16 Monday Jun 2014
Posted in Ermisenda
Tags
bullying, fitting in, high school, inspirational, stories, storytelling, To This Day Project - Shane Koyczan, videos
I watched this a few weeks ago but it has stayed with me ever since. It touches on emotional material (bullying/highschool). But it’s one of the most beautiful and touching pieces of storytelling.
Did it tear your heart in two as well?
– Ermisenda
14 Sunday Apr 2013
Posted in Ermisenda, Picture it & Write!
Tags
abuse, adversity, disgrace, halifax, helping a friend, high school, humanity, life, party, photography, poetry, rape, slut shaming, steubenville, story, survivor, teenagers, victim blaming, writing
WARNING: My post contains sensitive themes (think Steubenville and Halifax[Rehtaeh Parsons]). Some swearing is also included.
I (Ermisenda) need to communicate and express my utter disappointment in our world at the moment with these terrible events. Slut-shaming is NOT okay, victim-blaming is NOT okay. The only REASON for rape is the RAPIST. Not clothes, not alcohol, not the way you talk, or the way you act.
I urge people to join in, comment with your paragraph of fiction to accompany the image. It doesn’t have to follow my story or reflect the same themes. It can be a poem or in a different language (provide a translation please 
). Anyone who wants to join in, is welcome. This photograph will be reblogged under Ermisenda on tumblr and added to the Picture it & Write gallery on Facebook and Pinterest.
Please continue to write however you’re inspired, but add a tag to the beginning of your post if there’s mature content in order to keep Picture it & Write an engaging event for all of our followers.
Slam! Someone smashed their hand against a locker, sending a reverberation through the hallway. I flinched, turning my head to investigate. Two 18-year olds boys were harassing a 17-year old girl from my year.
I wasn’t sure what to believe as of late. There had been rumours that last night’s party had lost control. I had been planning to go to this party but ended up opting out. There were too many assignments I wanted to finish. Continue reading
01 Thursday Nov 2012
Tags
anorexia, book, book review, book reviews, books, bulimia, bullying, eating disorders, Emlyn Chand, fiction, high school, love, multicultural books, paranormal, paranormal YA, review, reviews, teens, YA, young adult
genre: paranormal, YA
Synopsis from Goodreads
Simmi Shergill’s life is a mess. Her powers of psychic feeling are on the fritz, and Grandon Township’s sudden population boom has brought quite a few unsavory characters to town. She also looks like an over-blown balloon in her size 14 pants, but not even starving herself seems to be working as a diet plan. Well, at least her boyfriend, Alex, loves her so much he’d do anything for her. Last summer he even risked his life to protect her from the mysterious boy everyone was convinced wanted to kill her. The problem is, she’s not so sure she feels the same way. Is Alex really the man of her dreams? And why can’t she stop fixating on her would-be killer, Dax? Whenever he’s around, part of her wants to run screaming in the other direction while the other part longs to run into his embrace, no matter who she’d hurt or what she’d risk. Simmi’s loyalty is on the line. Who will she choose-the blind seer who loves her, or the charming telekinetic with “bad idea” written all over him? Emotions run high as the tension mounts in book two of the Farsighted series.
27 Friday Jul 2012
Posted in Ermisenda
Tags
bullying, drama, high school, insult, offensive, play, Shakespeare, writing
Have you ever needed the perfect insult for that arch nemesis? I have found the gold mine of offensive insults! You can thank me later, or now. If only I had this kit of wickedness in high school… Thou shall feareth me, lumpish beef-witted flap-dragon!
Share with us some of your own Shakespearean insults!
– Ermisenda Alvarez
05 Tuesday Jun 2012
Tags
action, angst, book review, dream catching, fiction, high school, life, lisa mcmann, love, paranormal, readers, romance, stories, writing, YA
Are you fascinated by dreams? I am, so when I heard about the final book in the Dream-Catcher series I had to read it!
(Taken from Goodreads)
The conclusion of the paranormal teen series, Wake. Janie is spending her summer with Cabel, but deep down she’s panicking about how she’s going to survive her future when getting sucked into other people’s dreams starts to take its toll.
I have recently read both Wake and Fade by Lisa McMann. I enjoyed Wake and loved Fade but I was sadly disappointed by Gone. The pacing was fast paced as per usual, which was good. But there was no point to having a fast paced book if the plot seemed pointless. I disliked the major plot (WARNING SPOILERS) where Janie’s father is introduced in a coma. I liked the idea as a subplot, but not as the main plot. Why did the whole book have to be about her choosing between being a hermit or living a life with Cabel? I wanted one more mission as an agent that would have produced fireworks for a finale but no… this seemed truly anticlimatic.
The romance between Cabel and Janie totally died. Their relationship only served to introduce and finish the book. There was barely any interaction in the middle because Janie just ‘didn’t want to talk to him because she needed space’. It felt like a cop out on the authors behalf. I also lost my ability to relate to Janie. She was nearly always miserable. I understood that she had a difficult choice to face, I think that idea shouldn’t have been discarded but I didn’t like that the whole book focused on it.
I think ultimately, the book felt like a bunch of characterisation sub plots that for some reason, took the limelight. This felt like a filler book rather than a finale. If they were going to introduce Janie’s dad, why couldn’t we learn so much more about Janie’s mother? As soon as I heard about his appearance, I thought it was going to turn into an epic family adventure into the family’s past but the family past was summed up in 2 sentences.
I’ll give it 2 stars instead of 5 because it wasn’t a terrible read but it was far from good. The focus of the book wasn’t on what I was hoping. The satisfaction of the ending didn’t exist. It is possible that my expectations had risen too high due to the success of book 2. I do not recommend this novel. Read the first two but don’t bother with the third. Sadly, this is another series that didn’t reach its full potential. Anyone else have any dream-based novels? 🙂
2 out of 5 stars
This book is for you if:
This book is not for you if:
– Ermisenda Alvarez
Enjoy this review? Leave comments below or to submit a review request for your novel or see what other books we’ve reviewed, please check the Book Reviews page.
02 Saturday Jun 2012
Tags
action, book, book review, dream catching, high school, language, lisa mcmann, love, paranormal, plot, romance, sexual predators, stories, writing, YA
Are you fascinated by dreams? Did you like WAKE? I am and I recently read Wake, so when I heard about this sequel I had to read it!
(Taken from Goodreads)
For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They’re just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck.
Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody’s talking. When Janie taps into a classmate’s violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open — but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie’s in way over her head, and Cabe’s shocking behavior has grave consequences for them both.
Worse yet, Janie learns the truth about herself and her ability — and it’s bleak. Seriously, brutally bleak. Not only is her fate as a dream catcher sealed, but what’s to come is way darker than she’d feared…. Continue reading
Ermilia 