Review: Floresha (Metamorphosis#1) by L.C. Perry

Floresha (Metamorphosis#1) 

by L.C. Perry

Seventeen year old Ringzette Almer is a Torosapien that lives in a world that is just as gripping as it is beautiful. The world, Floresha, has taken the place of Earth which was destroyed centuries ago by an unknown power. There are four main tribes that live as a part of its inhabitants: The Chayas, the Marconnis, the Wielders and the Juugulars. 

Ringzette, a Chaya, is plunged deeper into her world when she comes across a mysterious man who implants a gem on her stomach. As if things couldn’t get any stranger, she is told that her claimed to be dead brother may not be dead after all and a father she never knew has left her with an unfeasible mission that he himself was unable to complete. Now with her whole world on her shoulders, Ringzette must break the forbidden rule of travelling to the other tribes and find the six guardians that are born to protect this planet. She not only has to race against time, but also the enemies destined to destroy the very same people she must find and protect. To make matters worse, she will have to accomplish all this while managing to survive the treacherous lands of the tribes she's only heard of from her textbooks. As a lazy teenager born from a tribe of peacekeepers, what are her chances of making it through this alive?

My Take:

All Ringzette wants is another hour of sleep. But that's not going to happen, with the fate of the entire planet on her shoulders. A mysterious wizard hands her a huge gem that embeds itself into her stomach, a gem that will help her detect the Six Foreigners, whose reincarnated destiny is to save the world from an impending entity bent on its destruction. 

The six Foreigners are in the forbidden lands of the other Torsapien species, lands not only off-limits to the Chayas, but deadly as well. To make matters worse, the Foreigners have six counterparts, the Terrestrials, whose only goal is to slay the Foreigners before they can be awakened to their powers and destiny. Without any authority, without any abilities, without any plan other than to get moving, Ringzette must somehow save the world. But hey, that's what heroes do.

Content:

Drug Content:
G – There is very little alcohol in this novel, and no substance abuse. 
 
Violence:
PG-13 – There's a lot of violence, a lot of blood, and characters nearly burned to death. A healer really has her work cut out for her here.
 
Language:
R – The F-bomb is dropped almost 50 times here, with a lot of other coarse language spewed out, mainly from one race of creatures in this party. I get it, it's a plot device, to show the differences between the prim Chayas and the down and dirty Juugulars. But it's a bit to wade through.
 
Adult Content:
PG – The Juugulars are a violent race, and there are several attacks leading towards rape of one of the characters. Nothing occurs specifically onscreen, but there's a lot of adult language and innuendo scattered around..
 
Christian content:
Not a bit. This isn't a hymnal, and it's not the book of common prayer. It's a hard and fast adventure story, and none of the characters in the novel seemed to show much faith other than in one another or themselves. That having been said, I did discover that some characters that seem irredeemable turn a corner, and several are willing to die for one another, or at least get in harm's way to protect each other. So there's that. 

  

Final Analysis:
The Good Parts first: Floresha was a good start to what looks like an excellent epic fantasy, with stunningly detailed worldbuilding, a nicely defined main character arc, reasonable side character development, and acceptable banter. Hints of romantic interest added just a touch of spice. Floresha contained plenty of action, lots of complex battle scenes involving multiple supernatural powers. There were places where I found the book difficult to put down. But unfortunately those times weren't the majority. The fight scenes were frenetic and a little confusing, and moved so fast I had to reread a few passages to figure out who nearly killed who. There was plenty of action, which kept coming over and over again. The bad guys (and girls) were sufficiently bad, but their taunts and actions seemed a bit one-dimensional. The language was a bit much also, and kept kicking me out of the story. I read and review a wide range, and am ok with language in a book (though I'll report what I find here of course, it's what I do). But this seemed a little gratuitous.

All in all, the best things about this book were the worldbuilding, the plot, and the stakes, which couldn't have been higher. I'm a fan of epic fantasy, and this book did deliver the goods, but the dialog and pacing just didn't send me. Four Stars!

About the Author:

L.C. Perry is a young Black bi aromantic/grey-ace author who’s both socially awkward and distractingly imaginative. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Emory University and is a proud binge-watcher of anime and horror movies. She also knows too many Spongebob quotes, can’t dance to save her life, and has an unhealthy obsession when it comes to vanilla almond milk and caramel cake. Her goal as a writer is to continue writing YA while elevating underrepresented voices. Her areas of expertise are the Fantasy, Dystopian and Contemporary genres for the YA audience.
When she isn’t writing, reading, or binge-watching, she’s visualizing original stories inside her head—with the help of music, of course.

