Brendan Cathbad Myers

honestly, this is the first main character i've openly hated in years. i feel just the slightest sadness for her, but more, i feel like she deserves every bad thing that happens... i'm about half-way through the book, and i'm thinking seriously of DNF, she's that bad. the guy who starts out as her boyfriend is almost as bad... these young adults are in need of serious psychiatric help.

finished.

the idea behind the book is interesting, but the writing, the frequent problems with continuity, and the character issues among the two main protagonists are simply too silly to care… (meer)

A fun, if brief, story about Jillian and her discovery of a world beyond her expected everyday reality. I enjoyed escaping the mundane in this novella from Brendan Myers' Fellwater stories. I found it reminiscent of Philip Pullman's Golden Compass, both in the tone of the narrative and in the character of Jillian Brighton. While not physically similar to Pullman's Lyra Belaqua, Jillian certainly echoes her fierce spirit, quick wit, and boundless imagination.

My only complaint is that it's too short. Being a novella of approximately 18,000 words, I understand Myers' reason for its brevity. However, the wrapping up felt forced and was ultimately unsatisfying. I hope there will be an expansion of the story into a full-length novel or at least several more novellas or short stories bringing Jillian more fully in the Fellwater world.… (meer)

Modern paganism and polytheism is certainly due its own community of philosophers. In this work Myers demonstrates the need for alone time and what benefits feelings of loneliness can bring to a person. Our world is very connected for communication, and even a few minutes wait for a response can be painful. By getting in touch with our ability not to have that contact, we can better find ourselves and as such make better connections with people when we do make them.

My only disappointment with the book is in printing. At least half the pages are blurry which make them difficult to read. But the text more than makes up for that.… (meer)