A Tribute to Bob Marley- reblog via Sepultura13 blog.
Author: Marje @ Kyrosmagica
Hi.
Welcome to my blog: M J Mallon - Kyrosmagica Publishing. A blog about magic, books, writing, laughter, and much more! I'm a YA fantasy author, poet and reviewer. My first YA fantasy novel The Curse of Time - Book 1 - Bloodstone is set in Cambridge and Book 2 - Golden Healer is now out too. As well as this, I have contributed to several anthologies, created my own with some amazing international writers, bloggers and creatives during the pandemic: This Is Lockdown and written two poetry collections: Lockdown Innit Poems About Absurdity & Mr. Sagittarius Poetry and Prose. I write book reviews on my blog and on Goodreads, book bub and on my bookstagram. I have a penchant for travel and have relatives in far flung places, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore, (my birthplace.) I grew up in in Bonnie Scotland, in Edinburgh, and now live in Cambridge. I love sunny, hot places, particularly Rome, Venice, Portugal, Barcelona, and I forgot to mention the sun drenched beaches of the Caribbean, how could I? I am lucky to have been blessed with two lovely daughters and a husband who I fondly refer to in this blog as my black sheep. Family joke! With my passion for travel, culture, beautiful beaches, good food, books, theatre, writing, and humour, I hope to keep you entertained. I'm loving every minute of this creative journey, please join me.
My Kyrosmagica Review of Emmy & Oliver
My Book Review of Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway
Goodreads Synopis:
Emmy’s best friend, Oliver, reappears after being kidnapped by his father ten years ago. Emmy hopes to pick up their relationship right where it left off. Are they destined to be together? Or has fate irreparably driven them apart?
Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life.
She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared.
Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart.
He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling.
Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?
Readers who love Sarah Dessen will tear through these pages with hearts in throats as Emmy and Oliver struggle to face the messy, confusing consequences of Oliver’s father’s crime. Full of romance, coming-of-age emotion, and heartache, these two equally compelling characters create an unforgettable story.
My review:
Emmy & Oliver is a YA Contemporary romance with believable, lovable characters that draw you into the story making you want to read more. Emmy & Oliver are the two central pins of the story. Everything revolves around Oliver and his old friends. He returns home following a lengthy disappearance after having been kidnapped by his father, and is reunited with old friends, and family members. Things have moved on a lot in the meantime. His mother has remarried and he has two twin half-sisters. His old friend Drew now has a boyfriend. Oliver expresses his emotions at all these changes in an utterly convincing way. As the novel progresses we begin to understand how he felt towards his father, (whom he still loves,) and his mother, and how he feels now.
I really loved this. It wasn’t trying to be over the top, gushing romance, or poor me I’ve been kidnapped feel sorry for me story. Instead it went for the gentleness of feels. That’s how I’d describe it. It had the perfect mix: believable storyline, cute romance (s), – between Emmy & Oliver as well as tidbits of Drew’s gay romance, wonderfully engaging characters, and fantastic dialogue. The dialogue really held it together in a very cohesive way. It made me happy – while I was reading Emmy & Oliver I was editing my own YA dialogue in my current WIP, so this gave me bags of ideas and inspiration. So a big Thank you to the author Robin Benway for his awesome dialogue!
Moreover, Emmy and Oliver’s friends, Caro and Drew are so likeable and engaging too.
I loved the interaction between Emmy, Oliver and their parents, this was first class. Their parents’ overblown anxiety and protectiveness following Oliver’s kidnapping is so understandable, but Emmy isn’t one to be held in check. She goes surfing on the sly, and has other plans that she hasn’t told her parents about…. So this is also a story about growing up, new opportunities, new paths, discovering who you are, and cutting those parental apron strings.
My only criticism was this:
Towards the end of the book Oliver’s dad gets justice for his crime and Oliver doesn’t seem to react much, which seems odd given that he still loves his father.. the story loses a bit of its believability at that point. I think this could have been remedied and explored by adding a chapter in the POV of Oliver at that precise point… Consequently this dropped a star in my rating otherwise Emmy & Oliver would have been a solid 5 stars.
Nevertheless, if you like a slow burning YA Contemporary romance, with masses of tender feels, and family centred issues this is the one for you.
Highly recommended. It is sad, heart-warming, and insightful, a witty exploration of family life.
I marked it a favourite – just saying!
My rating 4 stars.
DISCLAIMER: “As of 13th September 2017 we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”
My opinions are my own and any reviews on this site have not been swayed or altered in any way by monetary compensation, or by the offer of a free book in exchange for a review.
Amazon UK Kindle Edition: http://amzn.to/2xfgHh8
Amazon UK Paperback Edition: http://amzn.to/2jGwHFL
Amazon UK Hardcover Edition: http://amzn.to/2jEH9gU
Amazon UK Audiobook: http://amzn.to/2jFYYfE
I hope you enjoyed my review.
Author’s Website: Robin Benway
Have you read Emmy & Oliver? Do leave a comment I’d love to hear your opinion.
Note: Photo of book edited with InstaSquarer program developed and designed by Thomas Tsopanakis.
Bye for now,
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
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Monday Funnies…
Some Monday funnies from Chris at The Story Reading Ape blog.
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Hugh’s Photo Challenge Week 24: Hats
For Hugh’s Weekly Challenge the prompt word is hats. I don’t tend to wear hats very often unless it’s a woolly hat in the cold. But last October I donned my Witch’s hat in the spirit of Halloween… In case you missed it, here’s your chance to get reacquainted with me wearing a red velvet witch’s hat !
What fun, I love dressing up!
Halloween is a long time away…. what is a good witch going to do until then?
If you’d like to join in Hugh’s Photography Challenge here’s the link: (the challenge is open until Monday May 9th.)
