The concept and characters of this book were good. I struggled a bit with the Point of View of a blind person, it's weird how I felt blind often with scenes, as confused as he was. I'm actually glad the next book is from a different point of view, I felt a bit exhausted experiencing everything as a blind person!

My only other complaint is that the plot was a bit jumpy at times. I felt like something developed so quickly they gave me whiplash.

Overall though? It was good. I'll stick with the series. ( )

Farsighted was a very quick read. It's engaging and full of mystery as Alex tries to figure out why he is all of a sudden getting visions.

You can feel so much compassion for Alex. He's blind, and doesn't realize just how disheveled his appearance is. He's constantly getting bullied because of his condition. He tries to stay to himself, and be invisible just to get through the school day. While he doesn't come from a broken home, there's definitely tension in his household. His mom owns a shop, and works as hard as she can to support their three member family. His dad seems very distant, and cold, most of the time. He doesn't work, but does help in transferring Alex's notes to braille.

While Alex has had hard times with people in his school, he manages to be a pretty decent student. The one thing I didn't like about his character is that he is so negative about many aspects of his life. I know he's blind, but that shouldn't keep him from looking for the good in things. The only person he manages to keep a positive outlook about is Simmi. She's new to the town, and quickly befriends him. They have such an awesome friendship. Alex wants more, but realizes things have to go at a much slower pace. Simmi is a very positive person. She keeps Alex out of as much trouble as possible. She's bubbly, and everything a person would look for in a friend. He also, reluctantly, becomes friends with Shapri. Shapri is another new girl in town, and her mom owns the shop next to Alex's mom's. Shapri is probably my favorite character in this book. She's going through struggles of her own, but she's outspoken. She's never afraid to stand up for what she believes in, and is completely loyal to her friends.

The plot was interesting. You wouldn't think a blind person would be given the ability to see the future. He doesn't see it in the traditional sense. He sees the same way he would the present. Alex becoming friends with people who have powers of their own is no coincidence. They work together in order to figure what, and who, is supposed to be the demise of Simmi. It's very quick paced, and there aren't any lulls to the story. These kids go through everything normal teens would: jealousy over friendships, and confusion as to what path they are supposed to take in life. Dax throws a kink in everything they thought they knew. I'm not going to elaborate on him because it would spoil a good bit of the storyline.

I really recommend this. What's even better, is a portion of the profit goes to organizations that help produce braille books for those that cannot see. ( )

This is a good book, written in a very easy language and the author did a superb job creating all the environment for the plot to develop.
The plot is simple: our main character is a blind young man named Alex. He attends a school where he is bullied and his relationship with his father is a complicated one. But suddenly things change, once he finds out he has some kind of special power, an ability to foresee the future. At school he befriends with two girls, and that is a new experience for him. One of the girls is Simmi, new to the school, and Alex starts liking her very much, but he foresee her death and now he wants to quickly develop his power so he can control it, in order to try to avoid that to happen. He tries to get help from the psychic lady that has a store next to his mother's flower shop. He is surprised to find out that Simmi also has special powers. She is able to manipulate the emotions of other people and she is also trained by this same lady. They start training together and Alex hopes he will be able to stop her death from happening and make her fall in love to him. An the reason of the difficult relationship with his father is well explained and understood during the development of the plot. There is a promised sequence for this book named Open Heart, to be released in 2012.

I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoys young adult novels with mystery, romance and psychic powers, to read during a rainy weekend and enjoy very much the story. It is an easy reading and it took me approximately eight hours to read this book (And I like this cover better than the first one).

This book was written by Emlyn Chand and was published by Blue Crown Press in October 2011 and they were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through their blogger book review program.
Books and Movies Reviews @ http://booksandmoviesreviews.blogspot.com/2012/03/book-farsighted-by-emlyn-chand... ( )

Originally Reviewed at:Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 5 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Goddess Fish Promotions
Reviewer: Me


Farsighted is a book that will immediately grab you attention and leave you wide-eyed and open mouthed long after it’s done. Author Emyln Chand takes her readers on a riveting journey with a stellar cast of characters, creative special powers, and a fantastic plot that only leaves readers wanting more. Twists and turns, setbacks and love, make this novel a roller coaster ride of excitement.

What a phenomenal book Farsighted truly is. I must admit I wasn’t sure if I could fall in love with a main character that not only had a disability but also had a unique gift. What Chand does it surprising, not only did she make me love Alex, but she also made me feel sorry for him, angry with him, and root for him constantly – and this was all in the first few chapters! This should speak volumes about the depth of her characters and the elegance of her writing. Not once did I feel a situation was unexplained or a character under developed. The entire cast, Alex, Simmi, Sharpi, Alex’s parents, Miss Teak and Dax all had a role to play within the pages and worked beautifully together when they crossed paths. It was exciting watching the story unfold before my eyes, a unique voyage I’d happily take over and over again.

Alex, a natural loner because of his blindness, is on a journey of self discovery. Soon after his ability of second sight takes over him, he discovers that something bad is going to happen to the girl he loves, Simmi. Simmi, his first true friend means the world to him, and he will stop at nothing to save her even if that means learning to use a gift he really doesn’t want. His second sight was both a gift and a curse from the beginning, making it difficult for him to distinguish between what is real, and what might occur. It forces Alex to seek the assistance of a palm reader, Miss Teak, to better understand what is happening to him and how he can prevent Simmi’s demise, thus bringing about his quest to find the elusive Dax. But for Alex, things aren’t always as cut and dry as they seem, or as he dreams.

