Yasmin Boland

For Yule last year I received two copies of Carol King is an Alien . The emphasis on law of attraction is not accidental, I'm sure. I first learned of CKIAA by reading Boland's astrological column, which I've always enjoyed. I really like her very frank and contemporary writing style, and after reading an excerpt of the book I was intrigued. She creates very fashionable settings and depicts her characters much the same. It's very easy in her character development to laugh at the fluffy new age snark and to take in the subtle information she gives about elemental arts and personal spiritual development. The book is the first person perspective of Cara, a young writer who is taxed with authoring the biography of a seemingly nutty trance medium. Cara is particularly skeptical of all things esoteric, which is acceptable at first. That "flaw," considering the book she is to write, seems somewhat formulaic, in that from the beginning I wanted to see her step beyond her doubts and fears and soar. I can relate to a character having trouble accepting the initial responsibilities delving into the Beyond and growing into knowledge; thus the pattern of one step forward two steps back. But when the main character reaches the ceiling of, say, 5-6 epiphanies and still runs screaming the other way, I lose patience. At that point I lost interest in Cara and began to distrust her perspective on events and watched how the other characters tackled their bumps and joys. Cara is somewhat unreliable, a stroke of genius on Boland's behalf, that shifts the emphasis of Cara's perspective to the periphery. That said, I did not relate to any of the core 7-8 characters, which is odd. The overall plot showing each character's reaction to new self-knowledge, however, was very relatable, and that is what kept me reading. Cara never did have that clearly defined aha! moment that I wanted her to. In that light Boland shows rather than tells how we can't predict the ways in which widening awareness will change our lives, or the ways that it won't. Energy work nothing if not shapes from the periphery. Subtly done, gracefully realistic. Boland is a brilliant writer, and I can't wait to see where her path takes her. This book is a great read for those who are 5D-curious, and for anyone who wants a good representation on where most people in the west are regarding their understanding of esoteric arts.… (más)

For Yule last year I received two copies of Carol King is an Alien . The emphasis on law of attraction is not accidental, I'm sure. I first learned of CKIAA by reading Boland's astrological column, which I've always enjoyed. I really like her very frank and contemporary writing style, and after reading an excerpt of the book I was intrigued. She creates very fashionable settings and depicts her characters much the same. It's very easy in her character development to laugh at the fluffy new age snark and to take in the subtle information she gives about elemental arts and personal spiritual development. The book is the first person perspective of Cara, a young writer who is taxed with authoring the biography of a seemingly nutty trance medium. Cara is particularly skeptical of all things esoteric, which is acceptable at first. That "flaw," considering the book she is to write, seems somewhat formulaic, in that from the beginning I wanted to see her step beyond her doubts and fears and soar. I relished being able to watch that transition from her inner workings manifest in her life. I can relate to a character having trouble accepting the initial responsibilities one is smacked with when delving into the Beyond and growing into knowledge; thus the pattern of one step forward two steps back. But when the main character reaches the ceiling of, say, 5-6 epiphanies and still runs screaming the other way, I lose patience. At that point I lost interest in Cara and began to distrust her perspective on events and watched how the other characters tackled their bumps and joys. Cara is somewhat unreliable. Perhaps that is a stroke of genius on Boland's behalf, shifting the emphasis to the periphery. That said, I did not relate to any of the core 7-8 characters, which is odd. The overall plot showing each character's reaction to new self-knowledge, however, was very relatable, and that is what kept me reading. Cara never did have that clearly defined aha! moment that I wanted her to. She certainly grew within and manifest that without. We do get to see that in all of the characters one way or another. In retrospect, Boland's shift from Cara as the reliable perspective was quite fitting to tell this story. In that transition she shows rather than tells how we can't predict the ways in which widening awareness will change our lives, or the ways that it won't. Energy work nothing if not shapes from the periphery. Subtly done, gracefully realistic. Boland is a brilliant writer, and I can't wait to see where her path takes her. This book is a great read for those who are 5D-curious, and for anyone who wants a good representation on where most people in the west are regarding their understanding of esoteric arts.… (más)