It's here-- NaNoWriMo 2017

So it's that time of year again--caffeination, long hours, and frantic writing to get to your 50,000: NaNoWriMo!

So I wanted to share a little about my project for this year: This is actually a project I've been planning for a couple years now and am super excited to finally get to share it with everyone.

A Vampires Tale is going to be an eventual serial web series in episodic form about a modern day Vampire named Jared Everett as he goes about his life, just trying to make it in today's society.

About:

Jared Everett is just a vampire living in the 21st century and trying to make his way in a world where the humans aren't even as human as the monsters that walk among them. Along with his roommates--A nerdy werewolf, the ghost attached to the apartment trying to finish his thesis, and a demon who's a real lady's man-- and a spunky little girl who just wants to live a real childhood, Jared narrates this satire on society with a good dose of dark humor. 

Excerpt:

My name is Jared Everett and I am a vampire.

I guess I’ll start with saying that this is a project I’ve thought about for a while, writing down my, I guess you could almost call it autobiography, but it’s more like a journal really, of some of my trials living as a vampire in 21st century America. It’s really not glamorous like they show in all these stupid books and movies that everyone loves so much. It’s not even about feuding with werewolves and running from hunters. My best friend and roommate is a werewolf and I have never seen a legit hunter, and no fake ones outside of Halloween or nerdy horror conventions. We live nine to five lives just like the average human and try to stay under the radar as much as possible. Pretty much just normal. No glamour, mainly just boredom.

Let’s get a few things straight first because I’m sure you have some questions. First off, no, I do not sparkle like a disco ball, nor do I have cute hair and good fashion sense. My hair is always messy and I wear worn jeans and boots and usually a button-up and t-shirt or plain sweater. My skin is pale, yeah, put it doesn’t look like I covered myself in my six-year-old sister’s body glitter.

Fangs? They pop up when I need them, but I can smile in public without scaring old ladies and children.

Sunlight? I burn easily, I wear sunglasses when I’m outside and long sleeves since I don’t get hot or cold, kind of a perk of being undead, or whatever the kids are calling it these days. But no, I don’t burn to a crisp. SPF 100 is always a good call if nothing else.

Experienced? (aka ancient creeper in an 18-year-old’s body who still goes after girls his death-age) Nope, not unless you want to call the 90s ancient. I’m a baby vamp, only turned about ten years ago, still stuck in a 23-year old body, but that’s cool right? At least I beat acne before it happened.

Garlic? Delicious on pizza; only keeps me away if you breathe in my face.

Wooden stakes? Yes, those do actually work, as well as a machete to the neck. It’s a two-step process but don’t tell anyone that. Stoker was pretty darn accurate.

Coffin? No one sleeps in coffins but weird emo freaks. Dracula probably just liked to feel cozy. Or maybe he was just a Victorian goth.

Grave dirt? I don’t know about that one. I wasn’t buried, I never died—just un-died or whatever.

And for the question everyone probably wants to know: Do I drink blood? Yep, I am a vampire, that sort of defines my kind, but that doesn’t mean I also don’t enjoy a bacon cheeseburger or a slice of pie on occasion either. But, I have tried to go vegan.

And by vegan, I mean, I only eat vegans.

 What else do you think would possess me to work at a vegan café?

Okay, so it might seem a little callous, but I have to eat too, and they are healthier for vampires even if they do taste like wheatgrass and soy. Studies (by obscure vampire scientists that only a few of us know about) have shown that by ‘going vegan’ as a vamp, you can sort of wean yourself off blood, not need it as much. As long as you supplement it with lots of red meat, which I was not at all unhappy about. Besides, I found a certain irony to it. They didn’t like to eat meat, yet I ate them. Joke’s on them. I mean, in reality, grass eaters are at the bottom of the food chain, right? If you don’t eat meat, you’re practically asking for it.

