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Posted in Book Review Blog

Shatter Me Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Shatter Me

by Tahereh Mafi

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $10.99

Hardcover: $18.99

Kindle: $10.99 (Available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $27.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited) 

Before Reading Facts:

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi was published in 2011 by Harper.

Page Count: 464 pages (paperback) 448 (hardcover) 357 (kindle)

Audiobook length: 09 hrs 12 mins

Chapters: 50

Language: English (also available in the following translations: Dutch, Portuguese, Romanian)

Summary of Book:

“No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon. But Juliette has plans of her own. After a lifetime without freedom, she’s finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time–and to find a future with the one boy she thought she’d lost forever. 

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a riveting dystopian world, a thrilling superhero story, and an unforgettable heroine.” -Harper

Author Biography:

“Tahereh Mafi is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Shatter Me series, Furthermore, and Whichwood. She can usually be found overcaffinated and stuck in a book. You can find her online just about anywhere @TaherehMafi or at www.taherehbooks.com” -Harper

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

I first read Shatter Me last year. I was invited to go to a book event by a friend, and Tahereh Mafi was one of the main authors that was going to be there. My friend recommended I read the Shatter Me series, for I had not heard of the series until the book event. I did so and was amazed. I could not stop at book one. I was very interested in the characters and the world Mafi created. A year after having read the first four books in the series and am awaiting the release of the fifth, I am re-reading the series in preparation for the next book. This re-reading has allowed me an opportunity to reconnect with the characters and to fall in love with this series once again. My re-connection to the series has also allowed me the opportunity to share my thoughts and create this review.

I was very much attracted to the ability Juliette possesses. I found myself extremely interested in her powers and was drawn in by Warner’s antagonizing Juliette. I love the way the characters were written. By far, my favorite characters were James and Kenji. I figured there would be some sort of love triangle and was not really drawn into it. I will admit that I am not one for love triangles. I have actually come to a point where I despise love triangles. However, I did not mind the one presented in this story. When there is a love triangle in a story, what helps me get through it and put up with it are either the plot or any well-written side characters. I guess in a way, I am more of a supporting character lover. I enjoy a good sidekick/side character. James and Kenji made for great side characters. These two characters were very unique to in comparison to the other characters in the story that it allowed me to really enjoy the story in its entirety.

The story itself moves very quickly that if I had the time sit through a full reading/listening of the story, I would have done so. I found myself wanting to know what was going to be on the next paragraph, page, and chapter. Though, Mafi throws us into a world we are unfamiliar with, she does it in such a way that does not confuse the reader. She gives the reader just enough about what is going on as to not confuse or overwhelm the reader. She gives enough of the conflicts going on in the world for the reader to understand what is going on and then moves her characters very effectively that really brings this world to life.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Kate Simses

Simses does an amazing job narrating this story. Her narration made the story interesting. She doesn’t over do the narration or make it boring. I do admit that her narration at 1.0 speed was too slow for me. The best speed for me was 1.50. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.75 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 and 3.5 speed was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. 

Other works by this Author:

Novels

  • Furthermore
  • Whichwood 
  • A Very Large Expanse of Sea

Shatter Me Series

  • Shatter Me
  • Unravel Me
  • Ignite Me
  • Restore Me
  • Defy Me

Novellas

  • Destroy Me
  • Fracture Me
  • Shadow Me

Novella Collection

  • Unite Me
Posted in Digital Journal Blog

Social Media: Best Finds of the Week

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Media 1:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My first media is an image that I came across in my Twitter feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for this media is an image. The original source of the media was created and/or shared on the Blue Willow Bookshop Twitter page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • I came across this image while scrolling through Twitter. It was shared by a bookstore in Houston that I follow because they have some pretty good events that I want to keep track of.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to remind people of the upcoming event, TeenBookCon.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to click on the read the information to see if there were any changes.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and read the content carefully. I then liked and retweeted.

If your engagement was active, provide the rhetorical situation for the media (1 per week)

  • Purpose: The purpose of this media was to provide its audience with a reminder of the upcoming event.
  • Audience: The intended audience was anyone interested in the TeenBookCon event that is happening March 30th.
  • Genre: The medium used was Twitter, and the genre used was an image.
  • Context: This was being shared and discussed  by anyone following the Blue Willow Bookshop Twitter page or those who are friends with users who share the image.
  • Exigence: This media focused on a creating awareness of the major event for March.
  • Subject: The subject of this media was an author signing even that is happening March 30th.

Media 2:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My second media is a meme that I came across in my Twitter feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for this a meme. The original source of the media was created and/or shared on the Writing & Editing Twitter page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • This media appeared on my Twitter feed. It was shared on a writing/editing Twitter account I follow.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to entertain, to make people laugh, to make it relateable,  and to share the struggles of writing a novel.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to take a closer look at it and read all of the information on it.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and took a close look at the image, and then I retweeted it.

Media 3:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My third media is a video that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre is a video. The original source of the media was created and/or shared by the VTRND Facebook page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • This video was shared by Edwin on Facebook.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to show some neat folding tricks.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to watch the whole video and see it it was easy enough for me to incorporate into my everyday life.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and watched the whole video. I was interested in seeing if I could learn something from it. I don’t think I did, but it was still cool to watch.

