CSFF Blog Tour- Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet

This month, the CSFF Blog Tour is featuring Jeffrey Overstreet's Auralia's Colors, the first book and Red Strand in the Auralia Thread.

Summary:

Cloaked in mystery, Auralia grows up among criminals outside the walls of House Abascar, where vicious beastmen lurk in shadow. There, she discovers an unsettling--and forbidden--talent for crafting colors that enchant all who behold them, including Abascar's hard-hearted king, an exiled wizard, and a prince who keeps dangerous secrets.

Auralia's gift opens doors from the palace to the dungeons, setting the stage for violent and miraculous change in the great houses of the Expanse.

Weaknesses:

-Too many points-of-view. The large amount of points-of-view was disorienting and frustrating. I felt like I barely got to know any of the characters, and it was difficult to even determine who the book was about. This really hurt my enjoyment of the book, especially since characters are the most important part of a book for me.

-Seems to wander a bit. I wasn't sure what the plot would turn out being, though it did pick up toward the end of the book. I would have appreciated more conflict or more obvious direction to the plot.

Strengths:

-Eventual interest in some of the characters, particularly Auralia, the ale boy, and Prince Cal-raven. However, it took more than half of the book before this happened for me.

-Some beautiful, almost poetic setting descriptions. The book is rich in detail and colors (no pun intended). There are plenty of passages like this spread throughout the book, and many of them would be worth reading again for their beauty and the wonderful way the words flow together.

You can find out more about Auralia's Colors at Jeffrey Overstreet's blog or at the Auralia's Colors website.

Please take a moment to visit some of the other blogs on the CSFF Blog Tour and see what they have to say about Auralia's Colors.
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Pamela Morrisson
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

Living in Him,
Becca Johnson

Two-thirds of My Novel Completed!

I've completed two-thirds of the rough draft of my WIP (work-in-progress) as of tonight! I'm very excited! :D I can't wait to announce the completion on here. What a celebration that will be! Thank you for celebrating all the important milestones with me. It's quite a thrill to watch this story finally happen. :)

Writing on to the great novel ending,
In Him,
Becca Johnson

CSFF Blog Tour- Scarlet by Stephen R. Lawhead

This month, the CSFF Blog Tour is featuring Stephen R. Lawhead's Scarlet, the second book in the King Raven Trilogy.

Summary:
After searching for some time, Will Scarlet finds King Raven's band of men and earns a place among them. He fights with them to help the villagers under the invading Normans. Soon, Scarlet is thrown in prison and sentenced to hang for a crime he did not commit. He tells his story to a scribe while he waits for either death or rescue.

Weaknesses:
-At first, the changes from first-person present, to first-person past, to third-person past, and back again confused me and threw me off, but the story soon sucked me in and I no longer noticed.

-Occasionally, the descriptions would go on for what felt like too long, and my attention would begin to slip. That might be because I am often an impatient reader, but I still think some of the descriptions could have been shorter.

Strengths:
-I really fell in love with the main character of this book, Scarlet. Something about the way he expresses himself and his personality really appealed to me. I felt very attached to him, and I think that seeing most of the story from his point-of-view really contributed to that.

-Lawhead does an excellent job of making the reader feel like they really are in Wales while all of this is happening. His descriptions pull you in with their beauty and excellent sensory details.

-Lawhead did a great job of making me hate the bad guys in the book. Injustice really gets to me, and these guys displayed the pinnacle of injustice. I like books that have bad guys I can really despise. It's more fun that way. :P

Please take a moment to visit some of the other blogs participating in this tour, as well as Stephen R. Lawhead's website.
Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Karen McSpadden
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Lyn Perry
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespac
Daniel I. Weaver
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

Live the adventure!

Becca Johnson

50,000 Words Reached!

I reached 50,000 words in my work-in-progress (WIP) tonight! :D I'm so excited! I have at least 30,000 words left to go, and this book is getting more and more interesting. Every day, I fall in love with the characters and world just a little bit more. It's fun! :P

Loving the adventure of writing in Him,
Becca Johnson