seven: seven strangers one purpose by paige agnew

Title: Seven
Author: Paige Agnew
Pages: 392
Published: February 10th, 2011
Rating: 4/5

Synopsys:

Meet the characters: Cecilia and Tommy: Two best friends who live on the wrong side of the tracks with crumbled lives and neglectful parents. They think running away from home will make things easier. They never imagined what they had in store. Can their friendship stand the test of Seven? Greg: He wakes up in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee, goes to work, comes home, goes to sleep, wakes up to another fresh cup of coffee, goes to work, comes home, and goes to bed. When his rote and monotonous life slowly starts to unravel, Greg, the puzzle solving lawyer, falls apart. Will be unravel completely before Seven’s done with him? Hazel and Kale: Just two teenagers madly in love. Kale’s wanted Hazel since he first laid eyes on her. Hazel needs Kale as he is the only stability in her life, the only one that can really be there for her since her parents’ jobs are more important to than their daughter. They thought the summer would be a chance for their newfound love to blossom. Will it even have the chance to before Seven rips it apart? Kariann: Supermom leads a hectic life. When she’s not taking care of her son, Noah, she’s teaching and during the summer she works at the day care center, taking care of everyone else’s kids. It’s what she’s good at. Taking care of people. Add to that list her needy sister and newly widowed father, along with an irresponsible, pestering ex-boyfriend who happens to be Noah’s father. She’s Ms. Fix-it. But how can she possibly make anything better when she’s captured by Seven? Jonathan: Finally, there’s Jonathan. He’s dark. Clever as a snake and as temperamental as one, too. All he wanted was to be left alone. Was that too much to ask? Yes. As much as he’d like to ignore it, the self proclaimed bad boy might be the only match for Seven. When seven strangers are thrown together to be pawns in a psycho’s mind game, they realize that they have to work together to reach their true potential or it could very well mean their death. Seven strangers. Seven stories. One chance to not only saves their lives, but to change them in ways they’d never even imagined possible.

My Two Cents:

Frankly speaking, I love how the book was written. At first, I thought the book will be boring because I expected that it would be difficult to relate seven strangers together and make them as the center of the story attraction. But I was proven wrong. Even though it may be not the best book ever written, I kind of impressed with the young author. I've read her "Starless Sky' last year and like it very much. Like her previous book, Agnew put an intense storyline, a little of mysteries as well as suspense. The best part of all, the twist and turn of the story because I think the book also is a psychology thriller, which is a genre that I like. But at some points, I have to admit that I lost my interest because of too much elaborating on certain parts, as I think the part should not be included and without it, the story would be just great too. Nonetheless, you should not give up to keep reading it.

The book has something promising and I was overwhelmed by it. Like I said earlier, the book maybe not the best written ever, but when a 17 years old teenager wrote it with a great intense, made a complicated story with a simple twist, that must be something cool about the author, and the book. Two thumbs up!

interview: Author Paige Agnew

Paige Agnew is the author of Starless Sky and she is only 15 when she wrote this book! I'm pretty amazed to know that she has the ability to write an awesome book which is very captivating (Read my review HERE). Today I'm so glad to have her at my blog for an interview!

What are the three words that describe Starless Sky?

PG: Encouraging, Inspiring, Serious while Entertaining

What makes Starless Sky unique?

PA: How many times have you read a book or seen a movie where a character dies and you can’t help but bawl your eyes out? (Never? Well then, may I recommend Nicolas Sparks? Great writer, but grab a box of kleenex). Because I have experienced my share of tears reading and watching movies, I wanted to write a story where I could tap into something as deep as death, but instead of leaving the reader in despair, I would portray hope. This makes Starless Sky unique.

Where did you get the idea for Starless Sky?

PA: Sitting bored watching TV is when I generally come up with an idea for writing. I wanted to take on the challenge of writing a book about death that wasn’t entirely sad. In addition, the story gave me an opportunity to draw from my own very real pain of having recently loss someone I loved so much.

What advice can you give to a teenager who is grieving?

PA: Talk about your loss, write about it if you are not a talker, but get it out somehow. Share your feelings with someone who can help you and that is not always peers as their knowledge may be limited regardless of how mature or well meaning. Ask to speak with a counselor for additional support. Know that the stages of grief and loss are not really stages that happen in a specific order; know that you are not losing your mind. Healing takes time and it is a deliberate process. Healing does not truly happen just because you will it. Mostly, I am saying, do not go through it alone – let others help you – take some time to be alone if needed but balance it with self care and support.

How old were you when you first started writing?

PA: I honestly do not remember when I first started writing, but I do know when I became very serious about it and had a passion for it. I was in 5th grade and I absolutely loved writing stories. Sixth through eighth grade I attended the Young Author’s Conference in my city. I was delighted students had the opportunity toattend the conference. While I liked school, meeting authors and learning more about writing was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Each summer since 5th grade, I have spent every day writing and reading. My mother first bought tons of notebooks, then eventually my own laptop because she did not want to share with me (as she would never get equal time), and now I have flash/thumb drives to store all of my writing.

What inspires you to write?

PA: What inspires me to write is my love for books. Every time I read a good book, I think about my own, I think about how I can improve my writing skills, I think about how one day I want someone to read the final page of my book and just say ―wow‖ the same way I do with others. I love stepping into others’ worlds in the realm of literature. I just hope other people enjoy the adventure as much as I do.

