Shannon Kirk

I liked this book, and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The summary was intriguing, and the author did not let me down. It was quick read and a page turner. The plot and each scene/activity was well thought out and I enjoyed being surprised by how it actually played out. Lots of promise with this author.

A few points for improvement: There were a few too many "extraordinary" people, but they were all well presented and thought provoking to consider. Some of the peripheral information was not well researched, but nothing the average reader would notice. (example: knitting unravels quite easily. It takes weeks to knit a blanket, but it could be pulled out in less than an hour. Same with crochet, depending which end you began unraveling. it would be slow going from the beginning, but quick from the end.)… (meer)

Buuuenaass vicios@s de los libros. Nueva reseña de una novela de suspense que me mantuvo cautivado, totalmente en vilo hasta el final. De lectura ágil, con un ritmo plano pero vertiginoso a la vez.

La historia trata del secuestro de Lisa, una adolescente embarazada. Esta chica es extraordinariamente inteligente, fría y calculadora. Desde el inicio, veremos las cábalas para intentar su escapada y yendo más lejos aún, su venganza con sus secuestradores. ¿Una chica mezcla Einstein y macGyver escapará y se saldrá con la suya?. En sus páginas disfrutaréis la respuesta.

Historia narrada en primera persona por varios personajes, siendo el noventa por ciento narrada por Lisa a modo de diario. Esto nos permite adentrarnos en sus sentimientos, experiencias y su mente; Una mente muy compleja. A lo largo de la lectura se desvelará las razones por las que está secuestrada.

En la trama participan otros personajes, como son investigadores, secuestradores y familiares que son retratados de forma convincente, casi todos los personajes son de calidad.

Novela muy recomendable que me crea necesitad de leer la segunda parte, titulada "El plan 15/33".… (meer)

Imaginad a una chica de dieciséis años, embarazada y vulnerable, a quien acaban de arrancar de la tranquilidad de su hogar para arrojarla dentro de una furgoneta destartalada. Raptada... Sola... Aterrorizadas...
Ahora, olvidaos de ella.
Imaginad, en cambio, a una prodigiosa manipuladora de dieciséis años que, desde los primeros instantes de su secuestro, se centra, con tanta serenidad como determinación, en dos cosas: salvar al niño que lleva en su seno y vengarse.
Metódica y calculadora, pone a punto un plan organizado de manera casi científica en el que nada está librado al azar. Su férrea voluntad y su ingenio serán sus mejores armas contra la brutalidad de sus raptores, y lo único que le falta por hacer es esperar el momento ideal para lanzar su ataque.… (meer)

The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall/Shannon Kirk What if you could choose your heaven now? Go on a celestial shopping trip of sorts? Thirty-five-year-old Vivienne does just that, as she lies in the ICU; a fatal walk into the path of a truck. In her final week of life, Vivienne treks through the Heavens of a priest, a best friend, a homeless child, and a lover who never was. Vivienne's guardian angel, Noah, who may just be her soul mate, escorts her through selections of Heavens and through the confusion Vivienne experiences as she flounders between a doubt of life and the certainty of death. Although her visits to varied afterlives provide peace and beauty, choosing proves not so easy: Vivienne's love for her young son and her earthly father pull her from her colorful journey—and from the divine love of Noah.The nature of love, the variety and magic of life, unending hope, and the importance of saying goodbye are central to this uplifting tale.
 
I wasn't quite as in love with this book as I expected that I'd be.
While I still enjoyed the concepts of love and eternity this made me think about, I wasn't completely excited about the way this seemed to promote an idea of there being one true love, and I really didn't like how people could only be in one other's heaven at the same time.I really enjoyed the characters the author created in this book. Vivi chose to visit the afterlifes of people who might not necessarily be obvious choices, but they were heartwarming choices and definitely made me think about the impact that people can have on others, even in the smallest of ways.
 
Vivi's family seems to be riddled with entirely too cute love stories--those perfect relationships featuring people who met in their childhood and stayed together for years. While I do adore these, I felt like they were almost perpetuated too much. I love the idea of true love, but I don't enjoy the idea that one can only have one great love in a life time; it's limiting.
 
This was told from varying perspectives which I found to be a little confusing at points as I got lost as to who each character was in relation to Vivi, but this was probably due to my not being entirely invested in this book. I felt like it could have been more focused, although I did enjoy seeing what happened after Vivi's eventual passing and being able to be omniscient in that sense.
 
This book definitely had a brilliant premise. I was reminded a little of Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven. I just feel like I didn't entirely click with the way it was executed. However, I recommend this to people interested by the blurb.
 
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)