Farsighted by Emlyn Chand

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.


About the author:

From an early age, Emlyn Chand has counted books among her best friends. She loves to hear and tell stories and emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). Her affinity for the written word extends to absolutely every area of her life:  she has written two-and-a-half novels, leads a classics book group with over three hundred members, and, of course, runs the whole shebang at Novel Publicity, where she contributes her business and marketing savvy as well as her writing and web design talents. The book that changed Emlyn’s life is Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson. It opened her eyes to the world that could exist if only she was willing to create it—a lesson she has never forgotten. She now reads an average of one book per week. While she enjoys all types of novels, her greatest loves are literary fiction and YA.

My review:

Can  I have this dance?

So that is exactly what I'd ask Alex if I ever got a chance to meet him. Without shame. That's what happens when an author creates a character so well, that a reader can't help but fall in love.

I would like to congratulate Emlyn Chand on writing a brilliant and engaging debut novel.

 
With that said, in Emlyn Chand's debut novel Farsighted was one of the best original paranormal novels I’ve read this year, scratch that, the best. She does an amazing job of describing in detail how Alex perceives his surroundings by what he hears, touches, smells, tastes and feels. And she did an exceptional job on Alex’s character as a blind teenage boy’s POV.

It’s been a while since I read a book this brilliant in all ways: The characters were well drawn, the pacing was wonderfully done, and  the descriptions were superb. I could see the world through Alex. Alex character is original. He’s blind but that doesn’t limit him to do stuff. In a way, I think it makes him stronger and the best thing about his character, he doesn’t feel sorry for himself.  He is gifted with 'the second sight' which enables him to see the future and present.

 It was a treat to get to know him through his thoughts and all his teenager behaviours and emotions. And for writing an MC in a guy’s POV, Ms. Chand did an exceptional job of it.  It was also fun reading about the other character’s as well, Simmi, Alex's love interest is strong and encouraging. Shapri who completes this triangle is never afraid to speak her mind and always seems to yank Alex out of his comfort zone in the begining of the book. For a second there - and I emphasis second - I really wanted him to kiss Shapri.

 As I don’t want to give much away, I highly recommend Farsighted. I’m eagerly looking forward to reading the follow-up of this novel. This book is a treasure and I’ll be keeping it on my shelf for years to come.
5 stars.

 

Blog Tour Notes

THE BOOK:  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. Get your copy today by visiting Amazon.com’s Kindle store or the eBook retailer of your choice. The paperback edition will be available on November 24 (for the author’s birthday).

THE CASH PRIZES:  Guess what? You could win a $100 Amazon gift card as part of this special blog tour. That’s right! Just leave a comment below saying something about the post you just read, and you’ll be entered into the raffle. I could win $100 too! Please help by voting for my blog in the traffic-breaker poll. To cast your vote, visit the official Farsighted blog tour page and scroll all the way to the bottom. Thank you for your help with that.

THE GIVEAWAYS:  Win 1 of 10 autographed copies of Farsighted before its paperback release by entering the giveaway on GoodReads. Perhaps you’d like an autographed postcard from the author; you can request one on her site.

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!

MORE FUN: There's more fun below. Watch the live action Farsighted book trailer and take the quiz to find out which character is most like you!