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Werken van Cynthia Austin

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The best word to describe Tainted Luck is “fun.” This book reads like a young adult novel, but isn't marketed as one. Perhaps that's because it's fun for adults to read, too.

It is a paranormal novel, but the paranormal aspects were not what I expected when I started reading. That isn’t the only twist in this story. There are other cases where the plot leads a reader in one direction then reveals something unexpected. I love surprises like that.

This is the story of Levi, a young, high school student who is infatuated with Stacy Klein, a “blonde bombshell.” But Levi’s interest in Stacy is thrown off track when Taylor James, a very forceful young lady, sits next to him in history class. This sounds like a plot we’ve all heard before, but it’s a mistake to think like that. Their infatuation triangle goes its own way.

The book is written from the point of view of Levi Kast. He has been blessed with exceptional athletic prowess, but is more interested in chess than sports. These dual skills affect his relationships with Taylor and Stacy, but are much more important to his relationship with his father. We get to watch Levi as the events around him push him to take charge of his own life.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys paranormal, high school novels.
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SteveLindahl | 2 andere besprekingen | Oct 6, 2020 |
A Mixture of Humor and Horror in a Fast, Enjoyable Read

Tainted Luck features a seventeen-year-old high school student, Levi, who worries that he’s “… invisible when it came to the female species” and that he’s a distant second in his dad’s life. Then, we have the cute cheerleader, Stacy, the object of Levi’s dreams if only he had the courage to act on them. And finally, there’s the enigmatic, gothic, new girl in school, Taylor, who attaches herself to Levi, never taking no for an answer. Sound a bit like the setup for a typical story about teenage angst? Tainted Luck is that … and more. Taylor’s darkness turns black. Is it witchcraft or just a crush taken too far? Levi, on the other hand, starts off annoyed with Taylor, describing her as a gawky scarecrow with a shaggy, black mane but later, as “mesmerizing”. Has Taylor bewitched him? Or is this just the normal course of male hormones? And Stacy actually seems interested in Levi … or is this just part of his delusion as well? It’s an enjoyable undertaking to find out.

At 125 pages and with a plot that progresses steadily, the book is a quick read. The bite-sized chapters make it seem even faster – I always wanted to read just one more, making ‘The End’ sneak up on me sooner than I expected. One of the more enjoyable parts of the book is the author’s unusual and generally humorous similes, e.g., “I walked through the exit doors with Taylor trailing me like a paparazzi in a mini- Cooper.” Or “she had latched onto my side again like a school of piranhas sucking on a sea cow.” I certainly found myself smirking more than once at these strange yet descriptive, visual images.

The downside of this style, however, is that the same irreverence continues into the grislier scenes. I’ve never been a big fan of a super-macho, male protagonist ‘laughing in the face of death.’ It doesn’t work much better when it’s a 17-year-old, blonde cheerleader who wants to know if her murderous captor wants her baton because “I know just the place you can shove it.” Scare me or make me laugh, but both at the same time? No thanks. I also had some difficulty picturing the characters. Part of this muddle is the evolving nature of Levi’s image of Taylor, Stacy, and himself. But even so, I was never sure what they were like until the end and so, didn’t develop much attachment. And finally, I found my thoughts pulled from the plot by a typo or grammar misstep more often than I would like. One more edit would have helped.

Overall, Tainted Luck is a fast-paced, enjoyable read filled with humorous quips and tongue-in-cheek similes … even when, on occasion, they don’t seem to fit the setting.
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BMPerrin | 2 andere besprekingen | Sep 17, 2019 |
Dark and tense delight coats this quick read with bittersweet surprise.

Levi is just a guy in high school, whose only aspirations are to gain his father's approval and maybe...just maybe...get the girl he secretly crushes on for years to notice him. That's all he expects out of life. When the new girl plops down next to him in class and starts asking weird questions about one of the teachers, he wishes she'd go away. But she doesn't and sticks to him worse than a piece of old gum on his shoe. He can't get rid of her, and her goth weirdness makes him nervous. Little does he know that she's chucked full of very dark secrets.

This was a great read to dive into a tense, dark tale and enjoy it before it grows too long or heavy. The setting hits quickly and holds enough familiarity that scenes fall without the need for huge descriptions, allowing the plot to immediately take over. Levi comes across as an average boy from across the street and is easy to empathize with, especially his irritation and confusion with Taylor's relentless attention. Taylor is held at arm's length, but in a way which slides right in with her character. It's clear that something's off with her, and yet, it's exactly this which makes her more intriguing.

The plot is packed and quick, and settles with a sense of strangeness fitting for the atmosphere and read. It's definitely dark, a little twisted and grabs until the very last page.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed reading every page.
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tdrecker | 2 andere besprekingen | May 31, 2019 |
The main character in A Penny's Worth reminded me of the line “Hell is other people” from Jean-Paul Sartre's play No Exit. Sara is a weak woman, who struggles to assert herself throughout the story, but is defined instead, by what others think of her. Here's a quote from the point of view of the favorite mistress of Sara's husband:

Carmela rolled her eyes dramatically and fell against the sofa. “Here we go again with Sara's pathetic attempt to gain respect. Next thing you know, she'll be threatening all of us with the wrath of her big brother. Give it up already, Sara. Your style is stale.”

The trouble is, Carmela is right. Sara has trouble sticking with her goals, whether they are struggles for romance or for self preservation.

Before he died, Sara's father ran a successful strip club in Las Vegas, which is where she works now. She tries to act like the club's boss, but no one pays attention. Instead the club is run by her brother Luke and her husband Ezra. Sara believes they are both increasing the club's profit margin through criminal activities and she knows they are both partying regularly with the club's dancers, which seems to be common practice in their workplace.

Sara wavers between supporting her husband despite his wayward ways and wanting to leave him. These conflicting goals come out in strange ways, including bigoted language. Her husband is, in her thoughts, “a non-conforming Jew,” although he does know the religion well enough to understand terms such as “Shema Yisrael.” Sara fell in love with Ezra and married him. Yet she demonstrates a dislike of Jews in general through her language, by using terms like “The Jewish nymph” and “some Jewish floozy.” Also, despite wanting to leave her husband, Sara responds to the way Carmela flaunts her relationship with Ezra by proving she's all the woman Ezra needs sexually. She thinks of this type of inconsistent behavior as a reaction to “the roller coaster of emotions she was riding,” but it felt more like a personality flaw.

I liked the way Cynthia Austin used pop culture in her writing with references to things like “the Dos Equis man” and Margaret Keane's paintings. Those choices drew me into her novel. There were also some tense moments in the story that kept me turning the pages.

This book has adult themes and sexually graphic scenes.

Steve Lindahl – author of Under a Warped Cross, Hopatcong Vision Quest, White Horse Regressions, and Motherless Soul
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Gemarkeerd
SteveLindahl | Mar 15, 2018 |

Statistieken

Werken
5
Leden
14
Populariteit
#739,559
Waardering
½ 4.5
Besprekingen
4
ISBNs
6