The Cliff’s Edge

If you have read my previous posts you will know I entered a writing competition on good reads group Indie and proud. I came in second, here is the story that I wrote for the theme fear.

The Cliff’s Edge

By Emma White

Lara Hawkins stood on the edge of the cliff overlooking the North Sea. The light of the full moon shone on the water crashing loudly on the jagged rocks a hundred feet below Lara’s feet. Lara took a deep breath and thought back to why she was standing there ready to jump. Two weeks before her five week old baby had died. Artie, little Artie had died because she had a glass of wine and drove anyway with Artie in the back, she was selfish. Her husband blamed her; her two remaining sons would blame her when they were old enough. She had ruined their lives. She looked down at the rocks and wondered if her body would wash ashore or be lost forever in the cold dark sea. She took one step forward then panicked, was this the answer? Was she taking the easy way out? Would her kids be okay without her? Would her husband come back and take care of them? Would they hate her for taking her own life and leaving them forever? One step back. The wind was picking up, the waves growing, if she was going to jump it should be now. The thought of going back home and facing life with what she did, made her physically sick. But looking down to the dark deafening waves, she was …… NO! She would not think like that, that would only make it worse. She was starting to hyperventilate. She could not do this, she lifted her foot to step back ….. Artie was dead, he would never grow up, he was buried in the ground, as she thought of all the things he would never get to see or do because of her, she moved her foot forward instead.

The day she took her oldest son, Robert home she thought it was going to be the hardest thing in the world, but losing a son was so much more painful, it was what she dreaded most in the world. It had happened, she clung to the thought that nothing worse could ever happen to her, she thought she could carry on, but soon came to the realisation that when the worst happens some people just crumble.

One step forward. She had not been able to look at herself in the mirror since that night, it hurt her heart to think about what she might see there. What if she looked no different, would that mean she was always a murderer or if she had changed how would she look now. She had overheard her friends saying she now had hollow eyes, no life left in them. She knew it was not just Artie that died that night. Another step forward.

Would Robert and Richard understand that Mummy loved them, that she was doing this so they were safe? That if she lived they would be constant danger from her? The thought of either of her remaining children getting hurt made it hard to breath and the tears start to fall. Her tears ran down her cheek past her scar near her chin and down her neck. Tear stains were not a problem when you would be being tossed about by the waves shortly. One step forward.

She had been standing up there for an hour, testing her bravery, no matter which option she chose she was brave; no matter which option she chose she was a coward.

She took a deep breath and took one last look at a picture of her once happy family, she kissed it and threw it out to sea, knowing she would soon follow. One more step and there would be no more cliff only open air. One step forward. The harder and braver thing to do would be to go back, go back to her boys and show how much she loved them. Did she have it in her? Her heart broke when she thought of them crying her name when she did not come into their rooms in the morning to wake them up, when she wasn’t there to make breakfast, when she never returned. She took a deep breath, gathered all the courage she could find and did the hardest thing she had ever done.

She went to take a step forward, the ground beneath started slipping away. Her heart was beating so hard and fast she thought it was going to break out of her ribcage. On instinct she turned and grabbed anything she could get a hold of, with her hands full of grass she managed to pull herself to safety. She looked back over the sea then took a deep breath and turned around and went home, to live a life of pain and love.

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Thestrals

This is the first in my Harry Potter posts. As you may have guessed I am a massive Harry Potter fan and the series is without a doubt my favourite books ever. They are they reason I read and the reason I want to write. You might ask why I am starting with such a subject as Thestrals? The answer is simple, to me they are the reason for the biggest flaw I have found in this series.

We are first introduced to Thestrals in the fifth book (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix). Thestrals are winged horses with skeletal bodies, reptilian features, their wings look like bat wings. People believe them to be dangerous and a sign of bad omens. Don’t sound too bad? Here’s where the catch comes in, only people who have seen death can see them. Doesn’t sound too confusing or a flaw? Harry cannot see them until the start of the fifth book. How do we know this? In every previous book (apart from Chamber of Secrets possibly) we have a mention of the horseless carts that pull the 2nd-7th years from the train station up to the school at the start of term and back down at the end. In the fifth one Harry is surprised that there is animals (the Thestrals) pulling the carts that usually pull themselves. Especially when he the only one who can see them, Ron and Hermione just look at him like he has gone mad.

Not seeing any problems yet? The fact that you have to be able to understand what death is, to be able to see Thestrals accounts for the fact that he cannot see them after his mother’s death before his very eyes when he was just a baby. Let’s deal with the issue of why he can suddenly see them after four years of not being able to. The previous year one he saw one of his friends and fellow Goblet of fire competitor die at the bidding of Lord Voldemort. So this explains why he can see them now. Makes sense. But tell me this when he gets the horseless cart back to the train station at the end of his fourth year, why can he not see them? Cedric has already died. When I first thought of this I had to check that he did take the carts down rather than walk, and indeed he takes the horse-less carts down.