Unfortunately, no one in the universe could understand what I have to go through just to get a meal. Another reason I decided to write this down. I hope to enlighten the common reader about the underground supernatural world that exists that isn’t actually so underground after all, and isn’t just out to eat you or cause problems. Unless you’re a vegan, of course. We typically, just try to live lives like normal people.

~~~~~

If you want to be my Buddy on the NaNo site, you can find my profile HERE 

Books of Note: November Reads

Well, I was going to get another post up this week with a snippet or something, but this month turned out to be way busier than I thought and this week I had little to no time to actually sit down. The awesome news is that I did end up finishing my first draft of Wolfsblood like I had hoped! Now I'm going to set it aside and start working on a weekly serial story which is an Arthurian retelling. I mentioned in a previous post that I was starting a new blog just for stories and writing by myself and hopefully guest writers as well. My goal is to post something each week. But you can read more about that here at the blog: Tales From a Modern Bard. I will be posting an introduction of sorts for my Arthurian story next week before I start posting it so if you want to know more about it, start following the blog, so you won't miss anything!

Anyway, on to by favorite reads for the month. I actually did get to read more this month than I thought and I read quite a few good books. Here are my favorites.


More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings — merciless creatures that leave mangled corpses in their wake. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles.

As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students study the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing — kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery — one that will change Rithmatics — and their world — forever.

Bestselling author Brandon Sanderson brings his unique brand of epic storytelling to the teen audience with an engrossing tale of danger and suspense—the first of a series. With his trademark skills in world-building, Sanderson has created a magic system that is so inventive and detailed that that readers who appreciate games of strategy and tactics just may want to bring Rithmatics to life in our world.


Review

Thoughts on the Overall Book: This is one of those books that sounds so very strange at first that you really have to read it to know whether you will enjoy it or not, and in this case, I really enjoyed it a lot! And I also found it to be one of the most unique books I read this year.

Cover--Yea or Nay: Yes! It's awesomely steampunk and I love the mechanical horse on the front, even though the mechanical horses didn't have all that much to do with the story.

Characters: I actually wasn't quite sure what to make of Joel at first. I liked him, but he just seemed a little bland and like he complained a lot and didn't try to do anything to fix his problems, but once I got to know him better I really came to like him. He's a sensible boy, and honest (sometimes that might be considered a fault) but he's not afraid to take chances and do what needs to be done, and take charge, even ahead of superiors. While not my favorite young male character ever, I really enjoyed reading about him. Melody I loved first off. Maybe because she loves sketching unicorns and that's delightfully quirky? She's the kind of female character I love to read about. She's got spunk, and she's sarcastically dramatic, and most of all, she's not perfect and admits it and that always goes a long way to endearing me to a female character. Unlike Joel, I didn't find her annoying at all.

As for the supporting characters, I really licked Fitch. He was kind of your typical absentminded professor and was kind and a good guardian for the both of them. Nalizar was both annoying and yet you are never really sure what to think about him, which I really liked. I'm not going to say much more about anyone because I'm afraid I'd give away spoilers. You'll just have to read the book =)

The Romance: There wasn't any! Amazingly, Joel and Melody's relationship stayed kind of brother-sister. It may turn into something more in later books, but I don't think it will be for a while. Truthfully there's all too much going on in this book for romance anyway.

Writing Style: The writing style itself isn't really anything amazing, but I'm giving most of the writing points to Brandon Sanderson for world building. That was what I loved most about this book. It's a story set during the turn of the century in a steampunk/gearpunk universe that is like the United States, but...not. Instead all the states are seperate islands, and kind of more like they were before the American Revolution, all being a bit like their own country. For some reason, the island of Nebrask has a whole ton of rampant chalklings that need to be held back from invading the other islands. No one knows how they got there, but all Rithmatists are required to serve there to fight against them. The whole idea of Rithmatics is terribly clever, and I could tell that the author put so much work and consideration into it. I am not mathematically minded, but I loved the idea and the theories of Rithmatics. It's just such a cool idea! The whole thing about how some people are Rithmatists and others aren't was a little bit confusing, but even the characters in the book seemed to think so, so I guess that's just the way it is. In any case, this book is just totally awesome, and I have never come across something like it before.

