Official Review: And My Heart Beats by Blair MacKinnon

[aparsons]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "And My Heart Beats" by Blair MacKinnon.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

And My Heart Beats
By Blair MacKinnon

And My Heart Beats is Blair Mackinnon’s first story. It opens with an alien planet. The author writes with vivid language and is very descriptive. I was able to picture everything he talked about, and I love that in a book. He describes a semi-sentient planet with two small suns and several alien species that correlate with current alien species, but have new and unique names. There are references to how the humans arrived on the planet, but it is not explicitly said.

This story follows a young woman called Nireti who wakes up on the day she is to defeat a dark, ominous and vague threat in the forest. She prepares herself mentally, spiritually and physically by praying to the earth, sun and water. She also dons some sort of protective suit for the fight. The Beast and the girl have short, but coherent dialogue. The story ends with her confrontation with the Beast, with an interesting twist afterwards.

The story is very short. I cannot qualify it as a novel, since the entire length was twelve pages long. However, there is a depth of history behind this short story that leaves me waiting to hear more about this girl and her family. The author seeds the narrative with names of the planet, suns and alien races. He does this delicately and with finesse, as if he assumes you will understand what he is talking about. Nireti gives us a taste of the backstory that looms behind this snapshot of a day. It reminds me of Anne McCaffrey’s Pern, with fantastic elements on the surface, but that hint of science fiction under it. Nireti talks a little stiffly, almost archaically, but it serves to emphasize how solemn this moment is for her. The Beast has a different intonation and a distinct personality from the protagonist.

I liked MacKinnon’s visual language the best. It is very easy to imagine the two suns rising above the hills, and feel the cool water that Nireti swims through. I enjoyed imagining the dark forest where the Beast lives, and was intrigued to know more about how he controls his domain. Something I did not enjoy was Nireti’s internal monologue. It is written stiffly, and can seem insincere or too forced at times.

I give this story 3 out of 4 stars because of the length and brevity of the story. There is a lot of backstory missing from the story, it can be confusing and unclear at times. However, the creativity within the story is amazing, the author has come up with unique personalities and a tantalizing peek into a new planet. It is a good read, and I am looking forward to reading more from this author!

******
And My Heart Beats
View: on Bookshelves | on Barnes and Noble | on iTunes | on Smashwords

Like aparsons's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Blair MacKinnon]

Thank you for the review. For a first story, that is as good a review as I could hope for. It has given me a real boost to finish the follow up novel I am writing now (Phoenix Rising). This, as you perceptively noticed, adds the science fiction that is beneath the surface. This is written from the viewpoint of Nireti's grandmother Elyane and covers how Nireti's family reached Mirath, their first encounter with Rianth and the Rianthi, and how they deal with the arrival of the main colony ship that is following them to Rianth. I've taken on board your comments about Nireti's internal monologue and Elyane's internal dialogue will be much more free-flowing and natural. Thank you again.

[aparsons]

I am so excited to hear from you! I did really enjoy this story, and I hope to read Phoenix Rising once you are all done with it. You have done a great job for your first novel. Have you considered at some point inserting And My Heart Beats into Phoenix Rising, or will you keep them separate?

[Blair MacKinnon]

Thank you for your kind words, they mean a lot to me. I will be inserting the events of And My Heart Beats into Phoenix Rising (there would be a gaping whole if I didn't I think) but I'm not completey sure how at this point. I have a number of ideas but I'm not sure which one I'm going to choose yet, though I will be including Nireti's parents and the Rianthi in the narrative at that point. Phoenix Rising is taking shape - I've completed the story arc - but it is taking a little longer than I anticipated (never try to write a novel in a holiday season!). Currently, Phoenix Rising (which is the name of their ship) has just reached Mirath's solar system and the crew are being woken from suspended animation. They have quite a few surprises in store before they reach Rianth but nothing is going to prepare them for what happens when they reach Rianth. Can't go into detail because, you know, spoilers but I can't wait to write that part. Thank you again.
P.S. I like your anime angel Tinkerbell avatar.

[aparsons]

You are very welcome. It was really cool to read, and I don't think I've been this excited to read an author's next book in a long time.