Been awhile, hasn't it? It feels like I haven't been near this thing in years, which makes sense because it's been about two weeks. In the land of the internet, that's like at least two centuries.
But now I'm back and I get to talk about this amazing, wonderful, terrific book that I read: Izzy Moffit's Road to Wonderland by Victoria L. James. When the ladies at Bare Naked Words offered this book to me, I jumped on it. Without hesitation. It sounded intriguing and fun, and I was right! Just read this synopsis and not be interested:
Making it to seventeen in one piece
isn’t usually a concern for your average teenager, but if there’s one thing
Isabella Moffit has never been, it’s average. Dragged through life by parents
who couldn’t care less and surrounded by violence on a daily basis, Izzy
reaches that epic birthday milestone in her life with only one person to thank
for getting her there: her best friend and soul sister, Paris Hemsworth.
Vowing to stand side by side through
thick and thin since they were four years old, the two of them have made it
this far and are confident that now is their time to tackle the world head on,
one shaky, naive little footstep at a time.
Except they have no idea what awaits
them both on the other side of adulthood, and before either one of them can
strap on their hard hat, they’re taking so many knocks and bruises that Izzy’s
childhood suddenly seems like a stroll in the park.
Dodging as many bullets as they can
along the way, Izzy tries to hold on to Paris’ hand for as long as possible
without either one of them slipping away. But no-one ever told them how rough
their journey would be. No-one told them that friends and family would change
or leave along the way. And no-one told them that for every good intention they
have, there’s a thousand people out there with bad ones, waiting to rip them
apart.
Follow Izzy’s journey in part one of the Road to
Wonderland series - a coming of age novel with a difference, where you’ll face
tears, tantrums, laughter and heartbreak, but above all else, hope. Hope that
no matter what life throws your way, it’s all part of setting you on the right
path to your very own Wonderland and that, more often than not, everything
happens for a reason.
Super awesome, right? This book is so much better than I can say. This was an emotional journey from beginning to end. When I thought that Izzy's story was going to be about one thing, it was about another, and the turns kept coming. This poor girl is hit with everything under the sun, and still she perseveres, because she is that strong and that faithful to herself. It's beautiful and sweet and utterly terrible at times, but Izzy and Paris are so wonderful. Their friendship is amazing, the kind of friendship that people wish for. I think the best part about this book was that, of course, there were guys and relationships and love and all that junk, but it's mainly about a girl trying to find her way through life and trying to keep those that she loves afloat, as well.
Here's all the links that you'll need in order to find this little piece of awesomeness:
- Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/1qB3jbE
- Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/1pfXoIA
Victoria L James is a
teenage girl stuck in a thirty-something year-olds body. Living somewhere 'oop
north' in England, she has had a strong passion for words and stories going as
far back as she can remember, which she credits to her grandmother and her love
of reading anything that was on sale and cheap from the local market stall.
Never once did she think she would release a novel, though. At best, she
thought her love of language and her ability to create stories in her mind
would provide her with a 'get out of jail free' card whenever she messed up and
her parents were mad at her during her teenage years... and when even that
didn't work out, she thought she was pretty much done for.
When an opportunity
presented itself for her to take a back seat from paid working life for a few
years, she knew straight away that she had to try and write about a few of
these worlds she'd come up with along the way, and quieten all the voices in
her head without racking up a heavy psychiatry bill for the pleasure.
Wearing her heart on
her sleeve and trying to lighten her friends’ and family’s lives with naff, and
more often than not, badly timed, nineties jokes, she has yet to learn the art
of knowing when to shut up. Which is another reason writing became a passion of
hers. With pen and paper, there are no limits.
A firm believer in
never quitting, with a ridiculous obsession for all things Rocky, she hopes
that one day she writes a story that will inspire at least one person out there
to keep on going if they're struggling. Other than that, she's just a regular
old converse wearing, corona sipping, English version of Chandler Bing, who
loves and adores her family more than life itself. Oh, and she also has two
cats. Every writer has to mention their cats, right? Connect with her at the following links:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaLJamesAuthor
- Wonderland Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RTWSeries
- Twitter: @Victoria_LJames
Also! Click the link below for a chance to win some books and other goodies:
Okay, I'm done. Go forth and grab this book. Read it. Savor it. Enjoy it.
