G142 Book Review of the Year of the Great Seventh by Teresa Orts
Author: Teresa Orts
ISBN: 978-1-479-28486-3
Publisher: Drayton Press
Part of a Series: The Year of the Great Seventh
Type of book: Curses, mysteries, ancient Egypt, New York, dreams, Hollywood, 2000s, genetics, hints, puzzles
Year it was published: 2013
Summary:
Sophie has always felt out of step—an outsider, even amongst friends in her high school with all the hype about celebrity culture. Her life in L.A. seems to have been already written for her, but when her junior year starts, it all takes a drastic turn. When she crosses paths with the school's heartthrob, Nate Werner, they fall for each other in a way neither can understand. What they don’t know is that by giving in to their desires, they are unlocking an ancient Egyptian prophecy that threatens to return Earth to the dark ages.
To undo the curse, Nate and Sophie embark on an adventure that takes them across the country. But their quest is not only to save the world as they know it. It is also a fight for their very survival. Behind the scenes, there are those that are counting on them to fail.
Characters:
Sophie herself is an interesting character; she lives in Los Angeles, goes to a high school where a lot of her friends are actors in Hollywood movies, yet she is not interested in Hollywood and thinks of it as a nightmare. She enjoys history and wants to go to a New York University to get away from the superficial world. Nate is a bit of a bad boy who seemed to have been dealt a double-edged sword and in beginning they seem to have a sort of Edward-Bella relationship going on, although I promise its not boring. There are other characters such as Sophie's friends, her family members and Nate's family, and they do play roles in the story, although not as big as Sophie and Nate.
Theme:
Love conquers all
Plot:
This is written in first person narrative completely from Sophie's point of view. I felt that it took a little too long to get going, but once it does get going, in particular in New York, the scenes really shine. She does leave a lot of loose ends in the story, and the ending is amazing by the way, and personally for me, a lot of things seemed to happen a bit randomly, at least in relating to Nate's cousin. I would have liked to know more about the curse and what happened and why it happened the way it did. Also, I am curious about the links between Sophie and Nate and certain lovers in Egypt.
Author Information:
Unlike most authors, I didn’t start writing
books when I was five years old. In fact, I’d never been too interested in
reading or writing. Hanging out with friends in the small Spanish town where I
grew up always seemed more appealing than anything a book could offer. It took
about twenty-seven years and a global financial meltdown for me to discover the
magic world of writing.
At the time, I was living in New York City,
and one morning I discovered I was no longer expected at my sixty-hour-a-week
investment banking job. Most of my friends had very demanding jobs, so I spent
my days wandering around on my own.
Like other unemployed people, I started
living through the nights and sleeping through the days. New York is known as
the city that never sleeps for a good reason! One night, tired of surfing the
web and watching TV, I opened a Word document and started typing a short story,
which I saved in my computer with little interest. That was the day Nate and
Sophie were born.
Days later, since the financial industry
seemed to be going into a downward spiral, I decided to spend three months
traveling through Southeast Asia and New Zealand. I thought, naïve me, that by
the time I returned, the financial crisis would have come to an
end.
Something really strange happened to me
during that trip. No matter where I went, I couldn’t stop thinking about the
story. Nate and Sophie followed me everywhere. No matter how hard I tried to
forget about them, they just wouldn’t go away. At the beginning, I thought I was
losing my mind, but soon after, I realized I had to continue writing the
story.
When I came back to New York, I went right
back into it, and that’s how The Year of
the Great Seventh was created.
Unfortunately, halfway through the novel, I received a letter from the
immigration department informing me that, with no job, I was no longer welcome
in the United States. Without much of a choice, my boyfriend and I decided to
pack our lives, along with my half-drafted manuscript, and begin another
exciting adventure in London, where we now live.
|
If you want to know more about me, please visit my website www.teresaorts.com
Opinion:
I did enjoy reading this book, and it did have hallmarks of me enjoying it, but I have to admit that a few things did prevent me from giving it five stars: one is that the style its written in is reminiscent of Twilight, and unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of Twilight. The female character, although she was intelligent and a problem-solver and also a historian (I majored in history,) reminded me of Bella because both of them seemed to be giving up on their dreams for their loves. The good part is that the male hero shares very little with Edward Cullen; he doesn't watch over her while she sleeps nor does he sneak into her room. He is actually respectful of her and encourages her to pursue her dreams of attending a university of New York. The style its written in is more of young adult rather than adult, by the way, which is something that threw me off for a little bit.
EXCERPT
Admitting I wasn’t going to fall asleep, I
emerged from under the bed covers, went over to the windows, and sat on the
floor. They say if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Well, if the city lights were
going to keep me awake, I might as well enjoy the view.
Crossing my legs in the lotus position, I
admired the city skyline. The other glass tower across from us seemed to be
private apartments. Most of the floors had their lights on. The energy of this
city was captivating. Life continued on through the night in the city that never
slept.
It was starting to snow. The frosty flakes
resembled white cotton candy. They seemed to be defying the laws of gravity as
they were suspended on the air and then swirled up into the sky. It was probably
due to the air current caused by the tall buildings. But as things stood in my
life at the moment, anything seemed possible.
The traffic was as dense as rush hour in
downtown L.A. Cars jammed around Columbus Circle, and no one thought twice about
leaning on the horn, even though it was past midnight.
In one of the apartments opposite, a man was
sitting by the window, typing on a laptop. The room was dark, but the reflection
of the computer screen lit up his face. I could see him clearly. It was as
though we were sitting across from each other. I was sure he could see me, too.
We were so close, but at the same time, so far. This must be the big city
syndrome where you can feel so alone amongst so many people. And knowing that
Nate was just across the wall only enhanced the feeling.
I had to start blocking any thoughts of Nate.
I had to give myself a break or I was going to start losing my mind.
Unfortunately, I was aware that ignoring a problem wasn’t likely to make it go
away. I couldn’t believe Nate had planned to hide the stain on his back from me.
How long did he think he could pretend everything was going to be fine?
Dad taught me to only believe what could be
proved by science, but this lulled me into a state of denial. Nate was vanishing
with the tick of the clock, and I had to help him. I wasn’t sure how yet, but I
couldn’t fail him. I wanted to slap myself to throw myself into action. How
could I be so passive when I was losing the only thing I
wanted?
The man in the apartment across from me was
drinking from a cup and flicking through the pages of a book that he had next to
the laptop. After scanning a few more pages, he continued to type. I wondered
what he was doing. I wanted to think he was writing a detective novel based in
1950s Manhattan.
The man stopped typing and stared openly at
me, as if he also needed to share his secrets with a stranger. It was snowing
hard, and thousands of snowflakes playfully spiraled up into the sky, proving
reality had many dimensions. The simple stare from a distant stranger was
appeasing that loneliness that was taking hold of me.
I couldn’t stop staring back. Here, sitting
on the floor of this grandiose room, in the epicenter of the madness of this
city, I just felt so small. How was I, this tiny, fragile girl, going to make
the world change its course?
The man with the computer—as if he could hear
my thoughts—smiled at me and nodded. Without uttering a word, and with the power
of our surroundings, this stranger confirmed that, yes, I could do whatever I
gave myself to. It was probably a coincidence, but there were moments like this
when the universe conspired to prove that life was full of magic moments. You
just needed to learn to see past what was in front of you.
The man went back to typing on his computer,
unconscious that with just one stare he’d provided me with the courage I lacked.
I was beginning to fall in love, but in this case, with New York City. There was
something about the anonymity of this city that brought us closer as
humans.
|
Quick notes: I would like to thank the author for the opportunity to read and review the book.
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
Comments
Post a Comment