google-site-verification: google935433b691795853.html KRISTY BERRIDGE: 2012-09-09

Saturday 15 September 2012

Moving Day

Well, this is my first personal post in a while, what with the hype of my latest book about to be released, the Follow Friday venture and all the reviews I've been doing lately. Alas, I thought I'd have a lot more to report but I really don't, what a boring life I must lead ...
Anyway, it's moving week at my house. I have just seven days to pack up all of my crap in a few cardboard boxes and shove it into a shipping container due to be delivered early next week. Now I wish I could say that it was because I was moving somewhere exotic, but in reality, I'm moving to a cheap-ass hotel down the street.
Why?
The insurance company finally paid up!
Do you remember about a year ago, after cyclone Yasi when I was complaining about a leaking roof, moaning incessantly about the tarpaulins covering my house like a giant tent in the middle of suburbia? Well, hard fought and won success is in my hands (thanks to hubby) and we are getting a new roof and the entire interior repainted!
I know, I'm still jumping up and down excitedly. I've been glancing ominously at the ceiling for well over a year, expecting each torrential downpour to join us in the living room. I have questioned imminent electrocution every time water dribbled from the bathroom light fixtures and reached for a gazillion Chinese containers to catch the freak rainstorm in the kitchen. Needless to say that relief is only one word that comes frequently to mind.
So now hubby and I have to move out while the house gets a well deserved makeover. The boxes and cello-tape are crowding my living room and yet I don't have the foggiest idea where to begin. I've been wandering around like an aimless idiot, lovingly stroking the spines of my books and other treasured possessions, simply incapable of shoving them into a box and out of sight.
Plus there is the whole fear of having to unpack everything. I'm not talking about re-organisation, I'm too OCD not to enjoy that part, I'm referring to the disgusting, crawling, creepy little bastards that somehow snake their way into your belongings and jump out and surprise you whilst unpacking.
I'm talking about cockroaches!
Anyway, I have to run, the mere thought of their little feelers and and crunchy shells and quick moving legs make me want to barf. I hate the little f@#%kers. So wish me luck, I'll let you know how it goes.

Have a good one,

Kristy :)

Friday 14 September 2012

Follow Friday #43


Happy Friday everyone!
Yes, it’s that time of week again where bloggers unite to participate in the Follow Friday venture. The idea behind #FF is to promote traffic to your own blog, make new friends with other like-minded bloggers and discuss new and interesting topics each week.
Participating is simple. First you need to follow my blog because I’m totally awesome, then you can follow me on Twitter @kristyberridge (actually you don’t have to do this, it’s wishful thinking), but do follow my blog or assassins will get you …
Then you must follow our illustrious hosts Rachel of http://www.parajunkee.com/ and Alison of http://www.alisoncanread.com/ If you want more details on how to enter your own blog in the follow and hop, all directions are on their webpages
Now, once you’ve followed, check out my answer to this week’s questions and don’t forget to leave a comment so I can do the right thing and follow you back!



This week's question: What hyped up book do you think was not worth all the talk?

My answer: Well, I've said this before and I know it's an exceedingly unpopular answer, but for me, it was 'Shatter Me' by Tahereh Mafi. I did enjoy the book but there was definitely nothing especially WOW about it for me. (Check the review here)

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Book Review: Soul Mates: Scent by Elizabeth Lance

Soul Mates: Scent is an indie novel that I picked up based on the tenacity of the author's constant appreciation for the written word, whether by self promotion or the share and advertisement of other paranormal authors in the social networking world around her.
The novel starts typically of the young adult genre - schoolyard setting, jocks and cheerleaders, and the perpetual telling of boy meets girl.
Following the story of Max Fergus, high school football star, honour student, and all round stud - we fall into a world of incessant make believe. Max leads a somewhat ordinary and predictable life. He dates the head cheerleader, drives a corvette and surrounds himself with seemingly flexible friendships. It isn't until he meets Anna Lissa Felidae that his world begins to change. Max discovers that he was born a shifter, a fairy prince, and bound to be forever tied to Anna Lissa in matrimony and quick blooming love.
Okay, what I liked about this story was the great sense of imagination that the writer displays, the realms, the magic, and the never ending sense of danger that Max appears to stumble upon within each passing chapter. I positively enjoyed the sense of menace and looming action. I never questioned whether the author would deliver some crazy turn in events that would undoubtedly lead to conflict. The chemistry between Anna Lissa and Max as the story progressed was also very steamy and unexpected in a young adult novel but alas, welcomed.
Unfortunately what I didn't like about the story often outweighed the positives. The writing style was a little sedate with limited descriptive content when it came to outlining scenery, processing action, and defining aesthetic features. The base story was also a little unstructured, with characters interwoven into the plot when needed, and dispatched again when redundant, almost like an afterthought.
As I read from chapter to chapter, our protagonist constantly unraveled a new, somewhat convenient power to eliminate all possible resistance, thus eliminating the complexities of struggle, resolution and hard-won achievement. Definable plots also expand beyond necessary reason, addressing constant character re-structuring, which in turn re-shaped original, relateable behaviour that I enjoyed within the characters.
I would love to give this book three out of five fangs as I can see an exciting story blooming from this web of elaborate, fairy-tale inspired ideas, but unfortunately I can't if I'm being true to personal opinion - which I reiterate that this merely is. But I really do hope that the author develops this series further as there is a lot of potential for a great story.

Synopsis:
When the girl of his dreams walks into his homeroom class one October morning, Max Fergus, a seventeen year old quarterback and star student, has his world turned upside down. Everything he has ever thought about himself and his life is changed in that instant and nothing will ever be the same again, because once you know you aren't human, there's no going back, no pretending you are less than you are.
Anna Lissa Felidae, a pure-blooded shifter has been searching for her soul mate, the one guy that was meant for her, and just when she is sure that she is about to run out of time, Diana, Goddess of the hunt, appears to her and sends her in the right direction. With another shifter on her trail, one who is determined to have her no matter what the cost, Anna has just three short weeks to convince Max he is a pure-blooded shifter, among other things, and teach him to fight so they can be together. With the help of a few Fae friends, a motley crew of shifters, and Max's best friend Tony, they are sure to win.