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Hello everyone! Welcome back to another blog post! This week I’m going to be giving you guys a quick update on what I am doing currently!
So The Crystal Chronicles book 1 was released on February 9th 2016. The Crystal Chronicles is a five book series so there will be four more after my first one. Each book represents an element and the four main characters will have to hunt for a magic crystal in the element it represents. For example the setting of my next books are: Book one: Arizona/Nevada - U.S.A Book Two (Earth Crystal): Manaus - Brazil Book Three (Water Crystal): Bermuda Triangle Book four (Fire Crystal): Pompeii - Italy Book five( Air Crystal): Asia - Mount Everest Each book will hopefully be released every year and a half if all goes well! TCC book 2 should be out sometime in 2017. I am currently working on the second one! During the 2016/2017 school year I am visiting elementary and secondary schools in the York Region area giving presentations on writing and my experiences as a teen author. Check out some of the schools I’ve been to over on my press/media page! Currently my book’s popularity is growing, and the word about me is spreading internationally. I am looking into getting an audio book done, a comic book, and getting it translated into different languages. Stay tuned for updates on all of that! I am also hosting future book signings at Chapters/Indigo. I held one at Chapters at the Woodbridge location on October 29th and it turned out great! As for social media and such I will be hosting future giveaways on my GoodReads page so make sure you check it out! I’m also starting a Youtube channel with tons of future content about writing, publishing lifestyle and more! My channel name is AlessiaDickson, so feel free to subscribe early on! A quick thank you to everyone whose supported me this far. I never could’ve dreamed my book journey would’ve turned out like this! Amazing staff and students always welcome me into their schools and I’m so grateful for it! I love each and every one of you! I’m so excited for you to see what’s new that’s coming in the near future! Until next time, Alessia Dickson
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Hello everybody! Welcome back to another blog post. I'm very excited to announce I am working with a wonderful artist, who is in the process of designing official character sketches for The Crystal Chronicles. The official designs will include six main characters: Alyssa Brooks Haven Reeves Amber Travie Zack Travie Kurt Bell Elda For now, the sketches below are very rough. The images are also scanned so that's why they're small. I thought I'd at least put it out here because a lot of people have been asking me! So if you just couldn't wait, zoom in below to meet my six awesome characters!! Official ones will be coming soon guys! Stay tuned, Alessia Dickson    Hello everyone! Welcome back to another blog post. This week I thought it would be nice to take a break from writing and talk about some other stuff. And that’s kind of what I’m going to do... just talk about some random stuff! Hope you enjoy the change of pace! Hey, maybe you could learn some life lessons from me!
And always remember your life is a story, so you should make yours a bestseller. Hey guys! Welcome back to another blog post. This week I’m going to be giving you my writing playlist! This is music I listened to when I wrote The Crystal Chronicles! I also included some music I am listening to currently writing the second book in the series. Regardless I think this playlist is great to get the creative juices flowing!
A Little Wicked – Valerie Broussard https://youtu.be/4fbU1XcFgVs Give Us a Little Love – Falluah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt6hIh2wuJ0 I’m a Wanted Man – Royal Deluxe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUkFAHwSpIU Mess Around - Cage the Elephant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl7cF9bwNHE Breathe Into Me- Marian Hill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az00U-Scql4 Trap (J Paul Mix) - Elizaveta https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDjgEyUtxdw I’m So Sorry – Imagine Dragons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0gddT_DDzQ Jungle – X Ambassadors (shout out to The Crystal Chronicles book two) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqXW57WM9TA What I Wouldn’t Do - Serena Ryder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUdOG5IWBE0 Feeling Electric – Parade of Lights https://youtu.be/SL4JkXU7t84 Photograph- Ed Sheeran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZH_s2N0MKE A Little Taste – Skyler Stonestreet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp0P9YpNTiY We Must be Killers- Mikky Ekko https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lshmwmeU7c Who Are you Really – Mikky Ekko (literally Haven Reeves) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSBS5BwkcmY Flawed Design- Stabilo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i4EOC_Cd8A Everybody Wants to Rule the World- Lorde https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaVA6sgOpws The Devil Within – Digital Daggers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G049LeVG6BI Can’t Hold Us- Macklemore – Ryan Lewis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SihoKQ-uLqE Atlas Playlist- Sleeping at Last https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOQrfLFDUKY&list=PLwsVJwxqKb0ZTr7kdUx_xqak0H8GNSvTq Bad Blood- Bastille https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQHMiDa6P_s Gold- Imagine Dragons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl3ELiPXFRo Jesse’s Girl- Rick Springfield https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk9GjbbueHo Poison – Rita Ora https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1fGOG3XXIQ Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked – Cage the Elephant https://www.youtube.com/ Armageddon – Michelle Treacy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym29GAdgkD8 Dream - Imagine Dragons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWu7JDETw_I Let her Go – Passenger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBumgq5yVrA Beneath your Beautiful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqIxCtEveG8 Nuvo Blanche – Ludovico Einaudi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcihcYEOeic Alright thats it for this week guys! I hope you like my writing playlist! I hope it inspires some of you to write something great! Until next time, Alessia Dickson Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog! Today I’m going to be reviewing the Midnight Star by Marie Lu. It is the third and final installment in the popular Young Elites series. Warning: spoilers ahead!