Media 4:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My fourth media is a video that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for this is a video. The original source of the video was created and shared on the Laurie Wetzel Facebook page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • I came across this video while scrolling through my Facebook feed. It was uploaded on an author page that I follow.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to show the display the author was having Planet Comic Con of her books and other goodies.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to watch the video. I wanted to see what all was being displayed. I kind of wanted to know how an author table is set up, so I stuck around to watch it all.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and watched the full video. I then read the description to see where the author was having the event. She mentioned it at the beginning but I missed it and didn’t want to have to go back.

Media 5:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My fifth media is a video that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for this a video. The original source of the video was created and/or shared on the Skyler’s Inflatables LLC Facebook page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • This video was shared by Kery on Facebook.

What was the purpose of the media?

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to watch the video and see what was going on.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and watched the full video. I then read the comments and also the details of the giveaway. I was not interested in entering but simply wanted to know if the giveaway for current or if it was a past giveaway.
Posted in Book Review Blog

Enchantée Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Enchantée

by Gita Trelease

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $12.26

Hardcover: $18.99

Kindle: $9.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $31.23 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Enchantée by Gita Trelease was published in 2019 by Flatiron Books.

Page Count: 464 pages (paperback) 464 (hardcover) 464 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 12 hrs 56 mins

Chapters: 70

Languages: English 

Summary of Book:

“Paris is a labyrinth of twisted streets filled with beggars and thieves, revolutionaries and magicians. Camille Durbonne is one of them. She wishes she weren’t…

When smallpox kills her parents, Camille must find a way to provide for her younger sister while managing her volatile brother. Relying on magic, Camille painstakingly transforms scraps of metal into money to buy food and medicine they need. But when the coins won’t hold their shape and her brother disappears with the family’s savings, Camille pursues a richer, more dangerous mark: the glittering court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

Using dark magic forbidden by her mother, Camille transforms herself into a baroness and is swept up into life at the Palace of Versailles, where aristocrats both fear and hunger for magic. As she struggles to reconcile her resentment of the rich with the allure of glamour and excess, Camille meets a handsome young inventor, and begins to believe that love and liberty may both be possible.

But magic has its costs, and soon Camille loses control of her secrets. And when revolution erupts, Camille must choose―love or loyalty, democracy or aristocracy, reality of magic―before Paris burns.” Flatiron Books

Author Biography:

“Born in Sweden to Indian and Swedish parents, Gita Trelease has lived in lots of places, including New York, Paris, and a tiny town in central Italy. She attended Yale College and New York University, where she earned a Ph.D. in British literature. Before becoming a novelist, she taught classes on writing, monsters, and fairy tales–some of which have seeped into her stories. Along with her husband and son, Gita divides her time between an old village in Massachusetts and the coast of Maine, where she’s still searching for a secret portal that will take her back to Versailles.” -Flatiron Books

Book Review:

 

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

I did not originally plan on purchasing this novel. I noticed it on several bookstagramers and heard good things about it but didn’t think it would be a book I would like at all. I was honestly intimidated in reading this book. I knew that it would be set in Paris. I do not know much of Paris and was also intimidated that it would have French terms and phrases that I would not understand and would cause me to just disconnect from the story.

There were indeed French terms throughout the story, so that is the first thing I want to note. However the author did provide a glossary at the end of the book for readers which helped a lot. I could tell the author wanted to make sure the reader really enjoyed her novel, and I extremely appreciated the inclusion of the glossary. My not having taken any French in high school or college did not affect my reading, and having that experience in this book was extremely interesting. It actually kept me more invested in the story and what the characters were saying.

The story was very interesting, and the struggle the main character endured drew me in. However, the conflict was fairly “lukewarm” in a way. The novel focused more on the characters rather than the plot or main conflict. I enjoyed the characters very much and was really glad this was not an over-dramatic, romance-filled novel. However, I did find myself at time questioning what the main conflict was. At some point, the characters seemed to forget their troubles, but it seemed like that was intentional. I found myself asking if the character even really cared about the financial difficulties that drive the beginning of the novel. At some point, I said, “Camille, it’s time to snap out of it. Remember what you told herself.”

By about forty to fifty percent into the novel, Camille’s focus changed. Or rather, she got distracted and too caught up in the elegance of her facade. I mean, I couldn’t blame her. I was just as much invested in it as she was. The elegance and beauty of it just drew me in, and I just wanted her to remain in that state longer so I could enjoy her lavishing experiences. I do admit that I wished her family conflicts drove more of the plot, but it drove it enough to lead Camille to other small conflicts and obstacles that held my attention. I expected the family struggles to provide more urgency than they actually did. However, they did eventually catch up to Camille and remind her of what she was fighting for.

Who would I recommend this to? Anyone in love with France and elegantly clever female characters. Magic lovers. Fantasy lovers. And history lovers. This book has a bit of everything. There’s a bit of romance, but it is not the main driving force of the story, which I actually enjoyed for a change. There is just enough of it to draw you in.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Justine Eyre

Eyre’s narration is excellent. I will admit that the narration at 1.0 and 1.25 speeds were too slow for me. The best listening speed for me was at 1.50 speed. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.5 or 1.75 speeds, so one does not miss anything. These speed were also my favorite speeds when listening to this story. For those who are listening while reading the book and want to listen at a faster pace, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. However, it is manageable. If you’re used to speed listening, 3.0 speed should be manageable. 3.5 speed was definitely too fast for me.

