#bookreview: Farsighted by Emlyn Chand

I have a pretty irrational fear of growing blind. It has something to do with wearing glasses since I was seven, I suppose. Add to that my really bad habit of reading in bed, especially now with the iPad, when I can switch off the lights and lie on my side and read until I fall asleep. Sometimes I wish I could wake up with magically fixed eyes. It’s not going to happen, so I just have to take care that they don’t get any worse. I’m a pretty independent person and I just can’t imagine life without being able to read, watch movies, drive myself about and all the things we do that we take for granted.

Farsighted by Emlyn Chand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In Emlyn Chand’s Farsighted, sixteen-year-old Alex Kosmitoras has never been able to see. He ‘sees’ the world through the things he hears, touches and smells and to mess things up, he’s beginning hear and smell things that aren’t there. The mysterious new psychic next door tells him he can see the future - but the future he’s seeing is one where his new friend and crush, Simmi, is in terrible danger.

It’s not often that you get a story written in the voice of a blind person, and Chand did a good job of it, though there were some strange instances where Alex knows that Shapri is taking a “soggy bite of something using her school-issued spork” - how would he know what kind of utensil she’s using if he can’t see? Chand also injects some multiculturalism into the story as well - Simmi, short for Simran Kaur Shergill, is from New Delhi, India. I was a little skeptical of the “coconut hair” descriptions though - maybe the oils they use here in Malaysia are nothing like those in India, because they really did not smell of coconut (though apparently they are made from it).

I didn’t bother much with the runes and the prophecies included at the beginning of each chapter. Not quite my thing, and I don’t think it really added much to the story anyway. It was an interesting idea though, if you’re into that kind of stuff.

Overall I enjoyed the story, though I did feel that the ending was rather… sudden. I don’t know why, but it just felt a little rushed and abrupt towards its conclusion.

- I received this book free for review purposes from Novel Publicity as part of the Social Media Whirlwind Tour.

View all my reviews  


Announcing the Farsighted Social Media Whirlwind Tour!
As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Farsighted eBook edition is just 99 cents this week. What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes, including lots of Amazon gift cards (up to $100 in amount) and 5 autographed copies of the book. Be sure to enter before the end of the day on Friday, December 30th, so you don’t miss out.

To Win the Prizes

1. Purchase your copy of Farsighted for just 99 cents on Amazon or Barnes & Noble
2. Fill-out the form on Novel Publicity to enter for the prizes
3. Visit today’s featured event; you may win an autographed copy of the book or a $50 gift card!
4. BONUS: If you leave a comment on this blog post, you have another chance at $100!
5. DOUBLE BONUS: If I receive more comments than any other blogger, *I* win $100. 

...And I can win too!

Over 100 bloggers are participating in this gigantic event, and there are plenty of prizes for us too. The blogger who receives the most votes in the traffic-breaker poll will win a $100 gift card as well. So when you visit Novel Publicity’s site to fill-out the contest entry form, don’t forget to say that I referred you, so I can get a point in the poll.  

The Featured Events include:

 Thursday, Facebook sharing contest!
Stop by Novel Publicity’s Facebook page and share their latest post (you’ll see the Farsighted book cover included with it). It’s ridiculously easy to win! On Friday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs.  

Friday, special contest on the author’s site!
Are you ready for some more fun? Take a picture of yourself with your copy of Farsighted either in paperback or on an eReading device, then post it to Emlyn Chand’s Facebook page or email a copy to author@emlynchand.com. You just way win one of three Amazon gift cards! A $100 prize will go to the photo with the most interesting setting (so put your holiday travel time to work for you). Another $50 will go the funniest photo, and one more prize of $50 will go the scariest photo—this is a paranormal YA book after all. An autographed copy of Farsighted will go to one randomly selected entrant. For more details about this contest, please visit www.emlynchand.com.  

Remember, it’s all about the books!

About Farsighted:
Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t. When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Farsighted is the winner of the 2011 Dragonfly eBook Awards. Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

 About the Author:
Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit her on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.