Book Review: Farsighted by Emlyn Chand (+ a chance to win a $100 Amazon GC)

 

Farsighted by Emlyn Chand

Publisher: Blue Crown Press

Publish Date: October 24, 2011

ebook, Paperback, 218 pages 
Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal
 ISBN: 978-0615524689

  

** Make sure you read the Blog Notes below to see how you can win a $100 Amazon GC and how you can help me win one as well. ** 

My Review:
If you are looking for a YA book that has a different twist then Farsighted is the book for you.  First off, the main character of the book, Alex is blind.  But through the book you never really notice that because Alex "sees" so well with his other senses and with his extra senses.  The other two main characters are Simmi who is new at school and also has "gifts" and Shapri who has "gifts" but wants to ignore them.  Simmi is also the one that Alex has a crush on, but through his "sight" learns that she is in danger so through the book he always feels that he must protect her.

I found Farsighted to be an engrossing novel.  I was absorbed into the story from the very first page.  I found Alex to be a fascinating character from the beginning.  He handles his handicap fine, but he still wishes he could make friends and not be considered a freak.  But he doesn't wallow like he could, he does his school work and when he meets the new students at school he gets involved with them.  He is also close to his mom.  At the beginning of the book he has an animosity towards his dad, but I saw this as a typical teenager thing.  I like that his parents were involved in his life and stay involved through the book.  Even when they seem in the background they know what is going on.

I also enjoyed Simmi and Shapri, they made interesting secondary characters with interesting backgrounds.  I think Ms. Chand does a great job making the book interesting with her characters alone.

But the characters are not the only thing interesting in the book.  The plot is outstanding as well.  The plot keeps the book moving at a quick pace and before you know it you have read over half of the book.  I was enthralled by the events and had to keep turning the pages to see what would happen with these three next.  A lot of what goes on is typical high school stuff, but then there is the added psychic element as well that takes the plot up a notch.

With great characters and a subtle, on-the-edge of your seat plot Farsighted is a great book.  It may not have the advertising dollars behind it, but it is well worth the time for you to read it.  Whether you are a teenager or an adult I think this is a book most would enjoy.  With a male protagonist this is a great one for the boys, but girls will enjoy this as well.  I'm a girl and I loved it.  I'm definitely going to hand it over to my son when he finishes Harry Potter for him to give it a read.

I truly look forward to future books by Ms. Chand.

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

Blog Tour Notes

THE BOOK:  Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t.  When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Get your copy today by visiting Amazon.com’s Kindle store or the eBook retailer of your choice. The paperback edition will be available on November 24 (for the author’s birthday).

THE CASH PRIZES:  Guess what? You could win a $100 Amazon gift card as part of this special blog tour. That’s right! Just leave a comment below saying something about the post you just read, and you’ll be entered into the raffle. I could win $100 too! Please help by voting for my blog in the traffic-breaker poll. To cast your vote, visit the official Farsighted blog tour page and scroll all the way to the bottom (and vote for My Reading Room). Thank you for your help with that.

THE GIVEAWAYS:  Win 1 of 10 autographed copies of Farsighted before its paperback release by entering the giveaway on GoodReads. Perhaps you’d like an autographed postcard from the author; you can request one on her site.

THE AUTHOR:  Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit www.emlynchand.com for more info. Don’t forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky!

MORE FUN: There's more fun below. Watch the live action Farsighted book trailer and take the quiz to find out which character is most like you!