Customer Reviews

Running from Secrets

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This story was fantastic. Full of plot twists and suspense! The characters are lovable and there was just a perfect hint of romance :) My only complaint is that it wasn't long enough. I could read about Chime's world and Bethanys place in it for ever!

Running From Secrets combines the magic of writing and the merging of the real world and the imaginary for a fun read. While Bethany's character wasn't exactly defined, the characters in her made-up world where and the world building was equally as fleshed out. Though there are some hiccups in the writing, Running From Secrets is an easy read with good pacing and an interesting plot.

As the lead, I'd have liked to see Bethany fleshed out a little more. She comes to life when she's in her imaginary world, becoming bold, but in her world she does flounder a bit. I'd have liked to see her grow a bit more as a main character, particularly with the secret she's harboring. Otherwise, I did like her imagination and willingness to believe and fall in love with the gift she was given. The characters in her imaginary world, Nvetherland, are vivid. I was particularly pleased with Dulgue's, The Resident Dark Lord, story arc and I liked the romance that sprouted up between him and Chime. The Dark Lord was by far my favorite character. I loved how inventive and intelligent he was.

Where this novel really shone was the world building. As I'd mentioned before, the real world bits fall a little flat but Nvetherland is vivid and felt whole. I was always pleased to be back there and see more of the imaginative qualities that were there. From Vault 5 (that knows your fears) to the Minion Army that doesn't do anything to David and his faun friends, it all felt like it was whole. One scene in the real world that stands out to me is when Bethany stumble upon a minitaure verison of the same castle in her world. It was at that moment that the magic of the other world bleed into Bethany's real world.

The plot is fast paced but again, I felt like the one in Nvetherland was much stronger than Bethany's real life and particularly at the end, Bethany's real life was sacrificed for the Nvetherland plot. Because of that, I don't feel like she was able to grow and learn as much as she possibly could. Also, things did fall into place a little too easily for Bethany and Chime. Funnily enough, in Bethany's world she had to work much harder for things. For the most part, the writing was solid but there were a few hiccups along the way.

Running From Secrets did have its flaws but it was told in such an interesting way that I think it is worth having a look at. The world building is creative and vivid and it's hard not to root for the characters.

Running from Secrets was an interesting story, and it was told in a fascinating way. Bethany recently lost her twin sister Antonia, and so she and her family move to a new place to help themselves cope with their loss. Shortly after they arrive in their new house, which is surrounded by forest, a strange man rings the door bell and when Bethany opens the door he warns her that the forest is evil.

Soon Bethany begins feeling a desire to write, and she is quickly enthralled in the written world that she has created. Her parents become worried and her mother suggests that she take a class at the community college because she's a smart girl. Being at school gives Bethany a chance to learn and meet new people, yet for a huge chunk of the time that she is at school she's still completely absorbed by her story. Over time, Bethany realizes that her story isn't what it seems. She has vivid dreams about the characters and even interacts with them, and she realizes they aren't dreams at all. She is really in New Velerethland with her characters! The fact that she can actually go into the story was the thing that fascinated me about this book the most!

I thought that Bethany was a great main character, she was smart and strong, and she adapted quickly. the only thing that I didn't think fit with her was her age. She was supposed to be 17 and she just didn't act like it at all, but I guess not at 17-year-olds act the same, so it wasn't a huge thing. Some of the dialogue was a little awkward, but it didn't detract away from the story. I absolutely loved the characters from New Velerethland, they were my favourites! Chime and Deluge particularly! Then there was the Queen Numuriu who was possessed by evil spirits, and the faun David, who I thought were both fantastic! Chime was the Queen's cousin, and Deluge was the Dark Lord, or the Queen arch-nemesis. Overall, I thought that the characters were fantastic and that Stephanie did a great job developing them!

It took a while for the plot of the story to develop, but once it did I thought it was fabulous. Bethany was being brought to New Velerethland to save them all, and I won't tell you if she succeeds, that's something you'll have to find out for yourself!

