Engulfed by B.C Doyle

          It isn't often that I’m faced with a new fantasy world, especially considering the amount of novels I used to read in the genre when I was younger. Dragons can talk, be companions, serve in the world’s military, or be savage beasts. Vampires can be monsters, sparkle in the sun, or immortal beings with part of an ancient spirit in their tissue. In a world of writers constantly writing, it is hard at times to come up with something new.

            When an author approaches the subject of taking an idea and filtering it through their perspective, it is a delicate task. As a writer, I've tried it a few times, and there is sometimes the fear that someone won’t get it, or that it has been over explained, or it just won’t work. I’m sure it is a fear that Naomi Novik could have felt, or Stephanie Meyers, or any other fantasy writer. It comes with being a writer or artist I think; a momentary lapse of confidence in your vision. Lucky for us readers, there are enough writers able to overcome that lapse of confidence and give us new takes on known subjects.

            Angels and Demons is a subject increasing in popularity in the young adult fiction realm and to shave it down to Light vs. Dark is to approach a scenario similar to that you can see in seventeen year old author B.C Doyle’s new book, Engulfed (Book 1: North Wing Trilogy).

The path of Ebony Falls is important beyond words to the Light and Dark, however the Healer assigned to protect her has left in the hands of a Handler. Driven by snappy dialogue and character interaction, the journey that you take with Ebony Falls towards learning her true identity features a good twist or two along the way.  As the story flips back and forth between Ebony’s perspective and that of her guardian angel, Nicholas’, the world of Healers and Handlers begins to take shape and develop itself.

Engulfed ticks the boxes of young adult fantasy fiction with ease; apparent conflicts, relatable characters, a bit of romance, and the supernatural element feels natural the more you work into the novel. I certainly felt more involved with the story-line as the book went on, and the great use of dialogue engaged me directly with the characters.

However interesting the characters, I did yearn for a bit more description regarding setting. I’m a highly visual reader so I love soaking up the atmosphere in books, and though in some spots I felt a strong vibe from the setting and its importance, I didn't quite relate to the setting as much as I did the characters and dialogue.

Relatable characters and character interactions are certainly strengths in the novel and the characters are both interesting and instrumental in the understanding of the world of Engulfed. On one side you have Nicholas, a Healer that is a bit too invested emotionally in Ebony to keep closer to her, and on the other there is Caden, a Handler who is all too much happy to be keeping Ebony close. Somewhere in the middle you have Ebony who is fighting to understand what she is and what could be her purpose.

I love seeing sarcasm, dark humor, and witty remarks in fictional conversation, which is why I really enjoyed the tension between characters that seemed to really work together. B.C Doyle certainly understands character dynamics and how to work them.

After reading up to my eyeballs in nonfiction over the past few weeks, Engulfed was definitely a nice way to re-enter the fiction setting. I found it to be an easy and engaging read to spend time with, and I can imagine it having success with readers who enjoy the House of Night series, Lauren Kate novels, and other series of similar content.

More about the Book:

Title: Engulfed (Book One: North Wing Trilogy)

Author: B.C Doyle

Publisher: Bayou Brew Publishing

Genre: Fiction/Fantasy

General consensus: B.C Doyle has delivered a novel with driving dialogue and relatable characters while exploring the conflicts of light and dark.

More about the Author:

            B.C Doyle is a young author of seventeen with three book publications since age sixteen. She is from Upstate New York and is currently preparing to enter college to study English literature. Her lists of accomplishments are ever growing, and are sure to keep doing so. She is an author with Bayou Brew Publishing.

(Sources:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6576799.Barbara_C_Doyle

http://www.amazon.com/Engulfed-North-Trilogy-Barbara-Doyle-ebook/dp/B00HYOBD38/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1390674525&sr=8-3&keywords=engulfed )

One half of my room is utterly consumed by art supplies. Tripods, watercolor paper, sketchbooks, paper pads, a desk, drafting tools, and other various materials spill out and reach towards my bed. About another quarter is filled up with a Casio keyboard, a Lowry mini-organ (in sad disrepair), and my entertainment center. The last quarter is filled up with books.

I've always been a reader. In fact, I blame the poor quality of the connections I have with people at my school on it. By Kindergarten (I never went to pre-school) I had read the first three Harry Potter books and was waiting eagerly for my mum to buy me the fourth. During playtime I usually hid under the table and read whatever short novels my teacher gave me to read. I used to have arguments with the librarian about whether or not I could read and comprehend the books I wanted to take out.

Naturally, this has led to a lifelong addiction to books. Even now I tend to 'binge-read' books and become obsessed with that particular book until I am finished with it. A trip to the bookstore with me is a nightmare. I can hardly be found once I am among the rows and rows of the best bookstore in my semi-local area, and I don't stay in one place. I often forget to answer my phone. It is me and the books.