Other works by this Author:

Enchantée Series

  • Enchantée
Posted in Book Review Blog

The Fever King Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

The Fever King  (Feverwake Book 1)

by Victoria Lee

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To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $9.99

Hardcover: $16.99

Kindle: $4.99 (Available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $13.12 (Not Available on Kindle Unlimited) 

Before Reading Facts:

The Fever King by Victoria Lee was published in 2019 by Skyscape.

Page Count: 384 pages (paperback) 374 (hardcover) 376 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 13 hrs 31 mins

Chapters: 24

Languages: English

Summary of Book:

“In the former United States, sixteen-year-old Noam Álvaro wakes up in a hospital bed, the sole survivor of the viral magic that killed his family and made him a technopath. His ability to control technology attracts the attention of the minister of defense and thrusts him into the magical elite of the nation of Carolinia.

The son of undocumented immigrants, Noam has spent his life fighting for the rights of refugees fleeing magical outbreaks—refugees Carolinia routinely deports with vicious efficiency. Sensing a way to make change, Noam accepts the minister’s offer to teach him the science behind his magic, secretly planning to use it against the government. But then he meets the minister’s son—cruel, dangerous, and achingly beautiful—and the way forward becomes less clear.

Caught between his purpose and his heart, Noam must decide who he can trust and how far he’s willing to go in pursuit of the greater good.” -Skyscape

Author Biography:

“Victoria Lee grew up in Durham, North Carolina, where she spent twelve ascetic years as a vegetarian before discovering that spicy chicken wings are, in fact, a delicacy. She’s been a state finalist competitive pianist, a hitch-hiker, a pizza connoisseur, an EMT, an expat in China and Sweden, and a science doctoral student. She’s also a bit of a snob about fancy whisky. Lee writes early in the morning and then spends the rest of the day trying to impress her border collie puppy and make her experiments work. She currently lives in Pennsylvania with her partner.” -Skyscape

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

I selected this title as a part of my Kindle First book. I would like to offer a disclaimer to those who are looking for books for their teenagers. This book has profanity and some sexual reference that I didn’t find appropriate for the audience. I have not read many books for this age group that maintained profanity or sexual references, so I would not know if they should have been censored some more or if those who read this type of book find it appropriate. I generally do not enjoy books with much profanity, so that was a no for me in this book. There are not as many sexual references, but the one I took note of was enough to question whether it is appropriate for the audience: “Probably went home with someone. Probably suffocating himself on dick as we speak.” For parents who are wondering if their children should read this book, I recommend having a read through themselves first to properly judge whether or not they want their teens reading this book. It is not one that I, myself, will be recommending at all to anyone.

The narrator in the story did not draw me in. The voice just did not captivate me. I found myself wondering what is the main struggle going on here, what the author’s intent was in creating such complex conflicts. I understood the character’s struggle with his technopathic ability. I had no problem with that and actually was very interested in that part of the story. That is was drew me in. However, the author seems to create more conflicts with the character’s attraction to the minister’s son. That love interesting was believable enough. The love interest was created to cause tension, and I got that.

What I did not understand was the whole undocumented and deportation part of the novel. I did not understand what the purpose of that part of the novel was about. It appeared as if the author wanted to tackle many different issues in one novel, and it just came out very confusing to me. That whole part of the story confused the hell out of me when I read it. The story takes place in Durham, North Carolina, so I was confused as to what was really going on. I just don’t think I ever got a good grasp on this world Lee created. I just never really understood this whole dystopian United States. I found myself asking, “where are they being deported to?” If all of this information was provided, then I completely missed it. Again, I was not drawn into this story, so it is possible I missed that explanation when it was explained.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but there were more cons that pros for me. I am a voice-driven reader. If the voice does not draw my attention, I give the plot a chance. If both the plot and the voice fail to draw me in, then I will not enjoy a book. If this is a book that I did not have the audiobook for, I would have stopped reading and added it to my DNF shelf on Goodreads. The only reason I got through this book was because of the audiobook, and even then, I only listened while working on other things.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Michael Crouch

Crouch’s narration was well done. The narration was not overenthusiastic, and I am not quit sure it really captured the character’s personality that well, but it was not bad in a way where I couldn’t listen. I did not enjoy listening at 1.0 speed; the narration is not enthusiastic, and listening at a 1.0 speed was frustrating. The narration at 1.25 speed is a bit more tolerable but still not quite good enough for me. I had to speed the narration up to 1.50 speed; that was the slowest speed I would listen to. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.75 or 2.0 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found  2.5 speed to be the best. 3.0 and 3.5 speeds were too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed.  

Other works by this Author:

The Fever King Series

  • The Fever King
  • The Electric Heir
Posted in Digital Journal Blog

Social Media: Best Finds of the Week

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Media 1:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My first media is a video meme that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • I came across this video after first watching another video. This video came up as a recommendation relating to the first video I watched.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to bring into awareness a message in the A Bug’s Life movie.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to click on the video and watch the full thing.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and watched the video.

