Cynthia Joyce Clay

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. When it arrived, I was hesitant to start reading because of the poor quality of the cover. The blurry images had me questioning what I would find inside.

What I found was an interesting story with some unique characters. Although the pacing seemed slow for the first half, events became more exciting in the second half and the pacing picked up.
Elayne is a down-to-earth, get-it-done, kind of woman. When her cat is turned into a troll after drinking a strange broth found in her refrigerator, Elayne doesn’t fret. She simply goes out and buys it some clothes. I’m not sure why someone would climb though her refrigerator if she found a door in the back opening into a strange land, but Elayne does and adventure follows. (And it wouldn’t have been much of a story if she’d stayed in her apartment.)

I liked many of the world details and surprises along her journey: rescuing people from a giant Ferris wheel during a griffon attack, reincarnated kings, unicorn wranglers, flying carpets (especially the imaginative way the bad guy finds to fly his carpet), and taming young dragons.

Unfortunately, this book was in desperate need of a proofreader/editor. There were many misspellings, repeated words, incorrect words, and inconsistencies that threw me completely out of the story while I scratched my head in puzzlement. Here are just a few examples:

p. 58 “the amoutn Frithlynn had adised her was the ging rate for palm readings.”
p. 140 The cat-troll’s name suddenly changed to “Velcro.” Before and after that page, his name was “Keen.”
p. 320 Elayne leaves Keen sleeping in the cave “leaving Keen who still slept in the cave,” and she goes down the cliff and away from the cave, but a few minutes later it says “Keen stared at something near Elayne’s knee.”
p. 321 It says “queen and queen” instead of “king and queen” when referring to the king and queen of Fairies Oberon and Titania.

If you can get past the blurry cover and ignore all of the proofreading errors, you’ll find a story that is fun and inventive and holds your interest to the end.
… (plus d'informations)

I got this book for free, in exchange of an honest review, from Making Connections. Get your copy here.

What I liked:

the myriad of magical creatures we meet-from unicorns & griffins to trolls, goblins & even luminescent fungus-okay the last one isn't magical!

that Elayne played by her own rules & didn't need to be rescued.

What I didn't like:

the book needs some editing

"damsels" was the only word used when referring to women

the characters were seen calling out to a "Goddess" but we're never who the deity is or shown any religious practices

When you pick up this book, bear in mind that it is an adventurous romp and you'll need to devote a lot of time to it.
… (plus d'informations)

This story is about a woman who, having escaped from a dying Earth, lands on a planet governed by sentient forests in the solar system Imenkapur. At first, the forest, called Zollocco, doesn’t want her there, but slowly changes its "mind" after realizing that the woman is at least trying to live in harmony with the forest.

She is captured by, and made the property of, the Toelakhan, an interstellar corporation not in agreement with the forests’ stewardship of the planets. She escapes, and runs from planet to planet, meeting other civilizations living in tune with the forests. She is made a priestess of the forests, but the Toelakhan is always one step behind her, wanting their property back.

Included in the book are vignettes about life on an Earth that has become an environmental disaster area. Through some new version of Eminent Domain, houses are flattened and parking lots are torn up to create space to plant trees, because breathing masks are required at all times when one is outside. The ozone layer, even over America, has become very thin. Faneuil Hall in Boston is now on the waterfront, because of global warming. An expedition is made to the flooded, and evacuated, Boston Financial District to gather up all the house plants in all those offices and keep them alive to produce much needed oxygen.

This one is very good. It has a rather strong social message, but it also has an interesting story that will get the reader thinking. It is well worth the time.… (plus d'informations)