Because of his blindness, Alex has to rely on other senses, especially touch and smell. Chand does an excellent job conveying how Alex is able to paint pictures of the world around him just by touching objects and smelling the faintest scent. I liked being able to experience the world through his eyes and seeing just how important our other 4 senses can be. It was very refreshing to see a story portrayed this way and even better to experience. Everyone should read the book for this reason alone.

Another thing I loved about this novel was the strong female characters. Both Simmi and Sharpi are intelligent and insightful young girls who spoke their minds. Each had their own special way of talking and dealing with Alex and you could see how his actions would change depending on which girl he was around at the time. There was definitely a strong theme of independent women, especially in Alex’s mother who just happened to be the sole breadwinner of the family. Though the theme was present it wasn’t overpowering, and shouldn’t stop anyone from reading the book.

Overall, I don’t think I have a single negative word to speak against Farsighted. It is definitely a book unlike any other, and will probably turn out to be one of the best books you have read in years. The story works, the characters are convincing, and even the rune’s add something a little extra. I highly recommend this books to everyone ages 15 and up. ( )

Simple fact, I have stated and said over and over this is a book for all young lords and ladies to gather up and read. Much like LOTR, but not epic fantasy, just really awesome! YET, it is a paranormal fantasy-ish and at the same time something I feel a child should read! Not like a book on how your boobs are suppose to grow, but a book that involves real teenage issues with the FUN of New Age-y stuff blended in that perhaps Mum maybe doing (cough ... cough like me)! As I am now nose deep in the second book, Open Heart I told my eldest to hurry up, this is fun (she has been my reading buddy so we can influence her 16 year old sister).

Mum, and more mums, AGAIN I REPEAT, this is a book/series a which is safe for your kids starting at about 12 to 14 and beyond can read without worry. There is one only ONE moment a specific questionable word may come in question. Apparently I missed it so I asked and the 19 1/2 year-old girl who rolled her eyes and stated, "MOM are you serious, ONE word? Give me a break have you listened to TV lately?" I felt the need to address this, but honestly I had glossed over it AND in fact the author mentioned it in an interview I read, I had to go and LOOK for it. GAWDS PEOPLE!! They hear and see worse in GLEE (the word was whore)!!

So it is a parenting decision, and since most of us soccer moms SEEM to be constantly reading YA read so why not give it a whirl? During an era where so many books are labeled YA, and really they are "SOCCER MOMS GET YOUR GAME ON AND RELIVE YOUR YOUTH BY BEING ABLE TO DROOL OVER HOT YOUNG FLESH" I honestly I would have missed it simply because the label of YA. HECK Animal Farm or LORD OF THE FLIES is ten times worse and are considered Young-Adult literary fiction. They essentially could be shocking and psychologically damaging for some kids. At least this is HONEST and a book I would sit and read with the kids! THIS IS REAL young-adult fiction with a flair for fun in the paranormal sense. The kids can just be kids and only minimally deal with sociopath. psychotic megalomaniac personas (AKA LORD OF THE RINGS which I wanted all my children to read as soon as they could). I realize I have repeated myself, but it bear repeating.

How am I suppose to even write a flipping objective review. I have three female children under the age of 20. two of whom read wish-washy crap to pass the time and half the time tell them it doesn't fly since they read at college level. I guess my mother's manipulation of "Read a Classic, get to read Lovecraft" wore off, but ... ya anyway... THE 12 year-old, if I COULD get him to read something like this would roll his eyes and say "PLEASE Mother, I hear worse standing in line to get what they keep insisting is FOOD! I won't read girly books but COME ON MOM, do you EVEN have to ask!! (He thinks since I am a girl all books I read are girly, even the zombie ones... though I think he says this to try and manipulate me into letting him read them.. MOMS ROCK).

Emlyn Chand has taken the accepted Paranormal playground and incorporated into real world issues children of this age and dealt with (shock) every day real issues teens face. By utilizing disabled kids, making them super heroes, she allows for the fan-girling and fan-boying of a group worthy of such! AGAIN I REPEAT This is real YA! GO get your kids to dive into the first book of this series and get them hooked now! Good fun family reading materiel!

So you let them read and watch the borderline pedophiliac Twilight??? For chriminy sake its' riddled with a plethora of other BAD things. I am not dissing or saying DO NOT read the Twilight series, just ewwwwwwww hold off till you are a soccer mom since it really was written for that demographic!! Just my not so humble opinion. The first book maybe ok, but the rest? OK but I digress.

Give me a break, insist on her or him reading this book. What the heck is wrong with a real YA book?

No it is not perfect, there are some issues I have. Still, again, I am blown away when I find a real Young-Adult fiction. I do not care who says it or taunts me, because everyone knows I am not a YA reader, well at least I thought not. I am currently TEAM SIMMI! heh. Sheeple read I am touched with the amount of effort the author FINALLY put in to writing this book! Oh EM GEE!

I know this is not a regular Cabin Goddess review, it is rambly, repetitive and overly bouncy (even for me) (written with a fever of 102F). I am just thrilled I finally finished the book. Emlyn Chand has written a clean wonderful story, professionally edited, soundly structured and beautifully wrought! GO READ IT AND TELL ME anything BUT?!?! This is incredible and this deserves 5 stars or moose tracks or..........five anything!! OH BTW keep reading, not only is this a great read, but the author gives a crap about the world around her!

TEAM EMLYN and DUCKY! ( )