“If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced” :Vincent Van Gogh

The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker

Brad Raines is an FBI special agent who tends to end up with very complex and gruesome murder cases. In this instance, he's responsible for someone who is abducting women, gluing their naked bodies to the wall, placing a wedding veil on their heads, and letting them bleed out through two holes drilled in their heels. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill murderer... The killer's pace is accelerating, and he's not leaving anything behind in the way of forensic evidence that can be used to track him down. It's only once he starts leaving notes behind for Raines that there's any sort of trail to follow. And the trail is quite warped. He is presenting these women to God, and is working up to his perfect offering. In desperation, Raines turns to a patient who is living in an institution for the mentally ill. She is supposedly able to touch a body and see the event that killed the person. Raines isn't all that open to the possibility, but he has little else to go on. And when events start getting extremely personal and close to home, Raines is forced to confront his own demons along with those of others in order to stop the killer and save the ones he loves.
The way the story is structured, you know who the murderer is right off. The story bounces back and forth between the killer and Raines, so the payoff isn't the "who dun it" resolution at the end. Instead, it's more along the lines of seeing whether Raines will be able to stop him before he can claim his final victim. Dekker also touches on issues such as the mentally ill, spirituality, abuse, and a few other themes that will allow the reader to ponder such topics if they so choose. In the middle of the story, things slow down a bit, and it seems as if we're just killing time before the end game comes into play. I also felt as if some of the characters, especially Nikki Holden, were less developed than I would have expected. It may be that this isn't the first novel with the Raines character, in which case I could understand it. But I still felt as if I was missing something in terms of the depth of some of the people.
I'd have no problems heading over to the library and starting to catch up on some prior Dekker novels. The Bride Collector was worth reading, and if his other novels are as good as this one, I'd enjoy them.

Sarah Dessen

The first Sarah Dessen book I bought was her fifth one, This Lullaby, at Page One. I loved it (it’s still my favorite one of hers) and so I gradually bought all the rest. Can't wait for her newest one, which comes out in May (excitement!). Sarah Dessen’s books all have to do with teenage girls and things that they cope with, ranging from parents and sibling issues to teen pregnancy and abusive relationships. She explores these often sensitive subjects with grace and humor, using witty supporting characters and side plots to add depth to the stories. And of course, there is always a boy, although the conclusions regarding the protagonists and the boys may not be what is expected.

One thing I especially love about Sarah Dessen’s books is that characters from her previous books make cameos in her newer ones. I always feel that simple sense of accomplishment when I identify a name or recognize a reference.

Sarah Dessen’s books can be viewed as chick flicks, but I think they address relevant issues that run deep and are executed in ways more sophisticated than the average beach read.

NaNoWriMo

So last month I told you guy I was doing my own nanowrimo in my time. JaNoWriMo. Well right after I posted that, I never went back to my novel. Guess I jinxed myself talking about it. Anyways I'm going to restart today in the month of Feburary. FeBruNaNo? ehh maybe not. I'll fill you in as the month goes on.
Word Count- 846
Aiming For- 2,000

Ellen Hopkins vs Sarah Dessen

*Sorry picture taken from webcam.
So last time I did this it was for a book series, HoN vs VA. Vampire Academy won.
Now it's Ellen Hopkins vs Sarah Dessen. You choose.
I pick E.H

Hero by Perry Moore

Synopsis: Thom Creed is coming to terms with his sexual orientation, basketball star Thom Creed is trying to figure out exactly what his untrained superpowers can do. In an attempt to break away from his seemingly non-understanding father (an ex-hero with something to hide) and homophobic community, Thom runs away, only to find himself in the middle of a multi-hero rescue operation. Using his ability to heal, he keeps an injured woman alive until the League superheroes arrive and impresses them enough to get an invitation to try out for a hero apprentice position. Thom is teamed with an old woman who can see into the future, a spiteful girl who unleashes her power through fire, a sickly boy who is able to inflict disease on anyone, and a demoted hero with insane speed. With superheroes dying in mysterious circumstances, Thom is forced to admit publicly that he is gay in order to prevent a miscarriage of justice, but finds himself cast out of the League. He organizes his ragtag team to figure out what is really going on and to fight society's prejudices as well as the criminal element of the town.

From the start I heard many good things about this book, so when I had a chance to read it myself I was amazed, awed and definetly inspired by the main character Thom. He finds himself at a cross road in his life where he's not sure who he is. Mr. Moore has created a believable character, one who finds courage within and learns to be a hero that anyone no matter what orientation or age can look up to. Highly recommended and loved. I cannot wait for the sequels.
4.5 Stars!

Sarah Dessen, Flowers