Customer Reviews

The Seven Rays

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Without rehashing everything others have said I can say I agree about many of the points. The language used, while seeming innocuous at first, quickly grows irksome bordering on making the book a chore to read. I have a teenager and we even live in CA and she doesn't talk like that. However I was a bit worried that it was just me and I was too "old" for the book -- so I didn't deduct majorly for language.

What I did deduct for is the main character. She was very unappealing to me. I have a gifted teen who is looking to graduate early so I spent much of the book trying to find some similarities (probably in the back of my head to make more sense of actions and words of the characters) but it just never came. I read alot of young adult and juvenile fiction and generally I enjoy it (provided it is not the "OMG he's, like, soo cute" type!). This one failed to sustain my interest in a way that kept me invested in the story. I was able to continue in the book but the spark was just not there. I think there is a good story in there somewhere and the premise again is very interesting. There are moments when you think the book is getting better and then it just doesn't. It's that type of book.

In the end I can say it was just allright. My teen read a few pages and flat out told me she would not read further (she is reading The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Bradley to give you an idea of what she likes). However this is the same thing she told me about the Twilight book so I can't say she seems representative of other teens.

2 stars for the interesting premise-it really is intriguing. Unfortunately nothing else would merit any higher of a rating than that.

Beth Michaels might be going crazy. One day she's perfectly normal, and the next, she starts seeing these strange pink dots everywhere. Unfortunately, it doesn't even stop there. Ropes, chains, and disgusting black gunk show up on virtually every person she sees, as well as glimpses into a people's minds, memories, secrets, and fears if she looks at someone for too long. But even though other people think Beth is crazy too, the thing is, she might not be. Because along with this strange new vision, Beth also starts receiving gold envelopes with mysterious message, envelopes Beth soon finds out she's been receiving her whole life but hasn't been aware of until now. The first message Beth gets says "You are more than you think you are." And as Beth soon finds out, that's probably true.

The Seven Rays is one confusing jumbled mix mash of too many things at once. Yes, there are paranormal occurrences, lots of them in fact, the period of doubting sanity, and romance, among other things. That's precisely the problem with this book. Bedinger tries to include way too many things into her debut novel that the story loses its sense of purpose. On one hand, Beth has normal everyday problems with her mother and best friend. On the other, there's this romance with Beth and Richie. Then, on an imaginary third hand, there's all that supernatural stuff. It's this imaginary third hand that screws this book up the most. There's just so much about destiny and special skills as well as some kind of special prophecy or organization that's never adequately explained that floods the story in the worst possible way. This is the kind of novel where I really wonder how it got published considering the story is such a mess. Is it because Bedinger is a moderately well known screenwriter? If that's so, I think Bedinger better stick to that.

The Seven Rays may be enjoyed by fans of Swoon by Nina Malkin and The Hollow by Jessica Verday. I doubt I will read any sequel to this novel.

**Spoiler alerts here** I didn't think this book was very well written. The story idea has good potential, but the story clips along at too rapid of a pace-read total lack of character/story depth. I just can not see who might really enjoy this book and who the author was writting it for. Perhaps young adult (over 18 yrs) who are just looking for mindless fluff to read. I really don't think all of the topics coverd in this book are appropriate for those younger than 18. The two main characters want to have sex after their first kiss?! So they end up having mutual orgasm via the use of music from an ipod and connected headphones, on a motel bed, while they are "on the run"... I would not recommend this book to anyone. The dynamics of the mother daughter relationship are bizarre. Decite, lies, and lack of trust; it's like their whole lives crumble to pieces in an instant. It really makes no sense whatsoever. That relationship is just dropped and we never look back. Too bad some other author didn't think up the story line which does have some potential, but now only for those who have not read this book. For me, the story went like a rock skipping the surface of water; "touch, touch, touch, touch, gone!" Sketchy, shallow, and over.

The Seven Rays was a very weird book.

1. It was original, but every character was perfect (and I don't mean that in a good way). Sure, they had tragic pasts, but they were model-beautiful and they now had a great life. The characters were cliches and very childish.
2. The romance. The guy is a major player and we're supposed to believe that he falls in love with plain Beth the first time he looks at her and would do anything for her? (It's taking love at first sight to a whole new level).
3. I liked the beginning of the book when Beth is discovering her powers and trying to deal with them, but it all went downhill when she learns more about the Rays. It seemed as if the author was trying to cram lessons down my throat and the book was so weird.
4. The ending was abrupt and open-ended, leaving room for the five upcoming books in the series. (Yes, 5 according to an author chat transcript.)
5. The contradiction between the tone of the book with the main character. There are a lot of sexual references in this book, yet Beth uses pee, poo, and other childish words (a la Zoey from House of Night).
6. How much the book felt like a setup for the series.

Overall, while the premise is original and intriguing, the execution was bad and the main characters left something to be desired. I don't recommend this one and I won't be reading the sequels (and/or prequels).Pick it up if it sounds like your cup of tea, it's a bit like the House of Night series (minus the vamps).

