R.L.S. Hoff's Blog, page 3
July 6, 2022
Leaving Hope Chapter 2
Leaving Hope Chapter 2–in which we meet Anya and Borsk’s families. I know which I’d rather live in, for sure.
Families–and especially sibling relationships are a blast to write. And though none of the characters here are based on anyone in my family, the general feeling, especially in the restaurant, makes me feel nostalgic for my home growing up. Especially around supper time when we all worked to get a meal on the table.
How about you? Does anything in these families strike you as familiar?
Oh–and another thing about families. Tolstoy says all happy families are alike. (He implies they are boring in their sameness. No stories there.) I tend to disagree–and Borsk’s family is one of my answers to that. (I think it’s a generally happy family–but neither boring, nor the same as all other happy families.) What do you think?
Leaving Hope Chapter 2 is part of the Leaving Hope Read-Along (an experiment I’m trying in July 2022).
The post Leaving Hope Chapter 2 appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
July 5, 2022
Leaving Hope Chapter 1 Read-Along
Leaving Hope Chapter 1–in which we meet Anya, Borsk, and a few other main players, including Mr. Greeley (aka Sam Greeley from Hope Gardens).
Did you know that in the first draft of this book, Borsk was only in a single scene? Yeah, it’s true. He played a fairly minor role in that scene, too. It was a very different book. A book that wasn’t nearly as good, in my opinion.
I guess that’s as good a reason as any for major revisions.
So, tell me–who is your favorite character so far? Anya? Borsk? Somebody else?
And if I were going to give Leaving Hope Chapter 1 a title, what do you think it should be? (I love chapter titles in books, but I’m not usually able to think of that many good ones. That’s why my own books often just have chapter numbers, not chapter titles)
Remember, if you answer any of the questions above in the comments here, you will get an extra entry toward winning one of the StarRacer copies I’m giving away at the end of the month. (Actually, any kind of non-spammy comment will work. For more details, you can go here.)
The post Leaving Hope Chapter 1 Read-Along appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
June 27, 2022
TJ Young &The Orishas
TJ Young & The Orishas is an exciting new fantasy series by Antoine Bendele. If you like coming-of-age magic stories, read this for sure.
I have actually only read the first one–The Gatekeeper’s Staff. (Oh–and also a little short story that you can get when you sign up for Antoine Bendele’s newsletter.) Still, that’s enough to tell me this is one of my new favorite authors. I’ve already picked up book two in the series.
In the first story, TJ is from a family with strong magic (on his mother’s side). But at first, it seems like he has hardly any of his own. After his sister dies, though, a glimmer of something expands–and he gets sent to camp to see if he can develop enough magic to go to a prestigious magic academy.
At any rate, the characters are deep, the action non-stop, and the problems significant. I also like the look into a world different from the one I grew up in.
And the artwork is also amazing.
If you like well-written fantasy that truly transports you into a different reality, you’ll enjoy TJ Young & The Orishas.
Have you read it? If so, what do you think? (If you leave a comment, it won’t show up right away because I filter comments to block out spammers)
Looking for other books with modern magic? Try Cinder.
The post TJ Young &The Orishas appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
June 14, 2022
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! surprised me. First of all, it’s not fiction–at least, not exactly. It’s a series of brilliant, connected, historical, one-person monologues.
Apparently, it came out of a research seminar that a library was doing for young people on middle age life. The final project was meant to be a play, but naturally, all the kids wanted a real part. So, Laura Amy Schlitz came up with this absolutely amazing collection. With these little monologues, each student got a chance to stand in the spotlight. And a whole fictional medieval village came to life.
Rarely have I seen history come alive quite so–well–dramatically. I imagine it would have been even better watching young people in costume perform the pieces.
Anyway, if you’re interested in historical fiction, or drama, or just want something with great characters that’s a little different, check out Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
The post Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
June 10, 2022
Versatile Layer
This Versatile Layer collection by Thomas K Davis includes a fun set of science fiction novels. Not young adult, exactly, it still contains great coming-of-age stories. It’s reasonably clean, so I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it for teens.
This sweeping space opera follows stories of people stuck in a conflict between civilizations. I enjoyed the fast-paced action, well-drawn characters, and complex political intrigue.
I particularly like that the “bad guys” in this are never one-dimensional. Each has their own stories and passions, making them easy to understand.
