15/10/2013 - BOOK REVIEW: Sons for the Return Home by Albert Wendt

TITLE: Sons for the Return Home

AUTHOR: Albert Wendt

PUBLISHER: Longman Paul (also re-published by Penguin)

NUMBER OF PAGES: 217

GENRE: Pasifika

How I Discovered or Acquired This Book: A compulsory read for Uni.

When & Where Read: Oct 2013 at Home.

Noteworthy Experiences While Reading This Book: There was once scene on pages 78 &79 where Wendt was describing the killing of a pig in such a way that I had to close the book because I felt physically sick.

Check Out Author’s Other Books or Related Books? No.

Quality of Writing: 7/10

Pace: 8/10

Plot Development: 7/10

Characters: 7/10

Enjoyability: 8/10

Insightfulness: 9/10

Ease of Reading: 6/10

Recommend This Book? To Whom? I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a decent book to read. Aimed more at adults.

Notes and Opinions: This book deals well with the struggles of a Samoan family fitting in in New Zealand quite well for the most part. However, some parts I thought were too focused on sex (or ‘making love’ as it was called in the books, although I didn’t get the sense that the characters actually loved one another). I found the relationship between the male Samoan narrator and the papalagi (white) girlfriend too clinical – again, they seemed to be obsessed with sex, and trying to understand each other in ways that sometimes resulted in their own humiliation. At the beginning, the story jumped around a bit – the book isn’t told in chronological order – and I was a little confused, but as the story progressed, I began to see how it all fit and my confusion disappeared. Violence is talked about and described in a pretty casual way, similar to the relationship with the papalagi girl – he says he loves her but I, as the reader, don’t feel the supposed love he has for her. You have to read between the lines in some parts, especially when the papalagi girl gets pregnant and says she wants to have it, but the talks to the male protagonist’s mother and all of a sudden she doesn’t want it anymore. My favourite part of this book was the letters from the girl (she was in Australia at the time she chose to have the abortion, her boyfriend was in New Zealand) after she got rid of the baby. The way she described the need for something that isn’t there anymore, as if it should be but is lost, really made me feel her sorrow and regret over listening to his mother and not following her heart. The characters were flat at the beginning of the book, but at the end, the two main protagonists (papalagi girl and Samoan boy) were three dimensional, and much better at the end of the book.

Overall Rating: 4/5

14/10/2013 - BOOK REVIEW: Inside Your Head by L. J. Bennington

TITLE: Inside Your Head

AUTHOR: L. J. Bennington

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

GENRE: High Culture Fantasy

SYNOPSIS: When Ariana's secret admirer gives her a “magic charm” for Valentine's Day, saying it will grant her the one thing she wants most, she wishes to get into the mind of her dreamy actor crush, Bryant. She's known him for years but his hot/cold behavior has always left her confused and frustrated. All she wants is one date with him, and she thinks that if she knows his mind, his wants, and what attracts him to a girl, she could get that date.

She never expected the charm to work, but when it does, she finds that she not only knows what Bryant is thinking, she knows exactly what's on all her friends and family members' minds – every moment of every day. Their thoughts are surprisingly raunchy - especially in the case of her best friend, Parker.

Everyone she knows has a huge secret that she would rather not have known. Nobody in her life is as they seemed. She also now has to accept the fact that real magic exists, and using it can have dangerous consequences. Things couldn't get any worse! 

Now Ariana has to find a way to restore her life, at school and at home. She also has a choice to make. Will she exploit her new mind reading talent to snag the boy she's wanted since she was twelve years old...or will she take a chance on her secret admirer – someone she could never imagine would win her heart?

One thing is for sure, Ariana is set for an adventure that will teach her the true meaning of magic, friendship, honesty, family, and love.

How I discovered or acquired this book: I first read this book on Wattpad a few years ago and I loved it so when I found it published on Smashwords, I bought it.

Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: The author references Wattpad a lot, although not by name. I understand why, but I don’t like it. It stopped me from being completely absorbed in the story.

Check out author’s other books? No.

Quality of Writing: 6/10

Pace: 5/10

Plot Development: 5/10

Characters: 4/10

Enjoyability: 6/10

Insightfulness: 1/10

Ease of Reading: 10/10

Recommend this book? Why/Why Not? I would NOT recommend this book. It seems to be aimed at young teenage girls – but should they really be influenced to think that having a boyfriend is the only thing a girl should aspire to?

Notes & Opinions: The basic plot is cool idea – girl gets given a magic rock which in turn gives her the ability to read everyone’s minds. Of course, the twist is that the main character, Ariana, didn’t want to read everyone’s minds, just that of her crush. The setting isn’t clearly defined – it is set in our world, but there’s no specific idea where. The book goes between the school, the mall, and Ariana and her friend’s houses. I found it hard to see where she was all the time. Ariana is an unlikeable character for almost the entire book. She is boy-mad, selfish and one dimensional, with no redeeming qualities. This book is told in first person because of the topic. It was a light, easy read, but not necessarily enjoyable due to the lack of substance to the characters. The plot doesn’t develop for most of the book, but at the end, a sudden revelation that she is part of some higher purpose is thrown in, leaving the ending open for a sequel. Unfortunately, no matter how unsubstantial the book was, I am curious about the second book, and whether it will continue on Ariana’s special quest. *Sequel has not been written*

Overall Rating: 2/5