If your engagement was active, provide the rhetorical situation for the media (1 per week)

  • Purpose: The purpose of this media was to share a message that was incorporated in the A Bug’s Life movie.
  • Audience: The intended audience was anyone following the 1 Million Africans: The Trilogy Facebook page or those who are friends with users who share the video.
  • Genre: The medium used was Facebook, and the genre used was a video.
  • Context: This was being shared and discussed  by anyone following the 1 Million Africans: The Trilogy Facebook page or those who are friends with users who share the video.
  • Exigence: This media focused on a message in the A Bug’s Life movie.
  • Subject: The subject of this media was an encrypted message in a movie that people may have overlooked as children/youth.

Media 2:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My second media is a video that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for this a video. The original source of the media was created and/or shared on the Yemek Askim Facebook page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • This media appeared on my Facebook feed under a “Similar to Posts You’ve Interacted With” section that came up as I was browsing.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to entertain and share some food art.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to watch the entire video.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and watched the entire video since I love watching food-related content. I then shared it after watching it completely.

Media 3:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My third media is an image that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for an image. The original source of the media was created and shared by the Ash and Quill Candles Facebook page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • I came across this image as I was scrolling through my Facebook feed. It was shared by the Ash and Quill Candles Facebook page, which I follow after being told how awesome those candles were.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to advertise the new products that they had.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to click on the pictures and check them all out.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and took a closer look at all the pictures. I had heard that they were thinking about adding Wood Wick candles, so I was eager to see what they looked like.

Media 4:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My fourth media is a video that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for this a video. The original source of the video was created and shared on the WWE Facebook page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • I came across this video as soon as I hopped on Facebook. It was uploaded and shared by WWE.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to showcase a women’s Wrestlemania championship match. The media serves a double function. It provides viewers an opportunity to relive the match while at the same time advertising the upcoming Wrestlemania event.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to watch the video. I watched the match before and wanted to see it  again.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and watched the full video. I remembered the match when it occurred and remembered that it was a really intense one and wanted to see it once more.

Media 5:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My fifth media is a video that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for this a video. The original source of the video was created and shared on the WWE Facebook page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • I came across this video as soon as I hopped on Facebook. It was uploaded and shared by WWE.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to showcase an in-ring segment from this past Monday’s Raw event.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to watch the video and see what all would happen.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and watched the full video, since I’m somewhat invested in what is going on with this company and what they are doing with their female division. I’ve noticed that they’ve been a lot more focused on uplifting the women’s division, so I always check out the videos to see what is going on with that specific division.
Posted in Book Review Blog

Watching You Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Watching You

by Lisa Jewell

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $16.99

Hardcover: $26.00

Kindle: $12.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $21.43 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Watching You by Lisa Jewell was published in 2018 by Atria Books.

Page Count: 336 pages (paperback) 336 (hardcover) 337 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 10 hrs 50 mins

Chapters: 69

Languages: English 

Summary of Book:

“The instant New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone delivers another page-turner about a shocking murder in a picturesque English town.

Melville Heights is one of the nicest neighborhoods in Bristol, England, home to doctors and lawyers and old-money academics. It’s not the sort of place where people are murdered in their own kitchens. But it is the sort of place where everyone has a secret and prying eyes lurk behind every curtain.

In Lisa Jewell’s latest brilliant “bone-chilling suspense” (People), no one is who they seem. Who has been murdered—and who would have wanted one of their neighbors dead? Watching You will keep you guessing until the startling revelation on the very last page.” – Atria Books

Author Biography:

“Lisa Jewell is the internationally best-selling author of sixteen novels, including the New York Times bestseller Then She Was Gone, as well as I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In. Her debut novel, Ralph’s Party, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller, and more recently her books have become #1 bestsellers in Canada and the UK. Her novels have sold millions of copies across the English-speaking world. Her work has also been translated into sixteen languages. 

Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters. Connect with her on Twitter @lisajewelluk, on Instagram @lisajewelluk, and on Facebook @listajewellofficial.” -Atria Books

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

I read this novel for the Livre d’Amour book club. This was the first novel I have read by Lisa Jewell and was fairly nervous in reading something different. Partially, I was curious and excited as well. I was interested to fall in love with yet another author’s work. I therefore, dove into this novel with a positive mind, excited to see what world Jewell would take me into.

When I began reading, I noticed that the first couple of chapters introduce several different characters. I was fairly hesitant because I didn’t know who to attach myself to. I wanted a character to follow, so the beginning threw me for a loop. I did note, however, that the introduction of each character was done very effectively. Jewell gives you a blurb into the lives of these characters, giving you just enough to get to know them but not so much that you feel overwhelmed by so much information from the get go.

However, once the characters were introduced, the story began to unravel and intertwine. I was immersed into the lives of these characters. I didn’t know who the victim was going to end up being, so I found myself reading more and more to find out it was. I couldn’t decide who my favorite character was; I really enjoyed multiple characters. Jewell did a phenomenal job in creating multiple characters that readers can latch on to. One of my favorites was Freddie. I really enjoyed his interaction in the story and reminded me a lot of the boy in Home Alone 3.

