[Book Review] Sedition

Title: Sedition
Author: Tom Abrahams
Genre: Suspense, Thriller, Politics
Source: ARC from Author
Rating: 4/5


Links:
Goodreads
Barnes & Noble
Amazon

Blurb:

The President of The United States is dead. There is no Vice President to take his place.

As the nation slips into a constitutional crisis, a small group of disenfranchised neo-patriots conspire to violently seize power.
They have the will. They already have someone on the inside. And they have the explosives.

Standing in their way is a woman who listens to conversations not meant for her to hear. She reads mail not intended for her to see. She knows their intention. But can she stop them in time?
SEDITION is a smart, fast-paced, modern day political novel woven in reality and based on the 1820 British plot, The Cato Street Conspiracy.

It navigates the thin line between good versus evil and patriot versus traitor, proving there’s always a reason behind treason

“Being a patriot and a terrorist were 
not mutually exclusive propositions.”

Review:
A riveting modern political-thriller with a smart heroine at its helm!

If I had to say just one thing about Sedition, I would say that the author of this book clearly knows his stuff, and he knows them very well, too!

When I began reading the book, I was literally mind-blown by what was written within the first few pages. The political, as well as the socio-cultural references in this book really hit my tickle spot, and I was hooked in no time!

So what is this book all about?

Well, Sedition is a synthesis of real US politics and written fiction, weaving them both in such a way that could make the reader take a pause to think critically. The story, being a slice of reality, actually gives the reader information about stuffs that matter, but which are mostly overlooked and ignored.

As for the characters, I really liked the fact that each member of the Daturan had his own distinct personality which made it very easy for me to distinguish one from another. They were like this group of intellectual gentlemen with extreme superiority complexes, which is actually only a coping mechanism for their inferiority complexes. I’d have to admit that they were largely the reason why I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

On the other hand, I haven’t really quite warmed up to Matti. She seemed a little too perfect for me. I mean, her guilty pleasure was watching hilarious videos on YouTube. Sure, it’s definitely a quirk, but there has got to be more to her than just being a mid-level intelligence analyst, with an eidetic memory and poor self-esteem.

Moving on, while this book may not be as action-packed as so many spy novels, what it lacks in action, it makes up for in intellectual stimulation and well-planned twists. The suspenseful pace was also consistently maintained throughout the story.

Also, fans of stories featuring conspiracy theories are going to love this book! Not only is it a smart read, it is also insightful and a definite brain teaser!

[Book Review] A Hundred and One Reasons

Title: A Hundred and One Reasons
Author: Bianca Salindong
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Drama
Source: Purchased Paperback
Rating: 3/5


Links:
Goodreads
National Bookstore


Blurb:

There are still many things Ann needed to know, to explore and live the life she'd always imagined. But everything turned upside down when she learned that she is sick. Not cough and colds sick. No, something much complicated than that.

Ann decides that she'd rather fight when she knows she had no chances of winning. And then came a promise of a hundred and one reasons, from someone she never thought cared for her, and gave her the strength she needed to live. This is a story that goes beyond the boundaries of faith, family, hope and love... it may bring you to tears or give you the reasons to live than just to exist.

Review:
A cliché that was meant to touch hearts, but missed the bull’s eye by at least a good few centimeters.

Last night, as I was cruising along National Book Store to pick up a few school supplies, I found myself wandering towards the locally published books section. I wanted to try reading a locally published book to review it.

I browsed and contemplated over a few titles. I decided I have to buy just one book - a book that wasn’t too expensive as I was on a tight budget. I found A Hundred and One Reasons by Bianca Salindong. It was only a hundred bucks, fairly cheaper than the other books in the section. Plus, I read in the back cover that Bianca Salindong is only a twenty-something nursing graduate from Tarlac, which meant that she was about my age. That silly little fact got my attention, and so, I picked up the book.

Now, unto the review proper…

Like I said at the beginning, the story was cliché and it was meant to touch hearts, but it missed the bull’s eye by at least a good few centimeters.

When I started reading, I was easily reminded by those stories posted online; stories written by amateur writers and were posted within the forums of Candy Mag, on FictionPress or on Wattpad. Since it was stated in the book that it was Bianca Salindong’s first novel, well, I decided it was fine.

The writing was definitely raw, unpolished and sadly, it was lacking in so many aspects.

The protagonist came out strong at the beginning. From her own point of view, she was a strong and mean female, who plowed through anyone that dared to cross her. As the story progressed however, she wasn’t really that much of bad-ass. She was a smart-ass, with a mean mouth, but ultimately, she was a good girl.

What was good about this story was that the promise of a great premise was there. The idea of making a hundred and one reasons to live was a gem. But while the general idea was promising, it was not entirely something new.

Also, the technical aspect of the novel was very much lacking. The chapters were very short. There were several grammatical errors, misplaced words, typographical errors and tense-shifting within the sentences.

It was cringe-worthy to read the whole story when I itched to correct broken sentences every few minutes. Nonetheless, I pressed on because I wanted to get my money’s worth, and because I was determined to write a proper review for the story.

As for the story itself, well, the thing is, I love a good and effective love-triangle; especially if the love triangle makes me torn between two great, multi-faceted characters. Sadly, in this story, the love triangle was placed just because it was convenient. It wasn’t in the least bit effective.

The heroine easily gets attracted to guys who come to her one after another. First, there was Lee, to whom Ann harbored a secret love for a long time. Then, there was also Stan who was also her crush for the longest time. Then, there was also Lorenzo, who had a heart condition, and who conveniently appeared when Stan was out of the picture. Their attraction didn’t even get any build up at all. Insta-love was all over the place.

Then, what I don’t get is that James, Stan and Ann were supposed to be friends from when they were still kids as evidenced by the recollection of them playing hide and seek when Ann was only seven. But then, according to Stan, he and James never really got along at first because they were opposites. The narration gave me the idea that they met when they were already in their teens, completely in contrast to the later flashback scene narrating the hide and seek.

Another thing that was novel in this book was the use of quotes from series, songs and blogs. It was obvious from the quotes at the beginning of each chapter that the writer was very much active online. Although sometimes, I find the use of these quotes unnecessary.

By the end of the story, where I’m supposed to be touched and in tears, I wasn’t. What I wanted to do though, was to pick up my red pen and proof-read the whole book. It badly needed editing.

I give this book 3 stars out of 5 simply because everyone needs a hundred and one reasons to live even if they think they don’t need it.

[Linking Up] Feature & Follow #06

Q: Activity! Who is your to-die-for book crush? 

What do you think they look like? 

Add an image to make us all happy.

I would have to go with Luca Andretti from
Louise Reynolds' Her Italian Aristocrat. =)

If I had my way, I imagine Luca would look something like this:

Yummy, right?