Review: Farsighted by Emlyn Chand

During this tour Emlyn will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter, clicking here will take you to a list of all the blog stops...the more you comment, the more chance you have to win. So leave me a comment for your chance to win :)

Hey guys, today I'm hosting a Goddessfish Promtional tour for Farsighted by Emlyn Chand. Get ready to enter Alex's extraordinary world.

Title: Farsighted
Author: Emlyn Chand
Publisher: Blue Crown Press
Release Date: 17th October 2011

Series: Farsighted Series
Source: I recieved this book as part of a Goddessfish promotional tour in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:

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 to complicate matters even more, he’s blind. Just when he thinks he’ll never have a shot at a normal life, a new girl from India moves into town. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Yes, sophomore year might not be so bad after all.
Unfortunately, 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 begin to suggest that Simmi is in danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and new friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex must embark on a journey to change his future.

Review:

First Line: 'Today is the last day of summer, but I’m not doing anything even remotely close to fun. I’m just lying here in Mom’s garden, running my hands over the spiky blades of grass—back and forth, back and forth until my fingertips go numb. Until everything goes numb. I sigh, but no one’s around to hear.'

To be honest this first line doesn't tell you an awful lot about what the book is going to be like other than the fact that it is written from Alex's perspective. Alex is like any normal teenage boy, he goes to school, has problems talking to girls and is sullen and moody at least 50% of the time. There is one big difference though...Alex was born blind. Not only that but Alex has begun seeing visions of the future and these visions aren't always pleasant. Death and destruction haunt his dreams, his visions repeatedly show the death of Simmi, a girl Alex has come to care deeply for. With a little help from his gifted friends, Alex tries to change the outcome of these awful visions. But there are two types of prophecy, those that can be changed...and those which destiny has set in stone.

When I first realised the book was written from Alex's perspective I was a little apprehensive, I mean how would a person with sight be able to write in a realistic way for someone who is blind. These fears were not justified, Emlyn Chand has made what we experience through Alex believable. He relies on his other senses and had to memorise where things like his classes are way in advance. He has Braille textbooks and computers to help during school and Alex uses a cane to help him navigate obstacles but this is not always enough to stop him bumping into things or stubbing his toes. He assigns everyone a scent and has to rely on this and remembering voices to be able to identify people. He also gets frustrated because people constantly ask him how he became blind (he was born that way)...it kind of reminds me of when someone asked a blind friend of mind if he dreamt in colour...to which he replied 'Yes, but you can't even imagine the colours I see'. Though the story doesn't weigh heavily on Alex's blindness...if it had I would have enjoyed it less.

Alex has visions where a boy called Dex is wreaking havoc on the world with his telekinetic powers. Several of these visions show Dex killing Simmi...something Alex cannot allow and so with empathic Simmi and Medium Shapri in tow (as well as a few grown-ups since these psychic abilities are genetic) the gang become determined to find Dex and stop him before his awesome telekinetic powers rip their lives apart for good.

Alex is an everyday kid who just happens to be blind...and seeing the future. His interactions when he is being bullied reflect on this, though he does end up in a fight it's portrayed as a kid who can't take the abuse any more rather than Alex going out looking for a fight. Also the bashful way he tries to strike up conversation with Simmi is quite cute and when he makes a mess of it he gets angry and embarrassed so lashes out with words...again like any teen would. I think that the normality of Alex's everyday life despite the visions is refreshing, and one of the reasons this book works. Alex does have a tendency to sulk a lot and sometimes comes off as irrational, he's moody and won't do something if he doesn't feel like it. However he is very protective of his mother and throws all his energy into saving Simmi... and does eventually show some level of maturity. 

I will admit it was a lot of fun watching Alex's interactions with the two girls who feature heavily in his life, Simmi and Shapri. Basically Alex sucks at trying to woo girls and resorts to what must be some of the cheesiest lines and gestures in the 'How not to chat up a girl' textbook. I mean seriously Facepalm, head in hands going 'noo what on earth possessed you to think that was good???' I mean take this point for example:

'One arm continues to hold her body the other reaches across to hold her hand. “And how are you going to eat your lunch, lover boy?” Shapri asks with an unnaturally slow tempo. She’s not a very good actress, if even this small performance is giving her stage fright. “I don’t need lunch,” I answer, deepening my voice to sound manly. “I’m full of love.” 

WHAT WAS THAT!!! Uber cringe...though totally accurate haha. Got to give praise because this took me right back to secondary school when my Chemistry partner was trying to ask me out...the result was about as elegant as Alex's effort was. I love these parts...childhood memories here we come :)

Farsighted gives you everything you could possibly want from a novel, humour, great writing, creativity and a fabulous ending leaving you with a desire for more (though I must say that I am not a big fan of the cover). I enjoyed Farsighted so much I demolished it in one sitting! It's a completely unique story and I loved every minute of this Young Adult adventure. I certainly can't wait until book 2 Open Heart is released!

My Rating 4/5

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 www.emlynchand.com for more info. Don’t forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky!

Author Website: www.emlynchand.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/emlynchand
Twitter: www.twitter.com/emlynchand
GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/emlynchand