Very interesting and well written story

Driven to despair over the murders of loved ones, Angela Crown, the main character, calls herself a professional reader and enters the fantasy world of a novel where she embarks on a mission to save doomed characters and keep them from harm.

Page after page and scene after scene I wanted to read on. I connected with Angela and cheered her fight as she struggled to save characters from a vicious gang and from an author who benefited from the demise of his own characters.

The originality of the story, its scenes and well developed characters on the one hand, and the great imagination throughout the novel on the other make this book an exceptionally good read.

The ending was a satisfying surprise that left me looking forward to Sala Deib’s next novel.

'My magnificent Angela-- my magnificent author'

By Grady Harp HALL OF FAME TOP 100 REVIEWER VINE VOICE on September 23, 2014

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

Canadian author Sala Deib lives and works in British Columbia, the area in which he places his debut novel. Though his academic and work experience focuses on Engineering (his work in Canada and overseas has earned him several awards for engineering excellence and innovations) and he has gained a fine reputation as a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia, Canada giving numerous talks on innovation and green buildings systems throughout his career, his passion for writing has finally surfaced. Reading this book it is difficult to believe THE NOVEL WORLD OF ANGELA CROWN is a debut novel, but he has indeed written short stories and magazine articles on various subjects, so the hand and mind are practiced.

While many writers have created stories out of the strange world of madness, Sala Deib takes another turn - bring the madness of his main character out of the pages of novels instead of creating madness within the world and translating those experiences into the written word. One of the reasons Sala Deib makes this works so well is his gift for creating prose that transcends boundaries between imagination and reality: for moments the reader is never quite sure about the source of the written word. He opens his book with his character Angela Crown in a hospital and from there the story weaves its magic. He begins, `The big day that Angela Crown had waited for was also the day when things went terribly wrong. Her life fell apart. She was confined to an unreachable world of her own where she could no longer be hurt. Memories had abandoned her, the good and the bad, leaving her in a state of depression and nothingness, a shadow devoid of all signs of life. In a room at the Vancouver General Hospital, she gazed through a window as gusts of wind blew leaves away. A sudden chill made her tremble as disturbing visions dragged her back in fragments to the trauma of the morning. She sank into her seat, becoming part of it, experiencing utter numbness as if she had no soul or mind. Nothing would make any difference at this point. Nothing was real. In fact she was a mere drop in an ocean of fiction. Grinding her teeth, eyebrows twitching, she felt as though her face was a mask of madness.'

The plot synopsis is solid: In the aftermath of her father and fiancé's tragic deaths, Angela Crown withdraws into the fictional world of novels. Isolated and traumatized, she declares herself a "professional reader," championing the rights of the fictional. Entering the world of her current reading material, Angela leads a rebellion among the book's characters, a decision that brings her into direct conflict with the author, who fights back with his most potent weapon--his own writing. His revisions pit Angela and her fictional followers against a vicious, author-worshipping gang of thugs, double agents, and devastating rewrites. Fictional freedom clashes with authorial intent, while Angela struggles to differentiate between reality and insanity. Is her battle an illusion, prompted by emotional trauma, or is she, in fact, fighting a real war against an implacable foe? The story explores the extremes to which violent crime drives its victims. Whether Angela is fighting for fictional victims or her own sanity, her passion and dedication will long be remembered.

It would be easier to understand the source of this stunning plot idea were it in the hands of a long experienced writer who knows and has trod that path of involvement in the creation at hand. Living the dream. Believing the terror. Viscerally reacting to the situations created. But this is Sala Deib's initial offering: we can only imagine where his seemingly practiced mind will take us in his next book - a book that will surely follow quickly upon the heels of this major success. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, September 14

"Live in Liberty or Die with Dignity"

By Amazon Customer on September 24, 2014Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

We’ve all experienced bad times, but not all of us have experienced the level of struggle that Angela Crown has in her life time. As a young child Angela hid under her bed as her family home was burglarized and her mother murdered. After this terrible tragedy her father changed jobs from one where he travelled a lot to one where he could be home. You would think that this one tragedy would be more than enough for one person bear in their life time, but for Angela, it would not be her last. Many years later after finishing college Angela was preparing to celebrate her wedding when tragedy strikes again. Her beloved father and her loving fiancé are murdered in a robbery gone wrong. Their deaths send Angela into tail spin. Unable to deal with reality Angela delves into her books, declares herself a professional reader, and strives to save the characters from the tragedies that befall them in their “novel worlds”.

