viv hotten

Smashwords book reviews by viv hotten

  • Hearts Torn Asunder on May 28, 2012

    An emotional rollercoaster that dips a long, long way and makes the reader feel the raw hurt depicted baldly but realistically. If you are looking for sugar coating during the journey then hard luck. If there's one thing about life that this reinforces is that however painful the downs, you have to hold on to and rejoice the ups. If you want to believe in miracles, fine, that's your choice, I put my faith in people and their strength, and this story reaffirms that. But be ready to sniff a bit on the way! The author manages to cut to the heart incisively without fuss or falling into the trap of overdressing the tale being told. To my eyes, there's a real talent here waiting to be encouraged and mined.
  • Even the Clocks Stopped on Aug. 14, 2012

    This is a story that grips and will leave you feeling almost as drained as the main character. Tragedy of an almost epic Greek style but played out in modern times and imbued with a haunting sense of reality and helplessness. Love in its broadest sense dominates the tale, written by a clearly passionate author who shares her flaming world of light and dark, of intensity and ice cold horror. Not so much a whodunit, more a would you have been strong enough to do it, it left me wondering about the impact of the core incident on all those involved. Shortcomings? Oh I could do with another 300 pages to put flesh on all the characters who are etched in a way that tells you enough but leaves you demanding to know more - to see their lives lived beneath your prying eyes, to share their emotions, hopes, loves, and frustrations. Instead, the author gives you all you actually need to make this tale real and immediate, while leaving the space for your imagination to fly. It's a story that makes you think and feel, and Sherzahd should be rightly proud of it. If this does not affect your heart and soul, then more than the clocks have stopped.