Running from Secrets was a great story, with a solid cast of characters, and I think it's something that fans of Narnia will like as they have the whole being able to go into another world aspect in common., plus they both have fauns and Queens! :D

***I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.

*This is a 3.5 Review*

When I was a little girl I used to keep a journal, not for normal reasons of course, (I'm way to unconventional for that) but to keep myself from running away. See, while most girls were busy scribbling notes about boys and what dress they were going to wear to the dance, I was busy fighting off evil warlords or exploring sunken ships. My writing was an escape, (it still is actually,) and because of it I was able to face down what I thought to be the more "problematic" issues of my adolescence. (How hard is a Geography test really gonna be after I just escaped from Hurtsalini -the Mistress of the Underworld's - death grip.) Since my awkward tween days I have stopped journaling, opting for a more "grown up" alternative (compiling the worlds longest bucket list) but regardless of the absence of my little green binder the thrill of creating my own world has never left me.

In Stephanie Void's novel "Running From Secrets" Bethany (the heroine) takes the world of journaling to a whole new level. Not only does she WRITE the story of her dreams, but after just a few pages, she finds herself LIVING it.


"Bethany has never felt as alone as she feels in Linwood--until she dreams up Chime, a woman on the run because of a magic crime she didn't commit. The dreams get more and more urgent, so Bethany tries to banish them by writing them down, only to discover she's stumbled into the role of unwitting controller of Chime's world.

Chime is real here, and so is the possessed queen, minion army, mysterious professor, Vault Five, wind chimes with a secret code, child's rhyme that can kill, the naked painting, and other things Chime's story leads her to.

She has to fix the story without erasing Chime and her world, because if she erases Chime, she will die as well."


Ok, now...where to start.

I guess the most important thing to get across to you (the potential reader) would be that "I genuinely enjoyed this read." It was short, (probably a little too short for all of the features, loops and plot structures it combined,) but regardless of its length it delivered on the most basic of levels: keeping me entertained.

That's not to say I didn't spot a few issues though.

#1. The transitions needed help.

On more than one occasion I felt myself cringing at the flip between "fantasy" and "real." Both plot lines were important to the story but the seams connecting the two were choppy and (at times) misplaced. I know I have said this on more than one occasion, but it is important for authors to understand and acknowledge "flow." If (for instance) your "fantasy realm" is in the middle of a major plot point, and you decided to pull your character back into "real life" with nothing but a # mark, you risk the chance of losing your readers attention. Cleaning up one "run" before starting another is imperative. (I'm not saying settle the whole problem before you move on, just make the scenario solid before you do so.)

#2. There were dialogue hiccups.

Bethany's manner of speaking took on VERY different rolls depending on whom she was speaking to. In interactions with her younger sister her words came across as grand-motherly and sophisticated, scroll a few paragraphs down (when speaking to a professor or her peers) her words would turn shy, flip the page and suddenly she was assertive and confident (this was around Chime.) With Bethany's dialogue taking on so many characteristics it was a little difficult to pin down her "true self" (if you catch my drift.)

Overall however, (transitions and dialogue discrepancies aside) I thought the story was interesting, definitely original, and a hell of a lot of fun to read (without taking up too much of your time.)

I think fantasy lovers will appreciate this one, for the rest of you it might be a hit or miss. (aka it reads mostly fantasy with only appearances of reality to break for Bethany's story structuring.)

Happy Reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: if you build it they will come.

Bethany is confused. Her family has just moved to town, fleeing a family tragedy. She has no friends and roams the forest beside their house, searching for something, anything, to make her life feel right again. Bethany starts to write a journal, all about another land call New Velerthland. She spends hours constructing the land and its inhabitants.

Imagine her surprise when she is drawn through time and space to this land. She wakes up in New Velerthland, knowing that there is evil loose in the land and that only she can save it. Queen Numuriu has been possessed by demon spirits and has turned against the land and especially her childhood friend and cousin, Chime. Bethany joins forces with Chime to try to defeat the evil before it can bring down the land and everything in it.
They must defeat evil wizards, sirens and ancient spells to break the hold that magic has on New Velerthland and its inhabitants.