This is a story of terrible tragedy and magnificent struggles. As I plunged deeper into her story I found myself unable to put the book down. I was driven to find out what would happen to the characters in their “novel world” as well as what would happen to Angela. Would the characters survive their fates? Would Angela be able to save them? Would Angela be able to save herself?

This was a fabulous book and I cannot wait to read more.

Moving And Riveting Unique Storyline!!

By Cheri Clay on September 26, 2014

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

Murder changes the lives around it and Angela Crown is no exception. At the age of seven her mother was murdered by burglars while she clutched her teddy bear under her bed. Now as an adult still living in Vancouver, while preparing for what should be the happiest day of her life-her wedding day-her father John Crown and fiancé Mark Moody are killed in a bank robbery gone wrong. Her sister Maggie lives in Seattle but seems to have picked up the pieces and is trying to move on. Angela has a nervous breakdown with no outlook of recovery. With the help of her sister and her psychiatrist Dr Price she is getting back into the reading and writing she loves where the two hope the path of recovery lies. Angela seems transformed, renewed by involving herself in her passion. She loses sight between reality and fiction as she sets out to save the characters in the novels. In anger and lost mind she attacks authors who she feels are criminals against the characters of the “novel worlds”. She declares herself a professional reader with the job of saving the characters.

Deib writes a brilliantly unique plot rich in detail and such an engaging one that any book lover would be drawn into. Moving and riveting as Angela goes back and forth between reality and fiction. I love the way the author brings alive not only an unusual plot but digs down deep into the psychic mind to create a character as believable as Angela. As anyone who has a passion for books or novel writing finds themselves caught up in a storyline as they live with characters and become lost within the pages -this has a twist all its own. This is truly a new look of getting lost in reading that one will not soon forget.

Impressive, Intriguing, and Impossible to Put Down

By Veritas Vincit on September 27, 2014

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

As psychological thrillers go, this one takes top billing in my recent reads. The dedication of the author to maintaining the meticulous balance between madness and tragic reality is intense, and I challenge any reader to see where the curtain slips, or any definitive moment where we can be absolutely sure that any of this story is, in fact, a representation of reality. I was fascinated by the depths of Crown's mind that Deib was willing to delve and talented enough to explain in raw, visceral detail. The foundation of the book is inherently fractured, because the protagonist is broken and untrustworthy, not for a malicious reason, but for a psychological one. I always enjoy the free-falling sensation you have as a reader when you aren't clued in to an essential detail of the protagonist's perspective, as it forces you to constantly engage and stimulates your own creativity. Angela Crown is one of the more fascinating characters I've stumbled across lately, and Deib will certainly rank among the most fascinating authors, blowing me away with this debut novel.

Being a bibliophile and an avid reader, the premise of her as a professional reader and a defender of the literary innocents was also a unique and irresistible element of the entire plot. What wonders can our minds can create? What tragic landscapes can we lose ourselves in without ever leaving our rooms? Where is the line between madness and alternate reality? And for those who have had their realities shattered, does that line still exist? Fascinating questions to ask and there are plenty of interesting answers in Deib's break-out novel. Strongly recommended by this "professional reader".

Kudos to Sala Deib for an amazing novel!!!!, September 27, 2014

By Hugh Kinnett

This review is from: The Novel World of Angela Crown

This is a story of horrendous catastrophe and grand battles. Numerous years after the fact in the wake of completing school Angela was planning to praise her wedding when disaster strikes once more. Her dearest father and her cherishing life partner are killed in a theft gone wrong. Sala composes a splendidly one of a kind plot rich in point of interest and such a captivating one, to the point that any book mate would be drawn into. Moving and arresting as Angela about-faces and forward in the middle of reality and fiction. It’s well-written making it easy to read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it’s worth the small price. I couldn’t put it down. It always kept me on the edge wanting to know what will happen next. The detail is amazing and puts you in the story. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