The chapters are mostly short, and the story follows multiple characters throughout. However, it is very simple to follow the story, and the fact that Jewell waited until a chapter ended before moving to the next character was an extremely wise choice and one that I really loved. The story kept me guessing as to who would be murdered and who the killer would be, and considering I do not originally choose murder mysteries as my first choice, I can safely say that I would read more written by Jewell.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Gabrielle Glaister

Glaister’s narration was amazing and really drew me in. Her narration at 1.0 speed was too slow for me, but starting at 1.25 speed, her narration was excellent. The best listening speed for me was at 1.50 speed. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.5 or 1.75 speeds, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book and want to listen at a faster pace, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. However, it is manageable. If you’re used to speed listening, 3.0 speed should be manageable. 3.5 speed was definitely too fast for me.

Other works by this Author:

  • Then She Was Gone
  • I Found You
  • The Girls in the Garden
  • The Third Wife
  • The House We Grew Up In
  • Before I Met You
  • The Making of Us
  • After the Party
  • The Truth About Melody Browne
  • 31 Dream Street
  • A Friend of the Family
  • Vince & Joy
  • One-Hit Wonder
  • Thirtynothing 
Posted in Book Review Blog

The Release Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

The Release

by Tom Isbell

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $9.99

Hardcover: $17.99

Kindle: $9.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $21.95 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

The Release by Tom Isbell was published in 2017 by HarperTeen.

Page Count: 368 pages (paperback) 368 (hardcover) 373 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 08 hrs 00 mins

Chapters: 61

Languages: English 

Summary of Book:

“Two months have passed since Book, Cat, Hope, and the others rescued the remaining Less Thans, but no one is safe yet. The group must leave Liberty for good and escape the wolves, the Brown Shirts, and the Hunters. Most important, they need to stop Chancellor Maddox before she executes her Final Solution and grows even more powerful.

But for Hope, the battle has become personal; she must seek her revenge, no matter what the cost.

The Prey trilogy comes to a thrilling conclusion in The Release, as the group must risk everything–including their lives–in order to defeat their enemies” HarperTeen

Author Biography:

“Tom Isbell is an actor-author-professor: A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, he has acted in theater, film, and TV, working opposite Robert De Niro, Ed Harris, Sarah Jessica Parker, and others. Currently a theater professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, he has had three of his plays produced by the Theater for Young Audiences at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, including Teddy Roosevelt and the Treasure of Ursa Major, which was adapted into a book with then-First Lady Laura Bush penning the foreword. Tom and his wife, Pat, live in Duluth, Minnesota. You can visit him online at www.tomisbell.com. ” -HarperTeen

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

The Release is an amazing ending to The Prey trilogy! This third and final book brings together the major events that began to surface in the first book, and the ending to not only the book but to the entire series is just so satisfying. I did not stop reading once I started and tackled this book in the course of two days. There was so much action, just as the first two books! I was constantly fearing for all of the characters’ lives that I could not put the book down.

This third part to The Prey series brings to light some final new revelations and puts everything into perspective for the reader. The reader learns much more about the world these characters are in and the intentions Chancellor Maddox has. I do want to admit that I got a little aggravated with Hope at the beginning of the novel, but I find that in the end she redeems herself.

This entire series has been an amazing read, and I anticipate many more great works by Tom Isbell. I did not hear too much buzz as the release of the third book approached and think this is a series that many do not know and are missing out on. I do hope more people give this series a chance, for I absolutely loved it!

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Christian Barillas and Ariana Delawari

Barillas and Delawari do an excellent job narrating this final part of the series. I do not know if there is more to say on these narrators as they do an amazing work narrating story as they have done for the past two books. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.5 speed, so one does not miss anything. Once more, this speed is also my favorite speed to listen to this story. It is not too fast nor to slow. For those who are listening while reading the book and want to listen at a faster pace, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. 

Other works by this Author:

The Prey Series

  • The Prey
  • The Capture
  • The Release
Posted in Digital Journal Blog

Social Media: Best Finds of the Week

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Media 1:

Image may contain: sky, cloud, text and outdoor
Original Source: Infamous Horror

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My first media is a video that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for this media is an image advertisement. The original source of the image was created and/or shared on the Infamous Horror Facebook page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • This media was shared by Moses on Facebook.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to advertise an upcoming Netflix original series based on the Resident Evil franchise.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was excitement mixed in with doubt. I did not want to get carried away and fall for something that was not factual.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped because I was interested in whether or not this was actually going to happen. I love the Resident Evil games, so I did hope it was real. I did a quick scroll through the comment first to see if anyone was calling this out as not being real, but did not find anything that stood out. I then decided to do my own fact check. From what I found out, there is no official statement from Netflix stating this. From several articles that I looked at, all of them stated that Netflix was “reportedly in works” to create a series based on the Resident Evil franchise. A lot of people are basing their information on Deadline’s article, so there may be something in the work, but no one is giving any detail on it just yet.

If your engagement was active, provide the rhetorical situation for the media (1 per week)

  • Purpose: The purpose of this media was to create some buzz over a possible upcoming Netflix series.
  • Audience: The intended audience was any fans of Resident Evil.
  • Genre: The medium used was Facebook, and the genre used was an image.
  • Context: This was being shared and discussed on Facebook by anyone who follows the Infamous Horror page and anyone who is friends with someone who shares this image.
  • Exigence: This media focused on the Resident Evil franchise to get people talking.
  • Subject: The subject of this media was a potential Netflix series.

