What I've Been Up To

Hello, everyone! I'm here with an update on what I've been doing lately.

• Today, I read The Ale Boy's Feast, the last book in the Auralia Thread series. It was absolutely incredible. I know of very few authors who can end the last book in a series like he did and not get fans mad at them, but Jeffery Overstreet managed it perfectly. 
• My writing has been going well. I've started two short stories, both of which I'm currently quite happy with. One is a sci-fi/futuristic story. The other is a story set in Berstru, the world of my NaNoWriMo 2011 novel. The second story, I think, is my favorite. It concerns a masked bardess, a prince, a masquerade ball, and a plot to kill the king. Granted, it might sound a bit cliche plotwise, but I'm hoping that it won't be as cliche as it sounds and that my characters will make up for it if it is.
• I've also been doing quite a bit of photography, though not as much as I probably should be doing. I think that part of my problem is that I think of ideas, but I either can't figure out how to do them or I decide to write or read a book instead. 

Well, that's about it. Thanks for stopping by!
-Sarah

Raven's Ladder Review

Author: Jeffery Overstreet

Characters: Excellent! Just as in the previous books, the cast of Raven’s Ladder is a colorful treat for the reader, with characters who are realistic and easy to like or dislike, depending on the character.

5/5

Location: Pretty good. I did get confused once or twice, but for the most part, the descriptions were colorful and easy to understand. I especially liked the descriptions of Bel Amica. I felt like I could almost see the city.

4/5

Plot: Brilliant! Jeffery Overstreet weaves together the lives of the characters to form a magnificent plot full of twists, mystery, and excitement. I enjoyed getting answers to some of my questions, though there’s still some questions yet unanswered.

5/5

Other: Though not quite as good as Auralia’s Colors, Raven’s Ladder is an amazing book, well worth reading.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Cyndere's Midnight Review

Author: Jeffery Overstreet

Characters: Magnificent! The characters are brilliant and unique, and the book is written so that you feel as if you know them, though with some characters, this familiarity is almost frightening.

5/5

Location: Very good. The descriptions were vivid and easy to picture, and I didn’t get confused about where places were in relation to each other.

4/5

Plot: Fairly good, but it started a bit slowly. Also, there were places when I got a bit confused about when things happened in relation to other things. However, the plot was fairly interesting once it got going.

4/5

Other: I will note that this book, as it name suggests, is a bit darker in some ways than Auralia’s Colors. There’s nothing bad in it, but it is, in some ways, a bit frightening.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Auralia's Colors Review

Author: Jeffery Overstreet

Characters: Incredibly colorful. There’s really no other way to describe the cast of Auralia’s Colors. From Auralia to the Gatherers to Cal-Raven, these characters are a delight to read about, each magnificent in his or her own way.

5/5

Location: Interesting. In general, the descriptions were vivid and the places easy to visualize. I also found House Abascar unique and interesting.

4/5

Plot: Amazing! Each of the characters and their choices makes up another thread in this tapestry of plot, subplot, mystery, and discovery. It moves at just the right pace, with plenty of unexpected twists and turns.

5/5

Other: Auralia’s Colors is a masterpiece well worth reading and rereading. Taken at face value, it’s a good story, but there are many sections in it that invite the reader to stop and think, wonder, and dream.

Overall Rating: 5/5