IT'S YOUR STORY // how similar stories still have their own impact

Last week I told y'all that I recently watched/read The Hunger Games for the first time, and I shared all the uncanny similarities I noticed between them and the Out of Time series . In case you missed my post last week: 

- MC Girl goes to Scary Thing and has to figure out how to survive

-Girl's journey is broadcast across the country

-Potential love interest in Scary Place with her

-But other guy who is also possible love interest is back home watching her journey unfold

-Attacked by wolves

-Somebody loses a limb (book only, in THG's case)

-There's a little sidekick girl

-MC comes back at the end triumphant and super famous

(there were things throughout all three books of each trilogy, but the most similarities were in the first books.)

Crazy, huh? When I was watching the first THG movie, I was just floored by all the little details and bigger elements alike that the two books had in common. And these were all besides the obvious fact that they're both YA dystopians, too. 

So, yeah, the two books/series are ridiculously similar in some ways, almost enough that it could have been on purpose. But you know what struck me about this?

Both stories are still vastly different.

Even with so many aspects that these books shared, did I feel like I was experiencing the same story when I was watching THG? Not at all. Sure, it's a dystopian about a teenage girl rising above the odds to survive and eventually change her world. Sure, there were scary similarities. But still, A Time to Die was in no way a repeat of The Hunger Games! 

So, what does this mean, exactly? What point am I making? 

Even though two stories may be similar, they are still different stories written by different people. And because of that, they each matter in their own ways. They will hit the hearts of readers in different ways. They will do different things. Though the overall idea of the stories might be the same, and though they might share a crazy amount of similarities, they bring different things to the table. 

Writer, if you're worrying about your story being too similar to someone else's- stop. Especially if you're in the early stages of writing it. Chances are, it's not too similar to really matter. And even if it has as many similarities as ATTD and THG, or even more... you don't need to worry about that right now. 

Someday you might need to. Maybe when you're in the publishing process and your editor says that X concept needs to be tweaked because it's too close to something in a story that's already famous. But for right now, just write your story. Maybe that element that will need to change later is necessary right now to make your story what it will eventually become. Or maybe it will stay exactly the same and will forever bear a parallel to another well-established story. That's okay. That other story is not yours, and your story has something the other one doesn't. 

(obviously there are exception. if you're planning on naming your character katniss... I can tell you right now that's not going to work out. xD)

And I think that goes for similarities between your own stories, too. Everyone always talks about elements and tropes they tend to weave into their books, and... my characters are always in hiding, from either the villain or the authorities. xD I don't know why. It's certainly not intentional. But for whatever reason, my cast is always either outrunning whatever is that storyworld-equivalent of the cops, or hiding from the villain. I've wondered before if that's a problem- surely it's something people would notice one day if all my stories are published and out in the world- but I don't need to worry about that. Maybe eventually I'll need to rethink it, maybe I won't. But even if I didn't change them at all, they are all still very different stories. 

So, if you're discouraged because you don't think your story is original enough, or you think it's too similar to a famous movie or book- take heart. Keep writing. Whatever your story is meant to be, it will become that if you don't give up on it. Imagine if Nadine Brandes had noticed all the similarities between her story and The Hunger Games, and given up on writing it. A lot of people's lives would be different, because her books have impacted SO many lives in ways The Hunger Games hasn't. (And the other way around!) 

Write that story, friend. It's your story. The world needs it. And only you can write it the way you do. ♥

I MAKE MY RETURN // what I've been up to on hiatus!

Hiii everyone! I'm officially back from hiatus! *makes grand entrance*

So, I was gone a little longer than I said I would be. I only planned to be away for the month of April. Then the first Saturday in May came along and I realized I hadn't written my blog post. xD SO, I decided then and there to go ahead and extend my break a couple more weeks. That way I could finish out the semester with minimal stress. 

And I'm glad I did! I'm so thankful that these last few weeks of school have been (mostly) relaxed and easy... but also SUPER thankful they're over. ;) 

Since I've been gone for a little while, I thought I'd share some of what I've been up to these past couples months! (going back to March, since I didn't do a monthly recap for it) So, buckle in for longwinded randomness. xD (it's been a while, guys. I've got to catch up.)