After completing The Seven Rays, I am very confused as to who (what age) is the target audience. The characters are high school seniors and older. Therefore, I would assume it was geared towards teens. HOWEVER, the main character, Beth, and her best friend behave like pre-teens. BUT, the book contains sexual content that really surprised me. I read adult and young adult paranormal and urban fantasy books. I've only read one young adult paranormal book before that painted such a clear picture on sexual acts of this matter. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND PRE-SCREENING THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE BUYING IT FOR A MIDDLE SCHOOL AGED READER!!!

The book summary was so interesting and caught my attention immediately. I could not wait until my book arrived from Amazon. I started reading immediately. I was surprised to see on the book that it was written by the same author as Bring It On and Stick It. If I had known that, I probably would not have ordered the book. Since I had it, I still wanted to read it, because it sounded so good.

Honestly, I wasn't sure if I would make it through the book. Starting out, Beth and her friend acted more immature and goofy than my 12 year old niece and her friends. Let me tell you, they can be pretty goofy and annoying! I was shocked that readers were supposed to believe this was the behavior of a 17 year old, brilliant girl who finished high school early and was taking college courses. The teen slang was difficult to take.

However, once I got through the first few chapters, the book became extremely interesting. It really did keep my attention, and I found myself reading longer than I normally do each evening. It was nice to follow along with Beth through her journey of discovery of her new powers. The interaction between Beth and Richie was sweet (most of the time -- when they weren't doing acts that are too mature for the middle-school age behavior shown early in the book).

I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure UNTIL about the last 1/4 of the book. It didn't seem to be very cohesive. It was very forced and did not fit with the rest of the book. There are going to be very many young female readers who may stop reading the book with disgust because of the route the romantic portion takes. Beth's interaction (and acceptance) of acts done with the "Seven Rays" seems quick and forced.

I was torn on what to score this book. I went with 3 stars, because I enjoyed the majority of the book (in the middle). I did not really enjoy the beginning or the end. It felt like there were 3 different story/writing styles. I also felt there was not a clear age range for the target group. I have warned my sister to read it before letting my niece read it (we all like the paranormal and urban fantasy genre). While the language and most of the actions of the characters are perfectly in check with a 12 year old, the sexual actions in the book are definitely years ahead of that age. I probably would have rated it lower than 3 stars because of the negatives that I mentioned, but the interesting and captivating middle section of the book bumped it up to 3 stars. By the way, I find it "interesting" that ALL of the 5 star reviews as of this date pretty much reviewed ONLY Seven Rays items. Seems suspicious, if you know what I mean.

If only this novel had lived up to it's great premise, I would definitely continue reading the series. There are a lot of if only one can think of when finishing this novel including the dreaded If only I had not read it. When i did research before picking this novel, I heard it had a soundtrack so I decided to listen to it while reading the novel, an no it is not Songasm (Inside book joke) inducing unfortunately. It's an alternative music compilation but does not relate to anythink in the book except maybe Bendinger listened to these songs while writing her book. My next gripe is that if only the author had not tried to write the story with to many neologisms, that was quite annoying and insulting, since most teens would not talk this way. If only Bendinger had written Beth as a complex, multi-layer interesting character, people can wish for a lot of things, but this novel does not leave you wanting find out more about the other Rays

I stumbled across a free copy of this book online, and with the gorgeous cover and intriguing premise, I dove into it right away. Oh, how I wish I looked at the Goodreads ratings first.

I should give anyone reading this a warning. I will be ranting. A lot.

Firts off, this was the weirdest, most ridiculous, juvenile, annoying book I've read in a long time. And the most painful thing is that it could have been great. It really could have. Underneath the mess of a plot were some good, orginal ideas. Unfortunatley, several things ruined it.

Let's start with the narrator. Beth is supposed to be smart. She is a seventeen year old senior finishing high school early and taking college courses. Instead of a sophisticated young lady, we get a narrator who is fond of bathroom humor and nonsensical slang. Seriously, she is constantly talking about bodily functions, and refers to her name as Pee Poo. She'll be in a dire situation and be all "Oh, yeah. My name is Pee Poo." Her slang isn't cool or hip, but something a twelve year would be embarrassed to say. She refers to her visions as "grooze" or "feelsees", and uses them casually in conversation as if anyone can tell what the hell she is talking about. She is not witty either, just very cheesy. Beth devotes the same amount of energy to worrying about body odor as she does in life-threatening situations. I just cannot believe some of the stuff the author wrote. My eyes were in constant eye-rolling motion.

Then there is the romance between Beth and Richie aka Hot Guy. Who is Richie you may ask? Richie is the attractive older guy who suddenly falls for our narrator after spending five minutes with her for no apparent reason at all. Other than that, I have no idea who he is. I have no other physical description of him other than that he is hot, and his only personality trait is that he is "sweet". I know he has a younger sex-obsessed brother and an alcoholic mother, but these concepts were just pushed aside in order for Beth and Richie to have more "omg we can't make-out or else risk electrocution" time.