As I did with my previous review, I will rank Midnight Star according to three criteria, writing, plot and characters! This will determine the book’s score! On the writing: Marie Lu is definitely one of my favourite YA authors. I mean, she killed it with her Legend series and did it again with the Young Elites. I have always adored her writing. Specifically, I love how descriptive her writing is. Midnight Star takes place in it’s own world and she describes this strange world so vividly. She makes me want to visit this renaissance Italy themed world. Near the end of the book, Adelina and the elites enter this weird ethereal underworld setting. Lu writes this scene so well even though the concept of the underworld is so abstract. Another thing I really admired with MS is her writing the “voices” in Adelina’s head. It’s so cool to be able to do this with a character. As a reader, we’ve gotten to know Adelina’s inner demons and at some parts they are oddly terrifying. And I really, really like it. These italicized “voices” Adelina deals with in the book is such an interesting angle to work with. I was also caught off guard when she finds out the voices in her head are all the people she’s killed in her life. Damn, in this book Lu seriously achieves a new level of dark. This series is not for people who enjoy happy endings and nice juicy romance scenes because this book is none of that. And that’s okay. It’s what makes it so interesting. On the characters: The characters in Midnight Star make this book for me. I love Adelina because she’s so dark and evil. She’s not the hero, she’s the villain and she owns it. Instead, Lu creates this amazing anti-villain dynamic that is just so unique. I seriously haven’t come across a series with a main character that is so dark and crazy as Adelina. It’s also great as reader, to watch Adelina descend into madness. There is huge character development from book one to book three and I didn’t know Adelina would be as evil as she is in the beginning of Midnight Star. Does it make me hate Adelina? Yea a little bit (or maybe the entire time Raffale has been my favourite). But what Lu does with Adelina’s character in the end just blew me to pieces. In the final chapters while she is the underworld, Adelina chooses to trade her life for Violetta’s life. This heartbreaking sacrifice actually brought tears to my eyes. While Adelina did horrible things throughout the Midnight Star, she chooses to leave her mark on the world by leaving behind a thing of light – Violetta. Violetta is the opposite of Adelina, she’s caring and empathic, and it’s interesting to see their loyalty to each other despite being opposites. Even though Violetta represents goodness, there is still a dark side to her – can you see the theme yet? Other strong characters like Raffale and Magiano really help the book. I think I would go crazy just reading Adelina go crazy. Adding chapters with different characters points of view really makes this book a hit. I want to get in the head of Magiano, Raffale, Violetta, Maeve and Lucent. And I can’t forget about Teren. I think I hate him more than I hate Adelina. So why not all of them? Yea, that’s probably what Marie Lu was thinking too. On the plot: The plot of the Midnight Star was well done for the most part. The beginning centers on Adelina conquering surrounding lands and her terrifying rule. Things quickly pick up when Raffale learns the elites powers are slowly destroying their bodies. After realizing, Violetta is dying, Adelina teams up with the other elites for one last adventure. They discover their immortal powers are poisoning the world and in order to fix the planet, they will need to venture to the underworld and give back their powers. The final scenes are a great closing to Adelina’s story. After giving up her powers to the Gods and returning to the world, she instead trades her life for her dead sister. Violetta is then returned to the world and as a testament to Adelina’s memory, makes a deal with a God to transform her into a constellation. The series ends as the elites give back their powers, healing the world. After the elites learn of Adelina’s passing, they return to their lives. Raffale and Violetta return to rule the kingdom that Adelina left behind, and Maeve and Lucent are later married. In the final chapter Magiano tells Violetta he is going to look for Adelina, as there is a myth that she would return every night. He sets off looking for the midnight star to find her, hence the meaning of book’s title. The plot was conducted pretty flawlessly and there were no boring moments in this book. To be honest, Lu did an amazing job. All in all, I reward the Midnight Star a 9/10. Most books do not get that high of a ruling but for MS, it is well deserved. Lu created an incredible cast of characters and built a world that intrigued me from the very start. This heartbreaking sacrifice at the end of Midnight Star, reminds me of my own love for my sister. This book is an absolute must read. It is a great end to this trilogy, and was a satisfying blend of bitter and sweet. While I do mourn Adelina’s death and Magiano’s loss, I think leaving Violetta behind in Adelina’s memory was truly the best ending for the Midnight Star. So yea... bolt over to your nearest bookstore and pick up this book. I literally read it in two days... I just couldn’t put it down! Well that’s all for the review guys! There’s plenty more to come in the future so stay tuned! Alessia Dickson Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog! So this weeks post is going to be a little different... I've decided to start sharing my poetry! As a writer, my primary focus is obviously working on my book series but sometimes it's important to step out of your comfort zone and try something new! I absolutely love writing poetry and I've been fiddling around with it for a long time! I will include a