so excited! Thank you :). I can't wait to see everyone's reviews and discussion!
And as I stated before, I'm happy to provide a ebook copy of the book to those who want one. Please message me for the details.

Oops....and I should probably provide links if anyone wants to purchase one, too! I got too excited to think straight, I guess :).

Amazon (kindle format): http://amzn.to/MdU8fa
Smashwords (all formats): http://bit.ly/U4R1rA

I have a copy and will be participating. Congrats, Kristen!

Yay, Kristen! That is awesome.

Fantastic, Vicki! I can't wait for your review/discussion!

Thanks, Proud Book Nerd :). Of course, you've already reviewed the book, but hopefully you'll participate in the discussion :).

Assuming there's still a discussion... Jessi, are we still doing that?

Congrats, Kristen! Looking forward to the discussion :)

Of course there's still a discussion. Any comments you want to make about the book or quotes or to just tell Kristen about her awesomeness post it here in this thread.

lol, Jessi. You crack me up :).

Thanks, Monica! Me too!

All right! The book looks great! I'm pressing that little and very dangerous 'Buy now with one click' button that Amazon has (and is the cause of my downfall) right... now!

Thanks, Vered! I can't wait to see your review!

Whee - just downloaded it and I'm excited to start reading!

@Vered, I bet if we compared notes to see who has spent the most with just the click of that little button, I'd win for the "MICBA" award: most instant and compulsive buyer's award. LOL

Hey all - I'm more than half through Kristen's book and enjoying it thoroughly. So come on people, start reading so we can start discussing!

@Vicki - I think I need professional help. Seriously. That button is addictive.

I'll start reading Aerenden between tonight and tomorrow, so the talk shall begin :)

Well, I just finished it. So PLEASE people, read so we can chat! I won't post my review for now but I will say this: it's definitely worth picking up... the book, not my non-existant review

Send me a copy of your review and so I'll have it for the big group review

Vered wrote: "Well, I just finished it. So PLEASE people, read so we can chat! I won't post my review for now but I will say this: it's definitely worth picking up... the book, not my non-existant review"

Okay, I'll start this one today.

Almost there!

Started it today! Are we discussing it here?

Alright...finished it today too! SO GOOD. Put up my review so I got all my thoughts down..

Started it and at a good point already :) Can we start talking about it? Pretty please?

Go for it but remember to use the spoiler button just in case

Thank you, Jessi!
Okay, I won't ruin it for the others, but I like books that (view spoiler)[start in medias res (hide spoiler)] and Aerenden is one of them :) So far, the story is fast paced and the heroine is very pragmatic. Like both aspects.

I loved how it starts. Very mysterious and full throttle on. I liked how the heroine eventually developed, although there were a few points when I wanted to shake her and say "Snap out of it".

Vered wrote: "I loved how it starts. Very mysterious and full throttle on. I liked how the heroine eventually developed, although there were a few points when I wanted to shake her and say "Snap out of it"."

I had that feeling, but she does go through a lot, at least at the very beginning, and she's very young.

Vered wrote: "I loved how it starts. Very mysterious and full throttle on. I liked how the heroine eventually developed, although there were a few points when I wanted to shake her and say "Snap out of it"."

LOL. I want to shake her too, sometimes. I know that sounds odd, since I control her in a way, but part of that is who she is, and as Monica said, her age and inexperience. Book smart and real life smart are sometimes so different.

FYI to everyone, I'm around, but don't want to interrupt conversations or cause silence on debates, so I'm kind of hanging back so as not to influence anything. I'm also available for direct questions about anything regarding the book, process, etc.

I'll be away from home from tomorrow through Monday for an out of state baby shower (yikes! 8.5 weeks to go!), so I won't be able to respond right off to things, but I'll definitely be checking in, so let me know if you have anything you want to ask/discuss.

Kristen, have fun at your baby shower!
In general, I like when characters grow through the story. A young MC, a teenager in this case, would be in the middle of growing pains without the drama added. At 50% of the book and looking forward to see how Meg reacts to the burden of being 'the one.'
As an aside note, liked the utopian village :)

Yes, good point, and I did mention that in the review I finally finished writing! Jessi, where should we post the reviews? I couldn't find a folder that anyone has started for this book.

