Official Review: From The Sky by J. E.Nicassio

[ananya92]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "From The Sky" by J. E.Nicassio.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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From the Sky: Beyond Moondust by J.E. Nicassio is a book in the science fiction genre. It is the first installment in the series.

Samantha’s life course is altered due to an unfortunate accident. Samantha, better known as Sam, and her father shift to New Mexico and try to start afresh in a new city. Enter Lucien Foster: strange, over-friendly teenager, whose over-friendliness extends to stalking, as Sam soon discovers. Sam is puzzled about his strange looks but so is everyone else at school. However, Sam’s initial rudeness does not deter Lucien and soon she is attracted to him. Their mutual attraction steadily transforms into a strong bond, but Lucien’s otherworldly nature worries Sam. What is Lucien’s secret? Is he as out-of-the world as he seems?

The book is written from Sam’s point of view and some of her musings are quite fun to read. The author’s writing style is straightforward, and the vivid imagery provides a captivating feel to the book. While the writing style is fairly engaging, I couldn't help feeling that the author, perhaps inadvertently, scripted a plotline where a few scenes are strongly reminiscent of Twilight’s plot (though thankfully without any vampires).

The story has the elements of sorrow, mystery, love, and danger. The action scenes in the story are pretty well done, as are the scenes where Sam is trying to recover from the trauma and after-effects of the accident. Sam’s dependence on anti-depressants, cigarettes and her fear of driving again are depicted nicely by the author, without overdoing it.

While I liked Sam’s character development in the book, I wasn't wholly satisfied with how the author has developed Sam’s relationships with other characters in the book. I wish the author had provided more depth in Sam’s relationship with her brother. There are some touching scenes between Sam and her brother in the book, but they are few and far between. Also, Sam’s equation with her mother and what, ultimately, pushed her mother over the edge, could have been explained better by the author. I felt the author rushed through these scenes and focused more on the romance between Sam and Lucien. The romantic angle also disappointed me, since Lucien’s obsession and Sam’s fascination-induced-addiction with him, did not convince me as an ideal foundation for romance, though the author does try to provide another plausible reason for the magnetic pull between them.

The science fiction factor in the novel is interestingly detailed and impressive, but the lackluster emotional quotient of the book deters me from giving it a higher score; hence I rate the book 2 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this book for the teenage and young adult readers, who like science fiction with a romantic angle. Also, readers who are fans of the Twilight formula of romance should definitely look up this one.

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From The Sky
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[chytach18-]

Believe it or not, I never read Twilight. If I decide to read From the Sky, I hope the absence of Twilight on my book shelves would not overshadow my perception of From the Sky. Nice review.

[ananya92]

Thanks
It doesn't make a difference whether you've read Twilight or not, might be better, I suppose.

[smokey49]

" I couldn't help feeling that the author, perhaps inadvertently, scripted a plotline where a few scenes are strongly reminiscent of Twilight’s plot (though thankfully without any vampires)."

First I would like to say I have read the twilight series and From The Sky. From The Sky has almost zero comparability to Twilight, and if there is any it is because like Twilight series and most books follow the same Romeo and Juliet romance script. That is just a given. From The Sky was truly an outstanding read that provided the reader with suspense, action, romance, vivid imagery, and enabled the reader to become emotionally connected with the characters. Personally I enjoyed the fact that the author didn't bog down on every single detail of Sam's relationships with her mom, or other characters. This aspect gave the reader the chance to try and think about it on their own. It also made the story continue fluently without any unnecessary details that could become boring. One of my favorite aspects of the book was that the story continued on a smooth timeline and played like a movie in my head. The author does an amazing job describing the scenery in a way that the reader can easily picture in their head what is happening. Although I feel as if you let your Twilight experience ruin this fantastic read I feel that you said a lot of great things about the book. You just let your observation of Twilight get in the way.

[Kappy]

Excellent review. This sounds like a good book for those interested in a SF/romance combo.

[ananya92]

Thank you

[Heidi M Simone]

@ananya92, Nice work on a great review! Not sure if it's book for me, but I did enjoy reading your review!

[ananya92]

Thank you

[debo9967]

The book sounds like it could have done with better execution. I hope the successive installments are better. Nice review

[ananya92]

Thanks

[Jen3963]

Hi all,

I'm the author J. E Nicassio and just logging in to see if anyone has any questions relating to From The Sky?
And if you didn't know already, I'm a Mufon Field investigator. Yep I investigate UFO's.

Although From The Sky is fiction its based on actual historical events and some of the scenes actually did happen.

-- 23 Sep 2015, 20:29 --

To comment on Smokey 45 post. That is correct. I followed the Romeo and Juliet formula as do most authors. I also followed an ordinary journey. Most screenplays such as Star Wars follow the Hero's journey. Just take the characters and change their names, such as Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones. You can do that with almost any award winning movie. And no, I did not inadvertently, scripted a plotline where a few scenes are strongly reminiscent of Twilight. I followed the Romeo-Juliet romance formula as do most romance novels. LOL. I guess you could compare Lucien to a vampire. Maybe a vampire from outer space; )

[Manang Muyang]

It's nice when authors follow the reactions to their books and take these positively.

I'm giving this book a try.

[Yoli García]

Since the start of your review the plot sounded similar to the Twilight Series, and then you said it is. Seems like Sam is similar to Bella Swan in that they both fall in love with young men obsessed with them. They also are passive during action. Edward and Lucien seem to be similar because they are out of this world and are obsessed with the ladies.

Thanks for your honest review!

[KlareAllison]

Since the start of your review the plot sounded similar to the Twilight Series, and then you said it is. Seems like Sam is similar to Bella Swan in that they both fall in love with young men obsessed with them. They also are passive during action. Edward and Lucien seem to be similar because they are out of this world and are obsessed with the ladies.

Thanks for your honest review!

The similarities you point out between the two main characters in both books are striking.

I have not read the Twilight Series, but, most people who have read the series share the same verdict in respect of their similarities. I think the author needs to also weigh these opinions.

[Gratey12]

It's nice to have some sort of an interplanetary version of Romeo and Juliet in which the lovers come from different planets or even galaxies. The adversity they would have tried to overcome would be to great! But then I think the same difficulty for the lovers in the original Romeo and Juliet story was enormous too given the era in which they lived-the Middle Ages-when countries went to war and royal families battled for control of Europe. There'd be not much difference about violence whether between earth humans or between humans and aliens. The love story angle is quite universal too. And it's really great and exciting to have science fiction as backdrop as it quite becomes timely. Thanks for the book, and the review!