Content doesn't matter too much, which is why my collection varies so much. I have books with specs and details of various interesting cars, fantasy novels, Shakespeare, horror novels, and much in between. I have three mounted shelves on my wall with my most read books and a shelf or two in the closet with books. I also have two boxes of books that I dig out from time to time from beneath my bed. Moving could be a problem.

And it is a problem. Because of going to school relatively far away, I've been told to pick out my favorite books and leave the rest at home. (Because Frances, you aren't going to want to read books anyway...) What happens if I have a whim to read about the history of the guitar and I've left it home? (Guitar: An American Life, Tim Brookes) Or I need inspiration for a fantasy illustration and have left The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien) home?

I keep buying books, and that is the problem too. Over this past year alone I've had several books vying for the top spot of my favorites list. A few I know I'm taking for reference purposes, however my leisure books are still in the air.

Anyway, I wanted to discuss some of the reads of yesteryear into this year. I went through a dry spell of reading in the summer of last year (ending with reading three books on the train home from Florida) but have picked up a couple of books in this month alone that have each been excellent. These are in no particular order, just however I think of them.

Richard Hammond, On the Edge

Having just finished it today, I can easily say this is one of my favorite non-fiction works. There is something about the introspective quality of the work, especially as Richard narrates his recovery, that makes the reader aware of his struggle, and even more, inspires the reader to contemplate and overcome their struggles. I definitely would recommend this one to non-fiction readers.

Stieg Larsson, The Girl Who Played with Fire

I won't say too much for the fear of ruining this fantastic final novel for readers immersed in the series, however this piece definitely grabbed my attention, as did the rest of the series.The way Larsson plays with setting and character makes for good conspiracy theory material, and the unusual circumstances play off as oddly realistic.

Albert Camus, The Stranger

My English teacher recommended this to me after I mentioned briefly that I had read Crime and Punishment a month or so earlier. Common themes to the Russian classic are certainly present, however with modern ideas involved. If you enjoy analyzing literature, you'll certainly enjoy this piece.

Jeremy Clarkson, Round the Bend

This book made me snort in class. Never before have I needed to stifle a laugh because of a book so much that I snorted, and so I urge you to read this where it is acceptable to make some noise, because you probably will if you like British humor. Or humor in general. A collection of car reviews by Jeremy Clarkson, this book discusses really everything. One of my favorites for sure.

Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

I can't really say much about this book for the fact that I could really write a lot. One can connect this book with so many other literature pieces, games, and movies (Apart from Blade Runner, which this book inspired) and yet find that this piece is unique. Well written and thought provoking, this is a must-read for any science-fiction enthusiast.









Anne Rice, Merrick

This book is probably one of my top two from the Vampire Chronicles of Anne Rice. David Talbot has long been my favorite character from the series, and to hear parts of his story entwined with such an intriguing character as Merrick made for a fantastic read. Rice's writing naturally is as detailed and poetic as one would expect.

Tim Brookes, Thirty Percent Chance of Enlightenment

An exceptional book about miscommunication, travel stigmas, and eventually working to the roots of India to discover what the monsoons mean to the people of India, Brookes writes with an engaging and informative voice. I've always wanted to go to India, and this book strengthens that want. Captivating and humorous, you might just learn something.

To be honest, I'd not thought much about Within Temptation recently. I knew that they were releasing some new material soon and I'd probably listen to whatever they released, but it hadn't gotten my blood pumping. It isn't that I think WT is a bad band-not at all, they just didn't hit that special chord in me that other bands can.

Well, consider that chord hit. In fact, all of this morning I've been looking up more of the Within Temptation material I've missed since I drifted away from them a couple of years ago, all sparked because of their new release featuring Tarja Turunen. Paradise (What About Us?) is a fantastic balance between Tarja and Sharon den Adel in my personal opinion, and the video is beautifully executed. I'm a sucker for atmospheric cinematography, which there is plenty of in the video, and anything post apocalyptic is interesting in my book. (Actually the video reminds me a lot of Fallout 3, which I am currently playing)

And the audio sounds great too-there is a balance that I was concerned about not being there when I saw the initial teaser on facebook. Especially after listening to Tarja's Colours in the Dark (released in USA Sept. 24) and having a reminder of Tarja's abilities I was worried about the two styles clashing and competing. Delightfully however, there are subtle touches that marry both Tarja's and Sharon's voices.

The one qualm I have (and it is a small one that will probably fade with the more I listen to it) is the chorus. I feel perhaps it is missing a touch of that balance the verses have, but that is up to opinion certainly. And it would make sense after all for Sharon to take the lead on the chorus since Within Temptation is after all, the band creating the song.

So to sum this up and keep it nice and short, I really like what Within Temptation has done with their new video, and it seems they may have tweaked their sound just a touch. It'll be interesting to see what happens on the album, and I'm even a bit excited for it.