So many great books, guys!! 

I finally read the Ravenwood Saga by Morgan Busse! I've been dying to read these for a while, especially since I received a signed set this past Christmas. And what a delightful adventure they were! Such beautiful fantasy stories with one of my favorite representations of the Light that I've ever seen. 

I finally got around to reading the third Havok anthology, Bingeworthy! These anthologies must just keep getting better, because I think I enjoy each one a little bit more! 

I read The Hunger Games! More on that later, though, because I only read the books after I watched the movies and I have Things to Say.

I'm also currently in the middle of a few books that I'm really enjoying! I'm reading Hidden Current by Sharon Hinck, an ARC of Shadow by Kara Swanson, and the Warriors Against the Storm anthology. I don't even know what I'm doing with all these books. Don't ask. xD 

Oh, speaking of books and not knowing what to do with them. I bought... an exorbitant amount of books on hiatus. Just take a peek up at the photo for this blog post and... yeah. xD That's not even all of them. #oops

I won Camp NaNoWriMo! 

And my experience was quite predictably Emily-like. Meaning, I went (sort of) strong for a little while, then dropped off partway through the month, then got to the last week (or, like, two days in this case) and panic-finished. But hey, it worked. xD

Not only did I reach my Camp goal of editing 25k, but I also finished my second draft!! Roots to Claim has now been very roughly edited, and my next step is another read-through with some major planning and figuring out what needs to change because let me tell you, there is a LOT. In fact, I started wondering during Camp if maybe this needed to be a duology. *facepalm* I'm pretty sure it wouldn't need to go further than that (though I DO love trilogies...), but I think there might just be too much I'm wanting to unpack to just be one story. This will hopefully be determined when I go through it a third time and take notes of what needs to be done. 

Something writerly I did that was very exciting but also extremely nervewracking was: I sent the first ten pages of Once Upon (Trentley and Jynnia's story!) off for my paid critique at Realm Makers! I'm looking forward to it, but also am lowkey panicking about having to sit down for thirty minutes with somebody and talk about my story. xD (That's every writer's dream AND worst nightmare, am I wrong??) Before sending them, I went back through and touched them up a bit, and HELLO. I am still VERY MUCH IN LOVE WITH TRENTLEY AND JYNNIA AND I ADORE THEM AND WANT TO ADOPT THEM. I'm planning on getting back to their story over the summer, and I am so excited because I love it so much. (I had my sister read over the beginning, which she'd never read before, and she said she already wants to see Trentley and Jynnia married. So, y'know. I'm doing something right.)

Aaand also related to writing, something huge happened in April, which was that the Realm Awards finalists were announced and I saw my name on the list. But I've already done no small amount of shrieking about that here, so if you're interested in me shrieking and haven't read it yet, go read that. xD

March 18- my birthday! I turned 23, with no shortage of sadness about aging out of my Taylor Swift year. Yes, I'm still sad about it. xD 

I posted a video on my YouTube channel!

We randomly got some snow? Like, 4 inchs?? On April 20th?? What even?? It only lasted a day and it didn't even get that cold, but let me tell you I was BAMBOOZLED. I THOUGHT THIS WAS SPRING. (y'all know I LOVE me some snow but. come on. xD)

I slipped on my stairs and landed like an anvil and I'm 98% sure I bruised my tailbone. TMI? I don't care. Y'all gotta suffer with me. xD (did you know it can take up to 4 weeks for a bruised tailbone to heal? eheheh. still feeling it not gonna lie.)

One day when I was driving home, I saw a coyote run across my driveway! Where I live, we hear coyotes howling some nights, but we haven't actually seen one since we moved in close to twenty years ago. So, yeah, I was pretty surprised when one ran out in front of my car and fled across our field. xD

There was a Starbucks opened near me!! Before this past week, I'd literally had Starbucks once in my life, in a mall, and let me tell you I was EXCITED for this. I have a goal to try everything on the menu. (which isn't going so great since I went there yesterday and they were out of cake pops. not cool, dude.) 