Okay so a slight issue, but there is one more, in his very first year at Hogwarts Harry does not only see one of his professors (Quirrell) die, he actually kills him. At 11 years old, you should understand death, so why he can he not see them at the end of his first year?

My best guess is that J.K. Rowling did not come up with the idea of Thestrals until writing the fifth book. She is an amazing writer and the Harry Potter series is genius, this is no trying to take away from that, it is just a way to show what I love or dislike about the series, or sometimes just to discuss it.

Until next time bookworms.

Emma

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Sister

Sister by Rosamund Lupton is concoction  of crime and drama, oh my they go well.  Synopsis taken from amazon:

 

When her mom calls to tell her that Tess, her younger sister, is missing, Bee returns home to London on the first flight. She expects to find Tess and give her the usual lecture, the bossy big sister scolding her flighty baby sister for taking off without letting anyone know her plans. Tess has always been a free spirit, an artist who takes risks, while conservative Bee couldn’t be more different. Bee is used to watching out for her wayward sibling and is fiercely protective of Tess (and has always been a little stern about her antics). But then Tess is found dead, apparently by her own hand.

Bee is certain that Tess didn’t commit suicide. Their family and the police accept the sad reality, but Bee feels sure that Tess has been murdered. Single-minded in her search for a killer, Bee moves into Tess’s apartment and throws herself headlong into her sister’s life—and all its secrets.

Though her family and the police see a grieving sister in denial, unwilling to accept the facts, Bee uncovers the affair Tess was having with a married man and the pregnancy that resulted, and her difficulty with a stalker who may have crossed the line when Tess refused his advances. Tess was also participating in an experimental medical trial that might have gone very wrong. As a determined Bee gives her statement to the lead investigator, her story reveals a predator who got away with murder—and an obsession that may cost Bee her own life.

A thrilling story of fierce love between siblings, Sister is a suspenseful and accomplished debut with a stunning twist.

This book took the reader on a journey which was full of twists and turns. As soon as I thought I knew what had happened the story did a 180 and I had no idea what had happened but was still left gasping for more. I like the story being told as she wrote letters to her sister and spoke to a journalist, it gave some pause when the journalist went away and added suspense.

I like stand alone books to have a nice clear cut end, that leaves the reader knowing exactly what happened. I am sorry to say this was not the case in this book. The ending was very ambiguous, I even read the a Q&A with the author to try and shed some light on the ending, her answer was that it was up to the reader what happened. I wanted to pull my hair out when I read, I was infuriated!

Other than the ending it was a good read but if you do not like ambiguous endings I do not think the book is for you.

I am thinking of doing a section on favorite characters and what makes them so great, also a section on the cleverness of Harry Potter and how each character or element is so well thought out. Hopefully this will mean less time between blogs. I have been busy and not had that much time to read, but I plan to change that.

Last but not least, I entered a writing competition and am in the top two. There is a vote to see who wins, here is the entry. http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1382530-two-finalista-for-writing-competition

I am not going to say which one is mine just now because that is unfair. I will post my short story here ones the winner is announced (even if I come second).

Night bookworms.

 

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Raising Demons- Hex Hall 2

Raising Demons (or Demonglass for the USA) is the second installment in the Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins. If you have not read the first book please beware the synopsis may reveal some spoilers. Once again I am being lazy and just using the description from good reads, sorry;

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (a.k.a. witches, shape-shifters, and faeries). But then she discovered the family secret, and the fact that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world-the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will either destroy her powers for good-or kill her.

But once Sophie arrives, she makes a shocking discovery. Her new housemates? They’re demons too. Meaning, someone is raising demons in secret, with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

Okay once again. I love this book. I like an author who uses myths, legends, ancient gods or goddesses in their books. Or any type of research, I think it shows dedication and somehow bonds the reader more to the book. In this series the book is named after an ancient Greek goddess Hecate or Hekate, she is often associated with witchcraft and necromancy, which fits in really well here. Hecate is also known as the mother of angels, which is mentioned in the books.  I am sure there is more similarities between what is written in the books and what is known about Hecate but I thought a little research on my part would suffice.

The story was exciting and unpredictable, I have looked at quite a few reviews for this book and most people have the same issue that I have – The love triangle. It just does not work for me and  is not needed. I do not really like Archer but if he was the only love interest I would not question him and Sophie, but when Cal is introduced as a part of the triangle, he seems the better match and the better man in general. It’s not often I feel that a character is with the wrong person but in this case I feel strongly about it.