Accuracy/ Believability: Not applicable, but the Rithmatics are actually very understandable which I was really glad for.

Problems/What bothered me: I didn't really have all that many problems. I have to say that the first third of the book was a little slow, but it helps to build up the story for later on, and it will definitely help the reader understand Rithmatics and everything else.

Conclusion: 5 stars. The ending surprised me several times before the book was over, and I love that. I just really liked the combination of alternate history, fantasy, and mystery that this book held and I can't wait to see what the author has in store next.

Recommended Audience: Girl or guy read 13 and up. It's kind of hard to recommend this book, but any fantasy lovers would enjoy it. I'd say Kenneth Oppel fans and Maggie Stiefvater fans would probably enjoy it. 

(Read my friend Mara's review here)


17-year-old Verity Boone expects a warm homecoming when she returns to Catawissa, Pennsylvania, in 1867, pledged to marry a man she has never met. Instead, she finds a father she barely knows and a future husband with whom she apparently has nothing in common. One truly horrifying surprise awaits her: the graves of her mother and aunt are enclosed in iron cages outside the local cemetery. Nobody in town will explain why, but Verity hears rumors of buried treasure and witchcraft. Perhaps the cages were built to keep grave robbers out . . . or to keep the women in. Determined to understand, Verity finds herself in a life-and-death struggle with people she trusted.

Inspired by a pair of real caged graves in present-day Catawissa, this historical YA novel weaves mystery, romance, and action into a suspenseful drama with human greed and passion at its core.

Review

Thoughts on the Overall Book: This book was a surprisingly nice romance, an intriguing mystery and a cast of likable characters with a well researched historical background. It's a quick, easy read, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Cover--Yea or Nay: I'm divided. I don't like the character impersonator on the front. She doesn't look like how I imagined Verity. I do like the picture of the caged grave and the gold embossing and the colors are nice too.

Characters: Verity Boone is a very likable girl character. I never got annoyed with her once through the whole book and I felt indignant on her behalf for the things she had to go through coming back to the village, and I understood her misgivings when she meets Nick for the first time and finds him not so much like he was in the letters. Nick I wasn't sure how I felt about at first, but as the story progresses, I like Verity became increasingly fond of him. I also liked Hadley Jones, though I felt sometimes that his flirting with Verity got a little how of hand. The supporting cast was also really enjoyable, I especially liked Nate's sisters, and wished we got to see more of them. Verity's father is a very likable character as well, and I also really loved Beulah.

The Romance: Yes, there is a bit of a love triangle in this story, but what makes it bearable is the fact that Verity at least feels guilt for her feelings for Hadley and doesn't really know why she is attracted to him. I was very pleased with how the romance aspect of this story ended, and I think that, in the end, Verity ended up with the right guy.

Writing Style: The style isn't the best I have ever read, but the author did her best making it fit the time period, with the dialogue and everything. I almost wished it was in first person, but I didn't mind it in third either. I really liked the prologue because it pulled me right into the story, making me very interested to find out what happened, and I'll admit, even the prologue really surprised me.

Accuracy/ Believability: The author obviously spent a lot of time researching for this novel and it shows. I didn't see anything to complain about on a historical note, and I really love how she used the names from real caged graves to create her characters. I really love it when authors do that. I only wish the author's note had gone into a little bit more detail as there were several other things in the book that I wanted to know whether they were based off of anything or not.

Problems/What bothered me: Nothing really bothered me in this book.

Conclusion: 4 stars. An enjoyable read, and a rather fast-paced mystery. The end was totally surprising; I had some ideas about who I thought the culprit might be, but I didn't really expect the actual outcome so that's always nice.

Recommended Audience: Girl read, 15 and up. Readers who enjoy historical mysteries and don't mind a little romance would like it. Those who enjoyed "The Dark Unwinding" by Sharon Cameron would probably enjoy this one too.

Nano Snippets #3 Wolfsblood

Here's another snippet from my Nano project Wolfsblood. Now that's I've completed the 50,000, I am hoping to finish the entire first draft by the end of the month. I'm sorry I didn't get pictures up this weekend of the Justinius plushie I made, but I will do soon when I have a little more time.