 Impressive, Intriguing, and Impossible to Put Down, September 27, 2014

By Veritas Vincit "Bill" (USA) -

This review is from: The Novel World of Angela Crown (Kindle Edition)

As psychological thrillers go, this one takes top billing in my recent reads. The dedication of the author to maintaining the meticulous balance between madness and tragic reality is intense, and I challenge any reader to see where the curtain slips, or any definitive moment where we can be absolutely sure that any of this story is, in fact, a representation of reality. I was fascinated by the depths of Crown's mind that Deib was willing to delve and talented enough to explain in raw, visceral detail. The foundation of the book is inherently fractured, because the protagonist is broken and untrustworthy, not for a malicious reason, but for a psychological one. I always enjoy the free-falling sensation you have as a reader when you aren't clued in to an essential detail of the protagonist's perspective, as it forces you to constantly engage and stimulates your own creativity. Angela Crown is one of the more fascinating characters I've stumbled across lately, and Deib will certainly rank among the most fascinating authors, blowing me away with this debut novel.

Being a bibliophile and an avid reader, the premise of her as a professional reader and a defender of the literary innocents was also a unique and irresistible element of the entire plot. What wonders can our minds can create? What tragic landscapes can we lose ourselves in without ever leaving our rooms? Where is the line between madness and alternate reality? And for those who have had their realities shattered, does that line still exist? Fascinating questions to ask and there are plenty of interesting answers in Deib's break-out novel. Strongly recommended by this "professional reader".

Good story. Uniquely intertwines fiction and reality., September 27, 2014

By SAK "nature girl" (Oahu)

This review is from: The Novel World of Angela Crown (Kindle Edition)

Angela witnessed the murder of her mother as a child and as an adult is traumatized by the sudden death of her father and fiancé, killed in a bank robbery. The shock leaves her in the care of her sister and Dr. Price although she continues to live alone. As she retreats into the world of novels, life and fiction become more intermingled as she confronts authors about their characters and feels a duty to rescue endangered characters.
As she reads, fiction and reality blur together in Angela’s mind as the characters dance on the page and she tries to rescue them from other authors’ plots.

There are intricate details of all three worlds in Angela’s head – the real world, the book world that she watches and the world where she joins her book characters.

It is impressive that this is her first novel. It’s nicely and professionally presented. Sala Deib is ingenious and creative.

In Deib’s debut novel, a personal tragedy leads a woman to obsess over the fates of fictional characters.

It’s been over a week since Angela Crown entered Vancouver General Hospital, deep in shock after Mark, her fiance, and John, her father, were killed during a bank robbery. Her sister, Maggie, takes her home, where they both hope that the warm familiarity will help heal Angela’s shattered mind. She begins seeing a psychiatrist, Dr. Price, and returns to her love of reading. She soon realizes, however, that she has no tolerance for the physical and mental pain that the fictional characters experience. At a book signing, she attacks author Bruce Darling, calling him a criminal for the way he’s tortured his creations. Angela then decides that she’s a “Professional Reader” who must “intervene and rehabilitate depraved plots.” Writer Martin Magier is her next target after his new novel, Sara’s Tragedy, has a successful launch. Soon, she starts believing that her own life is a novel, and although she couldn’t save fellow characters John and Mark, she’s determined to save others. To that end, she refuses to abandon Sara to the cruel end that Magier has written for her—and not even the boundaries of reality can stop her. Deib’s intriguing concept will have readers wondering about the suffering that Angela’s character goes through as the narrative unfolds. The author creates a neat, unique fantasy setup: Angela can interact with characters in fictional worlds—but only as a ghost. She also finds that Magier’s fictional creations worship him as a god, which layers the tale with effective religious commentary. The text frequently shines with simple metaphors that book lovers will understand quite well: “Angela devoured each word and each page like parched soil receiving heavy rains.” Sometimes, though, the prose is a bit overcooked: “Like small fish glued together forming a gigantic shark, they swept across the land as if they were a powerful tsunami.” The sentimental finale leaves plenty of questions open for a potential sequel.

Magical realism spurs on this solid debut.