few in this post and I might potentially add more later! If poetry isn't your cup of tea, this post might not be for you... but if it is... happy reading! Note: This poem is my personal experiences with a chronic migraine disorder. It is extremely disabling at times and it's really impacted who I am as a person. This is a very painful topic for me to talk about and as always I am better expressed on paper. On Chronic Disorders I used to dance in open fields, Light, free and chasing my dreams. I used to offer my shoulder and hand out consolations, to the souls of our damned generation. One day I returned to the field to find it open no more, only to be fenced in and trapped inside, with nowhere to hide. I screamed at the sky but it answered in a thunderstorm, the days of sun and blue skies, I often mourn. I was the prey waiting for the predator to strike, and it did. It tied me up in chains, inflicting the worst type of pain. Like Prometheus chained to the wall with vultures pecking at his liver every night, and like me, Prometheus knew it was futile to fight. For he was caught in a vicious never-ending cycle of pain, to suffer again and again, with each day ending the same. I wonder just how much someone could possibly take, when they are damned to an eternal fate. Life should be a choice. A choice to stay or a choice to leave, but does anyone truly know what it is to be free? Is pains puppet all I really am? No wonder I never had a chance. Sometimes I try to break free of this cage, and escape the fiery depths of my self-destructive rage. But it’s my own skin and bone, funny, how this body never feels like home. As of late, I search for a bright star, and I see from my grasp, it’s travelled so far. Sometimes I think about where it possibly went, especially when my days are stolen, instead of well spent. Maybe it’s buried in the cemetery inside my mind, either way, I sit here, digging for the hope I yearn to find. Note: This is my take on writing a love poem. Sometimes poetry does not have to be based off of personal experience but your perceptions and ideals of love and relationships. On Love I want to explore you I want to run my fingers along the movement of your spine I want to touch every scar and hear every accompanying story I want to use my lips and write stories on the canvas of your bare skin Once our bodies are properly acquainted, I want to find the darkest parts of you The kind that could stain my hands black I want to undress you word by word until you've shed every protective layer I want to explore your soul darling I want to douse you in gasoline and I do not want to be spared from your blaze You would burn so very brilliantly Tonight, the fire in your eyes is too tempting to resist So fall into my arms and burn Let me explore you Note: I decided to write this poem one day after seeing how deeply my good friend was hurt by an unrequited love. This poem isn't necessarily about his experience but it is about my perception of lost love and what it could make me feel. On Unrequited Love I never understood why you don't call my arms home I could immortalize you in words Keep your spirit forever pressed between the pages I could give you all of me Your love was toxic and destroyed the walls that kept me a chained prisoner We could have had the world But you hold her the same way you held me once I taught you how to love I was the one who showed you how to tame wild souls with words Next time, I won't give my greatest gift to the next man who has the courage to look me dead in the eyes Note: This poem is personal and I wrote it for a friend who is so dear to me. This person has saved my life in countless ways and it's hard to express deep and profound love sometimes.. but this me trying! To My Dear Friend You said that you've seen me broken You said that you've seen me at my best You watched with a weary heart as I shattered one by one Piece by piece Until I was just a shadow of the girl you knew Yet you say even broken I am beautiful You always say I'm human As if being human gives me an excuse to feel this way I want to let you know Your the first person I turned to When I finally gathered all my shattered pieces I didn't know what to do with them I was in ruins and I had nothing left Yet you took them from me gently Letting the world roll off my shoulders and on to yours And you said you could piece me back together And you did. Note: I've never been in a real relationship to be able to document what it feels like. All I can rely on is observing people in my daily life and listening to people about their past loves. Miles and Miles You weren’t always like this love I remember the days where there were no barriers You were the tide and I was your shore But over the years Your eyes went cold and cloudy Your fingers felt foreign on my skin And that was when I realized It was long ago, long before I called you mine That you put on a disguise and wove it into your skin You fell so hard into a disguise that you became inseparable from the thing you feared most These days the disguise won’t budge I’ve tried peeling and prying it off But tonight when you sit here in my arms I see the faintest crack through that armour you locked yourself behind And I know I can shatter you, shatter you down to the very bone that once made you so beautiful to me What I never understood Is why you let yourself fall so hard into a disguise That you eventually became the very thing you promised you wouldn’t Note: This poem was originally a challenge for my creative writing class. If any of my readers are still in high school and enjoy writing, I highly recommend taking a class like this if it is offered. It's quite fun! Why I Write Because it makes life bearable And I’ve never wanted to but needed to Because the untold story is agony And the temptation to create is hard to resist Because if I stopped a part of me stops with it