Review: The Heart of Hannen by Fawn Bonning

I'm reposting this review because the book now has a new cover!!! (Much improved!). The plot is really good, so give this baby a try. :) (Remember what they say... don't judge it by its cover.)

The Heart of Hannen
by Fawn Bonning

Paperback, 484 pages

Published March 22nd 2011 by Old Line Publishing, LLC

Christine, a troubled teen with a dark past, is miserable in her small town. Shadowed in shame, she feels destined to live her lonely life as an outcast. She has no idea that her true destiny lies in a different town, in a different world; a most brutal world called Atriia. There she learns the true meaning of misery, the true meaning of loneliness, the true meaning of shame. But she also learns that her bravery is boundless as she battles against a formidable foe, a dark shadow that tries to smother the land. And in the arms of a most unlikely candidate, she also learns the true meaning of love. He is Hannen Fallier, the one they call the foul fraigen dropper, revered by men for his fearless feats, but looked upon by women with open disdain. With a face horribly mauled, he hides behind a mask of shame, deeming himself unworthy of love. That he would seek acceptance from Christine is irony in its purest form. That he would seek her love . . . the ultimate betrayal.

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My Review:

I really enjoyed this book! I won it from my first Goodreads giveaway! *-*

I must admit I first judged it by its cover. I thought it might not be so well-written, but I was very mistaken. It was fantastic. I loved the story and the characters.

I really enjoyed seeing how the main character, Christine, grew up! She suddenly finds herself alone in this strange, unknown place called Atriia, where everything is different from Earth. She deals with rude, aggresive, male-chauvinists and strange social costumes, not to mention the weird food and language, but manages to adapt quickly, and very well. I'm not sure I would've been as strong as she was.

Hannen found his way into my heart from the very start. (and when you read it, you'll see exactly what I mean with 'from the very start'). Such a complicated, strong, sweet character. Very well thought of and developed.

I was a bit confused at first with the new 'language' the author introduces to us, but eventually I got the hang of it. (It was only afterwards that I noticed there was a glossary at the end of the book. Silly, slow little me. >.<)

It was a dark, dramatic and sad book, but also very touching. Needless to say, I cried. Hard.

Of course, I wish I could have changed the ending and maybe have seen a bit more of a couple of characters, but it was still great. The book is a bit long, but it's not tiring at all! This one is a keeper. :)

I'm SO glad I had the chance to review it, otherwise I might have never heard of it. Thank you, Fawn Bonning!!!

Now, you! Go ahead and get it, you'll love it too. It's an excellent pick for romance and fantasy lovers.

In Time (2011)

In Time (2011)

In the not-too-distant future the aging gene has been switched off. To avoid overpopulation, time has become the currency and the way people pay for luxuries and necessities. The rich can live forever, while the rest try to negotiate for their immortality. A poor young man who comes into a fortune of time, though too late to help his mother from dying. He ends up on the run from a police force known as 'time keepers'.

Director: Andrew Niccol

Writer: Andrew Niccol

Stars:Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy

In a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered (with a watch on their left forearms) to live only one more year. After this period, people need to find means to get more time. And everything, from a cup of coffee to a bus ticket, will take minutes, hours or months from a person's life.

Here, Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) and his mother live in Dayton (like a Ghetto) and struggle to live day after day. One night, he saves the life of a man who has 1 century on his watch and in return the man gives Salas all his time. As Salas finds himself falsely accused of murder and chased by the Timekeeper (amazing Cillian Murphy), he decides to elope to New Greenwich. There he ends up in a casino and gambles with Philippe Weis for time. Weis gets impressed with him and invites Will to his house.

The Timekeeper bursts into Weis' house and arrests Will who manages to scape and takes Sylvia Weis (Amanda Sayfried) - Philippe's daughter - as a hostage. As the plot evolves, Will and Sylvia become romantically involved (how predictable) and together try to take time from those who have too much and give to those who have enough for just one day, in a socialist attempt to equally redistribute time so everyone can have plenty.

Apart from the obvious money analogy, which shows that for a few to be wealthy, many have to live in misery, the movie also makes us wonder about how we are spending our time: are we just letting the time in our watches go by or are we doing something worthy with it?

Written by:

Amebugi

 

Mona Lisa Eclipsing - Review

Mona Lisa Eclipsing

(Monère: Children of the Moon #5)

by Sunny

From the time she was an orphan, Mona Lisa knew she was different. As a Mixed-Blood daughter of the Monère, she rules her domain in the Louisiana Bayou. But she’s about to become the hunted as her mind begins playing tricks, and no one is who they seem.

Roberto Carderas, a dangerous drug lord of mixed Monère heritage, arrives in Cozumel to eliminate a rival. But the jaguar-shifter has encountered a much more valuable prize on the island: Mona Lisa, the first female Monère he’s ever met—and one especially vulnerable in that she has lost her memory. Now, with all knowledge of her real life as stripped away as her defenses, Mona Lisa can be manipulated into believing…anything.

