Scookie Reviews

ONE OF US IS LYING by Karen M. McManus 5 Stars Verdict: Addictive. Five students go into detention, and only four come out alive. The police and media are circling in on the four remaining students from that fateful detention, all of them liars in one form or another. But who is the killer? I read this book like I eat chocolate - page after page consumed without ever wanting to stop. It's the type of story you get caught up in, binge, and then are quite happy to put it away and move on to something else - a quick, light read, but not a thinker. It's a whodunit that kept me guessing, although I had my suspicions... The narrative switches between the four students, each of them with very different lives and different issues. The characters start off feeling very cliche: a jock wanting a baseball scholarship, a pretty-girl being pushed around by her popular boyfriend, a smart but geeky girl, and a Nate, who felt the least cliche in that respect with his not caring att...

HEART OF MIST by Helen Scheuerer 5 Stars Verdict:  One of the best fantasy book I've read this year! Bleak wants a cure for her illegal magic, if possible, but mostly, she wants wine every day. A summons from the king is a death sentence to her. Henri is the queen of Valia, a race of strong female fighters, but she isn't the queen of the realm. A choice she makes could send her people to war with the true king. Dash is a stable boy, but he's also best friends with the blind princess. He dreams of being a knight, or even just meeting one. They live in a land which is threatened by a growing mist, one only those with magic can survive. I loved this right from the start. Beautiful descriptions, dark humour, and a pace that doesn't let up. This is my ideal story. It had a good balance of action, character, and pace, the three entwined as the plot moved ever forwards, each detailed, but not too heavy to handle. I thought there could perhaps be more world bui...

THE MOONLIGHT PALACE by Liz Rosenberg 4 Stars Verdict: A light historical novel about a poor princess in Singapore. Note: I listened to the audio-book version. Agnes lives in the Kampong Glam Palace in Singapore, once grand but now in the 1920s it's falling apart. Without a male heir or enough income to support their family, Aggie worries they'll be forced to leave her childhood home. This is a nice story. It's low key, with the plot never being frighteningly exciting, but still interesting, especially as it's based in Asia. Agnes is a strong young woman of her time, but naive and young all the same. She meets a few suitors, experiences a few festivals, and wants a job to help her family's income situation. As I said, the story is quite low key. The characters are also all very nice or vaguely interesting. Aggie's family is endearing, from Nei Nei Up to Nei Nei Down. My favourite character was the curiously blind jewellery store owner. It sounded...

THE DEATH CURE by James Dashner 3 stars Verdict: Well, that didn’t answer anything. #1 - The Maze Runner #2 - The Scorch Trials The Trials are over, supposedly. It’s time for Thomas to get his memories back, and help Wicked with the final stage of their cure. Oh, Maze Runner. You absolute tease. I’ll try my best to describe the reading experience without any spoilers, so basically I’ll keep it vague and hope you know what I’m talking about. The whole book is basically a delay in getting any real answers to the mountain of questions posed thus far. Motives are swept under the rug, specifics are ignored, and the events that could have provided answers were sidestepped around. And then it ends on a cliché which doesn’t feel satisfying at all. Despite all that, it’s still entertaining. It still has its good moments, and unexpected twists, making it easy to sit and read for hours at a time. Then again, the entertaining parts are also frustrating. There’s so much action...

THE SCORCH TRIALS by James Dashner 4 Stars Verdict:  Action packed, just don't overthink it! #1 - The Maze Runner #3 - The Death Cure Out of the maze and into the frying pan, Thomas and his friends now have to make it across the scorched earth if they want to be cured of the Flare. To get there, they'll have to survive the Cranks who already have the flare, and some are more Gone than others... This series is very readable, even though it doesn't give a lot of answers or make a lot of sense. The chapters are short, most ending on a slight twist or revelation, and there's plenty of action, drama, and danger. The characters also come out of their shells a bit more, and the true world starts to rears it's scorched head, constantly throwing new challenges in Thomas' way. I had the same issues with this book as the last. Thomas's journey is very entertaining, but the answers are loose tie ins that will fall to bits if you pull at them. It just doesn...