And my readers would ask where the second book is Because writing drove me crazy But in the end it was the only thing that saved me Because the 9 to 5 white picket fence life is too much for me And I don’t want to be shoved into the formula Go to school, get a job, have 2 kids and a dog Because my characters feel more like my longtime friends than just words And they’re waiting for me to finish the story Because between the pages is the only home I’ve ever known And it lets me escape life’s black and white From a perfectly engineered generation Just tell me I’m right Because it keeps me hanging on And I have to remember I’m not society’s little pawn Because I don’t believe in fate but I know this is meant for me And it’s the only thing I turn to when nothing goes right Because sometimes I want a break from life’s white noise And I want to find myself in the words It’s the only place where I know how to look Because sometimes it’s the only calm in the storm And it’s the only quiet in an always-moving world Because I’m not immortal But stories are Because I have a love affair with the written word Because writing set me free Because writing keeps me strong Because I can’t say it any louder This is why I write. Note: This poem is very personal to me, it's a poem again referencing my migraine disorder. Writing is often an outlet for me when I feel like I have nothing else to turn to in my life. I know I am not alone in feeling this. The Only Poem This is the only thing I know how to do When things turn bitter and cold This is the only thing I want to do When it comes to take me away again Sometimes it digs its claws too deep And then it’s a race against time To outrun the pain and get down another line This is the only thing I can do When nothing else goes right It’s the thing the keeps me going When there is too much pain, night after night I once begged religion to save me, screaming out for God But it remained unanswered Now I know what really kept me hanging on A single book for redemption and a single book drew readers in They ask for more, expect more, and so I kept hanging on A fight against my own body that’s run 7 years too long Writing kept me going Writing kept me strong It spilled onto the page forming its own kind of song My song, my story, my only saving grace My book saved me, my characters saved me To finish what I started long ago 100 pages deep, I stopped and looked around And realized what my own words had done Reeling me back into my life, one by one. Thats all I'm sharing for now guys! As always thanks for reading the little pieces of me! I would love to read any of your poetry so feel free to send me them through my Contact Me page! Also stay tuned for an update in my Press/Media page... I'm going on a book tour across local schools! Check for where and when I'll be! Can't wait to meet you guys!! Until next time! Alessia Dickson Hi everyone! Welcome back to my blog. Today I am going to be answering a compilation of some of my most frequently asked questions. I will probably do a few more of these in the future just in case I don't answer all of them.
Q. How old are you? A. I'm seventeen years old. Q. Are you still a high school student? A. Yes, I am in my last year of high school. Q. How old were you when you started writing your series? A. I was ten years old when I started writing The Crystal Chronicles. Q. Is Alyssa Brooks in TCC actually you? A. No, my main character Alyssa Brooks is not me. I try to write my own characters as their own people, without any similarities to anyone I know in real life. That being said, as much as I would like to make each character their own person, a part of me is still in every single character in TCC. Q. Who is your favourite character? A. It is very hard to choose but I really enjoy writing Kurt Bell. Q. Who is your favourite author? A. Again thats such a hard question. I think my top three would have to be Cassandra Clare, Markus Zusak and Charles Bukowski. Q.What is your favourite book? A. I think my favourite book would have to be a tie between The Book Thief or Clockwork Princess. Q. Who is your publishing company? A. I published with Friesen Press. Q. What does the snake on your cover mean? A. The snake on my front cover is a Greek symbol..the staff of Asclepius. It is the symbol of healing and if you've read my book you would understand the relevancy (don't want to give any spoilers). Q. Is there a specific order of the elements on your front cover? A. Yes there actually is a specific order. The biggest element on the staff and the one seen first is the one the current book revolves around. (Book one revolves around the fire element). Q. If you were an elemental what kind of elemental would you be? A. I would definitely be an Aquarian. Q. Are you team Zack or Haven? A. I don't prefer one over the other. But you will have to wait and see what Alyssa does! Q. How do you deal with writers block? A. I've never really believed in the term writers block. In my opinion saying you have "writers block" is an excuse. As a professional writers you need to write everyday or else nothing would ever get done. If I waited for inspiration to strike I would've never finished my first book. You got to write when you don't feel like it. You need to continue writing even if what you've written sounds bad. Sometimes you just got to force yourself to get work done. That is the difference between a amateur and a professional. An amateur only writes when they want to and stops when they think they have writers block. A professional writers writes even when they don't want to and gets things done. I am all for inspiring myself to write to best of my abilities however. I find inspiration in many things such as doing things besides writing that I enjoy. Even reading a really good book helps, sometimes I find I'm even more inspired with my own novel after reading another writers