On another note, I am working on starting up another blog just for short or serial fiction that I write. Mainly anything from really short, one shot stories, to longer novellas that I will post as a serial, or poems. I might even have guest authors on sometimes. I just decided I wanted to have a specific place to put other stories that I'd like to share, and though I'll be posting them onto Wattpad as well, I wanted to have a blog specifically for the stories. That way I can post accompanying artwork and people can comment even without having a Wattpad account. Anyway, the reason I'm doing this now is because next month I really hope to start posting up an Arthurian retelling I've been working on, which you will hear more about later. But I'm planning on starting to post it online either the first or second week of December, so I'm kind of excited to start my first serial story.

But for now, on to the snippet! In this part, Alex goes hunting a wolf for his wolf skin cloak, but finds more than he bargained for. (Terrible synopsis, I know, sorry.)

Running after the wolf, I realized that we were heading back out of the woods into the hills, and suddenly came out into the full light of the moon and the wolf was a streak of silver among the bracken of the hills. He ran up one, jumping from rock to rock and I followed, hardly feeling tired with the chase at all. I nearly skidded to a halt as the wolf suddenly whirled around to face me, crouching low and snarling deep in his throat. I raised the spear, crouching myself and returning the growl. We eyed each other, watching the other’s movements each waiting for the other to move first.

            The wolf leapt. I fell backwards in a sudden reaction to protect myself, the spear coming up and striking it in the chest as he descended upon me. A yelp escaped his throat, and I pulled myself to my knees, looking to the side where the wolf lay with my spear through him, not yet dead. His yellow eyes met mine, and I remembered Justinius’ words of advice. I pulled my knife out and placed one hand on the wolf’s forehead.

            “Be at peace, brother,” I said and slit his throat, feeling a surprisingly painful ache in my chest as I watched the life flow from the noble beast.

            I sat back on my heels, surprised as I put a hand to my face and found a tear streaking down my cheek. I was shocked at the emotion I felt at killing this wolf. I had never known they could be so human. Perhaps more so than the warriors who were cursed to change into wolves from the story.

            I stood, planning on carrying the entire body back with me to skin at the fort, but as I did so, a chilling sight caught my eye. Over the rise of the hill I could see several more wolves coming toward me. I turned quickly and realized even more were coming at me from behind. I frantically looked around and only saw more and more wolves coming. I couldn’t believe my eyes, wondering for a moment if I were hallucinating. Then a howl sounded out, and another followed closely behind it, until all the wolves were sending up an eerie cry that echoed strangely around the hills. I was hemmed in on all sides, and I realized with a sudden fear coursing through my veins, that I had no way of getting out of this. I was going to have to fight my way out, and even then, I didn’t think the odds were very much in my favor. 

NaNoWriMo Story Reveal!!!

Okay, so I promised, to reveal the story I will be working on for NaNo today, and I have been really mean and hinting at this one for a while because I was rather proud of the idea and I didn't want everyone to know about it too soon. But okay, now I can't leave you in the dark anymore. In short this is what it's about:

Roman Britain & Werewolves

Yep, this is my first official attempt at paranormal and I'm both excited and nervous, but because I'm writing this as a historical with paranormal thrown in, I have a good feeling that I can make this book work. You'll all have to let me know as I post excerpts this next month. I'm really looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on the story, and the idea itself, for or against. All I know is that I'm bloody excited to start writing this book since I've had the outline done since June. Here's a more in depth look into the story.

Alexandrus has been hoping for his promotion to centurion for a while, not only for his own personal gain, but to make his father, a wounded veteran, proud. However, promotion does not come in the way he expects. His new posting is for a frontier fort on the Northern Border, and he'll be commanding a cohort of Celtic auxiliaries. He was chosen for this particular job since his grandmother was British and he speaks the language. So he sets off for his new posting leaving behind a disappointed father and the life he has known in the south. When he reaches the fort, he finds it the most horribly run place he has ever seen. Men are sleeping on duty, no one seems to be motivated to do anything, and the decurion is "currently indisposed". He soon makes it his duty to join with the other centurions and whip the men into shape, but it proves difficult, for the fort is full of troublemakers, both well-meaning and otherwise. But the lack of discipline is not the only thing strange about the new posting. Where are the horses if it's supposed to me a cavalry cohort? Why do most of the men seem to have strange golden eyes, and why is it that most of them have bite scars? It can't be that they were all so unlucky while hunting for wolf skins, could it? Alex disregards an old story he hears about a Druid curse, but when it comes the night of his own initiation, he begins to wonder whether there is truth to it after all.