Strong female characters- The Brannicks, you meet one at the very end (more in the next book) oh my I like these characters.

The headmistress of Hecate (Hex) Hall, has been a naughty lady indeed. All speculations at this point, but that’s one thing i truly adore about this series, no-one is as they seem.

Happy reading Bookworms

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Breathe by Elena Dillon

I got this book free as a read for honest review, here is the decrisption from amazon:

Jasmine’s life wasn’t normal for a 16 year old girl. It hadn’t been normal since the murder of her older sister, Daisy, two years ago. Her life had been changed forever. The monster that murdered Daisy was never caught. That was the reason her family decided to move away from their hometown in Southern California, to start over. Hopefully in a place where the last name Rourke wouldn’t bring on staring or judgment or morbid curiosity.

In Lafayette, Louisiana things are quite a bit different but in a good way. Good manners, Cajun accents and a whole lot of Southern Hospitality all make her think things are going in the right direction. On top of that the most gorgeous boy she has ever met is interested in her. Her new friends are better than she could have hoped for even if she is worried about what they might think when they find out who she is. Life would be perfect if odd things didn’t keep happening. Creepy phone calls, texts, and flowers in her locker start adding up quickly to something terrifying. Could the Monster have followed them to Lafayette? Was he coming after her this time? Maybe she was just worrying unnecessarily…or not.

Okay, so not my usual type of book, I normally only read young adult books or new adult if it has some sort of fantasy element in it. But none the less I decided to give this books a try and I was not disappointed. It has all the intrigue and suspense of a good crime or thiller novel, with the thrill of a blossoming romance and all wrapped up with the easy reading of a young adult novel. I liked the characters and the fact that it deals with an actual issue rather than high school issues.

One of the best parts was that it had all the emotional side of what happens when someone is murdered but did not have much in blood and guts. It a fairly short read, just less than 200 pages but it really was not missing anything for me, the only reason I did not give it five stars is that I did manage to put it down, other than that it is great read.

When I was reading this book I was always wanting more, to find out exactly what happened to make Jasmine and her family move across country and have Jasmine  scared out of her wits.

Here is where I normally put the links of other bloggers that have reviewed the book in question well today it seems that there are not any other people that have blogged about it. So you will have to make do with my words of wisdom.

Looking forward to next time, which will be a review of the second book in the Hex Hall series. Night Bookworms.

Emma

Flowers In The Attic

Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews is a classic. It is 1957 Cathy Dollanganger is 12 years old and lives with her parents, her older brother and her younger twin brother and sister. When the childrens’ father suddenly dies in his birthday, thier mother Corrine faces finiacial ruin and decides to move back in with her rich parents. Corrine’s father Malcolm, does not know about the children and would not let them stay if he did. He did not approve of his daughters marriage, to say the least. The children are kept in the attic unitl thier ill granfather has died. The children are not allowed outside ever, at first their mother visits them regularly and brings them lots of presents to keep them occupied. As time goes on, she visits them less and less and brings them less gifts.

This book is meant to be based on a true story and whilst reading it, that thought only made it all the harder to read since there is so much heartbreak, grief and cruelty in it. There was no proof that it was real, so it was passed off as fiction. Virginia Andrews unfortunately passed away in 1986, one of her relatives have said that Virginia met a doctor whose siblings and himself were locked in an attic for 6 years to preserve a family fortune. As far as any account goes, most of the story is fiction.

There was alot of controversy about some of the content, it contains a few scenes of incest between Cathy and her older brother Chris. The book has been banned serveral different times in several different countries.

It is a very well-written, heart-wrenching story that pulls on every heart string, one moment you will be laughing, the next weeping and then the next there will be smoke coming out of your ears with anger. At times it can be hard to read with all the emotion it brings and the cruelty to the children.

Now that I know what happens, I do not think I would have the courage to read it again for a long time at least. But I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series sometime in the future.

Until next time bookworms

Emma

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Hex Hall

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins is book one in the young adult Hex Hall series. In it Sophie Mercer has only known she is a witch for 3 years. Her non-magical mother could not tell her about the magical world and she got into a scrapes along the way. When a spell goes wrong and threatens to expose witches, Sophie is sent to Hecate Hall, an isolated school for wayward witches, fairies and shape-shifters.

Her new room-mate is the only vampire on campus and she instantly has a crush on the hottest warlock on school whose girlfriend is one three most powerful witches in the school. And last but not least a ghost that keeps popping up. As students are attacked and her best friend is blamed she must work out what is going on.

Ok, so ye, it is young adult but it is not all whiny like a lot of the books that are aimed at teenagers these days. I do not often laugh at books, (well I don’t laugh where I’m meant to) I found myself giggling away at the witty desricptions and dialogue. Some of my favourite parts are:

-When a werewolf runs at her shouts “bad dog” (this made me smile).

