#WritingtheSensesChallenge & #FantasyWIPJanuary Day 15 & Book Review: Beyond the Fortuneteller's Tent

Lots for you today on the blog! So I'll get right to it. First, the book review...

Book Review: Beyond the Fortuneteller's Tent by Kristy Tate

Beyond the Fortuneteller's Tent by Kristy Tate
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was trying to find my review on the Amazon site (which proved impossible yet again) and scanned through several of the other reviews. I was saddened to see some strange reasons for not giving this book a better rating, ranging from /not for my age/ to /juvenile language/. Since the book seems to be written for middle-high school aged people, I think it's perfect for them. The language is simple enough to understand easily and keep the reader engaged. The action moves quickly and there were some interesting plot twists. One person asked why she didn't check her phone more often and I can't help but think if the MC is as smart as the author suggests, she would've realized it was futile. I think a better question would be why didn't she scroll through her photos more often when homesickness hit her. But honestly, she didn't really have much time. The story really moves along at a brisk pace. I'm 40 but I still enjoyed reading this. It's not going on my 'favorites' shelf, but I think this book would be very engaging for the proper age range and I think my own daughters would probably enjoy it.

I don't think I've ever read a time travel tale quite like this one. What an adventure! The plot really hooked me. I kept thinking it would make an excellent movie, especially if they stick to the story as the author has so cleverly written it. I love the characters. The villains are detestable, as they should be. And I mentioned before about the plot twists, but I like how she scattered them around and they are carefully done. To me, it was everything a tale like this should be if written for tweens and teens.

One more thing I'd like to point out that might be a problem for others is this: If the MC is very smart, why does she have trouble finding the right synonyms to explain what her more modern English means? It didn't happen often but it still stood out to me.

I gave it five stars because I thought it was a fun book. I hope to read the next one very soon.

View all my reviews

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#writingthesenseschallenge - Week 3 Day 15 - Sight Details

So yesterday was the beginning of week three of my challenge. I'm now focusing on taking those sketches from last week and putting them into rough draft format. Head's up, though...I already wrote my rough draft so it's more like sharing something I've already written down this week. I hope my awful rough draft snippets will encourage more of you, knowing if you feel your work doesn't measure up, you are not alone.

Zec waited too long to begin and she said, “If you’re better now, I can show you another place I like to go.” No request for him to continue. No urging to bare his soul.
He stared at her a long time before he stood. She smiled again and chattered on. “The way isn’t quite as slippery as the path we took to get here. If you’re worried, just let me know.” It galled him to be reliant on a younger person but he gritted his teeth and tagged along.
Zec was forced to admit one thing, though. Liha was quite possibly the prettiest being he’d ever seen. She was certainly the brightest. Her golden hair, skin, and eyes shone like the suns. It was almost painful to look at her, bathed as she was in Tsifi’Ra and Mit’Ra’s rays.
She led him down a path which passed into lush cover. “These are achich trees,” she chattered. “During Dishi, the leaves fade to gray-white. When the winds shake the branches, it looks like an ice storm.” The reaching branches edged the verges, so close the light dimmed to golden green. “And these are orbana.” She pointed at shrubs dotted with dainty white blossoms nestled at the feet of the achich. The blooms seemed to light the path with a soft glow making the place feel even more mystical. And everywhere was the music of water — from laughing streamlets to roaring falls. Zec had never experienced anything so strange or so beautiful in all his sun-cycles.
The end of the verdant tunnel opened into a brightly lit clearing loosely paved with stones like those used for the bench. One of the wider streamlets whispered and flowed through the center. She pointed him toward a simple bridge. Upon closer inspection, the craftsmanship became apparent. Shiny green-black absin stones arched gently from one bank to the other. Teardrop-shaped finials topped four short posts which were carved with abundant floral filigree. A square gazebo topped with a sweeping roof waited for them on the far side, perched at the edge of the stream. Golden tassels decorated each of the up-turned corners. A wind-catcher tingled in the light breeze while a light-catcher hanging from the opposite side sparkled. Liha beckoned Zec inside and he stood in the center. What he should do now, he wasn’t sure. There was only one bench and it lay along the wall closest to the water.

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#fantasywipjanuary - Day 15 - Weirdest Moment of Inspiration

I count all of these as weird moments of inspiration but none of them are extremely weird...

• while I'm praying
  
• when I'm almost ready to sink into the sweet oblivion of sleep
  
• when we take off for a short drive and I leave my purse with writing equipment at home (making a note to leave a small notebook and pen in glove compartment)