Oh, just found this: Flavorwire: 30 photos of famous authors in hats.
Do you wear hats? Have a favourite? Like to dress up?
Or perhaps like me you keep them for cold days…. or Halloween!
Bye for now,
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
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The Best Dressed Bash 2016 #bloggersbash2016
You have until the 11th of May to order your Blogger’s Bash T Shirts. Just ordered mine…. in a small, hope I don’t eat too much cake in the meantime or I might just need a medium…. Check out this post via Geoff to find out more.
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#WQWWC : Fantasy
For Colleen and Ronovan’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge, #WQWWC – I’m sharing two quotes, one about the nature of fantasy, and the other about Time.
I’ve also written a poem, which I’ve called If Only Time.. The poem is inspired by my current WIP: The Curse of Time.
If only Time …….
A shadow blots my landscape,
Black-hearted drifter,
Daring deceiver,
Handsome fellow,
Beautiful hero,
Blight on my heart.
If only time,
Could drive away sorrow,
Life’s caricature of pain,
Time takes me journeying,
Music fills my heart,
Art enlivens my soul.
At Ten to Three,
Time stands forever still,
Grantchester meadow waits,
Drawing back the veil of Time,
Shutting out the shadowed seconds,
Mighty Krystallos Live.
Two curious invitations,
One beautiful, one not,
Bring me to this cursed moment,
Climb aboard time’s winged creature,
Experience picnic blue skies,
The church bell sings.
The Grasshopper laughs,
A Black cat poses,
The field a painting grows,
The mystery fiddler plays,
A melancholy note lingers,
Capturing a bygone age.
This sublime landscape,
Reveals a fractured puzzle,
Woven in art’s design,
The Golden Grasshopper awaits,
Three joyful, wretched riddles,
Freedom – the precious prize.
Can Amelina halt the shadows?
Time’s merry-go-round of suffering,
The Riddler will decide,
The rollercoaster grinds,
Rips, tears, groans and howls,
In life’s eerie, blissful playground.
If all fails, I’ll surely weep,
Dread buries in my sunken heart,
Sweet treasured home,
Protect the cottage from intruders,
Drive out the minutes of darkness,
Renowned Krystallos Heart.
Mighty Golden Healer Crystal,
Mend the broken path of shadows,
Rid us of Time’s Curse,
Save those captive,
Splinter shatter crystal light,
Treasured Krystallos Soul.
© Marjorie Mallon 2016 – aka, Kyrosmagica. All Rights Reserved.
My Wattpad link is below – at the end of this post – if you’d like to read some of my novel. Do bear in mind that this is a WIP and not the final version .. I’ve been editing my novel….. and it will soon be getting a beta read so I’m getting nearer and nearer to completing it, and readying it for publishing.. EXCITING!!!!!! So do pop over to Wattpad and give me some support. All comments, shares, likes most gratefully received. x
Here’s the link to Colleen’s blog to join in the challenge: WQWWC – Fantasy
The quotes I’m featuring this week are:
Fantasy mirrors desire, imagination reshapes it. Mason Cooley.
Love this quote isn’t it the best?
And the one below is for all us procrastinators – you know who I’m talking about! This quote is the most popular Goodreads quote about Time… I wonder why?….
“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” Marthe Troly-Curtin, Phrynette Married
I hope you enjoyed my poem, and the quotes too.
See you soon, bye for now.
If only Time… would stand still!! Wretched …. stealer of our seconds, minutes, and hours..
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
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#ThursdayDoors: A Church Door before the Dentist!
For #ThursdayDoors:
Here’s a tiled image of a door I found in my neighbouring village Histon – it’s the door of Histon Baptist Church on Station Road.
It never ceases to amaze me where you find a door. This one was on the way to the Dentist! I was just about to go for a scale and polish and there she was shouting out for me to photograph her! Isn’t she a beauty?
Here she is in a bigger individual photo – all red and shiny, no don’t worry -it’s not my mouth…
Anyway, the dental hygienist did a fantastic job. It didn’t hurt much at all, but I did get quite drenched… no not the rain… the device to clean my teeth was pretty full on!
If you’d like to join in the #ThursdayDoors fun here’s the link up to Norm’s blog: Norm’s Thursday Doors.
Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing it, between Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time), by using the blue link-up button on Norm’s blog.
Oh, and I just found this for Thursday Doors enthusiasts: door_embassy on Instagram: Door Embassy
Hope you enjoyed my #ThursdayDoors post.. I wonder where I’ll find my next door…
Bye for now,
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
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BTS: Fire!!K-POP !!
This is for my eldest daughter – she’s a massive BTS fan! Who are BTS you might ask? Unless of course you’re already a fan – and believe me their popularity is not a matter of uncertainty. This band are super popular. A bit like a BLT! No they’re not a relation of the BLT, the bacon, lettuce and tomato sarnie, they’re a Korean pop group! They dance, and sing – pretty impressive, my daughter loves them! They even have a K-pop society at her University dedicated to learning their dances, and celebrating all things Korean pop style: ! Sussex Univ K-Pop Society
This article in The Daily Dot will interest BTS fans, take a look, : http://bit.ly/27aVt0k
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Nominations for Bloggers Bash Awards Are Now OPEN!
We are finally on the count down to the bash, peeps. I am so excited I really ought to be wearing a sports bra what with all the bouncing up and down. So far we have announced the totally-off-the-c…
Source: Nominations for Bloggers Bash Awards Are Now OPEN!
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Still Making Snow Art #22
I just love comic art… so had to reblog this cute snow art by Bob Watterson featured in the Secret Keeper. This love of comic art stems from childhood – huge Tintin, Asterix the Gaul, and Our Willie fan!!
