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ponch22's review
4.0
Read an ARC version of this as one of [a:DL Orton|13506103|D.L. Orton|http://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1427753745p2/13506103.jpg]'s proofreaders. It's a pretty enjoyable collection of short stories!
"The Last Star" tells the story of two nearly eternal beings as they witness the Heat Death of the universe. The two characters have a unique relationship. I wish there had been more about their creation though. The male seemed to be an AI created in the near future and the other a human whose consciousness was transferred into an AI, I believe. Somehow it seems these two are the only eternal beings, but it's still a decent story about the end of the world.
"Just Friends" is about two college-aged kids who grew up together and is from the point of view of the guy who's had a crush on the girl for forever. It's a classic story (who hasn't been there) but the dialogue felt a little unbelievable. Or maybe it's the history they share through dialogue—it's so crazy what these two friends have done (without doing what they want to do).
"Phoenix" is a fun little bit of nonfiction with some misdirection and surprises. I forgot that it wasn't fiction as I read it and that gave me some fun ideas about what I was reading!
"My Kingdom for a Double Espresso" is all about an awkward morning after. But not a morning after sex but rather after a night when he fell asleep while she wanted to have sex. Felt like a real, yet heightened, first fight.
"Down in Flames" is the second non-fiction story of the collection. Originally I thought it was going to be a cloying retelling of the 9/11 aftermath but it quickly became something much more personal and emotional. Probably the best piece of the collection!
"Willing" is about a new divorcée who gets into a flirtatious text conversation with a much younger man. It explores the emotions & feelings of getting back in the game after being out of it for so long.
"The Idiot's Guide to Writing Workshops" is a very inside-baseball, tongue-in-cheek look at writing and editing and proofreading. Some parts went over my head (I knew some of the abbreviations she pokes fun at but not all) while other parts were quite helpful (Hugs!)
And finally, "The Devil and a Hard Place" is the NSFW finale where Orton lets her naughty side out. I've never been a huge fan of the R-rated scenes in her other books but this story worked, maybe because it was a standalone piece of erotica and not a few sexy scenes peppered in throughout a standard story.
Overall, the collection averages out to 4*. Definitely worth the time it took to read!
"The Last Star" tells the story of two nearly eternal beings as they witness the Heat Death of the universe. The two characters have a unique relationship. I wish there had been more about their creation though. The male seemed to be an AI created in the near future and the other a human whose consciousness was transferred into an AI, I believe. Somehow it seems these two are the only eternal beings, but it's still a decent story about the end of the world.
"Just Friends" is about two college-aged kids who grew up together and is from the point of view of the guy who's had a crush on the girl for forever. It's a classic story (who hasn't been there) but the dialogue felt a little unbelievable. Or maybe it's the history they share through dialogue—it's so crazy what these two friends have done (without doing what they want to do).
"Phoenix" is a fun little bit of nonfiction with some misdirection and surprises. I forgot that it wasn't fiction as I read it and that gave me some fun ideas about what I was reading!
"My Kingdom for a Double Espresso" is all about an awkward morning after. But not a morning after sex but rather after a night when he fell asleep while she wanted to have sex. Felt like a real, yet heightened, first fight.
"Down in Flames" is the second non-fiction story of the collection. Originally I thought it was going to be a cloying retelling of the 9/11 aftermath but it quickly became something much more personal and emotional. Probably the best piece of the collection!
"Willing" is about a new divorcée who gets into a flirtatious text conversation with a much younger man. It explores the emotions & feelings of getting back in the game after being out of it for so long.
"The Idiot's Guide to Writing Workshops" is a very inside-baseball, tongue-in-cheek look at writing and editing and proofreading. Some parts went over my head (I knew some of the abbreviations she pokes fun at but not all) while other parts were quite helpful (Hugs!)
And finally, "The Devil and a Hard Place" is the NSFW finale where Orton lets her naughty side out. I've never been a huge fan of the R-rated scenes in her other books but this story worked, maybe because it was a standalone piece of erotica and not a few sexy scenes peppered in throughout a standard story.
Overall, the collection averages out to 4*. Definitely worth the time it took to read!
praptip20's review
4.0
I received an ARC copy of this book from the author, [a:D.L. Orton|13506103|D.L. Orton|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1427753745p2/13506103.jpg] and was pleasantly surprised by the diverse content!
The first story, THE LAST STAR, was not really to my liking. That could be because I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi. Still, the little bits of philosophy that seeped out of the two characters' somewhat weird relationship was enough to fill my heart. Like they say, the end of the world is no joking matter!