Media 2:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My second media is a meme that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for this a meme. The original source of the meme was created and/or shared on the Sassy Facebook page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • This media was shared by Courtney on Facebook.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to entertain and make people laugh.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to laugh and show it to my siblings.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and read the meme carefully. I then showed it to my sisters and also shared it on Facebook.

Media 3:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My third media is a video that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for this a meme. The original source of the meme was created and/or shared publicly by a Facebook user on their timeline.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • I came across this meme after first clicking on my second media. I clicked on that media and then scrolled through the recommendation of other related content until I came across this one.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to entertain, make people laugh, and possible relate to the caption.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to watch the meme. I found it relateable and shared it with my sisters.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and read the meme carefully. I then showed it to my sisters and also shared it on Facebook.

Media 4:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My fourth media is a video that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for this a video. The original source of the video was created and/or shared on the Op Art Facebook page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • I came across this video after first clicking on and watching a different video. After watching that first original media, I then scrolled through the recommendation of other related content until I came across this one.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to showcase an awesome transformation in one’s lawn.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to watch the video and see the end result.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and watched the full video then shared it on Facebook.

Media 5:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My fifth media is a video that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for this a video. The original source of the video was created and/or shared on the Hevesh5 Facebook page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • I came across this video after first clicking on and watching a different video. After watching that first original media, I then scrolled through the recommendation of other related content until I came across this one.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to showcase someone’s Domino Art.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to watch the video and see what all would happen.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and watched the full video, and then I shared it on Facebook.
Posted in Book Review Blog

Lady Smoke Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Lady Smoke

by Laura Sebastian

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $16.01

Hardcover: $18.99

Kindle: $18.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $26.95 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Lady Smoke by Laura Sebastian was published in 2019 by Delacorte Press.

Page Count: 512 pages (paperback) 512 (hardcover) 500 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 13 hours 29 minutes

Chapters: N/A (Book is not divided into numbered chapters)

Languages: English

Summary of Book:

“The Kaiser murdered Theodosia’s mother, the Fire Queen, when Theo was only six. He took her country and kept her prisoner, crowning her Ash Princess–a pet to toy with and humiliate for ten long years. That era has ended. The Kaiser thought his prisoner weak and defenseless. He didn’t realize that a sharp mind is the deadliest weapon.

Theo no longer wears a crown of ashes. she has taken back her rightful title, and a hostage–Prinz Soren. But her people remain enslaved under the Kaiser’s rule, and now she is thousands of miles away from them and her throne.

To get them back she will need an army. Only, securing an army means she must trust her aunt, the dreaded pirate Dragonsbane. And according to Dragonsbane, an army can only be produced if Theo takes a husband. Something an Astrean Queen has never done.

Theo knows that freedom comes at a price, but she is determined to find a way to save her country without losing herself.” -Delacorte Press

Author Biography:

“Laura Sebastian grew up in South Florida and attended Savannah College of Art and Design. She now lives and writes in New York City. Laura is the author of the New York Times bestseller Ash Princess and its sequel, Lady Smoke.” -Delacorte Press

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

After reading Ash Princess and falling in love with the story, I had to get my hands on the sequel! I pre-ordered Lady Smoke and got it in the mail the day it came out. I put all I had planned for that afternoon and dove right in. I got through about half of the novel that first night; I simply did not want to stop. This novel is an amazing continuation to Ash Princess.

This novel picks up after Theo’s escaping the grasp of the Kaiser in the first novel. Theo now fights to gain alliances to take back her throne. Though, she finds herself in a tricky situation. To accomplish her goal, she must sacrifice much of the freedom she fought so hard to gain. She has to negotiate and find the best ally to help her take back her country. She goes through a long journey full of danger and adventure. I was annoyed for a long portion of this novel. In the first novel, I was so annoyed with the Kaiser. I hated him, which was the point of his character. I wanted Theo to kill him and could not wait for that grand finale. It did not end how I wanted, but it gave me hope for good things to come in Lady Smoke.

In Lady Smoke, I was so annoyed, in the same manner, with Dragonsbane. I mean, in a sense, her character is trying to help the naive Theo get the best alliance, but Dragonsbane just got on my nerves. I had hopes that she would be like a Professor Snape character: one readers hate/are annoyed with until the very end. That hope for the character kept me invested in her as a character. I wanted her to actually become likable.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Saskia Maarleveld

Maarleveld does an such an  excellent job narrating this second novel in the Ash Princess series! She effectively captivates the emotions of the characters and gives the listening experience a satisfactory feeling of being submerged in the story. However, just as the first novel, I did have to read at more than a 1.5 speed. 1.0 speed was too slow for me, and was quite dreadful to listen in that speed. At 1.25 speed, Maarleveld’s narration is about the speed I read, so I enjoyed it at that speed more. However, I did want to get through it quicker so I listened to it at a faster listening speed. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.75 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. 

Other works by this Author:

Ash Princess Series

  • Ash Princess
  • Lady Smoke
Posted in Book Review Blog

Heroine Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Heroine

by Mindy McGinnis

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: N/A

Hardcover: $17.99

Kindle: $17.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $19.16 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited) 

Before Reading Facts:

Heroine by Mindy McGuinnis was published in 2019 by Katherine Tegen Books.

