Review and Reflection

An amazing cover, eh?

This post is going to have my first ever book review. I’ve been reluctant to do book reviews because:

1) What if I don’t like the book?

2) It doesn’t really fit with my post style/readers’ expectations.

3) I don’t know if I’m any good at it.

But when Aubrie Dionne http://authoraubrie.blogspot.com/ asked people to read and review her recently published story Malcifer, I agreed. After all, I’ve liked her other stories.

Aubrie is one of the hardest working writers I know. She doesn’t let not yet having an agent stop her from doing all she can to get her stories out there. She’s got a good blog and significant website http://www.authoraubrie.com/. She’s also prolific. As soon as she edits and submits her manuscript, she’s on to the next one with barely a breath between projects. But no matter how busy Aubrie is with writing and teaching, she always makes time to help me with anything I need in a heartbeat. With her dedication and talent, it’s just a matter of time before an agent wants to offer representation.

Still, I was hesitant. But then I thought:

1) The chances of me not liking the story are slim.

2) When it comes to my posts, I should be more flexible.

3) How bad can my review be? (Of course, I realize I’m over 225 words into this “review” and haven’t even mentioned the book.) It’s about support.

Besides, isn’t that why we blog, to support one another? Whether as writers, teachers, parents, and friends, the blogging community is a steadfast one. For proof, check out http://writeoncon.com/ - a free on-line children's writers' conference that went on the last three days.

While I’m impressed with Aubrie Dionne as a person and writer, I did not let it influence my REVIEW.

Here’s a description of the story from Gypsy Shadow Publishing:

Maylin is a lowly milkmaid in a kingdom perched by the sea. All she wants is to win the affection of a newly knighted man, and she’ll do almost anything to get his attention. When her city is threatened by a wizard army and her beloved knight stays behind to shield the villagers’ escape, she is tempted to resurrect the cursed sword, Malicifer, to save him. But rumor has it the bearer will suffer from battle-lust until death, killing everyone in his path. Can Maylin overcome the power of the curse?

Several of Aubrie’s lines lyrically paint a vivid picture. Here’s one example:

“Maylin ducked as a static cloud congealed above the masses, sparks fizzling in wisps of violet-gray smoke, the color of bruises and rotting plums.”

I enjoyed the peppering of unique similes and metaphors throughout the story.

Malcifer has all of the ingredients for a story to pull me in: a beautiful woman, a hot love interest, an element of fantasy, and plenty of action. Whatever world she creates, I get sucked in, believing it’s real and rooting for the protagonist. She weaves a couple of threads that come together partway through the story, and there are some interesting twists. This is NOT predictable.

If you haven’t read anything by Aubrie Dionne, this is a good place to start.

Here’s where you can buy Malcifer and several of her other books and short stories:

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Aubrie.html#Malicifer

You may also be interested in her e-book Messenger in the Mist:

http://www.amazon.com/Messenger-In-the-Mist-ebook/dp/B003MKBW9S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1281561069&sr=8-3

(The entire post is about 600 words, which means I didn’t ramble on tooooo much.)

By the way, I posted The Mist Chasers query on my other blog, if you want to check it out:

http://theresamilstein2.blogspot.com/2010/08/mist-chasers-query.html

And PLEASE don’t forget about my contest to help find a cure for ASPS. Ends 08/29:

http://theresamilstein.blogspot.com/2010/08/platform-contest.html