The Crossing Gate (A Waltz of Sin and Fire #1) by Asiel R. Lavie

The Crossing Gate is the first New Adult dystopian book in the Waltz of Sin and Fire series that was sent to me by the author. In the kingdom of Elpax, transitions between stages in life such as reaching adulthood must be done by walking through a Crossing Gate. Whenever seventeen-year-old Lenora (Leen) tries to cross, she experiences extreme dizziness and feels physically ill. Even stranger is that people aren't supposed to be able to experience emotions such as love until they have crossed into adulthood, and Leen can. On the run for her life, she realizes that she has a destiny to fulfill, and that rebelling might be the only way to save herself and her family. 

Leen has completed a remarkable journey and transformation into a young woman. Oh, my, what a magnificent story!

After a future WW3, the world seems to return to habits like its ancient civilizations, ie. the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian empires mentioned. Also interesting is that it weaves in accurate geography and more modern areas like Guatemala. While being a scifi dystopian book, it is clear to see how one day, our world could end up like theirs.  

It is a very powerful story with immense potential for the series to be as epic and well-known as The Darkest Minds or Delirium or Shatter Me or The Fifth Wave. I can definitely envision a film adaption; its fast pace and vivid setting already reads like an action movie. One of the things I love about getting books from self-published authors or smaller publishers is finding books that deserve more credit than they'll likely get. 

The love triangle between Leen, Jason, and Erick was remarkably set up. There is constantly a lot of information thrown at the reader at once, especially with the lapses of time. But who she has feelings for and why change rapidly along with each secret revealed. By the end, Leen, and myself, aren't sure who she should be with. I also have some questions. For one thing, I don't believe in love at first sight. Was that emotion triggering in her when she spotted Erick something manufactured, forced into her mind as part of her destiny, or would she have felt that way regardless even if she didn't have visions of him beforehand? 

While it is technically labeled as a Young Adult book, I feel that New Adult would be better suited. While the main character is 17, there are many scenes of violence and discussion of sexual content, along the lines of the mistreatment of women in their society. The forced medical exams, interrogations, and overall use of force by law enforcement were extreme, and it made me angry. It made Leen angry, too, but she struggled with coming to terms with what that emotion meant for her, if she's ready to lead a revolution. Luckily, destiny, along with the pent-up frustration of the citizens, ultimately decided for her. I'm excited to see how Leen takes on her new responsibilities and the emotional decisions she will have to make.

I highly recommend this book!

Title: The Crossing Gate (A Waltz of Sin and Fire #1) 
Author: Asiel R. Lavie

Publisher: Absolute Author Publishing House
Pages: 416
Series: Yes, Book 1
Rating: 5 Stars
Goodreads

Firestarter Movies and Book Review

I saw a commercial on Peacock for the new remake of Stephen King's Firestarter, and it looked fantastic. I love science fiction/fantasy movies. I had never read the book, and decided to order it on Amazon after watching both the 2022 movie and the 1984 movie that afternoon. 

The premise of Firestarter is that a secret government agency called "The Shop" performed experiments on college students with a drug called Lot 6, which gave participants paranormal psychic abilities. Some could read minds, or got telekinetic powers. Two of those participants got married and had a child- Charlie. She can start fires with a single thought (pyrokinesis). Eventually The Shop finds them and kills her mother. Charlie and her father run for their lives, and Charlie will need to harness the powers she is afraid of in order to stay alive.

Like the 1984 Firestarter, this 2022 movie also did poorly in the box office. If you are deciding which Firestarter movie to watch, then you've come to the right place.

For starters, Stephen King had widely criticized the 1984 movie, mostly for the casting. While he thought that the actors had talent, he blamed the director for their acting being "flavorless." I agree entirely. While the original movie strayed closely to the book itself, I couldn't stand David Keith (the father) at all. Zac Efron has changed since his Disney days, and his interpretation of the character was much more sincere and actually believable. The emotional conflict in Ryan Kiera Armstrong (2022 Charlie) was more in-depth and raw compared to Drew Barrymore's (1984 Charlie). How Barrymore summoned the fire itself looked very... uncomfortable, and strange with gusts of wind blowing up her hair. The single biggest factor in watching a movie, in my opinion, is fondness for the characters. Armstrong and Efron had that in spades, along with a believable chemistry. 

For the complexity of the original book, the 2022 remake left a lot of the original story out, mostly the middle of the book. The first movie seemed to pack in a lot at once, and the new Firestarter chose to hone in on some of the most important scenes and relationship between father and daughter. I much prefer the new movie over the first movie and the book. I felt impatient to get to the end of Firestarter. About a hundred or so pages could have easily been left out, and the book actually seemed boring at times. I haven't read Stephen King before, so I don't know if super drawn-out plotlines is just his writing style.

