Location: United States
Member Since: Oct. 15, 2011
1 user has added this author as a favorite.
Karen Luellen
Biography
Born overseas on a US Army base, raised by a colonel and a shrink, escaped to a college in the midwest to study teaching and now sneak stolen moments at the laptop to write young adult novels.
Where to find Karen Luellen online
Books
This member has not published any books.Karen Luellen's favorite authors on Smashwords
Franz McLaren
Latest book: Trial In Lavondel. Published on December 2, 2011.
(5.00 from 1 review)Smashwords book reviews by Karen Luellen
- Trial In Lavondel
on Dec. 06, 2011
McLaren works his magic again with Trial in Lavondel!!! Zack is the kind of big brother we all wished we had growing up. He's responsible and devoted, but above all, he's protective--especially of his little sister, Angela. At fourteen, Zack tries to keep the peace at home. Not an easy task with an abusive, slacker of a father and a mother who's always gone trying to earn enough money at multiple jobs to provide a meager life for her children. Franz McLaren paints his characters with such clarity. I felt a fierce sense of love and protectiveness for the children and an almost visceral hatred for those who hurt them. Truth be told, I wanted to smack the heck out of several of the characters in this book and would have to get up and pace the room to release some of the anger I felt at their vile behavior toward the innocents. Just when you think you've got this book pigeon-holed and figured out, a huge twist throws you into another world. Franz McLaren never lets his readers sit back complacent, or spoon-feeds us typical writer's prose. Once again, this master has taken his gift of visual writing to another level when he transforms these children into perils beyond this world and forces everyone to face their innermost demons. As is his talent, unexpected, jaw-dropping twists held me transfixed, willing my eyes to read faster to know what was going to happen to these two multidimensional children. His descriptions of the world in which they find themselves is so mesmerizing that just when I found myself lulled into a sense of--oh, okay, I understand and feel comfortable about where we are--something completely gasp-worthy happens, making my heart race with fear for the characters, once again. So vivid are his descriptions, I'm not surprised that I had nightmares based on the world in which he created! You're going to love "Trial in Lavondel." Heck, I've saved it in my personal library so I can read it again, and again. McLaren is a master to be enjoyed and savored, no matter how fast you feel compelled to race through his books to the end! Highly Recommended!