Stephanie Void has written an interesting YA fantasy novel with supernatural elements, love stories and the conflict between evil and right. The book is told in first person, and moves between Bethany's new home and the home she has created in New Velerthland. Young adult readers will be interested to read to the end to discover what happens to Chime, Bethany and Queen Numuria, and will be ready to read more about the land in later books.

The first thing that grabbed me about this book was definitely the title. I found it intriguing & mysterious, and it made me really excited to get into it. And as you read the story, you realize that Bethany (our main character) not only has to keep a lot of secrets, but she discovers even more.

I really wanted to give this book 5 stars, but there were a few things that held it back. The story confused me a bit at times, and never quite explained how it was that Bethany could be in two worlds at once. Also, at some points in the book, Bethany spoke in a way that made her sound way too old for her age - especially in her interactions with her siblings.

BUT what I did love about this book was the imagination and creativity that went into Chime's world. I loved the idea of an author falling into her world, and especially a world filled with magic & mystery. I absolutely LOVED the idea of Vault 5 (I don't want to spoil it, so read it for yourself!) and I found the Queen's character extremely interesting. Even though she didn't get much time in the story, she was actually a really deep character.

This was kind of a hit and miss book for me. There were parts that I really enjoyed, but other parts... not so much. The great part about this book is that it's sort of a story within a story. A book within a book. I loved that concept and I think it was executed quite well.

As a fantasy novel there is the quest aspect of the story, and that takes us into a magical land with spirits, magicians, and an enemy of the queen who has his own minion army. One part of the book that is memorable, to me at least, was the Evil Army Recruitment Questionnaire. It just made me laugh (e.g. one of the questions was "Do you like to play with fire?" and the two options were "Yes" and "Yes!").

Bethany, our main character, is quite young seeming and naive. She's hiding something that comes to light part way through the story and I just couldn't believe what I was reading. It actually really turned me off the book. I was enjoying the fantasy narrative, but then we found out about this secret she was hiding and it was absolutely insane. I can't be specific about it because it would be a major spoiler, but it just made me wonder where Bethany's brain was at, it was so ludicrous.

Some scenes in 'Running From Secrets' seemed almost rushed through, while others were well paced and thought out. Therefore sometimes I was really into the book and wanted to see where the story was going, and other times I was a little bored. Overall I thought the book came to a pretty satisfying conclusion, and I think it's worth reading for the interesting story within a story and world creation.

Read the review at iLive, iLaugh, iLove Books ([...]).


This book had me intrigued from the beginning. Alternate worlds? If you didn't already know, my all-time favorite series is The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. While the world in this book is not accessed by a closet or a painting, it's even more special because it was created by one person, who can travel (involuntarily) into both.

I really enjoyed the book in the beginning, because the idea that Bethany could be creating a whole world of characters and places simply by writing (a story within a story) really fascinated me, and I wanted to know what was going to happen next, since New Velerethland was in so much trouble. The plot was very original and the story kept twisting into new challenges and obstacles for Chime and Bethany. It was a very dark and perilous journey that our protagonists had to undergo, and it kept me fixed. (I really didn't want to be Bethany - she had so many bad things going on.)

While the writing was very skilled, descriptive, and well-done, the reason I couldn't get into the story as much as I expected was because of the character development. The Queen Numuriu was probably the best-written character. She was troubled, and her body was being ripped apart by the spirits who wanted to take over. Every scene with her gave me the chills, whether she was herself, or possessed.

It was the other characters that didn't capture me as much. Bethany was very strong and brave, but she was confused for much of the story, which confused me even more. She didn't really know where to go, or what was going on, even though she created the world. Also, I just didn't feel her as a teenager. I don't want to give anything away, but the situation with her sister, albeit a great addition to the novel, felt a little too mature for someone of Bethany's age. Bethany was a pretty likable character, but she seemed a little dull to me at times, with not much personality. Also, I don't know any high school student who would strip down for a boy she barely knew so he could paint her.

