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Thursday, July 21, 2016

Book Reviews: The Alienation of Courtney Hoffman by Brady Stefani

The Alienation of Courtney Hoffman
by Brady Stefani
Kindle Edition, 282 pages
June 7th 2016 by SparkPress
Fifteen year old Courtney wants to be normal like her friends. But there’s something frighteningly different about her—and it’s not just the mysterious tattoo her conspiracy-obsessed grandfather marked her with when she was a child. “Mental illness is a slippery slope,” her mother warns her. And the last thing Courtney wants to do is end up crazy and dead like her grandfather did.

But what about the tattoo? And the alien scouts who visit Courtney in her bedroom at night claiming to have shared an alliance with her grandfather? And her new friend Agatha’s apocalyptic visions? They have to be connected. Courtney has a mission: untangle her past, discover the truth, and stop the apocalypse before anyone from school finds out she’s missing.


This author did a great job of keeping me guessing about the true nature of this story. Was Courtney truly gifted with abilities to communicate with "aliens" beyond this dimension or was she suffering from Schizophrenia and imagining that the visions and dreams were real occurrences? 

Either way it was a fun fantasy or an enlightening look into the mind of a 15 year old dealing with imaginary but all too real scenarios that would test the sanity of any of us. Visits by aliens, the ability to mind connect with others that share a special bloodline, an imaginary friend that materializes in real life and an instance of possible abuse that could leave any child with PTSD are a few of the themes that run through this story.

Well written and intriguing. I enjoyed the mystery and will let the reader decide if it's fantasy or "real" as I am sure was the purpose of the author.

I give this 4 "kept me guessing" sheep!





Jeanie G

About the Author:
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The truth is I was never good at being normal. Sometimes that can be a good thing. But too often while growing up I was left feeling like an outsider, uncomfortable in my own skin.

In fifth grade, I learned to transcend the trappings of my existentially riddled mind by opening a book and escaping into the world of fiction. Suddenly I was trouncing through worlds unknown with heroes and anti-heroes, privy to their every thought and emotion as they journeyed toward self-discovery.


By ninth grade, I was fervently tearing through books, writing short stories of my own, and dreaming of my future life as an accomplished author. At last, I would be understood! Then during summer vacation after my junior year of high school I was in a car accident and clunked my head. After two weeks in the hospital, they let me go home. Physically, other than a scrape on the back of my head, I was no worse for the wear. I rejoined my friends and went back to high school in the fall. Thank god, but not really. I looked like the same old Brady. But I was different. Really different!

3 comments:

  1. I love when I can't easily figure out a story. Amazing how one thing can change your life so much.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    Replies
    1. Exactly! Me too! Have you read this? I would love to get your take on this.

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  2. sounds interesting...have to give this one a closer look...reading about aliens showing up in the middle of the night might be too spooky for me..ha ha!

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