Mundie Moms

Monday, January 31, 2011

Book Review- Arson


By Estevan Vega
Published by Tate Publishing
Released on May 4, 2010
Source: Author
4 Stars- Really liked this book. Go pick it up.

Synopsis (From Tate Publishing): "Arson Gable feels like a freak. He can create fire. He never asked for it. He never wanted it. But he can't shut it off.
Before now, three things were true: he both loved and despised his grandmother; his life was going nowhere; and he was alone. But when a strange girl—who feels more normal behind a mask than inside her own skin—moves in next door, Arson hopes to find something he's never had: purpose. Using what he fears most about himself, Arson must face his consuming past and confront the nightmare that is his present as he walks the fine line between boy and monster. Dark, moody, and breathtakingly relevant, Arson, the chilling chronicle of an isolated boy with unimaginable ability, is sure to ignite the hearts and minds of a new generation."

I’ve been curious about Arson since I first read its synopsis and saw its creepy cover. I thought that the story would be mainly about the boy that has the ability to create fire with his mind but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was about more that than.

I thought Arson would be more of a paranormal novel but to me it was a lot more contemporary with a little bit of paranormal which made for a great story. It focuses more on Arson's struggle trying to keep a low profile around his peers so nobody will notice his ability or what he believes to be a curse. We really don't get to see a lot of his fire ability, just a few glimpses when he tries to get some control over it. Arson is part of a very dysfunctional family, he lives with his grandmother who seems to really hate him sometimes and blames him for the death of his mother which makes Arson feel worse about himself and hate his powers even more. This grandmother had the craziest mood swings, she would be nice and sweet towards Arson one minute and then just go completely evil on him. Those were probably the scariest parts of the book because you really didn't know what this woman would do next and I was just as scared of her as Arson was.

When Emery moves next to Arson's house he finds someone almost as different and an outcast just like him. I really loved Emery, I think more than any other character in the story, and there aren't many good ones in this one. She just had a way that would just win anyone over if you looked past the mask that she wears and gave her a chance, she was brave, smart, fun and easy to talk to. Arson finds this same qualities on her and finds someone he can really talk to with ease and be his true self around her, she makes him come out of his shell and brings a little happiness into his very depressing life. I loved that these two damaged characters grow closer to each other even with all the craziness going on around them and at home.

Estevan Vega throws a few unexpected surprises into the mix, he makes you think that something else is going on in the story and that you think you know what's going to happen next just to be proven wrong. I loved that! With every few pages we get to see the story unravel and see what's really going on in Arson's life and his past. I was glad that we actually get to see Arson's powers come into action towards the end, and they were just as amazing and dangerous as the premise lets you believe. The ending takes the story into a completely different direction, more on the paranormal side. I thought all along that this would be a stand alone novel, and it had the feel of it while reading it, but it leaves you with a heartbreaking cliffhanger of an ending and lots of questions. I can't wait for the next one! I'm really looking forward to seeing where this story will go next and what will happen to Arson and Emery.

Mundane Monday #71

Happy Mundane Monday!

(photo taken and used with permission from VLC Productions)

With all the excitement surrounding the CoFA trailer, and with the permission of Natalie from The Mortal Instruments Examiner, we'd like to introduce you to the actors who played the characters in the trailer.

Natalie has introduced fans to the cast of the TRAILER (this is not for the movie) via interviews, which you can find on her site.
We've met:
Clary (Tegan Elliott,)
Simon (Maxwell Reed, who also a loyal following of fans whom are trying to get him into the movie, which you can click here to read about it)
Alec (Carson Nicely),
Sebastian (Brad Etter,)
Isabelle (Saundra Coller,)
Maia (Victoria Esguerra), and
Jace (Josh Dibble).

We can't wait to see the trailer, which I believe is being released sometime in March. Be sure to go here http://tinyurl.com/653yelu to read Natalie's latest TMI posts. Who was your favorite portrayal? I think they all did a great job, but Simon is one of my favorites!

We know there's a lot of support out there with friends who have contacted us asking us to help support their friends who want to be in the movie. As a fan site to Cassie, we are staying neutral on the matter of casting and being apart of petitions or movements we've been asked to be apart of. We're not taking any sides and nor taking part in them. However, there is a fantastic site we'd recommend fans who have friends that want to be apart of the movie to visit Face of the Fan.

Speaking of the movie, there is no announcements on the casting of Jace. Yes, they are auditioning for the role. Yes, they've offered the role to Alex Pettyfer, but it's standard for them to meet with other actors as well. Recently Cassie posted about it, saying,"That is not really the way this stuff works. When a studio is negotiating with an actor, that does not mean they are not looking at any other actors (or that the actor is not looking at other projects). I know the studio has in fact met with other actors and I've heard various names. I would say that what this means is that nothing is going to happen very soon. However, this 'yes' 'no' stuff is part of negotiating and ***until someone is cast as Jace***, there is basically no such thing as final news. I am saying this mainly because I am leaving Sunday and will be off the internet for a month, so this may as well stand as what I have to say on the topic." You can read more of Cassie's reply here http://twishort.com/aced1

Thank you to Natalie for allowing us to share her interview links on Mundie Moms (all character interviews links were quoted from Natalie, off the TMI examiner site).

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