I glossed over JUST FRIENDS, since I'm only fifteen and the title of the story signified that the content wasn't age appropriate material. But I did like the bit about the Scooby-Doo lunchbox! Made me really nostalgic :)
PHOENIX was one of my favourites in the collection and I read it over and over for like, a hundred times. I'm really crazy about animals and loved the way the author talked about her friendship with the dolphin. (I'm guessing it was partly nonfiction) The last part is especially touching, when she narrates what happens in the end to Phoenix and her sweet message to the world to clean up the seas. People nowadays really need to read more stories like this one. Stories that inspire, motivate.
MY KINGDOM FOR A DOUBLE ESPRESSO again wasn't really meant for me, but I did enjoy as the lead character dismantled the espresso machine. Although it was over a little soon, I wished there were more coffee ground spills! Nothing brightens up your awful morning than watching someone else's get ruined! For me, this one was for a laugh.
DOWN IN FLAMES is by far the best story in this book. I literally felt the pain of the author (I'm assuming this was nonfiction too, judging by the tone), and not only did this made for a very touching 9/11 memorial read, it showed me a whole other side of what transpired when the whole world was in chaos over the attacks. There is nothing in this world that can be compared to a mother's love for her child and what their separation might feel like is unimaginable for me. This was probably the most poignant and raw story I've ever read.
WILLING I had to give up reading after a casual tennis match arrangement turned into something, well, more explicit. It's amazing how many stories an author can spin off on tangents to the main theme!
THE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO WRITING WORKSHOPS was absolutely perfect! There was lots of satire, some very helpful facts and I somehow can't stop thinking about all the abbreviations she listed out! It's an ideal read for a frustrated writer who's looking for some help while also wanting to smile. That is, assuming he/she can differentiate between the wit and the truth!
Overall, this was a nice read read for a lazy weekend. I appreciated the fact that the author was very particular about including a life lesson with each story she spawned. When you're in the writing industry, it's quite difficult to hand out advice and still make your stories lively. D.L. Orton did a fantastic job with this and I'll be looking forward to read some of her other anthologies.
The first story, THE LAST STAR, was not really to my liking. That could be because I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi. Still, the little bits of philosophy that seeped out of the two characters' somewhat weird relationship was enough to fill my heart. Like they say, the end of the world is no joking matter!
I glossed over JUST FRIENDS, since I'm only fifteen and the title of the story signified that the content wasn't age appropriate material. But I did like the bit about the Scooby-Doo lunchbox! Made me really nostalgic :)
PHOENIX was one of my favourites in the collection and I read it over and over for like, a hundred times. I'm really crazy about animals and loved the way the author talked about her friendship with the dolphin. (I'm guessing it was partly nonfiction) The last part is especially touching, when she narrates what happens in the end to Phoenix and her sweet message to the world to clean up the seas. People nowadays really need to read more stories like this one. Stories that inspire, motivate.
MY KINGDOM FOR A DOUBLE ESPRESSO again wasn't really meant for me, but I did enjoy as the lead character dismantled the espresso machine. Although it was over a little soon, I wished there were more coffee ground spills! Nothing brightens up your awful morning than watching someone else's get ruined! For me, this one was for a laugh.
DOWN IN FLAMES is by far the best story in this book. I literally felt the pain of the author (I'm assuming this was nonfiction too, judging by the tone), and not only did this made for a very touching 9/11 memorial read, it showed me a whole other side of what transpired when the whole world was in chaos over the attacks. There is nothing in this world that can be compared to a mother's love for her child and what their separation might feel like is unimaginable for me. This was probably the most poignant and raw story I've ever read.
WILLING I had to give up reading after a casual tennis match arrangement turned into something, well, more explicit. It's amazing how many stories an author can spin off on tangents to the main theme!
THE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO WRITING WORKSHOPS was absolutely perfect! There was lots of satire, some very helpful facts and I somehow can't stop thinking about all the abbreviations she listed out! It's an ideal read for a frustrated writer who's looking for some help while also wanting to smile. That is, assuming he/she can differentiate between the wit and the truth!
Overall, this was a nice read read for a lazy weekend. I appreciated the fact that the author was very particular about including a life lesson with each story she spawned. When you're in the writing industry, it's quite difficult to hand out advice and still make your stories lively. D.L. Orton did a fantastic job with this and I'll be looking forward to read some of her other anthologies.
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