work. Q. What's the best thing about being a writer? A. The best thing about being a writer is meeting and talking to my readers. It is so rewarding to have spent years on a project, only to receive the same love back by the people who read my book. As an author I can directly influence my readers and spread my views, opinions, and philosophies on the world. Every personal message, blog comment, or in person meetings, I get from my readers make everything worth it. As a writer, I can spread my message. I can spread the love of literacy and inspire other kids to read and write to their full potential. I can teach people my craft and I can educate kids who love writing as much as I do. As a writer I feel like I have the power to make a difference in my readers lives, and for that I am forever grateful. Q. What's your advice for aspiring writers? A. My best piece of advice for aspiring writers is your never too young to start. I always knew I wanted to be a writer. I felt like I was born to do it, so I started my series The Crystal Chronicles at age 10. Don't ever let anyone belittle your dreams and aspirations of becoming a writer. It didn't stop me and it shouldn't stop you. Another great piece of advice I tell people is to write a little everyday. This is crucial. Writing, like any other thing, is a learned skill. It can only be perfected through practice. Writing a little everyday is essential to finishing big projects like novels and sharpening your skills as a writer. Maybe its one or two pages a day or maybe its ten but at least if it something I'll shut up about it. As Stephen King once said reading a lot and writing a lot is the be all end all of becoming a writer. I can't say it any other way. If you want to be a writer and you are truly serious about it, you must read a lot and write a lot. The rest will surely fall into place sooner or later. Q. What are you currently working on? A. I am currently working on my second novel in The Crystal Chronicles series. It should be available sometime in 2017. This 2016/2017 school year I am touring local schools across the Toronto and GTA area. I am spreading my message of literacy and writing to students from grades 5-12. I am also working on a few other promotional projects such as getting a Youtube channel up and running and blogging. Please visit www.alessiadickson.com for more info or follow me on any social media to keep up! Q. How do you get inspired to write? A. This question has always been a tricky one to answer for me. I am a firm believer in writing even when you are not inspired. That being said, the force the compels me to write is the thought of my second book completed and in my readers hands. People are waiting and are excited for TCC book two and I need to give it to them. I just imagine what my book will look like once it's done and how much I will enjoy rereading it once it's finished. All of these thoughts are extremely tempting and are enough to get me writing everyday. Q. Where did you get the idea for your most recent book? A. 'm sure any writer can relate when I say my ideas come from anywhere and everywhere, at any time, and in any place. My ideas for The Crystal Chronicles book two came to me long ago at the young age of 10. My entire five part series for the most part, has been planned for seven years already. Sure, some specifics might change, but the overall skeleton of the series has remained the same. I remember getting the idea for TCC one day when I wondered what it would be like if a girl could control all four main elements and what would happen if that girl was the only one capable of creating a super weapon. And just like that The Crystal Chronicles and Alyssa Brooks was born. My ideas for book two follow the same series skeleton but sometimes I have idea sessions with people where we bounce ideas off each other. I wonder what situations I would like to see my characters in and what scenes would be cool to write. The stream of creativity is endless. My second book takes place in the Amazon in Brazil. Naturally, having that setting brings lots of ideas for incorporating lore, culture, language, earth magic, and indigenous tribes. Usually the setting for my book helps form my ideas as my settings for each book are all different and very unique. Well, thats all for now guys! As always thank you for reading and if you have a question I haven't answered leave it down in the comments below! Until next time, Alessia Dickson Hello everyone! Welcome back to another blog post. Today I will be reviewing The Red Queen from debut author Victoria Aveyard. Before I get started, I’m excited to announce last week I had the honour of being interviewed by the Vaughan Citizen newspaper! If anyone is interested in reading my article I will leave the link here. http://www.yorkregion.com/news-story/6826688-vaughan-teen-author-working-to-inspire-love-of-reading-writing-in-peers/ Now onto the review! As a general rule, anytime I review books on this blog I will rank the book out of 10 based on three criteria, writing, plot, and characters. My opinions with book reviews are original and my own and I mean no offense to anyone! The Red Queen takes place in a world where blood divides the people: red and silver. The silver bloods are the elite, the wealthy, and have powers that make them superior. The reds are the commoners, the majority of people, and are forced to suffer in poverty as the elite silvers live in luxury. Seventeen-year-old Mare Barrows world is shattered as her life as a Red becomes unexpectedly tied up in the lives of the Silvers. Betrayal, deceit and love all work together to make this book a real page-turner. Without giving too much away this book is an entertaining read. I pretty much couldn’t put it down until I finished. On the writing: Aveyard’s style of writing is very simplistic and easy to follow. She is not one of those writers that