The 2022 movie was only 1 hour and 34 minutes, even shorter than the 1984 version, which meant that many of the 564-page book's events had to be cut. Besides things being just left out, the biggest actual plot change came from the ending. Personally, I prefer the newer movie's ending over the book. The character Rainbird changed the most from the book and movie to the new one. In the originals, he is more of an evil psychopath, whereas in the new movie he is just another misunderstood and misguided experiment. I have zero idea why in the world the original movie decided to make him an old white guy when in the book he is specifically written as Native American. 

I highly recommend that you watch the new Firestarter movie on Peacock, and before you read the book (if you haven't already), or instead of the book. I fear that those who watch the movie will be too caught up on the differences from the expectations of the book to appreciate it, which is one of the reasons why movies based on books have challenges in the box office. 

I would rate the book 3 stars, the original movie 2 stars, and the new movie 5 stars.

Brief Explanation of New Adult Catagory

I finally got around to creating a new label- New Adult! Goodreads defines it as "bridg[ing] the gap between Young Adult and Adult genres. It typically features protagonists between the ages of 18 and 25". Many times I have written statements at the end of book reviews recommending books for older YA readers due to mature content, usually meaning sexual scenes and those with detailed violence. 

The Young Adult category usually has a target audience between 12 and 18 years of age. Now, there is a big difference between a 12-year-old's maturity and societal understanding compared to an 18-year-old's. I was one of those students who tried to read every single book in my middle school library. I certainly read some books with language and ideas that were unknown to me at the time, and definitely suited more to 8th graders instead of 6th, or in high school for 12th graders rather than 9th. I was also someone who always read at a further ahead reading level than my peers. 

I went back to every book review where I advised for older YA readers to read it or issued a content warning. and added it as New Adult. This should help older YA readers or parents who visit my blog! I do not plan to set out to review New Adult books, however I feel that will be a helpful guidance! 

~Julia

Fallen Thief (Merrows Book 2) by A.M. Robin

Fallen Thief is the second book in the middle grade fantasy series Merrows that was sent to me by the author. While merrows Mira and Kay have returned home, it is not with good news. Two of their dear friends are trapped in everlock sleep, the Shadowveils refuse to leave them or their families alone, and bullies and townsfolk refuse to accept their identity. Ultimately, as their powers grow, so does the magic hidden in their kingdom. Finding a legendary sorcerer deep in the ocean may be their only chance to save their friends.

Sometimes when I read books in a series, and haven't read the previous book in a while, (in this case in 2019), I end up confused and have to go re-read the previous book. Luckily, this wasn't the case. The author did a nice job refreshing the events of the previous story whilst telling this new one. Many books can feel disconnected from each other, but these synchronized.

While a heavy part of the book was on underwater adventures, another very meaningful theme was dealing with peer relations. A lot of people are afraid of what they do not understand and what is different. In addition to fighting the Shadowviels sent by the Empress of the Sea, Mira and Kay have to deal with their peers bullying them and the public's mistrust of their abilities. The children did not handle Collin's harassment well at times, which only made the depiction more realistic. 

Some books are easier to write reviews of than others. Have you ever tried a new food, for example, and liked how it tasted, but couldn't find the words to describe why?  I apologize for how short this is, however it is strangely difficult for me to explain why I enjoyed the story. I will say that Robin has an incredible imagination.

I highly recommend you read this book. See my review of the first book in this series, Hidden Scales. 

Title: Fallen Thief
Author: A.M. Robin
Publisher: A.M. Robin
Pages: 285
Series: Yes, Book 2
Rating: 5 Stars
Goodreads

Roman Identity (The Legend Book 2) by J.U. Scribe

The college semester is officially over, which means that now I have time to read and work on my blog again!

Roman Identity is the YA historical fiction full-length sequel to the middle grade short story Before the Legend. This book takes place 10 years later than the first, and was sent to me by the author. Troy is now 14 years old, and is trying to find his place in the world. His father highly favors his brother, Barbarius, over him, and views Troy as weak. As Troy tries to live up to the expectations and values of his father, he is faced with moral conflict on the treatment of a stray dog and of his slaves that challenges what it means to be a man.

I was very surprised that Troy had to write an essay on how history still lives in the present, as the teacher should have known that a key part of PTSD and childhood trauma is how it never fully goes away and still impacts them as adults. It is, however, a great opening to a central theme of the story and plotline. The pain of losing his mother has shaped his perspective on life and who he is, and I liked Troy's character development of realizing his own potential and that running from his pain will not heal him. 

Troy struggles with the emotional neglect of his family and his empathy for others being viewed as a weakness. He is faced with great challenge of either being himself or being the man that his father expects. He sees that slaves are people too, and treats them with kindness and mercy, contrary to the beliefs his father and brother hold. Kindness and respect for all people and animals is a trait that should be a strength in not only a leader, but a human. As it is historical fiction, Roman Identity is also educational for Roman society. 

I recommend this book! See my review of the first book here. 

Title: Roman Identity
Author: J.U. Scribe
Publisher: J.U. Scribe
Pages: 331
Series: Yes, Book 2 of 2
Rating: 5 Stars
Goodreads