Ah - I'm so glad I wasn't alone. I definitely wanted to smack her upside her head a few times! I'm in the same boat as Monica, though, I like to see character growth!

I picked up on some cliche plot elements being used, but I like the way Kristen used them...(being raised by adoptive parents, but not knowing it until they die; actually being royalty but not knowing it)

message them to me so that when i get everyone's by November 8th I can compile(slice & edit) them all into one be review but you can post your own review and everyone can add there's to it in the thread

Finished :) At this point, anything I say is going to be a spoiler. Do I have carte blanche?

I finally was able to read Aerenden. I really liked it, and I never do read these "types" of books. Aerenden helped me realize that I need to give this genre more of a chance.

Thanks, Kriste. Here is my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Here's my review! I'm on the same page as Monica...is everyone done reading it? :)

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Yes, I'm done! And my review is up somewhere on GR.
:-)

Thanks for your reviews, ladies! I'm so glad you enjoyed the book! :)

I think it's safe to talk about the book now :) First, I like the story, it's well written,and although being YA doesn't follow the usual swooning over the guy-is-my-savior kind of plot. I like the limitations imposed on the MCs' powers, because they make the story realistic. Overall, I liked all the characters. Meg did have all the characteristics of a precocius child who jumps grades, but is socially immature. She acts younger than her age, but no friends are in the picture which leads to believe she has no connections to real life. I wanted to see a little bit more chemistry between the MCs and there were several instances where the world building didn't convince me, but I truly enjoyed this book.

Monica, maybe what you said is why I felt the characters were so realistic for this type of story. That's what I couldn't figure out is why I thought that way. Perhaps it WAS due to the limitations placed on MC's powers.

I typicallly haven't read books of this nature much, but since GR I am opening myself up to more and more genres and sub-genres, and this book really did pleasantly surprise me. One of my "biggest fears" is reading a book for someone and hating it or not being able to even continue (that happened one time). Thankfully that wasn't the case with Aerenden! I was so anxious to find out who Meg was and where she came from. I just loved the suspense, which is a favorite of mine!

Well written stories, in any genre, are driven by limitations or road blocks. What makes a character compelling, at least for me, is how he/she/it reacts to difficulties. When it comes to science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal setting rules of what can or can't be done in the given world is paramount. That is why lots of people have problems with sparkly, diurnal vampires who can impregnate women. Where is the challenge if those vampires have no apparent limitations? Said so, Aerenden is a good example of how flawed characters make for better stories :)

Haha - Monica, love that comment about sparkly vampires!

I too had a few moments when I felt the world building was a bit shaky (or rather, I had the question - why is this world and Medival Earth so similar in social and physical construction?). But my main issue is when a character goes into a lecture-style monologue to explain something to Meg. It doesn't feel conversational enough. I don't mind not knowing all the details, and letting those things be discovered naturally, during the course of the story.

But apart from those few passages and my occasional desire to slap Meg into maturity, I liked the story and it kept me reading and wanting more.

Thanks again, ladies for taking the time to read the book. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

I always find the discussion fascinating to read, because I love seeing how people react to the characters and the story itself.

Did anyone have any direct questions for me they would like answered?

Kristen, do you ever freak yourself out with your own characters or plot?

Sometimes. I actually wrote some paranormal/horror about a decade ago (nothing published) and there were nights I slept with the lights on because my mind put monsters and ghosts in every shadow and under my bed.

With these books, I've written some death scenes that have left me in tears and some of the monster scenes that have caused me to avoid alleys when I walk through DC at night. I see red eyes that I'm (relatively) certain aren't there! Course, it's probably best if I avoid alleys in the city anyway! LOL

Are any of the characters based on real people?

Monica wrote: "Are any of the characters based on real people?"

For other books I've written, I have done that, but not for this series. That said, I find that bits of people I know sneak into character personalities or mannerisms. Nick has bits of my husband. Vivian's wisdom reminds me of a second-career woman who was a friend in college. Cal is a composite of some of the men I grew up with--hunters, woodsmen, colorful Mainers--who I loved dearly. But none of them are fully any one person I know.