My favorite character is probably Adeola, a woman of the Arez, who is a gifted warrior and politically powerful (a literal princess), but also true to her principles. I’d read this collection to meet her alone. However, there are plenty of other great characters in here (especially Jake Takeda).
Though I was occasionally thrown off balance by shifting verb tenses, POV shifts that I wouldn’t have made, and other small things that annoy me (I’m a bit of a grammar nerd, I’m afraid), the story here was strong enough for me to usually sail past these things.
Truly enjoyable read. If you like scifi, you should try this one.
The post Versatile Layer appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
June 2, 2022
Transition to Summer
The transition to summer always brings an odd shifting in relationships and activity. School has ended. What marks our days now?
Routines have shifted. It seems as if I’d see the kids more, now that we’re all here all the time. But, that’s not necessarily the case. I still have work, and they have their own pursuits. Plus, I’m no longer a taxi service–which also means I no longer have hours each week of chatting time with teenagers in my car.
I wouldn’t have guessed I’d miss that–seeing how much I hate driving. But I find I do (miss it).
But it’s fun to make plans, to learn new things together. And I’m quite aware that this transition to summer is one of the last few I’ll have before my kids move on to a more adult life. When my young people (when did they stop being littles?) propose movies to watch, skills to learn, time to spend together, I jump on that.
How could I not? I’m very aware that my time with them is short.
I want to make the most of it.
The post Transition to Summer appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
April 29, 2022
Spin the Dawn
Elizabeth Lim’s Spin the Dawn is an amazing book full of many of my favorite things. There’s magic (cool, unique magic, unlike magic systems I’ve seen before.) There’s political intrigue. There’s a young woman trying to make it in a man’s world. There’s a focus on an artist who is dedicated to her craft. There are deep family relationships and a doomed romance that still allows for hope…
And woven through it all is a gorgeous language as masterfully created as the legendary dresses Maia Tamarin makes for the emperor’s bride in this book.
I’ll definitely be reading Unravel the Dusk (the sequel in this duology).
Looking for more great YA fantasy? I recommend Jade City, The Kingdom of Back, and Raybearer.
What about you? Have you read any great YA fantasy lately? Or have you read Spin the Dawn? What did you think? I’d love to hear about either of those things. (Drop a line in the comments to say.)
The post Spin the Dawn appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
March 28, 2022
Neil Gaiman’s Graveyard Book
I wouldn’t have guessed that Neil Gaiman‘s The Graveyard Book was my kind of book. I’m not usually into the macabre or horror. But it is. It really is.
I like the strongly developed characters in here. They’re quirky, but not so quirky that they seem flat or impossible.
I also like the adventures that arise from the central heart of the story. When a child is in so much danger that ghosts must hide him from his enemies and raise him as their own, the child, naturally, has an unusual life.
What do I like best, though? The wildly original magic.
All in all, The Graveyard Book lives up to its Newbery. It even lives up to all the other hype I’ve heard about Neil Gaiman. Maybe I’m a bit late to the party, but I’ll be reading more from Gaiman.
The post Neil Gaiman’s Graveyard Book appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
March 7, 2022
Leaving Hope Read-Along Chapters 4-6
This is Day 2 of the Leaving Hope Read-Along (covering Chapters 4-6). For earlier installments, you can check out the introduction here or Day 1 here.
There’s quite a lot going on in Chapters 4-6, but one of the big things involves Anya sending a secret message to her grandma.
She’s not particularly technical, though, so she can’t manage a complicated code.
In a situation like that, what would you do? Do you think Anya’s solution is a good one?
What else stands out to you in these chapters?
The post Leaving Hope Read-Along Chapters 4-6 appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
March 5, 2022
Skyhunter
Marie Lu’s Skyhunter isn’t quite as good as her The Kingdom of Back. But it’s still an incredible book, and I’ll be looking for the sequels.
The book stars a talented young woman from the wrong side of town. Her superpower seems to be her inability to speak–a relic left from when the Karensa Federation robbed her homeland, forcing her and her mother to flee as refugees to Mara.
Mara doesn’t appreciate her, and even makes it hard for her to survive. However, knowing the Karensa Federation is worse, she still dedicates herself to defending this new homeland.
Skyhunter is a beautifully written book with so many parallels to our modern world. Heartbreaking and lovely. If you like science fiction and haven’t read it yet, you absolutely should. I’ll certainly be reading more. I’ve already checked the next book in the series out of my library. (Speaking of which, don’t you just love libraries?)
The post Skyhunter appeared first on The Pencil Princess Workshop.
