Today I have a review for this fantastic young adult paranormal fantasy series, Farsighted by Emlyn Chand. Check it out below and the awesome giveaway at the bottom for a Kindle or Nook.
Series: Farsighted #1
Author: Emlyn Chand
Publisher: Blue Crown Press
Release Date: 17th October 2011
Format: eBook
Source: Author via GCReading Blog Tours for an honest review
Alex Kosmitoras's life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead broke and insanely overprotective, and... oh yeah, he's blind.
Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a normal life, an enticing new girl comes to their small Midwest town all the way from India. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Sophomore year might not be so bad after all.
Alex is in store for another new arrival—an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to "see" the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they suggest Simmi is in mortal danger.
With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex embarks on his journey to change the future.
My Review
I loved Farsighted! It was extremely intriguing throughout and I had a hard time putting it down. Ms Chand has a lovely writing style that was easy to read and so much fun. The main character, Alex is falling in love for the first time, but he is getting confusing signals. As the characters evolve along the way, the reader is drawn into the world that is created with vivid imagery detailed throughout.Alex Kosmitoras is no typical teenager, at almost 16, he goes to an ordinary school and goes to ordinary classes; the only thing that isn't ordinary is that Alex was born blind. This adds an interesting touch to the story, but Alex carries on, head held high just like every other student.
At school on his first day back and in class, Alex has a vision and doesn't understand what is happening. He just thinks it’s a hallucination and tries to ignore it. Meeting a new girl in his Physics class, Simmi, Alex is immediately attracted to her. Since he can’t see her, it’s his other senses that are heightened to Simmi; her almond scent and sing song voice. Simmi seems friendly enough and they start to become friends.
As Alex has more visions, he is working out that they are of the future, but cannot control them. A new shop has opened next door to his Mother’s florist shop, All-Seeing Miss Teak. A psychic shop that Alex thinks is a phoney. Being the curious teenager that he is, Alex goes next door to find out what the story is. Miss Teak has a daughter, Shapri that is also in school with Alex, but that is not the curious part. Miss Teak knows things about Alex that he doesn't know himself. Alex IS having visions of the future and it is his gift. There are teenagers that come into their gifts at puberty and Alex is one of them, as is Simmi and Shapri (not that Shapri will accept her fate). Alex has to learn to use his visions to help others and but these visions seem to surround Simmi. With all of these new feelings for Simmi, he is determined to protect her and not let her get into danger.
Follow along with Alex as he learns how to harness his abilities and discover his new feelings for Simmi and Shapri. Not having friends before, everything is new and he gets caught up in the drama. Alex goes on an adventure of discovery with Simmi, Shapri and Miss Teak, trying to decipher his visions and work out who this boy is that will put Simmi in danger. His relationship with his Father gets questioned and the supernatural becomes a fact.
Farsighted was a great introduction to the series and all the details of Alex and how he learns at school was fascinating. Typing notes and having them converted to Braille, I have never actually thought about how it would all work. With the twists throughout the book, you can never predict which way the story will go. It was such a fun read and I cannot wait to read Open Heart next.
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Other books in the series...
About The Author...
From an early age, Emlyn Chand has counted books among her best friends. She loves to hear and tell stories and emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). Her affinity for the written word extends to absolutely every area of her life: she has published three novels and three children’s books with plans for many more of each, leads a classics book group with almost five-hundred members, and, of course, runs the whole shebang at Novel Publicity.
The book that changed Emlyn’s life is Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson. It opened her eyes to the world that could exist if only she was willing to create it—a lesson she has never forgotten. While she enjoys all types of novels, her greatest loves are literary fiction and YA. She’s best known for her Farsighted series and is developing a slow but steady following for the Bird Brain Books. She’s eager to see how her women’s fiction novel, Torn Together, will be received by the reading masses.
Make sure to check out the rest FARSIGHTED & OPEN HEART blog tour kicking off Monday, February 4th!
Giveaway
GRAND PRIZE: Kindle or Nook -- Winners choice! US ONLY, If international $100 dollar Gift Card to a bookstore.a Rafflecopter giveaway