I finished my second semester of college! So VERY glad to be done with that, although honestly this semester wasn't too bad. Still, I'm very happy to have the whole summer off. 

I watched the 2003 Peter Pan movie for the first! It was so fun! :D Very much would like to go on an adventure to Neverland now. 

The cuties!!

And speaking of watching things for the first time...

-PLEASE HOLD FOR THIS BRIEF HUNGER GAMES INTERMISSION-

(lol don't hold your breath on that "brief" thing)

SO. Like I mentioned, I watched The Hunger Games for the first time! This was SO overdue, as I've been wanting to watch these movies FOREVER. I finally watched them all with my brother (who had already seen them), and whew. What a journey. Soon after, I read the books for the first time, too, which was good because I was sad to be done with the movies and I missed all the characters. Then I finished the books and got major book hangover. xD

*Peeta throws burnt bread to Katniss* 

Me: "He's a bad baker. He can only make pita bread."

Also, can we just pause to talk about all the uncanny similarities between THG and the Out of Time series?! Because I thought of a bunch after the first movie it kind of blew my mind. There were a few later on, too (was I reaching for them at that point? yes). This is all BESIDES just the general dystopian vibes. Allow me to share: (beware, spoilers for both trilogies ahead)

Book 1: 

- MC Girl goes to Scary Thing and has to figure out how to survive

-Girl's journey is broadcast across the country

-Potential love interest in Scary Place with her

-But other guy who is also possible love interest is back home watching her journey unfold

-Attacked by wolves

-Somebody loses a limb (book only, in THG's case)

-There's a little sidekick girl

-MC comes back at the end triumphant and super famous

Book 2:

-There's snow 

-I SAW A BOWL OF POTATOES IN CATCHING FIRE (look, I told you I was reaching)

-A group of people work together to survive in the wilderness

-HER HOMETOWN IS LITERALLY BLOWN UP. That was the real kicker. UNITY VILLAGE. DISTRICT 12. GONE.

Book 3:

-There's an underground community

-In the Mockingjay movie, THEY LITERALLY USE THE TERM "RADICALS" for the rebels

-Scary Thing that Girl faced in Book 1 is done away with

??? Anybody else seeing this??? Because I was astounded. xD

And how about another mind-blowing revelation- PEETA MELLARK SHOULD HAVE BEEN OUR MASCOT IN 2020. Why? Allow me to explain. 

-We felt like we were living in a YA dystopian

-Buying ramen noodles and toilet paper was like making a run for the Cornucopia

-And everyone learned how to bake bread??? And that's what everyone did all year??? THEREFORE. PEETA MELLARK 2020. TELL ME I'M WRONG. YOU CAN'T, BECAUSE I'M A GENIUS. 

The precious bread boy < 3

Aaand I think that's about all I've been up to lately! It's been quite a lovely break, but I missed posting and I'm glad to be back now! I'm working on my plans for this summer (mostly writing-related), and I can't wait to read ALLL the books.

I'm also planning to get back to making videos on my YouTube channel, so look for that as well! Until next week! ♥ 

HIII GUYS! What have you all been up to? Any big plans for the summer? And tell me I'm not the only one who sees the Hunger Games/Out of Time thing, because I'm still in awe. xD

VERY EXCITING NEWS! (aka, Blue Bullet's Big Break)

 Hi everyone!! I'm popping back in because I just had to share some VERY EXCITING NEWS with y'all.

Are you ready? 

Remember my flash fiction story The Hero of Parker City, the story of a superhero named Blue Bullet, that was published in the Havok Bingeworthy anthology?

This lovely baby, right here!

Well... I did a thing recently. A thing I didn't tell you about.

In case you didn't know, the Realm Awards recently added a Flash Fiction category for the first time. And, well... I ENTERED BLUE BULLET'S STORY. 

AND. IT'S. A. FINALIST. 

WHAT???