MAGIC BITTER, MAGIC SWEET by Charlie M. Holmberg 3 Stars Verdict: A strange way to bake a cake. Note: I listened to the audio-book for this one, which was a new experience for me. Maire is a baker who can infuse her creations with emotions, enriching the eater with love, happiness, luck, strength - anything she puts her mind to. She only has memories of the last four years, and so doesn't know how she acquired this skill, and is happy to work in a small shop, selling her cakes for little or nothing. When marauders raid her village and turn her into a slave, Maire meets Allemus, a strange man who can see the magic in her and wants to use it in bizzare and nefarious ways. I think chapter one was my favourite. I loved the descriptions of the magical cake baking and the emotions it involved. The idea is simple yet beautiful, and created a world of ideas which I couldn't wait to explore. Most of the rest of the book I found...odd. There were bits to enjoy here and there...

SECONDBORN by Amy Bartol 2 Stars Verdict: Hard to connect. Although Rosella is royalty, she is also secondborn in a society that only has room for firstborns. At eighteen, Rosella's rights are stripped, her last name is changed to 'Sword', and she is sent to the front line to serve her country. This one started strong and had a lot of creatives little ideas - the black and red disks for the medical bots, the fusion blades, the secondborns' surnames changed to 'Sword' - but it never really set itself apart from the dystopian mass in terms of plot, characters, and setting. At times it felt like the Capital in Hunger Games: blue lips, interviews with a girl sent off to die, special outfits designed for the occasion, face of the rebellion...Other times, it felt all over the place, and it never really came together to form a coherent story. Things kept happening that didn't fully make sense. For example, Rosella's mother orders her to die...

READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline 4 Stars Verdict: The most predictable book I wouldn't be able to write. The hunt is on to find the egg, hidden inside an endless virtual world known as the OASIS, and shrouded in eighties references. Whoever finds it will inherit the creator's empire and entire fortune, which naturally means an evil corporation is playing dirty to win the contest. However, it's Wade, a poor orphan obsessed with OASIS's creator, who finds the first key. Game on! This had a slow start, probably because of the predictable plot and generous heaps of exposition and references. At first, Wade talked a lot about OASIS without being able to explore it, but it's clear that's where the story is going. It didn't help that I correctly predicted the first 100 pages with ridiculous accuracy, or that the prologue tells us how the story will kick off, but Wade is in no hurry to get there. I knew the hoops we'd need to jump through for the rest ...

TO KILL A KINGDOM by Alexandra Christo 5 Stars Verdict:  A killer little mermaid retelling. Lira is a murderous siren known as the Prince's Bane, for each year she steals the heart of a promised ruler to add to her collection. Her horrid mother, the sea queen, enjoys tormenting her, and thinks that the mercy Lira shows her victims makes her unfit to rule the sea. Prince Elian is a siren killer. He travels the seas with a band of misfits - similar to a pirate, minus the plunder, pillaging, and general illegal behaviour - but one day must return to rule Midas. He finds his impending duties suffocating, but when he hears  whispers of a relic that could kill the sea queen herself, he barters his freedom away to find its location. When Lira washes aboard Elian’s ship with legs instead of fins, the pair are thrown together in a quest to find the second eye of Keto, a powerful crystal strong enough to kill the sea queen. So it’s a little mermaid with a dark twist, w...

Well, that's it for another writing festival. I hope you've all enjoyed the mix of posts. A huge thanks to all the contributors. I'ts been a pleasure working with all of you and reading all of your writing tips and experiences. Below is the full list of fabulous article, interviews, and other bits and bobs. Also, the two book giveaways will be running to the end of April, so hop on over and enter if you're interested! Articles What does it mean to be a writer? by Jason P. Crawford How to Send a Manuscript in a way that gets you Read by R.A. Black Liar Liar Pants on Fire by Kathryn Hewitt Combating Sadness with Creativity by N.M. Mac Arthur How not to Murder your Writing Partner by John Gunningham Success as an Author by J.P. Jackson Author Interviews Milo Maia Minusfractions Ryan Eric Giveaways, books to read, open critiques Beta-reader classifieds  Open Critique: Obscurity * Daimonion by J.P. Jackson Giveaway * A Slip of the Keyboard by Ter...