make you feel like you need a drink of water after you read one page. Her writing flows very well and has a good mix of dialogue and description. Her writing is very well paced and isn’t boring for a second – I pretty much couldn’t put the book down. I appreciate writers that omit needless words and aren’t too wordy, which Aveyard achieved with the RQ quite brilliantly. On the plot: Too put it honestly, the plot of the Red Queen was pretty good. It wasn’t amazing but it was interesting enough to keep me entertained, which is pretty much all a plot needs to do in the end. I didn’t find anything overly unique about the concept of the RQ. I enjoyed the entire book however, especially the rising rebellion and the royal turmoil. The book just had the right amount of action, fights, and romance. The climax truly was a climax – it was exciting but somewhat predictable. That doesn’t stop the book from having a good ending because it did; I personally just saw it coming. The antagonists in the series are revealed near the end of the book and I’m looking forward to seeing what Aveyard does with them. Overall I award the plot my approval but I am hoping things will turn up a notch in book 2 and 3 of the trilogy. I’m pretty positive that’s a guarantee. On the characters: In my opinion the character development in the Red Queen is it’s biggest downfall. Not there was anything wrong with the characters per say, but I do believe there was need for further development. Mare, the main character is a great strong female lead. I believe her character is somewhat rushed, especially because she went from being a lowly red to a defiant bold silver elite lady practically overnight. Clearly there was character development here; I just don’t think it was all that realistic for the story, considering Mares past. Mare is still a great character with great dialogue parts, she just changed too quickly you know? My other issue with the RQ is the romance pieces. Now I love a great romance as much as the next person, but Mares relationships with both Maven and Cal felt rushed to me. There was barely any development in her relationships with either of these guys. Yet she claims she loves Maven and at the same time Cal claims he loves Mare. As soon as I read both of those scenes I had to stop reading and wonder: when exactly did this love thing happen? Did I miss something? I only say this because there was no real buildup to this heavy proclamation of affection in either case. She had like two one on one scenes with Maven and had one of these scenes with Cal. So when did this love flourish? It just felt forced to me, a thing the author really needed to develop further. There has to be some buildup, some sort of chemistry for the L word. It just needed a little more development if you ask me. Though I admit the characters have great potential and I’m excited to see what she does with them in future books. Cal’s character was pretty developed but I think he needs a little more to give him that wow factor. Maven on the other hand, was less developed, but the author had her own reasons for this, which I feel, are very justified at the end of book one. So while Aveyards characters are good, her development with their relationships needed a little work in my opinion. As a quick side note the RQ reminded me strongly of the Hunger Games. The same Gale/Peeta dynamic existed in the RQ as it does in the Hunger Games. At the end of the book they are also in an area where it’s a fight to the death – with kids killing kids. Again, much like the Hunger Games. To take things even further Mare is basically the face of a rebellion much like Katniss in the HG. Now, these are probably coincidences, but if you are a fan of the HG give this a read, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. All in all, I award the RQ a 7/10. It was quite a good book and had me in its grip the entire time. It had good characters and a good story, which was very suspenseful at times. Its lack of development in character relationships is mostly the reason I gave the book its score of 7. All in all, Aveyard should be proud of her debut novel. She did a good job with it and it’s worth the read. I am sure things will get even better in the next two installments! Can’t wait! Thanks for reading and until next time, Alessia Dickson Hello everyone! Welcome back to another blog post! Today I’m going to be talking about my top ten books in Young Adult Fiction. Have you ever been overwhelmed by the massive YA section in your local bookstore? Well, the next time you’re at the bookstore check out some of my favourite reads! Number 10: Looking for Alaska by John Green I don’t think I could make a top ten YA list without including the wonderful John Green. Looking for Alaska follows the story of Miles Halter, a 17 teen year old that is fond of memorizing people’s last words. For his junior year Miles is sent to a boarding school where his roommate Colonel Martin gives him the name “Pudge.” While at the boarding school Miles meets Alaska Young, a charming, but unstable girl. As the novel progresses, the two begin to grow closer and Miles starts to fall in love with Alaska. Alaska is determined to keep their relationship platonic and as the events in the novel unfold, Miles learns more of Alaska’s tragic past. The novel ends brilliantly in my opinion, as it is open for interpretation by the readers. I won’t give the ending away but the novel is witty in the John Green way and is quite an entertaining read. Number 9: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is a book series that is one of a kind and represents a writer who is made of pure talent. This series combines history and fantasy to tell an amazing story that I recommend to all lovers of YA fiction. The story follows two fifteen-year-old twins Sophie and Josh Newman. The story begins with Sophie working at a coffee shop and