Farsighted (Farsighted #1)
by Emlyn Chand
Kindle Edition, 1st Edition, 226 pages
Published October 17th 2011 by Blue Crown Press
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Alex Kosmitoras's life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead broke and insanely overprotective, and... oh yeah, he's blind.
Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a normal life, an enticing new girl comes to their small Midwest town all the way from India. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Sophomore year might not be so bad after all.
Alex is in store for another new arrival—an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to "see" the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they suggest Simmi is in mortal danger.
With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex embarks on his journey to change the future.
“I ‘see’ color through my nose, and like green most of because so many of the best-smelling things are that hue, like grass, leaves, vegetables, and limes.”
Farsighted is the first in the Farsighted series and follows the supernatural coming of age of boy named Alex. While Alex is physically blind, he has a developing power of second sight. This journey is told from his point of view. While there aren’t any visual descriptions, the reader is presented a strikingly interesting world depiction built by sound, touch, smell, and taste. We’re also introduced to a cast of characters who’s also just as intriguing and diverse. The subsequent novels continue their journey told from their point of view. The novel’s covers hint at the story teller.
I found Alex extremely fascinating. I commented him for sticking up to school bullying in spite of his handicap. His frustration at his mother’s over soldering and father’s “seemingly” cruelness was tangible. I couldn’t help but sympathize with his situation.
Simi is a new transfer students introduced into the story right when things become extremely dismal for Alex’s school life and offers a balm. She’s a soft spoken peace maker. She becomes his only friend and love interest. Shapri is another new student who later acts to shake things up a bit. She’s sassy and a very strong character with a dominating personality. The dynamics of the trio is entertaining. As Alex’s visions become more intense, he discovers a villain threatening to destroy his new found happiness. And as he deliberates on how to save the love of his life, he realizes he’s not the only one wielding untapped power.
Overall, Farsighted was an unique story sure to capture the adoration of any science fiction fanatic. My interest however played an interesting game of tug and war. While I loved every element of this novel, I wasn’t in love with the lead character. He came off as extremely short tempered and always grumpy; and there was a perpetual loom of doom that made this story difficult for me to maintain a steady pace.
*A copy of this novel was provided courtesy of the author for an honest review.
Open Heart (Farsighted #2)
by Emlyn Chand
Kindle Edition, 354 pages
Published May 25th 2012 by Blue Crown Press
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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 helping.At least she has Alex, the boyfriend who 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.Just one problem: she's not so sure she feels the same way. Is Alex really the man of her dreams? Why can't she stop fixating on her would-be killer, Dax? Part of her wants to run screaming in the other direction whenever Dax is around, while the other part longs to run into his embrace, no matter whom she'd hurt or what she'd risk.Simmi's loyalty is on the line. Whom will she choose—the blind seer who loves her, or the charming telekinetic with "bad idea" written all over him? Emotions run high in the tension-packed book two of the Farsighted series.
Open Heart eliminated any doubts I had about the Farsighted series. Simmi’s story completely surprised me and exceeded my expectations. Open Heart picks up where Farsighted left off. Dax is now living with Alex and has become the latest torn in his side. At this point, I’ve become immune to Alex’s sullenness and since the story isn’t from his point of view, I was able to whip right through this one. In Farsighted Simmi was presented the way Alex saw her: Nice & Sweet. But there’s so much more to her personality. As I suspected, she had ulterior motives for advancing her and Alex’s relationship. It was an eerie feeling to read this and think back to Farsighted. The Simmi from book one was so much in opposition to this one that it was almost like reading about two different girls. I liked both portrayals of her, but Simmi through her own eyes really struck a chord. I was able to relate to her on so many levels. Like many teenage girls, Simmi has insecurities about her body, relationships and life in general. She fears her powers. She questions her love life. She has physical flaws in which she amplifies in her mind to the point of developing an eating disorder. While I’m sure no one in the real world has experienced the level of young adult supernatural and hormonal complexity as Simmi, there’s definitely a topic we can snip from her life that’ll resonate on one level or another. I am pleased to announce that after this, I am highly anticipating continuing on with this series. I’m even more excited to read Shapri’s story.
*A copy of this novel was provided courtesy of the author for an honest review.
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