Convinced that Roberto is her kind and sensual protector, Mona Lisa thwarts all attempts at her rescue—including those made by her desperate lover Dante. As Roberto’s devious scheme gets underway, Dante can only hope that the touch of his warm flesh will reignite total recall in the body and mind of the woman he loves. But escape for both of them could be as forever elusive as Mona Lisa’s past.

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My Review:




After a 2-year wait for the next book in the series (during which I almost died from anxiety and despair from thinking maybe Sunny had given up on Mona Lisa and intended on continuing only with Lucinda's books), Mona Lisa Eclipsing came to me like a blow in the head.


I was happy and apprehensive to know that Dante would return... then I started reading.


At the beginning the book made me writhe with impatience over the difficulty of finding Dante and then having to go through Mona Lisa's (very painful) memory loss. We were introduced to new characters, such as jaguar-shifter/Mixed Blood/drug dealer, Roberto, and other new enemies, such as the wild Monère controlled by Mona Sierra.


The sex scenes were very few, if compared to the previous books, proving that Sunny tried her best to make up for lost time with real innovations in the story. And that she did.
Mona Lisa had the incentive of the Mother Queen to spread out the knowledge of the Monère race to humans, after a televised accident with a rogue male warrior. With the help of press and the apparent "understanding" of the autorities, she accomplished it.


Now we can only patiently wait for the next volumes to see the actual response of the other Queens, Mixed Bloods and Rogues around the world, (which promises to be so very interesting, not to mention challenging), and hope that our brilliant and beloved author Sunny doesn't make us suffer so much (again) while we do so.

The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story - Review

The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story
by Richard Preston

A highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest suddenly appears in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. There is no cure. In a few days 90 percent of its victims are dead. A secret military SWAT team of soldiers and scientists is mobilized to stop the outbreak of this exotic "hot" virus. The Hot Zone tells this dramatic story, giving a hair-raising account of the
appearance of rare and lethal viruses and their "crashes" into the human race. Shocking, frightening, and impossible to ignore, The Hot Zone proves that truth really is scarier than fiction.


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My Review:



I first read The Hot Zone when I was 15 years old (that was 5 years ago, in case you're wondering), and I came upon the book at a supermarket. I thought, 'why not?' I usually just go with fiction, but I'm glad I gave the nonfiction genre a chance with this one.


The events in this book go from 1967 to 1993. Richard Preston tries to convey dialogues and person's thoughts basing narratives in interviews with all the subjects. He makes it very clear that every word has been extensively cross-checked. And I believe him. The way he describes the characters' life and actions show that he is not only an excellent researcher, but also a very good writer. He makes you care, he makes you feel what they were feeling. And that's not exactly a good thing in this book, mind you. You might not want to start reading it after lunch or pretty much any other meal. LOL. Things get a little bit less yuck by 2/4 of the book, but the images stay in your head. And then the action really begins.


The book describes the history of the disease, showing an inside look of how Risk Group 4 Pathogens are dealt with Biosafety Level 4-equivalent containment. It teaches us quite a bit about personal protective equipment and virus studies. The author gives very good insight on how the government acts when viruses are involved, and how the high security world of the CDC and the U.S. military's viral technicians work. You can see many of the proceedures and space-suits mentioned on the book in the movie Contagion.


There are many active characters, and even more are mentioned in the book, but there is no doubt as to who the main characters really are. The viruses. So you should know more about them. They are 4 filoviruses, they are all highly infectious and deadly. They come from Africa within their various possible carriers, but their exact origins are still unknown. The thing is, they would love to get inside you.


They are four sisters: Marburg, Ebola Sudan, Ebola Zaire and Ebola Reston. Zaire and Reston are so much alike that it's hard to say how they are different, but, thnakfully, Reston is deadly only to primates.Marburg and Ebola virus, are serologically, biochemically, and genetically distinct. Marburg virus was first isolated during an outbreak in Europe in 1967, and Ebola virus emerged in 1976 as the causative agent of two simultaneous outbreaks in southern Sudan and northern Zaire. Although the main route of infection is known to be person-to-person transmission by intimate contact, the natural reservoir for filoviruses still remains a mystery. They are four sisters: Marburg, Ebola Sudan, Ebola Zaire and Ebola Reston (supposedly comes from Asia). Zaire and Reston are so much alike that it's hard to say how they are different, but, thankfully, Reston is deadly only to primates.


I was curious to know if there were any new discoveries about these viruses in the last decade. If you are like me, and would like to know more about the viruses, try visiting these websites:


http://www.tarakharper.com/v_ebola.htm
http://www.crystalinks.com/ebola.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola_virus_disease