Page Count: 432 (hardcover) 432 (kindle)

Audiobook length: 08 hrs 33 mins

Chapters: 56

Language: English 

Summary of Book:

“When a car crash sidelines Mickey just before softball season, she has to find a way to hold on to her spot as the catcher for a team expected to make a historic tournament run. Behind the plate is the only place she’s ever felt comfortable, and the painkillers she’s been prescribed can help her get there. The pills do more than take away pain; they make her feel good. But as the pressure to be Micky Catalan heightens, her need increases, and it becomes less about pain and more about want, something that could send her spiraling out of control.” -Katherine Tegen Books

Author Biography:

“Mindy McGinnis is the author of Not a Drop to Drink and its companion, In a Handful of Dust, as well as This Darkness Mine, The Female of the Species, Given to the Sea, and the Edgar Award-winning novel A Madness So Discreet. A graduate of Otterbein University with a BA in English literature and religion, Mindy lives in Ohio. You can visit her online at www.mindymcginnis.com.” -Katherine Tegen Books

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

My first reaction after reading this book was, “Damn!” I won an ARC copy of Heroine a week before its release, so I made room for it, throwing all other books on my TBR list out of the way to get to it as soon as possible. I read it the day of its release, after having finished The Cuckoo’s Calling just two days before. I didn’t start any other book but chose to wait until I received the audiobook I pre-ordered in order to read this book right away. 

I didn’t really know what to expect. I will admit that I was kind of scared/nervous to read this book. I knew, after reading the blurb in the back of the book, that this was going to be a book that hit on a very serious topic. I knew that it was going to bring into awareness a very important issues. I wasn’t sure if I could handle it, didn’t know if I was prepared to read something like this. When I first started, the very first chapter grabbed my attention. The structure of the novel and its introduction of Mickey’s accident at the beginning allowed me to be interested in her and what was going to happen to her. I wanted to know what she was going to go through and the complications that were going to arise as a result of the accident. 

The progression of the story allowed me to see Mickey’s growing problem. It allowed me to empathize with this character. Reading her story allowed me to not only empathize with her but with anyone who had a story like her. The entire story brought to my awareness the struggles with addiction and the ignorance most of us have about how those individuals got to that state. This was a very daring story, one that focuses on humanizing people with addiction and shifting the audience’s attention to not see them as junkies but as people, people who have made a mistake, people who deserve our attention, our support, and our awareness. 

I would like to note that this novel does have an abundant amount of profanity. I would like to advise that to those of us who do not enjoy books with a lot of that in it. I listened to the audiobook while reading along and found it to be a little uncomfortable, so keep that in mind if you are listening aloud where others can here or if you are choosing a book to read for your teenagers. There is depictions of drug use as well, so again, keep that in mind if you are a parent wondering if this is something you want your youth to read. It is definitely a powerful novel and raises awareness to the severity of drug addiction, but keep in mind that the author does not hold back. I loved the author’s willingness to write this novel. 

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Brittany Pressley

Pressley’s narration at 1.0 speed was slow but extremely well done. To really get into this story and if you have time, I would recommend listening at this speed. It’s a bit dramatized, which I found amazing and the reason I would want to listen to it at this speed. At 1.25 speed, her narration is about as normal conversation speed. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at at either a 1.50 speed so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 and 3.5 speed was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. 

Other works by this Author:

Novels

  • Heroine 
  • This Darkness Mine
  • The Female of the Species
  • A Madness So Discreet

Given to the Sea Duology

  • Given to the Sea
  • Given to the Earth

Not a Drop to Drink Duology

  • Not a Drop to Drink
  • In a Handful of Dust
Posted in Book Review Blog

The Capture Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

The Capture

by Tom Isbell

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $9.99

Hardcover: $17.18

Kindle: $9.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $24.95 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

The Capture by Tom Isbell was published in 2016 by HarperTeen.

Page Count: 464 pages (paperback) 448 (hardcover) 467 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 10 hrs 41 mins

Chapters: 61

Languages: English 

Summary of Book:

“Fifteen escaped and found their way to a new territory, but Book, Hope, and Cat can’t settle into their new free life knowing the rest of the Less Thans and Sisters are still imprisoned. Now the teens must retrace their steps to save the others, even as relationships are tested and the path back is filled with more heart-pounding danger.

With new enemies lurking, the group must put their fate in the hands of unexpected allies, but at what cost? They must ask themselves what they’re willing to do to free their friends–and what will happen if the place they left behind is no longer the way it was.

This daring sequel to The Prey is a riveting story of survival, courage, and doing what’s right, no matter how hard” HarperTeen

Author Biography:

“Tom Isbell is an actor-author-professor: A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, he has acted in theater, film, and TV, working opposite Robert De Niro, Ed Harris, Sarah Jessica Parker, and others. Currently a theater professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, he has had three of his plays produced by the Theater for Young Audiences at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, including Teddy Roosevelt and the Treasure of Ursa Major, which was adapted into a book with then-First Lady Laura Bush penning the foreword. Tom and his wife, Pat, live in Duluth, Minnesota. You can visit him online at www.tomisbell.com. ” -HarperTeen

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

The Capture is an excellent sequel to The Prey! Just as I loved the action and adventure throughout the entire first book, this second part of Book and Hope’s journey did not disappoint. This second part was full of new challenges for the characters, and I found myself constantly wondering what was going to be in store for both Book and Hope. I kept worrying of whether they would end up together at last in the end of this book or if their relationship would drift farther apart.

