{Book Review} Open Heart (Farsighted #2) by Emlyn Chand

Open Heart by Emlyn Chand
Series: Farsighted #2
Kindle Edition
Published May 25th 2012 by Blue Crown Press
Genre: YA Paranormal
Source: Provided by author in exchange for honest review.
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Buy: Amazon Paperback, Amazon Kindle Book

Goodreads Summary:

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.

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My Opinion

If you have enjoyed Farsighted, you'll definitely enjoy Open Heart too! Expect the unexpected again. If you thought that Open Heart would be told in Alex's POV you are totally wrong! This time, the story is told from Simmi's perspective and it continues on from Farsighted. So, if you haven't read Farsighted, be sure to read it first!

Simmi's danger was over. There's no more visions haunting Alex. Right now, Simmi's main concerns were her size, her powers and her feelings towards her boyfriend's nemesis, Dax. In addition, there was a sudden population boom within the town and there was a shortage of space within their school. What's with the sudden construction of condo within their small town?

This is a book about self-worth and self-love. A big portion of the book is about Simmi's diet, how she avoided food and how she tried to get them out of her system. I find myself cringing every time she did that. I do understand why she would want to do that. Alex was still sweet to Simmi's in Open Heart and I smiled whenever there's a scene about them. I can feel Simmi's gradual shift in feeling but I'm not angered by it. Perhaps it's because of the way the author wrote the story, it felt as if Simmi had explained whatever feelings she had. So I'm not surprised with the ways things turned up. Will she return to Alex or will she choose someone else? You'll have to read it to find out!

There's more about their gifts in Open Heart than in Farsighted. This time we get to add Dax into the story and how he used his gifts. We also get to know more about the mysterious and dangerous Dax and how life was for him in the Kosmitoras family.

There's an additional complication within the story. We now have a new unknown enemy that came together with the influx of people into the town. How did it affect the gang and how will they react? I'm not telling of course! Which is why you will have to get the book to find out more! :D

Overall, Open Heart is an enjoyable book about self-worth and Simmi's journey to accepting herself and her gifts. Again, this book is recommended to those who have enjoyed reading Farsighted as well as those who love reading paranormal books. Warning: lots of kisses in the book. :D And um... graphic description of eating disorders.

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Quotes (Taken from eARC and may be subjected to revision)

• "Friends accept each other for who they are.
• I giggle nervously and hope my weight isn't crushing him. "How can something feel beautiful, Alex? That doesn't make any sense."
  I attempt to roll sideways to curl up next to him, but he holds tight to my waist, prohibiting the motion.
  "How can it not be? Anything can be beautiful--a scent, a sound, a sensation, a feeling..."
  
• "I'm the Bachelor. Simmi, will you accept this rose? He picks the flower up from his lap and pushes it toward me.
  "Of course, but I much prefer your origami roses," I confess as I pluck the flower from his outstretched hand.
  "Sorry, I was aiming for authenticity. C'mon, keep going. I have a great night planned."

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About Emlyn Chand | Website | Twitter | Facebook 

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{Book Review} Farsighted (#1) by Emlyn Chand

Farsighted (#1) by Emlyn Chand
ebook, 2nd Cover-Art Edition
Published February 4th 2012 by Blue Crown Press (first published October 17th 2011)
Genre: YA Paranormal
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5

Buy: Amazon, Book Depository

Goodreads Summary:

Advanced Chem? Easy. Psychic powers? Gotcha. Save the girl? Uh...

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, 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.

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 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.

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My Opinion

Expect the unexpected from Farsighted by Emlyn Chand. The plot really got me interested in the book. It's about a visually impaired boy called Alex. You would think he would be self-conscious about his handicap but he wasn't. He's got a doting mother who wasn't shy to show her affections and a "cold" father who only seems to be concerned about him whenever his mother was around. It's the start of the new school year and everything went as per normal, except that there's a new student, Simmi, in school and he was somehow attracted to her. That's when he started getting visions and getting himself confused for an instant between reality and his vision. Simmi was not the only new family in town. There's new neighbours, Ms Teak and her daughter Shapri. Ms Teak happened to open a psychic shop next to his mother's florist while Shapri attended Alex's school. What roles did these people play in Farsighted? And what's with Alex suddenly having visions about Simmi getting killed? Will those visions of his actually come true or would he be able to change them and save Simmi before something dangerous could happen?

I've enjoyed reading from Alex's POV. He stood out as a confident character despite his handicap and he's loyal and protective towards those he loved and cared about. He never back down despite being taunted by the school bully and ended up in a fight. I really applaud his attitude. Bravo!

His family was pretty usual except for the fact that his father was a little uncaring. As I've said, do expect the unexpected. There's always a reason for everything. So keep your eyes opened when reading Farsighted. 

As for friends, we have Simmi and Shapri. Both girls were new in school having just moved over. Alex was taken to Simmi almost immediately. Their exchange were lovely sometimes. But with two girls, who will Alex choose in the end? 

Overall, Farsighted is a smooth read and I recommend this to those who enjoyed a little paranormal read about some special ability. The romance part wasn't too much, except that Alex was always thinking about Simmi because he had visions of her being killed. The reason why I didn't give this a full five stars was because the climax of the story wasn't as intense as I've expected. Plus, it was a little too exaggerated and I can't really relate to it. (Perhaps it's only me.) Nevertheless, it is definitely an enjoyable book about a confident blind main character with special abilities. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series to find out more about Alex and his friends.

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• “I do like science, but I also like things that can’t be explained by science.”
  “Oh, okay,” I say in confusion. “It makes sense to me,” Simmi says, “because I grew up believing. You may take some time getting used to it all, but I think one day you’ll come to appreciate the unknown, like I do.”
  “Why do you think that?”
  “Because you don’t have a choice, do you?” she says with a half-chuckle.
  Uh-oh, does she know about what’s been going on in my head?
  
  
• “The potential for good and evil lies within all things. Nothing is fully dark or fully light. All have elements of both sides.”
  “I don’t understand.”
  “You are not good in the purest sense of the word. Nor does such a concept exist. You are both good and bad. Time will tell which of the two you favor.”
  “I want to be good. I want to save Simmi.”
  “Then so you shall be.”
  
• They say that right before you die your whole life flashes before you – a medley of your own personal greatest hits. Well then, I must be about to live, because events that haven’t happened yet are constantly pushing themselves into my head.
  

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About Emlyn Chand | Website | Twitter | Facebook