Below is a list of manuscripts which the authors would very much appreciate some feedback. Take a browse and if anything takes your fancy, drop me a line in the contact form on the right. I'll connect you with the author, and you can take it from there! Alternatively, follow the link to the story where provided and send the author a direct PM. Enjoy! SIGGI by Milo Maia Dark Fantasy 21,000 words Reader to focus on: Characters and plot please, with a keen eye on pacing. Siggi is an ageing warrior, searching for an artifact that will preserve her youth and stave off a fatal magic-eating disease. Siggi is a warrior and a mythology scholar looking to preserve the twilight of her fighting years by hunting down a legendary axe. The only problem is the axe is buried beneath a sacred mountain that warps time; the closer she gets, the quicker she ages. Take a peek! TALES BENEATH A WHITE MOON by Ellen FairyBlue Werewolf/General fiction 50,000 words Reader to focus ...

It’s a rhetorical question (something writers are fond of, except when we’re not), one that no one is expected to answer definitively. The word means different things to different people, and each person’s definition is, of course, valid for them. But as someone who is (in his own mind, at least) a writer, I wanted to throw my hat into the ring and plant my flag. As a writer, I write things. That’s the simplest part of the definition and easiest box to check. I put words down from my brain into a format that other people can interact with. Specifically, I write fiction, ghostwrite, and edit others’ works. I’ve published seven novels and two short stories. But is that enough to consider myself a “writer?” Is there some other, more technical quality that needs to be achieved? Perhaps monetary success. Maybe writers can call themselves such when they can pay their bills with their work…or at least one of them. On some months, that’s true – I might make enough off my books to pay my in...

Today I'm hosting Milo Maia who has an ambitious project in the works. Here's his 'all things writing related' interview: What inspires you to write? Characters. Every time I come to the blank page, I feel like a child transported into a world of giants. Queens and warriors and scholars and half-gods put me on their shoulders and I haven't come down since. What is your favourite genre to read? Epic or low fantasy. Either is great but a crossover means I lose a week of my life. What genre do you write. Why? I'm squished between low and high fantasy. I like having notes of magic and greater forces, but I always look to write character-driven stories. There's a touch of literary fiction in there as well, because more than any other genre, fantasy lies; where better to explore human truths? Who was your favourite author of your childhood? Elizabeth Laird. She introduced me to the concept of deutoragonist, and planted the seed in my mind that ...

The dreaded query letter. A hated, but essential, part of getting a novel published. Agents receive huge numbers of submissions every week, so they need a quick way to sift through. While some may also ask for a sample of writing, many will reject purely on the query, so it’s important to get it right. Given that pressure, it’s easy to get bogged down in query hell, but if you strip things back, there’s a template that covers most situations. Queries fall naturally into a three paragraph format, like this: First paragraph: Introduces main character, setting, situation and goals. Second paragraph: Turning point, conflict, rising tension, antagonist. Third paragraph: Stakes and consequences. What happens if the character fails, and will they face any cost if they win? If you start with these guidelines, you’ll have a template to hang the unique parts of your story. What else to remember? Always start your query letter with Dear and the agent’s name. Never use a generic gr...

Lots of authors claim to be professional liars. Fiction isn’t real, so a writer must be good at lying. This always worried me as I am totally useless at telling lies. Okay, decades ago my English teacher once let me off for handing in an uncompleted essay, saying that my dog had eaten half of it, but I’m not sure she actually believed me. Does that mean my writing is doomed to failure? I may have become a little more accomplished at lying since having a child. “No, you can’t have that toy- it’s for over five-year-olds and you’re only four,” or,  “No, there aren’t any biscuits left.” However, I still find it hard to tell a bare-faced lie. I can’t seem to find plausible alternatives to lies, and I’m certain I look shifty when I tell them. I haven’t been published yet,  but I like to think it isn’t that bad. If my lies are terribly unconvincing why isn’t my fiction? Maybe because I don’t see fiction as lying. Okay, it isn’t strictly speaking ‘real’, but that doesn’t make it a...

Today I'm joined by a writer who goes by the name Minusfractions. Here's their 'all things writing related' interview: What inspires you to write? In short, I grew up in a family of giant nerds. I was always exposed to fantasy and sci-fi worlds that caught my imagination and always had my nose stuck in a book. I think it was pretty much inevitable that one day I would turn to writing and put worlds of my own down on paper. It gave me more freedom than ever to explore the kinds of worlds I enjoyed and it’s a hobby I’ve gotten lost in over the years. Now that I’ve started down the rabbit hole of different potential plots and characters, I’m not sure I’ll ever stop. It’s great stress relief, good fun, and, at this point in my life, I’m not sure what I’d do with my time if I wasn’t writing. What is your favourite genre to read? I think I’d have to say that my favourite genre is mystery, because it’s the common denominator of all of my favourite books (though the boo...