I'm in complete shock right now. I saw the news and immediately started shaking and, well, if I hadn't been wearing a mask all my coworkers would have thought I was insane because I was grinning so big. I can't even begin to explain how surreal this is. 

THANK YOU ALL for your support for me and for this story! Without you, I never would have been writing these words. Blue Bullet thanks you, too, and is very, very excited to get to Realm Makers 2021 ! (okay, it's me who's excited. but he said I could say it was him.)

If you want to see all the other FANTASTIC finalists, check out the announcement HERE!  (I can't even fathom that my name is next to all these talented authors!)

THANK YOU SO MUCH again for loving Blue Bullet! I love you all so much! ♥

HIATUS NOTICE!

Hellooo, friends! I hope you're all having a lovely Saturday and Easter Weekend. 

I just wanted to let you know that I'll be going on hiatus for the month of April! It was kind of a last-minute decision, but as I'm sure you all know, it's Camp NaNoWriMo season. And though I'm actually NOT totally overwhelmed with college and everything right now, I decided it would be better to step back for a little while so I can focus a more on my WIP. (friendly reminder to let yourself take a break BEFORE you go crazy trying to do everything. :))

Also, when I come back, I'll only have a couple weeks left of this semester! *very excited* So, taking a break will help me stay on top of everything and have minimal stress leading up to the end. (did I mention I'm excited?) 

I'll still be around on Instagram,  so if you want to keep up with my Camp NaNo shenanigans, you can definitely find me over there! Until then, I wish you all a very happy Easter, and I'll see you in May! ♥

THERE'S A PLACE FOR US.

Have you ever longed for a different world? 

As readers and writers, I think most (if not all) of us can answer that with an emphatic YES. I'm sure we've all wanted to go to Narnia at some point in our lives. Or maybe Middle Earth, or Neverland, or whatever your favorite fantasy world is. 

Lately I've been feeling a deep longing for another world. In moments that feel so very imperfect, so anti-shalom, I'm reminded that this corruption is not what we're destined for. 

When the hard work of every day seems to be leading nowhere.

When your soul is worn from praying for an unsaved soul who almost ran out of chances. 

When the news is full of people killing people. 

When you ache for your friends to know a life of fulfillment in Jesus. 

There are a million other things that can cause us pain and make us long for freedom from this world. But here's the wonderful thing- someday, that will happen. 

There's a place out there for us

More than just a prayer or anything you've ever dreamed of

So when you feel like giving up

'Cause you don't fit in down here

Fear is crashing in 

Close your eyes and take my hand

This song from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has been running through my head recently. It's such a beautiful reminder of what is in our future, if we are saved by grace and living for Jesus. 

Maybe it can seem a bit morbid to talk about. After all, short of the Lord coming back, your life here has to end in order to get to heaven. But it's not death I'm longing for- it's peace. Perfect peace, light, harmony. 

Just stop and think about that for a minute. There's a place where all that exists, in perfection. Shalom. There's a place where we can live that way for. ever. And someday we, as His children, will do just that. 

Everything we've ever longed for? Peace, joy, to not be lonely anymore? There's a place for us. God promised not to deny us any good thing, and He's prepared a place where we will receive everything good that He sees fit to give us.

And perhaps that's partly why those fictional worlds mean so much to us.

I'm not at all implying that heaven is meant more for creatives than non-creatives. Heaven is equally for each and every one of God's children, and it would be tragically wrong to suggest otherwise. BUT, I do think that we as writers, readers, other-world dreamers, can long for heaven in a bit of an extra-special way. We spend our lives wanting to visit or even live in a world other than the one we live in. 

I used to wonder if I should feel guilty for feeling that way, for so desiring to step out of this world and into a fictional one. God created this world for us, and it's amazing. It's imperfect, but it's what He gave us to live in, care for, and serve Him with. Worlds like Narnia are fabricated from a finite man's mind- it's not real. So are we disrespecting God and His creation by looking beyond the world we live in and dreaming of living elsewhere?

I truly don't think so.

