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Indie Spotlight: The Complex

The Complex by C. E. Zaragoza
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Complex is one of the better dystopians I’ve read this year. The premise was unique and Ms. Zarazoga totally delivered on the expectations of the blurb and the sample. The twist to the story was foreshadowed enough that it made sense, but not so much that it was totally obvious.

What else I loved:
- The action picks up from the beginning, and sets the tone for a novel that is extremely well paced. The Complex opens with a prologue that was interesting, but didn’t completely catch my interest because it focused on a minor character (I like to jump right into the swing of things from the main character’s POV); however, the next chapter more than made up for it, swiftly presenting a mystery. Ms. Zarazoga has a good feel for when to ramp up the action, and just as you’re starting to feel like something needs to happen, it does. The twists and turns in this story are many and varied, so if you’re a fan of action, you will not be disappointed.

-One of the most impressive things about The Complex is that is contains, not one, not two, but three unique and detailed worlds. I’ve seen many authors master plot and characterization, but struggle at world building, and that is certainly not the case here. Each world is detailed, deeply thought-out, and unique, but they still fit together and make sense in the storyline. Showers are the sort of thing that normally get left out of a story – conventional wisdom says that sort of detail should be omitted because it’s boring. But Ms. Zarazoga masterfully uses little details like personal hygiene routines to highlight the differences in the lives of people from each area.

-In addition to the thought that clearly went into world building, it’s apparent from reading this book that Ms. Zarazoga has fully immersed herself in the world of her characters. Small details are foreshadowed and then revealed in ways that will have you saying “Ohhhh. I barely noticed that, but now it makes so much sense!” For instance, the things with the neighbors is SO something a dystopian govt. would do! Like hunting for Easter eggs, you will be rewarded with literary treats for paying attention. You can tell that she visualized the big picture going in, because the story progresses in a logical way and later action builds on what was established earlier.

-It has a real ending. Not a -cliff hanger wait a few months and pay me more money if you wanna know what happens- ending. It leaves some questions open for another story, but it answers the main questions presented, and as a reader, I really, really appreciate that. I often don’t read next installments of cliff hanger books, just on principle because I think that’s an awful thing to do to a reader.

What I didn’t love:

WARNING: THIS PART IS A LITTLE BIT SPOILERY!
I thought it was only fair to be specific about my feelings in this part of the review, so I discuss two plot points.

Clearly, Living Social doesn't know me at all

Today, Living Social sent me a daily deal for Power Capes, a company that sells both pre-made and custom ordered superhero capes. I, however, have absolutely no use for a website like this. Why, you ask? Because I am a 27-year-old law school graduate with a husband, a baby, and a grounded sense of reality?

NO.

Because I make my own.


Duh.


Anyway, here's the deal for those of you who prefer your capes factory ordered:
http://www.livingsocial.com/cities/348/deals/333324-30-to-spend-on-customizable-capes

Cover Reveal - Before & Ashley

Dun Dun Dun! As simple as it it, it took a little while to decide on the cover image for Before & Ashley. But I figured it out and I'm really happy with it. In the final stages of editing now, but the story will be up on Amazon on May 1st.

What do you think?

 Does the cover intrigue you?

Under Construction...

There's a whole lot going on around here. I'm still figuring out all the tricks and secrets of Blogger, so this thing is a work in progress. But bear with me. By the end of next week, it'll be all fancy with more tabs and a cool bio and whatnot. I know. You can hardly wait.

Indie Spotlight - An Ocean of Trouble

An Ocean of Trouble by Amber Vilate
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’d planned to give this 3.5 stars, but since I can't, I’m rounding up to four because it was well written. Now, to explain why.

First off, I enjoyed this story. After reading ‘Sophie and the Wolf,’ I was really hoping for more from Thalia, and I wasn’t disappointed. She appears early on, and we learn a little more about her. I like Sophie, but her weird group of friends makes her story that much more interesting.

I don’t want to give anything away, but this story continues the major mystery introduced in the last one and adds something new. I liked the addition, and thought it was a cool twist that fits perfectly into this world, but it was pleasantly unexpected. I also liked the progression of Sophie’s relationship with her crush, it felt natural and realistic (as realistic as that kind of relationship can be, lol). The one thing I didn’t like was that this episode felt less enclosed than the last. It’s not that there was no new information, but still, I finished the story feeling like I had more questions than answers – this installment felt more like a chapter of a larger book than a complete piece on its own. Still, it was a good read and I’m looking forward to the next one. I suppose the point is to get readers hooked, so on that note, well played, Amber Vilate. :)

View all my reviews

Freewrite Friday! - Encouraging Mailbox

Today’s suggestion was ‘Encouraging Mailbox.’ I really like this one. Knew what I wanted to do with it pretty much immediately. So, here goes:

            Mark walked out to his mailbox with high hopes. It had been a tough week, but he had a feeling that today would be the day. Today, Mark was getting accepted to college.

            He slowly pulled the red door open and held his breath. There was a flyer - probably more coupons from the Smart Mart down the street, something from Investor’s Bank - probably another threatening letter for Dad, and on top, a single white envelope from Meadow University.