That's the story in a nutshell, or at least as much as I'm willing to tell at the moment ;) Interesting? Strange? let me know!

Also, you can go onto Pintrest and see my board for Wolfsblood (the title) which I have just unlocked from being secret :) Again, if you're doing NaNo, let me know and if you want to add me as a buddy I'm there under "Theartfulscribbler" just like my Twitter account.

Books of Note-- November Reads

I read lots of good books this November, even though I kind of slacked off at the end of the month to finish writing "By Blood or By Bond" But these were my favorite choices for the month:

Hal and his brotherband crew are hot on the trail of the pirate Zavac and they have one thing only on their minds: Stopping the bloodthirsty thief before he can do more damage. Of course, they also know Zavac has the Andomal, the priceless Skandian artifact stolen when the brotherband let down their guard. The chase leads down mighty rivers, terrifying rapids, to the lawless fortress of Ragusa. If Hal is to succeed, he will need to go beyond his brotherband training. He will need to challenge the pirate one-on-one, knowing only one of them will survive.

Review

Thoughts on the Overall Book: Whereas the last book tended to drag a little, I think this was was properly more fast-paced and exciting and I'm glad it ended the way it did. I really enjoyed it a lot. It had all the great character moments, adventure and humor that I have come to expect in John Flanagan's books. I've come to like the Brotherband Chronicles just as much as the Ranger's Apprentice series. Characters: As always, I loved the Heron Brotherband, plus Thorn. They are totally awesome. I'm also glad we kind of had more of a chance to get to know some of the other boys in this one too like Ingvar and Edvin, both of whom I have come to like quite a bit. Lydia, I still kind of feel was just thrown into the story to have a female character. She had her moments, but there was only one instance where she really did anything that the others couldn't have done, and even then, it still could have been accomplished just with the boys. I just can't seem to get to know her or care for her as much as I did for Alyss in the Ranger's Apprentice series. I know John Flanagan can write good female characters, but Lydia just kind of falls flat for me. I am totally glad there was no stupid love triangle between her, Hal and Stig though which was what I was really afraid would happen in this book. In fact, I'm kind of rooting for her and Ingvar ;) As for the villains, I still love Zavak, again, he's a great pirate character. I also liked Doutro because he was interesting and really nasty, though I kind of wish there had been more of him and that he had played more into the plot. Writing Style: As always, I love John Flanagan's writing style. This book was no different than any of the others. Problems/What bothered me: Nothing really bothered me, except I still think Lydia wasn't nessessary, and then there was that one part at the place with Doutro that almost seemed like a lose end, but it's easily overlooked and doesn't take away from the story. Conclusion: 4 Stars. Really liked this installment, and I'm totally excited to see what will happen next. Apart from the duel, I think the epilogue was my favorite part of the book. It was so perfect in so many ways =) Recommended Audience: Long time John Flanagan fans, of course. And if you haven't read Brotherband yet, do so! They're just as good as Ranger's Apprentice! (You can also read my friend, Mara's review of the book here)

A spine-tingling tale of steampunk and spies, intrigue and heart-racing romance!

When Katharine Tulman's inheritance is called into question by the rumor that her eccentric uncle is squandering away the family fortune, she is sent to his estate to have him committed to an asylum. But instead of a lunatic, Katharine discovers a genius inventor with his own set of rules, who employs a village of nine hundred people rescued from the workhouses of London.

Katharine is now torn between protecting her own inheritance and preserving the peculiar community she grows to care for deeply. And her choices are made even more complicated by a handsome apprentice, a secretive student, and fears for her own sanity.

As the mysteries of the estate begin to unravel, it is clear that not only is her uncle's world at stake, but also the state of England as Katharine knows it. With twists and turns at every corner, this heart-racing adventure will captivate readers with its intrigue, thrills, and romance.


Review