Tapa Tasneem has bravely offered up their chapter for me to sink my teeth into. I enjoyed reviewing this opening and could see how a lot of small tweaks in the writing style could really bring out the best in it. Here’s my line review: Hans Hayder was never told no by anyone. His heart pulsed against his chest as he felt the cigarette climb to his mouth and exhaled with an aura of tranquillity. [A nice striking image with lots of emotion! There are tricks to making this sound instantly stronger (see below)] His being [Isn’t ‘his being’ just himself, so you could just say ‘he’?] felt lighter and for just the smallest amount of time, he forgot who and where he was. His feet left the ground, and he was soaring like the hawk that his mother had imitated to him as a child [This really makes me wonder what the hawk means to him and why his mother imitating one sticks in his mind - maybe explore this intriguing idea. Perhaps split the sentence in two to improve the flow, and then expan...

Having struggled with depression for most of my life, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to not only find inspiration, but also hold onto inspiration long enough to channel it into something creative. I always seem to stumble upon ideas whilst I am at work or right before I go to sleep—in other words, at times when I am literally incapable of creating anything. I am sure most of you reading this have found yourself in similar situations and know all too well how frustrating that can be.  The trick is making time for that inspiration when it does come, even if it is not as soon as the urge hits you. I am guilty of putting off my more time-consuming hobbies like writing and sewing in flavor of watching TV or playing video games for hours on end after a long day of work. As silly as it sounds, sometimes you need to give yourself a good hard push in the direction of the things you love in order to get the inspiration train rolling again. If ideas for new projects strike me at a...

Today I have an interview with aspiring author Ryan Eric on all things writing. I hope you enjoy! What inspires you to write? I guess I just have a big imagination. A lot stories feel like they are trapped and I need to get them out on paper, as crazy as that might sound. I write more to free the stories in my head as opposed to any other reason. What is your favourite genre to read? Probably something like romance. I think it’s exciting to see the rise of plot and action among the attraction between two people. Many romance stories that I’ve read often have much more to tell an audience anyway, such as coming-of-age or Bildungsroman stories. In these cases I’m referring to, the romance is more of a medium to tell how people grow up and deal or rationalize with the society around them. What genre do you write? Why? I enjoy writing fantasy. I don’t know why, but I just can’t stay away from writing some sort of twist on society. Even if it’s about social media and technology,...

*Note: Don't forget to enter this giveaway , or this one ! * Collaborative Writing Support Group: How not to Murder your Writing Partner Writing a story with another person is a risky undertaking; you may not fully understand the peril you’re putting yourself in by agreeing to such an endeavor. At first, everything may seem fine- your writing partner may seem eager and intelligent, teeming with good humor, great ideas and praise for your own inputs. This can be a trap, a false front. The moment may come when there is a difference of opinion about a plot point or a certain character and this is where you must be on your guard. Understand that your writing partner is a creative force of nature, a vector that will not naturally be focused in the same direction as yourself. The first impulse of such a creature to any obstacle deviating from their vision of the story, no matter how small, can be a reason for wrath. Watch for tightness in their words and a lack of praise for all ...

I did a thing. I wrote a book. Daimonion, Book One of the Apocalypse It’s a dark story about a demon who ends up setting off a chain of events which starts the apocalypse. Someone once told me that it was like the TV show Supernatural, but gay and from the Demon’s perspective. I fell in love with that description. As a first-time writer, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I made so many mistakes. Then by chance I met the most gracious, patient and intelligent Samantha Cook who agreed to be my First Round editor. With her help I managed to turn a bunch of words into a pretty polished up story. She’s taught me the laws of writing – rules I didn’t even knew existed. When Daimonion got picked up by NineStar Press, it went through another four rounds of editing. The folks at NineStar were also patient, and supportive. They were more than happy to answer all the questions I had. And I had a lot of them. Guess what? Daimonion won an award too! 2017 Rainbow Award W...