Josh working at a bookstore. Things quickly turn sour when the antagonist John Dee attacks the bookstores owner Nicholas Flamel with his magic. John Dee gets away with a powerful book called the Codex but not before Josh rips out two pages. Soon after Nicholas Flamel reveals to the twins that he is immortal and a French alchemist. He explains to the twins that they are part of a powerful prophecy in the Codex, and the fate of the known world depends on awakening their magical abilities. The novel follows the twin’s adventures as they race to catch John Dee and retrieve the Codex. This series is rather complex and in my opinion, a masterpiece. Number 8: Shadow Falls by C.C. Hunter The Shadow Falls series by C.C. Hunter is a classic teen fantasy novel with a great female lead. The series is perfectly paced, and a great page-turner. It’s also extremely amusing at times, and features great supporting characters. The series follows sixteen-year-old Kylie Galen who is sent to a camp called Shadow Falls. While she is there, she learns the camp is a place for teen supernaturals including vampire’s werewolves and much more. Throughout the series Kylie struggles to learn her supernatural identity and endures visits from numerous spirits. Kylie’s friends and lovers help make the story a great read for any YA fan. Number 7: Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky In my opinion, Perks of Being a Wallflower is a classic coming of age novel. I think this book should be enforced in all schools for kids coming into high school. It covers all teen struggles such as heartbreak, identity, self-esteem, and much more. This novel is brutally honest and is told through a series of letters by the main character. The novel follows the loveable Charlie and his journey through his first year of high school. Charlie meets many friends like Patrick and Sam and goes through many common high school experiences. As Charlie learns more about himself during his first year he begins to uncover things about his traumatic past. The book is very relatable to teens, and is well written and well paced. It has always interested me, as the novel is told in a series of letters, which Charlie sends to a mysterious recipient. Who is the recipient? I still don’t know. Number 6: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini I guess I can thank my grade 11 English teacher for this one. She introduced me to this book and from the moment I started I could barely put the book down. To say it as humbly as possible, this novel is absolutely brilliant. It follows the journey of a wealthy Afghan named Amir and his servant Hassan. The novel takes place in Kabul, then later in America. The story follows the life of Amir and his father Baba as they escape to America. As Amir begins his new life in America he begins to unravel things about his past that changes everything he’s ever known. This book is seriously so heartbreaking and teaches us about human nature. The book deserves all of the awards it’s received over the years and much more. An absolute must read. Number 5: Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent Soul Screamers is a series that is very unique and incomparable to anything I’ve read. I guess the dynamics of this story makes the series so very good. The series follows Kaylee Cavanaugh and her self-discovery that she is actually a banshee – able to sense when someone is about to die. As Kaylee uses her newfound power to save people she allows her soul to be left vulnerable to things in the Netherworld. This novel is very exciting and suspenseful at times. I find it so fascinating partly because of the two love interests, Nash and Todd. I can’t give too much away but if your looking for a unique YA read, look no further. Number 4: Shatter Me Tahereh Mafi The Shatter Me series is another unique one. I enjoyed this series mostly due to the interesting character development. This series had a wonderful antagonist and by the end of it, a rather terrifying female lead. The series follows the story of seventeen-year-old Juliette Ferrars, a girl with a paralyzing lethal touch. In the beginning Juliette seems half insane, terrified of herself and her abilities. She quickly meets Adam Kent and together the two of them escape from the asylum they are trapped in. Juliette quickly learns more of her own power and begins using it for good. The antagonist in this series, Aaron Warner is extremely fascinating- an attribute which makes this series so amazing. Number 3: Legend Marie Lu The Legend series by Marie Lu is a MUST READ for YA lovers. This series had amazing dynamics and strong, flawed characters. This series takes place in a dystopian society and follows the story of fifteen-year-old Day, a wanted criminal who is extremely intelligent. The series explores the relationship between a wanted criminal Day, and a prodigy named June. This series gets very intense, very fast. Readers quickly learn June is sent to capture Day and bring him in. I think you can imagine the events that follow. Heartbreak, deceit, and betrayal, all work together to make this series one of my favourites of all time. I can’t really say much more, other than the fact that you must read it. Number 2: The Book Thief Markus Zusak Markus Zusak is one of the most talented writers I have ever come across. The Book Thief is a timeless read that deserves great literary praise. This book follows the story of Lisel, a young girl who lives in Nazi Germany during World War 2. The story follows the events of her daily life, and her love for reading. The Book Thief also features loveable characters such as Max, Rudy, Hans and Rosa. This book has a beautiful but rather tear jerking ending. The book is narrated by death, which has always fascinated me. Zusak brings a human, almost sympathetic quality to death, as death narrates the horrors and the beauty of life. This book is