Feel free to follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/L.C.Perry3350/

Review: The Last Homecoming by Dan Chabot

 

HOME IS WHERE THE HEARTSTRINGS ARE… Three troubled strangers gather on Christmas Eve to say farewell to a doomed old house, the secure shelter and refuge where each of them grew up over the course of 90 years. They all have warm, golden memories of youthful, magical Christmases here, and of the Rockwell-esque small town that nourished them as children. These old walls were witness to the stories of… …An elderly, feisty nun with life-searing experiences as a nurse in World War II, whose promiscuous youth still haunts her; …A depressed former Major League baseball pitcher who is contemplating a horrific act; …The hometown newspaper editor, still dealing with the tragic consequences of her long-ago teenage love affair. They are joined by their gracious host, the last owner of the house, whose own deep attachment has led her to stage this last homecoming for people who know it is not just a house, but a shrine of memories and echoes. But before it goes down to make way for a new bridge, this safe old sanctuary has surrendered some astonishing final secrets…

My Take:

The large old home in Upper Peninsula Michigan that Nettie Tannehill has lived in for 40 years is about to be torn down, a victim of a new bridge into town which somehow had to come through her old neighborhood. This 90 year old home has been a shelter from the storm for four families and countless neighborhood children, and the memories stored inside those hallowed walls are priceless. Who can set a value on what a home is worth? She's fought against the eminent domain order, somehow won and lost, and now she will be losing a lifelong friend. But in order to properly say goodbye to the old home, she gathers all the families that have dwelt there for one last Christmas together, to say goodbye. 

The house has been home to a tough nurse in WW II, a nun, a war hero, a major league baseball player, a newspaper editor. All these families are now facing terrible decisions, insurmountable crises, and ruin. But here, in this last Christmas gathering, they have a moment to return, reflect, and recharge. And the old home is about to reveal its deeply hidden secrets. Ones that will impact them all.

Content:

Drug Content:
PG – There's a bit of drinking, and a few people in town suffer the consequences of uncontrolled alcoholism. Bar life is unpacked.  
 
Violence:
PG – The tragic plight of kids with cancer is touched on, and some of the conditions and violence of war is described, but nothing too graphic.
 
Language:
PG - There's a light salting of coarse language.
 
Adult Content:
PG - There are the consequences of premarital sex. Petting is discussed, and the youthful conquests and escapades. There's no on-screen action.
 
Christian content:
Every family struggles with their faith, and each has a different story to tell. There are church and convent scenes, and frank discussions about God's direction and purpose for our lives. Deeply moving acts of service, compassion, and self-sacrifice are unpacked. The consequences of unforgiveness, hate, and spite are depicted. 

  

Final Analysis:
The Last Homecoming by Dan Chabot is a beautiful and moving slice of Americana. Its wistful descriptions of life through the last century are a masterpiece of worldbuilding. The simple life of yesteryear tugs at the heartstrings. And the description of life in UP is especially meaningful to me, as my grandmother came from there, and the iron mines of Ironwood, MI. Her pasties were a favorite memory of mine. It's amazing how one can remember the taste of something from half a century ago. And as a bonus, at the end of this book there's a recipe for them!

I have to admit, this book is packed with heartwarming stories that will have you in tears. So bring a tissue, because you'll need it. Great world building, wonderful characters, and an epic saga of hope to tie it up in a beautiful bow. Five Stars!

About the Author:

Dan Chabot is a veteran newspaper editor, writer and columnist. His latest novel, "The Pot of Gold at the Rainbow Cafe," is a heart-warming story about what's right with America, its big heart and its kind and generous people, still a nation of exceptionalism, opportunity and fairy-tale endings. He has written three others: "Godspeed: a Love Story," poses an intriguing question -- How can a lie be wrong when it makes so many people feel so good? "The Last Homecoming" (Everybody remembers the house they grew up in) brings together at Christmas, for a final farewell to a doomed old house, four people who grew up there over the course of 90 years. "Emma's Army" pokes some fun at today's woke culture.

These days Chabot lives in Florida.