How do you develop the characters?

PA: You can’t tell a story if you don’t know it. You have to play around with ideas inside your head and get to know your characters and their personalities. What would they say? What would they wear? Who would they hang out with and why? The more real the world is inside your head, the better it transmits to paper. When Kahlen first met Kennley at the creek, I had to ask myself who I wanted Kennley to be as a character. I wanted him to be a bad boy, but he seemed too nice for that. Okay. But why? Why would a bad boy seem good? Well maybe he used to be bad but now he’s not anymore. Well what changed? Hmm, I don’t know. And since I don’t know, I won’t let the audience know either. For now, let’s just make him…a mystery.

Is any of the book from your real life?

PA: It is funny when people who know me think the book is all about my real life just because they know about the loss I experienced. There are bits and pieces that come from real people, but the book is not a replica of my life. For example, the ―Random‖ game in the book comes from a game a friend and I made up while bored and waiting for track practice to come up. However, the character is not like my friend. Another example occurs when the parents and Kahlen go to the movie theater; in real life, we laugh about movies my dad wants to see. However, the parents in the story are not the same as my parents. Most genuine are the feelings of Kahlen; I felt those feelings and I experienced that pain when my friend died.

How do you remember to wrap up loose ends?

PA: Sometimes tying up loose ends is easier than others. When preparing for my writing, my notes are very detailed; as I go along; I add and add and add to my notebook, making sure I keep those loose ends in mind. Sometimes the loose ends are so prominent in my mind that it just flows naturally in my writing and it’s not difficult at all. Overall, what helps is reading over my work for myself so I can catch my mistakes and think ―oh, that’s right. I still have to add this in.

What can you tell us about your next book?

PA: My next book is titled Seven; it is a fiction, mystery, suspense-thriller. Seven tells the story of seven people whose lives come together because of a kidnapper. The story of each individual leads to the time they all come together. For example two characters are escaping an abusive childhood home and one character is an attorney without much direction. In the book there are clues (or things that appear to be clues) that mislead reader thus building the suspense. A common thread I have recognized in this book (as in Starless Sky) is self exploration among both the teens and the adults in the book. Each of the seven characters is forced (literally) to look at their own talents and lives in order to escape. Not all of them are willing. So, will they all be freed from the grips of the kidnapper? Want to know the answer? Great, read Seven.

About the Author

Paige wrote her first book, Starless Sky at age 15 and published it in January of 2010. Starless Sky was birthed during the time of grief and loss while Paige was in the 8th grade.Paige loves to know that she can speak words of life through writing that brings entertainment, escape, or healing to readers. She can write words that make readers cry, laugh, exclaim with excitement, or stay up all night wondering what happens in the end. Her sense of humor and from the heart personality shines through her writing. She was born in Michigan. Her compassion and sense of humor is in all of her writings. When Paige is not writing, she enjoys sports, dancing, singing, playing the piano, reading and attending her brother's college football games. In addition, spending time with family, friends, and her dog, Tigger are important to her.She is also actively involved in her church and community.

Find Paige Agnew: Website | Blog |Facebook| Goodreads | Email

Thanks so much Paige!

starless sky by paige agnew

Title: Starless Sky
Author: Paige Agnew
Pages: 456
Rating: 4/5
Source: Received for review

Summary (Goodreads):

Life is funny sometimes. Little kids drop ice cream cones, people in general often run in to screen doors, there's even the occasional moment when one might trip going up the stairs. Kahlen could expect those things, deal with them even. But what she didn't expect, not even in her wildest, horrific nightmares, that just as something so terrible could happen, something so wonderful could follow after it. When Kahlen Thomas has a difficult time dealing with the lost of her best and only friend, she has hopes that the new boy at school, Kennley Morgan, will be the perfect distraction from her pain. She slowly realizes that Kennley doesn't as much distract her from her problems as much as he adds to them because of his own interesting past.

My Thought:

This is my first young adult contemporary that I ever read, and I'm very glad I did it. The story of a young girl dealt with her lost of her best friend was really unbelievably sad and heartbroken. I think I know that I will feel the same way if I lose a best friend when you only have a few friends that you cherish and means the world to you. It will unacceptable and I could have spend a lot of time to forget about it. I was absolutely enticed with the characters, Kahlen, Kennly and Marissa. I felt so sorry for her, and I felt the tension that she felt to deal with people, family, and friends after the loss. And when she thought Kennley could distract her from the pain, Kennley is also has a past that he also need to deal, which bring a great mysterious and intrigued me to find out.

Other than that, one thing that I can give a big applause to the author is how she bring up the big issues such as drugs, staying clean, moral issues, and also what I've mention before is the loss of a dear one. The issues are heavy and I really think the author successfully translating it on the paper. And I can't believe she's a teenager herself! The plot line was great, the scenes are organized very well even there's a part which I thought shouldn't be dragged into great details. Most of the time, my eyes were watery and I couldn't hold back because it was too sad, and yes, it's a real tearjerker.

However, I have tiny little complain. I quite having a problem with the font of the words. It kind of a bit distracting and made me a little harder to read. Nonetheless of the complain, it is a beautiful story. All in all, despite of the complain (maybe I'm just too whiny girl), I love the story. The book should get all attentions of all young adults fan and you will agree what I've said. Two thumbs up for the author!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from Author Paige Agnew for an exchange of fair review. Receiving a copy in no way will ever reflected my review and these are my honest review.