I'm a pretty big fan of romance, and I love it when it's present in a book (which is almost in all YA cases). When it isn't, I'm fine with that, too. However, if it's kind of there, as a fleeting moment, it disappoints me. The romance in this book was evident, but barely developed, and didn't seem very interesting. It didn't enhance the story at all. This goes for the relationships for both Bethany and Chime.

This book is great for anyone who enjoys a dark, adventurous story filled with dangerous monsters, quests, and villains. I see very high potential for this author, and I believe anybody from middle school to adult would like it, fans of Narnia especially.

This is an extremely entertaining book with so many twists and nuances that you won't want to put it down. Chime's world is charming and intruding into it is so much fun. The action moves seamlessly from Bethany's world to Chime's world and both worlds are equally captivating. If you enjoy fantasy fiction, then I recommend this one.

SUMMARY

Bethany's twin sister, Antonia, burned to death in a terrible car accident. Her family, attempting to put their shattered life back together relocate to "an insanely old and rickety house at the edge of civilization" in the small town of Linwood. Bethany, isolated, alone and friendless begins writing in a personal journal. There she pens the magical New Velerethland a place she goes to in her dreams. In this journal her words evolve into "something of a story of sorts". Each night her dreams take on more details and urgency, until finally one night Bethany is transported to this dangerous, magical world she has created. The people in New Velerethland are in trouble. A young girl named Chime is being hunted for a crime she didn't commit by a queen whose mind is possessed by evil spirits because of a horrible spell. Its up to the creator, Bethany, to set things straight. But can she? Will Bethany be able to write a proper ending to the story, resurrecting New Velerethland or is it possible she could die trying?


BACKGROUND

This is the debut novel for author Stephanie Void, who has been avidly writing since she was 14 years old. Her inspirations came from author Amanda Hockings to self publish this book. Running from Secrets was published in Kindle format on Amazon.com this March. It is available right now for the incredible price of $2.99, a stand alone young adult fantasy novel and not part of a series.


SETTING, PACE and WRITING STYLE


Running from Secrets begins in the rural town of Linwood, where Bethany's family moved after the death of their twin daughter, Antonia. The house where they now live is surrounded by a forest of trees the locals rumor to be haunted. Parts of the story takes place in the haunted forest, but the majority of the book plays out in the Bethany's magical world of New Velerethland. The fantasy world she created is chock full of kings, queens, wizards, fauns, magical creatures and minions. Stephanie Void begins the story with a horrific car accident scene, from there the book just keeps gaining momentum. Its a very quick read, requiring careful attention to details. The book is primarily written in first person, from Bethany's viewpoint, sometimes switching to third person, (the typeset changes to italics) to let the reader know details about what's going on in New Velerethland before Bethany gets transported there in her dreams.

CHARACTERS and PLOT


Bethany is the main character in this book, a mousy, dark-haired nerdy gal, complete with spectacles. She begins the novel shy and slightly introverted. Thrown into a new school, she begins friendless and somewhat cowardly. As the story unfolds, she finds inner strength and confidence she never knew existed. Running from Secrets is a story within a story. The outer shell is about Bethany, her family and coping with the loss of a family member. This is the contemporary part to the book, which is only about 15% of the story. The other 85%, the heart of the book is about New Velerethland, the fantasy world Bethany is responsible for creating in her journal. Here is where all the battles and action take the center stage. Stephanie Void is black belt and teacher of Shindoryu Aikijutsu; so excitingly, all the fight moves in this book are actually believable ones.

RECOMMENDATION:

I recommend this book to middle grade fantasy lovers on up to adults readers. A book filled with action, suspense, a touch of romance,mystery and lots of fantasy; girls, boys, men and women should all find something to like about Running from Secrets. If your looking for a books that's easy to read, hard to put down and keeps you on the edge of your seat right until the last page is turned - then this is your book! Give it a try.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Rings