Let me be clear in saying that we absolutely should appreciate the world God made. It's exactly what He intended for us here, so we shouldn't disrespect it. After all, God didn't create it to be corrupt- humans made it that way. So yes, we should care for our world like He wants us to and know that it's home. 

But I believe we were made to long for another world.

    They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

         -John 17:16

We don't belong here. It's ours to do with as we will for right now, but in the long run it doesn't belong to us and we don't belong to it. We're just living every day getting closer and closer to the day when we'll finally get to go to heaven and leave behind all the pain and suffering and worry and death. 

Why do we read? Why do we watch movies? Short answer: To escape reality. To leave the real world behind for a little while and take a peek elsewhere. To find hope and light and belonging when we can't seem to feel it real life. 

Perhaps God even smiles when we read a book and long to be in that storyworld. Perhaps it deepens His ache to pull us out of this corrupt world and into His perfect one, because He sees that we're not content here. That we were made for more. 

When the water meets the sky

Where your heart is free and hope comes back to life

When these broken hands are whole again

We'll find what we've been waiting

We were made for so much more

Oh my.

We were made for so much more.

How powerfully exciting is that?? We weren't made for this grueling life we live down here. For the doubt and the weariness and the heartache. That's where we are right now, and God wants us to give Him glory while we're here. But ultimately, we were made for fellowship with the King and Creator of the universe. For life abundant, without sin or death. 

Think of the happiest moment of your life. Or the most beautiful sight you've ever seen. Now magnify that times infinity and beyond. 

You still haven't touched the wonder that heaven will be.

Life is hard down here. We experience pain beyond what we could have possibly imagined we could endure. People hurt us. We watch horrible things happen in the world around us. 

Friends... when the corruption of this world wears you down, remember you're not going to stay here forever. There's a place for us.

So hold on 

Hold on

We could be the kings and queens of anything if we believe

It's written in the stars that shine above

A world where you and I belong

Where faith and love will keep us strong

Exactly who we are is just enough

There's a place for us.

So, next time you read The Chronicles of Narnia, or Lord of the Rings, or whatever story that has a world you're wistful for, remember- someday, we'll have our chance to experience a journey to a wonderful land of paradise. We'll stay there forever. And it will be better than anything we've ever longed for.

Don't give up. One day we'll move to our forever home, and there will be joy and fulfillment like we've never known. That's where we belong. 

THE MUSIC TAG (in which I have great taste)

Happy Saturday, everyone! You may have noticed I randomly skipped posting last week. Whoopsies. xD Me and planning posts ahead don't get along, but we're working on our relationship. 

BUT here I am this week, and I'm doing a tag for the first time in quite a while! (at least, it's been a while since I did one I was actually tagged for. xD) Nicole tagged me almost a YEAR ago (hehe whoopsies again) for the Music Tag, and I'm super excited to just ramble about music and share my slightly random music taste with y'all!

THE RULES

-Write ten songs that come on shuffle (no skipping). I'm not really sure how they want me to do this so I guess I'll just do my "on repeat" playlist on Spotify?

-Write your favorite lyric from each song. 

-Tag some people. Lol. We all know I'm not gonna do that.

ALL RIGHT. Here we go. Prepare yourself, because I have no idea how this is gonna go. xD

(okay I technically broke the rules already because literally the first song that I came to was the Skyrim theme which had no lyrics so)

1. WORN by Tenth Avenue North

I love this song. I LOVE THIS SONG. It's hard to choose a favorite lyric because they're all fantastic. And it's kind of hard to say I have a "favorite" lyric anyway, because the whole song is kind of sad. don't be deterred it really is a great song But here's one part that means a lot: 

I know I need to lift my eyes up

But I'm too weak

Life just won't let up

And I know that You can give me rest

So I cry out with all that I have left

I first started loving this song last semester, when I was just feeling so tired and, well, worn. I was exhausted mentally and physically, and all I could do was trust God and try to rest in Him. 

