The Donor by Nikki Rae

Final Rating: 4/5 Stars

Pages: 115 pages

Edition: Kindle

Time Read: 01.05.15 - 01.05.15

 

Summary:

"Casey Williams and her family are poor. Her parents work non-stop and so does she, just so they can keep the trailer roof from leaking.
They’re getting by fine enough when the headaches start. Then there’s the nosebleeds. And the inevitable doctor’s bills.
Fortunately for Casey, there’s MyTrueMatch.com: an exclusive, quick, and almost easy way to pay it all back before her parents even have to know.
All she has to do is give a man she’s never met whatever he wants from her body.
Inside or out."

 

Review:

When I first requested The Donor, I had expected some creepy medical story about a girl who sold her organs to make money. That is not what this story is about. It is a girl donating her blood to a vampire for him to feed from.

Her characters both have issues throughout their lives that are devastating to each and have shaped their personalities.  Jonah is the broken father who wants nothing more than to save his daughter’s life.  Casey is a girl who barely made it out of high school before she has to face news that reshapes her entire world in an instant.  Both are beaten and bruised mentally and emotionally, and yet they try their hardest to stay strong. Are they perfect? No.  But they’re real.

The writing style is very blunt.  There is no beating around the bush, no purple prose. There is story and emotion.  It is written in Casey’s point of view and I feel her personality in every word.  I can feel the fear, the confusion, the care.  All of the emotions that she feels are conveyed accurately throughout the novella.

The paranormal aspects are very light and exist only to make the story a reality; otherwise, it seems pretty trivial.  I can appreciate the lack of focus on the fantasy parts of this story and more focus on the real issues.  It would be easy to garner more attention by jumping on the vampire craze and making this story all about vampires, but that’s not the idea behind this.  

I couldn’t give The Donor 5 stars because the ending was unsatisfactory to me.  The author was willing to tackle a lot of difficult issues in this story, but leaving the ending open was just not something I agree with.  

Overall, The Donor was a fantastic story that tackles issues most authors wouldn’t dream of writing about.  Nikki remains sensitive throughout the story to her character’s needs and desires; I will be reading more books by her in the future.  I recommend this to people going through hard times, or anyone interested in a story that will make them think and feel. 

Love Volume 1: The Tiger by Federico Bertolucci

Final Rating: 4/5 Stars

Pages: 80

Edition: Adobe Digital

Time Read: 01.06.15 - 01.06.15

Summary: 

"A day in the life of the king of the jungle, this lavishly illustrated story follows a single majestic tiger through a wordless adventure of survival as it hunts prey and defends itself from other would-be killers defending their territory. This exciting tale is told without narration or dialogue, conveyed entirely through the beautiful illustrations of Federico Bertolucci. A beautiful, all-ages title that explores genuine natural behavior through the dramatic lens of Disney-esque storytelling. Like a nature documentary in illustration."

Review:

The Tiger is a graphic novel about the daily life of a tiger.  It has no words, and you as the reader must rely on the art to know what is going on. The illustrator makes it very easy to follow what is going on throughout the novel. There are a number of different animals who make an appearance, each with their own unique interaction with the tiger.

The tiger goes through various trials throughout its day, with triumphs and defeats abound.  My favorite would have to have been the monkeys; not only are they adorable, they’re mischievous and silly little creatures.  

The end came as a major shock to me, as I was certainly not expecting a human.  I think the book sent a very strong message about a humans part in the animal kingdom, and I’m very interested to see what other people thought about it as well.

One issue with this novel is that this is definitely not for all ages.  While I do appreciate the story for what it is, a child would definitely not understand everything that is going on.  There is violence, killing, and mating all in one short novel; not something my child would get to see.

Another issue I have is that some of the expressions the animals make are a bit too human.  I get that to tell the story sometimes different expressions are needed, but they almost looked comical, and in a novel that claims to be “a documentary” style, the exaggerations seem a bit out of place.

All in all, this is absolutely gorgeous. The artwork is truly what drew me in and the lack of words really forces you to concentrate on what is happening within each image.  The pages flow very well, with few spots that ever get confusing, even without words to convey what is going on. 

I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in the animal kingdom or likes looking at pretty pictures. This is a novel that extends to a wide audience and will interest almost every person who reads it.

I received this as an ARC copy from NetGalley.