Thoughts on the Overall Book: I must say that I am very impressed by the number of really good YA books that have come out this year. For a while I almost dreaded going into the YA section because I just hated everything that was new and popular, but it's books like these that gives me hope for the genre. I think this book had a wonderful new story line, a nice steampunk feel, good characters, and an overall classic appeal to it. The mystery was also intriguing and definitely not simple because I had little to no clue what it was all about. Cover--Yae or Nay: I really liked the cover for this book, it tells you everything you need to know. I am always attracted to books with mansions on the front and I love the stormy colors of it. I also always like back profiles of the characters, then you don't have to worry about their faces not matching how you picture them. The gears behind the title are cool as well since it gives a promise of a steampunk novel. I also liked the title and how you find out where it fits into the story line. I'm quite partial to enigmatic titles. Characters: I really like Katherine as a protagonist because I think she grows very well during the story. She might not seem like a greatest person and even a little snobbish in the beginning, but she definitely turns out to be a very sympathetic character. I also liked the supporting cast. Uncle Tully is just one of those endearing characters you can't help but love. Lane and Davy were two of my favorite characters though. I can't resist those dark brooding types, so, of course, Lane would be on my favorites list, and Davy was just such a sweet little boy, quiet but yet seeing everything. And Mrs. Jefferies as well, was the typical slightly bad tempered housekeeper who you can't help but like anyway. And then, of course, you had Aunt Alice who was so fun to hate. Overall a wonderful cast, fitting for the kind of story. Writing Style: The style was very good, and descriptive which I love in these kinds of stories. As mysteries often are, it was in first person. The language was very accurate to the time period and I think the author did her research well into everything she wrote about, and I know how much research must have gone into this novel, or any mystery novel, so my hat is off to Sharon Cameron. Problems/What bothered me: Truthfully, there was nothing that bothered me in this story. Even the romance was spot on to my tastes, so I can't complain there either. Conclusion: 5 stars, Loved it! Sharon Cameron has given us a wonderful debut novel here, and I think she will continue to do so as she carries on with the proposed sequel of this book, that I am awaiting with the utmost anticipation! Recommended Audience: I think readers of the classics such as Jane Eyre and Sherlock Holmes would find this book to their tastes. Also people who enjoy light steampunk (more like Gaslight Romance) would like it. I'd say it's probably more of a girl read than a guy read, but it's still a wonderful story and mystery. (You can also read Mara's review here) A story of loyalties tested, secrets exposed, and one boy’s search for identity amid the tangled political intrigue and deception of the Dark Ages. A young thief known as "the Ghost" roams seventh-century Constantinople, tangling in political feuds and petty theft, using his eerie gifts of persuasion and stealth. With his father away at war and his mother devastated by his little sister’s death, Cai would rather be anywhere than at home. But when a rival ambushes and sells Cai as a slave, he begins to regret his choices. Aboard the slavers’ ship, Cai travels far from the warmth of Constantinople into his parents’ homeland — the forbidding land of Britain, where war is brewing between tribes. Bought by a clan head, Cai finds a new life as a tribal member, and using his uncanny talents, is put to work as a spy. The secrets he discovers, however, kindle doubt and disloyalty in his heart. Adrift in a society he still feels apart from, Cai seeks truth and revenge, throwing his life to the wind with startling results. Review Thoughts on the Overall Book: I loved "Bloodline" which I actually ended up doing a faith buy on (which I ended up being glad I did) but "Bloodline Rising" I think was even better. I mean, seriously, it has every theme I absolutely love in it! Celtic Britain, thieves, the Middle East, plus a lovely father-son relationship and lots of brotherly relationships too. Just simply a wonderful book! Cover--Yae or Nay: I really like the covers for these books because I love silhouettes and you can tell it's going to be set in Constantinople or someplace like that. Even if I had no prior knowledge of these books, this would have caught my eye. Characters: I love Cai because, number one, he's a flawed character, thus making him realistic, but yet, he really does want to do the right thing. Of course, he's Essa's son (Essa being the character in "Bloodline") and I actually love how Essa never told him about his past. Their father-son relationship was so good because it was dynamic, and, again, realistic. I also loved seeing other characters from the previous book like Wulf (who was a favorite of mine) and also how his son became good friends with Cai; Cenry and Edge were great characters as well. I also loved the Emperor of Thieves. There were also a lot of good secondary characters. Writing Style: While "Bloodline" was written in third person one perspective, "Bloodline Rising" was first person from Cai's point of view. I normally don't like books written in the present tense, but seriously, in this one, it took me several pages to realize that and it was not distracting at all. Sometimes present tense can be a little vague, but this book I hardly noticed it, and I think it actually added to the story. Problems/What bothered me: Truthfully, I had no problems with this book. Conclusion: 5 stars! I loved this book. It was just really, really good! Recommended Audience: People who enjoyed "Bloodline" should definitely read this one. I really don't even think it's necessary to read them in that order; you could actually read "Bloodline" as a prequel later, if you wished. Rosemary Sutcliff fans would also like these books. A guy and girl read, probably thirteen and up.