– “But this room looked like it had been decorated by the unholy lovechild of Barbie and Strawberry Shortcake.”

Most of the story is fairly predicatable but in a good way. I did not see the end coming in a million years. People I did not even consider to be bad guys turned out to be the worst imaginable. And one person I had pegged down for sure to be on the bad team was a goodie through and through.

I know alot of people avoid young adult books mainly because of Twilight and all the complaining Bella does and the annoying love triangle. Okay yes there is a love triangle here but for once the main character is one on the outside and not the girl that all guys swoon over even though she is described as plain. The only bit that bugged me was that they kids at the school seemed to get away with murder (in some cases literally). They could hex each other and not get into trouble. I did like how the book seemed to have paralells to real life issues such as cliques in school, bullying and racism (maybe I am looking to deep). I like books that are light but have serious undertones.

Okay the hot guys – Archer and Cal, even though Archer is mentioned much more and is Sophie’s crush I never really found myself liking him. Cal on the other hand seem genuinely like a good guy and a great guy to have around in case of emergency.

The cover art itself is clever it has sophie standing over a pool, there is a reflection in it, which if you read the book closely enough you will realise is Alice.

Ok enough babbling by me for today. I am off to read the second book in the series. Once again I have put in a link to another blog on this book. I enjoyed reading it as much as I did the book.

Until next time bookworms.

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The Fire Chronicle

The fire chronicle is the second book in the books of the beginning series. The first book is The Emerald Atlas – One winter night three children were taken from their beds and, a dark silhuoette of a man has haunted the eldest sibling, Kate, ever since. Ten years on, the children have grown up in orphanage after orphanage. They arrive at Cambridge Falls, they feel this place is different and somehow they feel like they have been there before.  Whilst exploring their new home they discover an old leatherbound book, the moment they touch it an ancient prophecy is set in motion. Only they can save Cambridge falls and the world from devestation and in doing so will face terrifying creatures and unimaginable challenges.

The Fire Chronicle- Kate the eldest was last seen fighting a Screccher, Michael was needs to go to the ends of the earth to find the fire chronicle and Emma, the youngest wants nothing more than her family back together.

This series is aimed at younger readers, but like most of these book older readers will enjoy reading them just as much. I find these books clever, enchanting and original. Whenever I think it’s going to be predictalbe, the story spins around and something completely different happens, this I love. The writer has created back stories that spans thousands of years, but it is easy to follow. The series contains magic, elves, dwarves and at least one new creature of the authors imagination.

What I like most about the books is that every character/ race of being (apart from the screechers) have their good and bad points, even the evil characters have some good in them, no matter how little and I really enjoy seeing that side and how they came to be the way they are. The elves are the singing, dancing jolly elves but when put in danger they can hold their own. The dwarves are all about loyalty and honour but even they can be greedy. The second book deals alot with people and their past, for a children’s book I find this refreshing. I also enjoy the fact that the children do not act like typical teenagers, but they do not act beyond their years either.

I am thoroughly looking forward to the next book.

I have decided to put links to other peoples blogs that discuss the same books. I may not always agree with what they say but I firmly believe that you have to more than one person’s view to decide on wether or not you will give a book a go or not.

I hope to not leave as long a gap betweent posts in the future, so happy reading bookworms.

Emma

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Which book to read?

I, as many people do have a very large “to be read” pile. It grows weekly, sometimes daily. How do you decide which book to read next? It’s easy if the next book in a series you enjoyed is out, or one of your favourite authors has a new book out that you have not yet had the pleasure of reading. But what happens if you don’t. I also have plenty of books that I really really look forward to and some that look okay. It gets even harder if you are choosing off of your kindle because you only have title and author’s name to try and remember what the book is about and what made you buy it in the first place.

I am the only one that gets bored of a book before reading it, if it has been on my to read shelf for too long? I will eventaully go and read it but it will usually take great will power to read it so I will not have to look at it any longer. I much prefer it the other way, when you have a look on your shelf and fins a book that you had forgotten was there, this happened to me the other day with Fatherland by Robert Harris, although I have not yet read it, I will one I have finished my current book.

Do you just decide on which book most suits your mood or do you as soon as you see a certain book, remember how much you liked the look of it the first place? As more and more books get bought, the older ones get left in the dust at the back, eventaully to find light again when you havethe time to go book hunting. Because lets be honest as much as we all say we are not going to buy any more books for a while, it never happens espcially with a kindle because they take up no room, it makes it so easy to buy more books than you can possibly ever read.  I hope I am not the only one.

I will let you go raid your book shelves for long forgotten books, night bookworms.