The Capture leaves the reader curious to know what is going to be the final battle these character must endure and  has readers questioning whether they will ever get any freedom. Is such a thing even possible for these characters or are they destined to die fighting for it?  The ending is not satisfying enough and the reader is not entirely sure what will come next, so reading the third book in the series is a must! Let me clarify, the ending is not bad. It’s satisfying enough for this book, but their story has to continue, and it surely does in The Release.

I recall having first read this novel when the third book had not been released yet. I had to spend many days wonder what might be in store for these characters. That is how invested I was in these characters and this series. Luckily for me, I finished reading The Capture just about a month and a half before The Release came out, so I was able to get my hands on the third book and see what is next. In all, The Capture is a satisfying continuation to The Prey.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Christian Barillas and Ariana Delawari

Barillas and Delawari do an excellent job narrating this second part of the series. It was so satisfying knowing that this second part was narrated by the same amazing narrators of the first book! Their narration was once more extremely enjoyable even at a 1.0 speed. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.5 speed, so one does not miss anything. Once more, this speed is also my favorite speed to listen to this story. It is not too fast nor to slow. For those who are listening while reading the book and want to listen at a faster pace, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. 

Other works by this Author:

The Prey Series

  • The Prey
  • The Capture
  • The Release
Posted in Digital Journal Blog

Social Media: Best Finds of the Week

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Media 1:

(If video is not accessible, follow the link here.)

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • I came across this second media while scrolling through Instagram.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The original genre was a video shared by ilikechike Instagram page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • I came across this video on Instagram while scrolling through my feed. It was posted on the ilikechike Instagram page.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to advertise their protein coffee product.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to stop and watch. I have purchased this product before and really liked it, so I stopped to check if the video was to promote some sort of sale.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and watched the full video. Then I check the message that was posted along with the video to see if they were advertising a promotion. They weren’t, but I still enjoyed the video and gave it a like because I really enjoy their products.

If your engagement was active, provide the rhetorical situation for the media (1 per week)

  • Purpose: The purpose of this media was to advertise the company’s protein coffee product.
  • Audience: The intended audience was gym goers, coffee lovers, and anyone looking for a quick, on-the-go coffee beverage they can prepare before taking off.
  • Genre: The medium used was Instagram, and the genre used was a video.
  • Context: This was being shared and discussed on Instagram by anyone who follows the ilikechike page.
  • Exigence: This media focused on the coffee product’s quick and easy preparation.
  • Subject: The subject of this media was the protein coffee product and specifically to show how quick the preparation time is.

Media 2:

(If video is not accessible, follow the link here.)

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • I came across this second media while scrolling through Instagram.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The original genre was a video shared by bestvines Instagram page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • I came across this video on Instagram. It was shared on the bestvines Instagram page.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to entertain and show some cheer-leading practice bloopers.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to stop and watch. I stopped and watched the video multiple times. I don’t know why, but I saw myself relating to the first girl that fell in the video. I couldn’t help but laugh and think to myself, “that was the biggest “Nope!” I have seen in a while. She is so me.”

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and watched the video multiple times. I had not originally noticed the two other girls that messed up. I had only focused on the first one for like the first ten times I saw the video. I had to then watch it at least ten more times to see what the other two girls did. When the girl landed on the one on the ground, I knew I had to check the comments to see what kind of things people where saying, and the comments were just as hilarious.

Media 3:

View this post on Instagram

Who else laughs like this?

A post shared by BVIRAL™ (@bviral) on

(If video is not accessible, follow the link here.)

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • I came across this second media while scrolling through Instagram.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The original genre was a video shared by bestvines Instagram page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • I came across this video on Instagram. It was shared on the bestvines Instagram page.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to entertain.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to stop and watch. I stopped and watched the full video. In a sense, I found myself relating to this video. Sometimes I do find myself laughing at month old jokes that I randomly remember.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and watched the full video. I then checked the comments to see what others had to say.

Media 4:

View this post on Instagram

Nothing better

A post shared by BVIRAL™ (@bviral) on

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • I came across this second media while scrolling through Instagram.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The original genre was a meme shared by bestvines Instagram page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • I came across this meme on Instagram. It was shared on the bestvines Instagram page.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to entertain and make people laugh.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to laugh at how accurate this meme was to me. If the condition in the meme don’t match, I cannot get to sleep at night, so I found it very relateable.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. My first reaction was to laugh. I stopped and took a closer look at the picture, liked it, and check the comment section to see what others were saying.

Media 5:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My fifth media is a video that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for this a video. The original source of the image was created and/or shared on the Erin at Health Nut News Facebook page.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • This media was shared by David on Facebook.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to provide a historical moment in what was originally a male only marathon.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction was to watch the video and see what it was about.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I stopped and watched the full video then did a quick fact-check to make sure the information on the video was accurate.