Other than that, it was just flat out weird and weirdly written. I have no problem strange if it is at least written well, but this is not the case. Bendinger would rely far too much on the visual, assuming her readers know what the hell is going on. She might as well have been describing a keleidoscope. She would often clump up the supernatural. Some parts would be devoid as so much as a "feelsee", then others were just leadened with it. The ending was rushed, but nothing was resolved anyway.

I'm not sure whether this book is a result of an author trying too hard to be trendy, or an author having a good idea lazily executed. I just pretty much hated it the entire way. My lip was constantly curled in a snarl. You might be asking why I bothered to finish it then. Once I have an answer I shall get back to you.

I will not be reading the sequel.

Oh, and one more thing. Song-gasms. WTF!?

The Seven Rays is basically a self-help book disguised as a novel. I think it would be pretty difficult to read The Seven Rays *just* as a novel, or a fantasy. Bendinger constantly sacrifices storytelling to her lessons. The lessons, by the way, are good and healthy ones - but I was annoyed to see them kinda ruin the story.

So the story is basically that Elizabeth is a smart, pretty normal high school girl who receives a card reading "You Are More Than You Think You Are" in gold letters. Around the same time, she starts having hallucinations. She sees dots and ropes and braids all over the place. She decides to ignore the card, which she is sure was just mis-addressed, but she has to deal with the hallucinations. She goes to the eye doctor and gets laser surgery, but when nothing changes her doctor wonders if the problem is maybe in her brain.

Meanwhile, Beth is getting more of those golden cards. She realizes that they're actually addressed to her specifically and they contain guides on how to interpret the strange visual hallucinations she's seeing. It becomes clear that the hallucinations aren't random, and that they're telling her things. Important things.

As a story, it's catchy. The writing is good, too. I didn't think the teen voice was 100% authentic - but I'm not a teen myself, so I can't be sure. To me, it was a little too polished and chirpy. But there isn't a single story element that isn't leveraged. Beth has a best friend, but she's a lesson. She has a mom, who's also a lesson. She has a boyfriend, who's a lesson. She has a nifty purse she loves, which is a lesson. Her favorite feature is her gorgeous hair...also a lesson. Her hallucinations are just visual lessons. I would have liked to see just one thing that ultimately served the story, not the moralizing.

It's not a bad book. But I cracked the cover expecting one thing - most YA fantasies are pretty light fare, you know? Nice little escapist romps? Something to read when you want a break from the heavier stuff? - and I got something completely, 100% different. That's jarring. I try not to judge a book by its cover, but I do trust a cover to indicate in a general, roughly accurate way what I'm getting into. Panting lovers? Better be a romance. Artistic photograph of feet? Bet it's women's fiction. Naked girl's back covered in glitter? Hmmm, doesn't sound like self-help to me.

But if you go into it with your eyes open, I bet it's great.

I wanted so badly to like this book. The idea sounds interesting, but the book fails on so many levels. I don't think Beth dealt with her new visions in a believable manner. And some of the events are just way to far off the charts. Orgasmic ipod listening sessions and toilet humor are just two of the things you will be treated too. And, I think the worst thing was learning that Beth would be required to have 7 children by 7 different fathers to fulfill her duty as the 7th Ray. I'm not ok with that in a teen book no matter what she is. So in the end, this book was just way too weird, which is a let down because I think think the idea of the seven rays would make an interesting story. Just not like this....

Let me start by saying that I read a lot of young adult fiction, especially fantasy and romance novels, so that while I'm not in the targeted age group for this book, I certainly have a grasp of what to expect in a good novel of those genres.

I was looking forward to reading The Seven Rays; the premise sounded interesting (who wouldn't want to receive a message saying "You are more than you think you are"?) and the cover is pretty. However, I was largely disappointed by the novel itself and really happy that I took this book out from the library rather than having purchased it.

While I was confused, like Beth, through the beginning of the novel about the lights/dots/ropes/etc. she sees on/around other people, I muddled through the first 200+ pages hoping to get some kind of explanation that would ease my confusion. Instead, when an explanation finally seemed to be forthcoming (like 100 pages or so from the end of the story), **SPOILER HERE** the reader finds out that Beth's purpose in life is to have seven children with seven different men? So that's when I put the book down and decided to write this review instead. **END OF SPOILER**

Maybe the last 100 pages that I didn't read make this book tolerable. But the heroine (Beth) is at times both annoying and pitiable, her friend (Shirl) is one-dimensional (obnoxious) and the heroine's main squeeze (Richie) is a player who inexplicably falls for the heroine for no other reason than lust. The story plods along through strange and unusual twists and the only enjoyable and likeable characters (DeeLee and Nessa) are around too briefly **SPOILER HERE**when Beth gets put into a psych ward (and how unoriginal of a plot device is it to put a magically-gifted hero/heroine into the loony bin?). **END OF SPOILER**

And I'd like to echo the comments of other readers about the maturity level of this book. It's not for kiddies. Beth thinks a lot about sex and even though she and Richie didn't do "it" in the parts that I read, they do other things (both together and separately) that mimic at least parts of the process.