Book Review: The Chosen One (Grimsley Hollow #1)

★★★★★
Nicole Storey

Age Group: MG/YA
Format:Kindle Edition/ Paperback
File Size: 527 KB
Publisher:Nicole Storey; 1 edition (August 24, 2011)

The Chosen One, the first in the Grimsley Hollow series, tells the story of a young boy named Gage who has autism, loves Halloween, and has no friends. But then he meets Eve, a young witch from the magical world of Grimsley Hollow. But after an evil witch threatens to destroy the safety and peace, Gage and his friends must fight to defeat the evil witch and save Grimsley Hollow.

Let me start by saying that I usually do not read a lot Middle Grade (MG) novels. Mostly because many try to copy the awesomeness of Harry Potter while failing completely. But after reading the summary- and in dire need for a great novel-I bought it on my Kindle-PC, and was not disappointed.

I love Mrs. Storey’s way of description. Her characters- vampires, witches, pixies, dragons, and even a demon doctor- are so fun and crafty I wish I knew each one of them. After tagging along with Gage on his wild adventure filled with mild violence (which is very acceptable in my book) and the joy of friendship, I was craving more when this novel was finished. The fact the Gage was autistic added a charm to the book that few rarely capture. Instead of being helpless, Gage was a hero.

I personally enjoyed this story. Instead of whining that he could not do something, Gage triumphed through magical danger and came out victorious. It not only tells a MARVELOUS story, but sends a message that I think everyone, not just kids can learn: Just because people have special needs, does not mean they are disabled from overcoming difficulties…no matter how magical.

This is a great read for all ages, especially those craving for a book as great as Harry Potter.

Where you can find Nicole Storey:
Facebook: Nicole Storey Fans
Twitter: @Nicole_Storey
GoodReads: The Chosen One
Amazon: The Chosen One: Kindle Edition

Winnie the Pooh

I remember the days, sitting in front of the TV. screen watching a silly old bear and his friends go off on adventures and wishing that I could be there, too. It has been some time since I’ve thought of these characters, and now that their back I fell like I’m six years old again. If you watch early morning Disney, you’ve probably seen the now adventures of Pooh and his friends, the computer animated one with the little girl and they act like investigators. Gosh, I hated to watch what Disney did to them. But now I’m so excited to see the movie in it’s original form, in a sense.

Pooh was actually the first drawing that I’ve ever done that was perfect, not the drawing of an average child, but one who could actually draw. So the characters hold a lot of old memories for me. I’m just dying to see this movie! While thousands of people will be waiting to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part2, expect to see me across the theater with a jar of honey- and possibly in a Winnie the Pooh costume- waiting to see that movie instead.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part: 1

Hey, all you Harry Potter fans! If you haven't already seen or even purchased the movie, here's your chance to watch the beginning of the end for only $0.99 on http://www.youtube.com/movie?v=vUbuG9NfNiI&feature=related for 24 hrs. Sure I know it's only a day, but hey, if you watch it over and over and skip the credits at the end, you can see it at least 10 times! (Not counting the time for a potty break). Soooooooooo, check it out!

Only one more week until the Final Battle begins!

Writer's Un-Blocked: Getting the Idea

Where do you get your inspiration? You wanna know where I get my ideas for writing? Simple: I steal it. Well, some of it…

Now, hold on. Before you go calling the cop on me, here is what I mean. I steal things to put in my books from everywhere and everyone. Bits of conversations, personality trait… physical features… like having large ears…

That’s not to say I’ve never had an original thought in my life, just that I believe that an author writes from his or her own personal understanding. If J. K. Rowling had never learned about witched and wizards, as in she was completely oblivious to that concept at all, we never would have had the HAPPY POTTER series.

I’ve heard people say that they don’t like to use “real” people for their writing, while I do. “Real” people are the kinds of characters I want. It’s more believable to me when I use certain traits and characteristic from my friends and family because they are the most “real” characters I know. And it’s those “Mary Sue” characters (for those of you who don’t know what a Mary Sue character is, it’s a character who is very common to others) for example Bella Swan, with her helpless, damsel in distress attitude and having Edward, a handsome superhuman, saving her all the time… it’s characters and events like that which keep us reading, because it those common characters and event with their own twists that makes the story real.

Stealing things from around you makes your writing more believable, because who and what is more real than the things and people you know?

Where do you get your inspiration?