2. NEVER ENDING STORY by LIMAHL

*screams at top of lungs* TUUUUURN AROUUUUND

Ahem. This song gets me very excited. xD I can't really pick any favorite lyrics from this song, because they're kind of odd honestly, so I'll just put the first few lines; but just know that this song is very nostalgic and that opening music will get me pumped every time. (go listen to it if you haven't heard it. and watch the movie. YOU NEED TO WATCH THE MOVIE.)

Turn around

Look at what you see

In her face

The mirror of your dreams

3. IMMORTALS by FALL OUT BOY

Another song with odd lyrics. Honestly, I don't think I've ever heard a Fall Out Boy song that's made much sense. xD 

Sometimes the only payoff for having any faith

Is when it's tested again and again every day

I'm still comparing your past to my future

It might be your wound but they're my sutures

(like seriously what are they talking about) (but the first couple lines in that part are kind of neat)

4. DARE by STAN BUSH

ANOTHER SONG I LOVE! It's from the eighties and I just think it's so cool. I have it on my college playlist to motivate me. xD

Sometimes when your hopes have all been shattered

There's nowhere to turn

You don't know how you'll keep going 

Think of all the things that really matter

And the chances you've earned

The fire in your heart in growing

You can fly if you try leaving the past behind

Heaven only knows what you might find

Dare

Dare to believe you can survive

You hold the future in your hand

Dare

Dare to keep all your dreams alive

It's time to take a stand

You can win if you dare

(I know that was a lot of lyrics but like I said I love this song so xD)

5. THE WHOLE OF THE MOON by CELTIC WOMAN

I've been getting back into Celtic Woman lately after not listening to them for a long while, and I forgot how fantastic they are. This is one of my favorite songs to hear them sing, and it takes a couple times of really listening to it but the lyrics are beautiful!

I was grounded

While you filled the skies

I was dumbfounded by truths

You cut through lies

I saw the rain-dirty valley

You saw Brigadoon

I saw the crescent

You saw the whole of the moon

I love picturing the dreamy person these lyrics could be about. Someone who sees so much magic in life, who isn't afraid to live and do the important things. This song isn't new to me, but after rediscovering it recently it's one of my new favorites. 

6. NEVERLAND by ZENDAYA

WE'RE REALLY PULLING OUT ALL THE GOOD ONES HERE. I LOVE this song. I first listened to it when I was putting together my Trentley and Jynnia playlist, and fell in love with it. I'll use the word "dreamy" again, because this song is dreamy, and magical, and nostalgic, and just so lovely. It also gives me major Dust vibes (Kara Swanson's book) and I would like to see Dust made into a movie with this song as the theme song, please and thank you very much. 

We can sail away tonight

On a sea of pure moonlight

We can navigate the stars to bring us back home

In a place so far away

We'll be young, that's how we'll stay

Every wish is our command

When we find ourselves in Never, Neverland

7. SHADOWS by TENTH AVENUE NORTH

I'm not as familiar with this TAN song, but it's from the same album as Worn, and the whole album is seriously great. Go listen to it.

Oh, Lord, light up my dark eyes

Teach me to let go

I’ve been runnin’

Chasing nothing but shadows

8. THE STRUGGLE by TENTH AVENUE NORTH

I told you this album is great. xD 

Hallelujah, death is overcome

And we are breathing

Hallelujah our stone hearts become flesh

A flesh that's beating

Hallelujah chains have been undone

And we are singing

Hallelujah the fire has begun

Can you feel it?

9. RISE by DANNY GOKEY

Another great song! And another one I find hard to find favorite lyrics from. So, here's a pile of lyrics (and they're all even before the chorus so that shows you how good the song is).

There's a brokenness inside of you

There's a wound that still reminds you

Of the fear, shame and rejection

You have seen it, you have seen it

You know it's time to get up

But your heart's paralyzed, you're so stuck

You're past the point of trying again

You're defeated, you're defeated

But something inside you can't deny

You hear the call of your creator

I made you for more, unlocked the door

I wanna restore your glory

(This song is on the playlist for my story in the Warriors Against the Storm anthology, After the War, which you should definitely go listen to *nudges you toward my Spotify which is linked at the bottom of this post*)

9. THE TOUCH by STAN BUSH

Another eighties song, hehe. This one is also super cool!

