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Finding Her Own Place In Life
“A Bad Time To Meet The Family” follows Thessa and Corlis as they navigate high society and face deceitful challenges that threaten to tear apart their friendship. What were some new ideas you wanted to explore in this book?
At the end of “A Bad Place to Be a Hero”, Thessa resolves to give up her life as a robber and settle down in New Montres. At that point, it’s a satisfying ending to her part of the story─but, in truth, this sort of thing isn’t as simple as making one decision. Someone who spent twenty years being pampered in a marble palace isn’t just going to strike out on her own and get everything right. Besides the plot about Corlis, I was most interested in exploring how her life is affected by the choices (and mistakes) she makes while finding her own place in life; how much she misses the comforts of her old home; and what it takes for her to turn her back on that world for good.
What were some challenges you felt were important to developing your characters in the story?
There are a LOT of characters to juggle in a story like this, and it’s always a delicate balancing act. On the one hand, you want to make them distinct enough so that even if their names don’t immediately stick with the reader, their personalities would be immediately recognizable. On the other hand, though, you want to avoid reducing them to broad and predictable stereotypes. My stories are about people first and foremost, so it’s important to me that they should feel like actual humans with depth and complexity.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
Without a doubt, Porla and Ladec’s debate whether “the first one” or “the second one” is better.
What can readers expect in The Bad Series Book 3?
As the stinger implies, we will be seeing some old familiar faces again. Besides that, the plot will also prominently feature certain elements of the world that have been repeatedly hinted at in the first two books.
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After they barely got away with their necks intact in A Bad Place to Be a Hero, unlikely friends Thessa and Corlis are each facing challenges of their own. While Thessa is having difficulty adjusting to life as a commoner in New Montres, Corlis receives astounding news: the family that had abandoned him when he was an infant is inviting him to an extravagant summer celebration in their home.
Within days, the orphan turned innkeeper is whisked away to the idyllic countryside of Forterne province, with Thessa on his side to help him navigate the intricacies of high society. But just when everything looks almost too good to be true, another surprise guest turns up at the doorstep, whose intentions are nowhere close to cordial.
Once again, Corlis and Thessa are sent down a twisted path of intrigue and deceit, relying on their wits and each other to keep them out of trouble─but is their friendship strong enough to withstand the allure of wealth?
A Bad Time to Meet the Family
Jerry F. Westinger’s A Bad Time To Meet The Family is a beautiful mix of mystery and fantasy. It follows the story of two friends, Corlis and Thessa. Corlis was left in an orphanage as a baby and stayed there until he was adopted at ten. On the other hand, Thessa was born into wealth but recently ran away from her home. However, the book mainly focuses on the months after the death of Corlis’ adoptive mother and how he stumbles upon a man who claims to be his biological father. The author takes us through the awkwardness of their meeting and the attempted integration of Corlis into the man’s family. Beyond that, it explores how Thessa’s mystical abilities affect this process.
What starts off as a charming “finding your family” story eventually turns into a thrilling mystery. While the author doesn’t hesitate to shock us with a couple of twists, he still keeps things realistic. In many ways, this book is a slow burn. As if this isn’t enough, the book also has light sentences, excellent formatting, and perfect flow. The dialogue is realistic, and the characters’ decisions make much sense. But if there’s one thing that the book deserves praise for, it’s seamlessly integrating real-life themes like elitism, class, poverty, and contentment. Even though it is set in a fantasy world, it’s interesting how the characters of this book grapple with these themes just as we are in 2023. I liked how the author explored the theme of poverty, mainly how it puts you in an endless cycle of only focusing on survival. The author shows us how this denies you the opportunity to figure out what you want out of life and, in many ways, makes you afraid of doing so. On the flip side, he also shows us how wealth makes you keenly aware that there’s more to life than survival. Ultimately, he shows us how both wealth and poverty can breed discontentment and treachery.
A Bad Time To Meet The Family is a gripping mystery and shifter novel with a solid plot and is extremely well-written. This thrilling story is addictive enough to have readers hooked and unable to put the book down till they finish.
Pages: 304 | ASIN : B0BTZRW5F9
LITERARY TITAN 