one of two to ever make me cry (the other one being number one down below). It teaches readers so much about life and death and will always be one of my most beloved books. Also dear God, do not watch the movie without reading the book first. Number 1: The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare The number one spot on this list goes to the talented Cassandra Clare. This series will always hold an irreplaceable spot in my heart. This story is not only my favourite YA series, but my favourite series of all time. Yep, when the ALL TIME comes out, you better know to buckle up for the ride. The series follows the story of Tessa Gray, a young women who comes to eighteenth century London from America. Tessa quickly learns of her own magical ability as a warlock and moves to the London Institute to train. She meets the charming William Herondale and the loveable James Carstairs, and many other great characters. The book is also a great blend of old science and magic. The setting of the series made me fall head over heels in love with London. The book is extremely witty and so funny- Clare really uses eighteenth century propriety to amuse readers. The series follows the adventures of these three main characters and their journey to defeat the antagonists. Don’t even get me started on the ending. The ending is spread out across centuries and is one of those books where you don’t want to leave the story. I remember reading the last book and sitting there in absolute awe when I finished it. I also remember crying like I lost a bunch of loved ones, which I did if you ask me. I felt literal heartache from the ending and I am in love with all of the characters (especially Jem Carstairs). I was so obsessed with the story that for months after I would think about it, and find pretty much all-extra content for the series that is in existence. I also bought some merchandise because dammit this series is FIRE. I can only applaud Miss Cassandra Clare because this series is truly incredible. It absolutely deserves my praise and adoration. There is nothing quite like this trilogy. Well, that’s all for this week guys! Thanks for reading and let me know in the comments if you have read or want to read any of these books. As a reminder my giveaway through Goodreads is ending on August 30th. If you live in the U.S or Canada you are eligible to win a signed softcover copy of The Crystal Chronicles! Hurry up and enter if you are interested! Can’t wait to see who wins! Follow the link below if interested: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/195124-the-crystal-chronicles Hello everyone! Hope you’re all doing well! I’m finally back with a new blog post! Todays post is going to be all about plot holes and how to avoid them! So, what exactly is a plot hole? A plot hole is an inconsistency or gap that goes against the flow of your story, or contradicts something you’ve previously written. Unfortunately, plot holes can hurt your professional reputation as a writer and are very time consuming to fix. Plot holes happen to the best of us, and taking the time to go through your story to find and fix plot holes, is essential. In my experience, plot holes usually happen for two main reasons. Sometimes a writer has a strong vision for a scene and even if the scene makes no sense, they write it anyway. I’m sure anyone whose ever written fiction is guilty of this at some point. The second main reason for plot holes occurs when the writer forgets something they’ve previously written and go on to write something that contradicts it, without realizing. Plot holes often confuse readers and many times the actual writer! Here are a few tips and tricks on how to avoid plot holes in your writing! If you are creating a fictional universe write down the rules, laws, or facts that are relevant in your own universe. For example, in The Crystal Chronicles there are five types of Elementals, but only four main elements – earth, air, fire and water. In TCC only an Orchin can control all four elements. This is fact in the TCC universe and nothing can contradict this rule. When you write a chapter or a scene find a fresh pair of eyes to look over your work. We, as writers, often miss plot holes in our own work because we reread our own material dozens of times over. Grabbing someone who can point out any inconsistencies really helps – other people usually catch the plot holes we would never catch! If you are writing a longer story or a novel, leave your work untouched for a few days and reread it from the beginning to the point you are working on. When we write longer pieces, we often get tangled up in the current part we are writing. Sometimes, we forget the things that we mentioned in the beginning of the story! It’s always good to refresh your memory on the things that you wrote previously! You’re more likely to catch inconsistencies in your work if you read it as a whole! Plot holes are something we all have to keep in mind, especially those of us writing longer pieces! In the end, leaning how to fix them makes us better storytellers! Hopefully keeping these tips in mind will help you guys avoid those annoying plot holes! Happy writing everybody! Before I wrap this post up, I am very excited to announce that I am running my first ever giveaway through Goodreads! The giveaway will be open to readers living in the United States and Canada! I will be giving away two signed softcover copies of my novel! The giveaway ends August 30th and if you’re interested please check out the link below: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/195124-the-crystal-chronicles Thanks for reading and until next time, Alessia Dickson |
About the AuthorAlessia Dickson is the author of The Crystal Chronicles series. She lives in Toronto, Ontario, where she is hard at work on her next book. Archives
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