You never bend, you never break

You seem to know just what it takes

You're a fighter

It's in the blood, it's in the will

It's in the mighty hands of steel

When you're standing your ground

10. DREAMS by VAN HALEN

...and another eighties song. xD

This is another one of those songs that just screams "nostalgia" to me. It was in Power Rangers: The Movie, so it takes me back to my childhood. It's also the song that inspired my Havok story Higher!

So baby, dry your eyes

Save all the tears you've cried

Oh, that's what dreams are made of

'Cause we belong

In a world that must be strong

Oh, that's what dreams are made of

Yeah, we'll get higher and higher

Straight up we'll climb

Higher and higher

Leave it all behind

Oh, we'll get higher and higher

Who knows what we'll find

And that's it! That was super fun and I'm actually really pleased with all the songs I ended up with. I guess I've just been listening to some great music lately. xD Like I said, I'm not going to tag anybody specific... so if you're reading this and want to do it, consider yourself mass tagged. You're welcome.

As promised, here's my Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/emilyd98?si=Aw5FR80oSCae7sencJgrqg

I hope you all are having a lovely weekend! I'm finishing out my spring break (very sad), and also took the weekend off from work (very happy), so I'm hoping to get some serious reading done today! I haven't been reading as much the past week or two, but hopefully today will change that. 

I also have a new YouTube video coming, probably tomorrow! Stay tuned for that. :D Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

Have you heard any of these songs? What are some of your random favorite songs? Do we have any other 80's music fans in here?

BOOK REVIEW: THE JOURNEY by VERITY A. BUCHANAN

Hellooo everyone! Today I have something super fun for you: a book review!

I don't think I've done a book review in a while now... and wonder of wonders, I'm not just blindly rambling my way through all my thoughts this time! xD Oh, there will still be plenty of rambling. I can assure you of that. BUT I think I've organized my thoughts in a way that makes some kind of sense. Lol. *literally rambles about not rambling*

ANYWAY. I was sent an eBook copy of The Journey by Verity A. Buchanan (thanks so much to the author for sending me a copy! :D) a few months back, and I finally read it a week or so ago. (Read it in one day, actually.) It was a delightful adventure and- get ready- A SIBLING STORY! Yep. There just aren't enough sibling stories out there, so I was very much excited when I realized that this one was!

Now, to avoid further rambling, I'll just drop the synopsis here and then move on to the review!

Fred Thorne must shoulder the full care and protection of his sisters after a fire leaves them homeless and friendless. He sets out to follow the last advice given to him by his great-aunt: Take the girls to Menevace, to the refuge home. But the road to Menevace is fraught with bandits, famine, and unknown dangers.

The Journey follows the three Thorne siblings through rejection, captivity, and an increasing downward spiral of guilt as Fred fails time and time again to protect his family from the dangers of a hostile world. Can the Thornes find a place of rest and safety? Will their journey ever end? Dangerous cities, breathtaking creatures, and an incredible adventure awaits in this debut novel by Verity A. Buchanan.

THE PLOT

So- as explained by my very messy words- basically this story is about three siblings who are forced to go on a journey in search of a new beginning when tragedy strikes their lives. Oh, and they also have a bunch of siblings who disappeared in different ways years ago and are still unaccounted for. YEAH. Intense stuff. 

From the start, I was super invested in these characters' stories and what would happen to them. I mean... almost from page one they go THROUGH it, y'all. MY POOR CHILDREN. I just wanted to hug them. :( (and yeah... it kind of just gets worse as it goes on. eheheh.) 

Now, to be completely honest, I kind of lost the plot at some point. I just remember stopping and realizing... I have no idea what these guys are doing. xD BUT that's not entirely the book's fault, because that happens to me quite often when I read. Oops. #payattentionEmily And since I was reading on my phone, I didn't want to scroll back to catch up and lose my place, so that's on me, too. Hehe. ANYWAY. All that being said, I did go back after and skim over the part where I got lost, and as it turns out, I'm pretty sure I was just overcomplicating things in my head. It's pretty cut and dry what they're doing. xD 

Overall, it was a pretty simple plot (which makes me wonder how I managed to lose it xD), but well done! I wasn't bored for a second, and like I said, I was very invested in where this was going to end up.

