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A dark haired woman stands in an empty field, the corpses of trees reaching black limbs into the sky behind her. A scattering of golden leaves lurks around the bottom of the frame, eyes hovering on their surfaces like eerie mirrors.
Beth Ryder has been plagued with debilitating panic attacks for almost her entire life. The psychosis has stolen all her dreams of a normal life, of going to college, of meeting someone nice, of leaving her little midwest town. Photography has turned out to be her only solace in a threatening world. But even that is taken away from her when she begins to see things in her pictures, things that are invisible to the naked eye, strange things, scary things. When she shows the photos around town she unwittingly tosses herself into an altered reality, one where she has every reason to be afraid.
What I liked:
- Well you can probably guess that I liked, and identified with Beth alot. I've had my own share of panic attacks over the years and just like Beth I found a coping mechanism when I started my photography journey. Having that kind of common thread makes her believable and real, at least to me. Beth has her flaws but she's not content to just sit back and let herself be the victim. She's willing to fight for her friends and what she knows is right.
- I liked the different take. This one isn't about angels and demons, fairy creatures, dwarves, or elves, vampires and werewolves. The author created a whole new universe and playing field with the theory of Emanations and the creatures who live in and make it up.
- The trek we take with Beth through Octopus world is really intriguing and unique. I found myself kind of attached to the little 'pus' who hitched a ride.
What I disliked:
- My major grudge with Nolander has to be the use of first person in parts where it made no sense for the story to be told by Beth. How would Beth know what Ghosteater is thinking or doing at any random point in time. I think for these few short pages the author should have switched to third person. I found the continuing use of Beth's point of view to be highly confusing and unbelievable.
- The rather constant threat of sexual assault is more than little disconcerting. I could have done without it.
- Finally the ending was entirely too abrupt. There was no gently fade out, no temporary resolution, and it wasn't an ideal stopping point at all. I know you want to leave the reader wanting more, but crafting a suitable temporary natural feeling ending is not going to stop us from wanting to read more. It will however get rid of a lot of frustration and make us like you a little more ;)
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4 out of 5 smilies
Recommended for mature teens and adults especially those who enjoy a relatable real heroine.
Nice girls don't believe in monsters. They're wrong.
Amateur photographer Beth Ryder is in trouble. She's taking pictures of
things she can't see, things that aren't human. Beth has her own dreams, but
people like her don't get to go free. She's seized by a group dedicated to
keeping Earth's shadow world--and its frightening inhabitants--a secret. Forced
into otherworldly politics and uncertain whom to trust, Beth must come to terms
with a radically altered future--one in which her own humanity seems to be
slipping away.
Nolander is the first novel in the fantasy series
Emanations."
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