In the Throes of Reviews for The Adventures of Jewel Cardwell:Hydra's Nest
http://youtu.be/AZTSaChQ77E
When I woke up this morning, I read two reviews on The Adventures of Jewel Cardwell: Hydra's. A reader rated it 2.5 /5 (the very first I have had thus far) while a second reader rated it 5/5.
The interesting thing is to see how different both readers' reactions is to my main character: JEWEL CARDWELL is. While a reader who rated it 2.5/5 did not take a liking to JEWEL because of her behavior etc, the other loved JEWEL exactly for who she was in that book.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16054376-the-adventures-of-jewel-cardwellThe truth be told... JEWEL CARDWELL, the main character was written to elicit different reactions in readers. As an author, I expected these reactions.... some will fall in love with her while few will just well... just be annoyed.... MY WORK IS DONE. --)
Both readers intrigued me in that at the end of the ratings, they both agreed that THE BOOK: The Adventures of Jewel Cardwell: Hydra's was worth the read. More importantly, they expressed their interest in wanting to read the next in the series: THE SORCERER'S DAUGHTER which is soon to be released.
As writers, it is essential that we take the good and the bad; learn from them so we can grow in insurmountable ways.
As we move through the thanksgiving holidays this week; I am so grateful for my readers and fellow authors for inspiring more to be the best I can be as a writer. I cherish both the great reviews and the "ones which challenges me to be great"
Having said all these, please take a look at another great review of THE ADVENTURES OF JEWEL CARDWELL and keep the reviews coming.....
http://www.amazon.com/Fumi-Hancock/e/B009BHBI6S
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Jewel on Your YA Fiction Shelf, November 22, 2012
This review is from: The Adventures of Jewel Cardwell: Hydra's Nest-AUTHOR'S VERY LIMITED EDITION (Grimmlyn Series) (Kindle Edition)
I haven't had a chance to read some good old YA fiction in quite a
while, let alone YA fiction of this particular variety. The cover art
was intriguing (and entrancing!) and the synopsis really piqued my
interest. South Africa isn't a common setting for young adult fiction,
as it's a territory many are afraid to tread in with a younger audience -
the climate is not currently what westerns would consider "stable", and
much of every day life is a little too "advanced" for the normal YA
reader. The author here, however, has done a remarkably beautiful job of
blending reality with fantasy, all while drawing the reader into a dark
but wonderful story.
I do want to remark on the really exquisite
use of language. Right from the first page, you can tell that each
sentence is crafted with care. As a writer, I can see evidence of edit
after edit to get the perfect word or punctuation, and it really shows
in the even flow and ebb. Kudos to the author for putting such dedicated
work into this piece - we readers appreciate the gesture!
Another bit I really enjoyed was that we always got just enough info.
The intro to the book itself, the Prologue, was maybe a paragraph or two
at most... but it was intriguing enough, exciting enough, to keep me
reading eagerly. Even more interesting was that we went from explosions
and gun fire in the prologue, to school and the suburbs. Immediately I
asked myself, "How did this become that?" A great idea from the writer
to keep people interested, it worked really effectively.
Jewel is
a character and a half - I loved her evaluations of herself, from a
time long after she starts the story. She seems to look at herself with a
weathered eye - a nice approach, and it works well with the storyline
and the character. Her brash and bold self headed for prep school
couldn't know what's to come, but the older, weathered Jewel knows...
and seems to tell the story with some "patting-on-the-head" of her
younger, less experienced self. She doesn't do it blatantly - very
subtly, actually, and it was a great trait in the writing.
Overall,
I'm really pleased with this book. Once in a while, books from the YA
fiction section will really surprise me and steal my heart. This
happened with a book called Terry and the Pirates some years ago, and
this book has followed suite. It'll be one of those books I mention when
I say, "Yes, doesn't matter what age you are... it's still worthwhile
to read some young adult books. Especially the fiction!"
THANK YOU ALL AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS.