THE SETTING

Okay, so here's possibly the biggest qualm, if you would call it that, that I had about the whole book. I went into it thinking that it was fantasy, and I do still believe it's meant to be. And while it definitely has that medieval/adventure vibe (SWORDS), I... think there's really only one fantastical element in the whole book? And even that one thing kind of came up out of nowhere.  We've already established that I don't pay attention, so I could ABSOLUTELY be overlooking something super important. BUT regardless, there was definitely a serious lack of fantasy for what I assumed to be a fantasy book. It's very likely that it picks up more in the second book, but I definitely would have liked more inklings in book 1. 

That aside, I enjoyed the setting quite a lot! I think I saw a Goodreads review that compared it to Middle Earth, and I totally get what they mean. Throughout the journey (no pun intended) in this book, the characters go to a lot of different places that give you the feel of a whole world that you want to learn more about. Also... did I mention swords??

THE CHARACTERS

Now on to the best part: the characters!! There aren't a whole lot of characters to speak of (at least without spoilers ;)), but oh, how I loved the ones that there were!

Fred- I LOVE THIS BOY. He was the SWEETEST big brother! He cares so much for his sisters and wants desperately to protect them, even if it means putting himself in danger. At the same time, he's unsure that he's capable of protecting them like they need, and feels like he's failing them because of that. He just needs a big ol' hug. (also fun fact: his birthday is September 1 which is my blogiversary hehe)

Sandy- I didn't really connect with Sandy at first. She was just kind of your typical tomboyish character who didn't get along with her more finicky sister, etc. But there was a point where I kind of fell in love with her, because she comes to a very relatable place that I think deepened her character a little more. I don't want to give much away, but basically she realizes that she's not what she thought she was and that she's been denying that about herself. I explained that REALLY badly, but I'm eager to see where this journey goes in the next book.

Marjorie- Most of the the finicky sisters, as I referred to her previously, are kind of irritating. I don't think I ever really got that with Marjorie? She had her moments of conflict with Sandy (which is always annoying because WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG), but for the most part I think she really just wants her family to be okay. She's a very sweet character and, again, I look forward to seeing more of her in the future.

Overall, I loved these siblings! There was this cute little unspoken competition of sorts (at least, Sandy seemed to think it was a competition xD) between the sisters to be Fred's "favorite" and get his attention. Sandy loved to make her brother smile and it made her smile to be see him happy and that made me smile and IT'S JUST THE CUTEST THING. 

OTHER THOUGHTS

I can't really say much about this point because major spoilers... but there was something that occurred in the book that held a tad bit of unbelievability. Basically, one big game-changing discovery led to another, which led to another, at which point it just felt... kind of unrealistic. Like it was more for convenience, you know? I wouldn't mind this if there were some sort of explanation as to how happened that way... but this way just felt a bit forced. (If you've read the book and know what I'm referring to, I definitely want to know what you think!)

Also, I'm kind of assuming this is geared more toward the YA audience, since the main characters are in their upper teens and early twenties. However, it's a pretty short book, and it felt a bit more like a middle-grade. So, I'm not entirely sure where it falls audience-wise? It would definitely be enjoyed by middle-grade readers and YA readers alike, though! 

ALL RIGHT. I actually feel this review was pretty well-structured and thorough, unlike pretty much any other review I've written ever. xD Long story short: if you like sibling stories and adventures (and SWORDS), you should DEFINITELY give The Journey a read! It warmed my heart and made me smile so many times, and I can't wait to see what's next for the Thorne siblings in book 2, The Village!

Overall rating: 3.5-4 stars! (I'm really bad at rating things, guys xD)

Have you read The Journey? Or are you running off to add it to your TBR now? ;) Who else loves sibling stories as much as I do??