Review & Giveaway: The X Factor: Confession of a Naïve Fashion Model by Ivan Sivec

The X Factor: Confession of a Naïve Fashion Model

by Ivan Sivec

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Young Adult

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

It takes three mistakes to be swallowed up and spat out by the fashion industry.
You trust the wrong people.
You think you know everything there is to know about life.
You abuse drugs.

The almost 18-year-old Maja is a regular high-school kid, who at the threshold of adulthood thinks she knows everything there is to know about life. As she enters the world of fashion modelling she gets completely enchanted.

However, the more her career thrives she’s less able to see the danger lurking around fashion industry.  Maja starts falling in a downward spiral of drug addiction and is torn between the tempting dream of becoming a world famous model and the horrendous thought of destroying her body beyond the point of no salvation.

At a yacht party Maja gets drugged, assaulted and tossed overboard. She’s found the next day. Barely alive. Only a shade of her former self, in a gray space between life and death, she realises the fashion industry sucked everything out of her – except one thing – the will to live. Maja wants to be her old self again.

Ironically, it means losing the only thing that made her special. She has to give up on her hidden X Factor.

The X Factor:
Confession of a Naïve Fashion Model
is a psychological YA novel showing the glamorous fashion world behind its less glamorous scenes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Review:

It 's a story very strong and very intense on the ruthless world of fashion. Many girls are very young and without the right maturity fascinated by the easy success, often are not able to manage themselves well. They dream of becoming famous and are willing to almost anything and sometimes do not realize that not worth it. Not all have the strength of Maja to get out.  And there's always a price to pay.

Maja is seventeen, is a beautiful girl and she likes to have fun. His boyfriend Klemen is a photographer and one evening she participates with him a Valentine's Party that his newspaper has organized. Here she is noticed by a modeling agency that offers her a contract. Her only flaw is small breasts but she is willing to make an intervention to make it perfect. She leaves school and goes to live in Milan. Her parents hope that her boyfriend Klemen  aid and protect her. Instead she is alone, without money, forced to make long fasts to keep the line and take drugs in order to meet all the contracts that are offered her.  She's entered into a ruthless world, where everyone is ready to use her and to abandon her, she doesn't know about who to trust. How can she get out of this hell where she is hunted?

I like the style of this author. The sentences are short, the pace fast and flowing. Some terms and definitions are explained during the narration by changing the character of the text: this expedient make reading more understanding and do not disturb the flow of the story. The plot is well developed, it is realistic, although there are many elements of fantasy is inspired by a true story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

“Please, Klemen, stop talking about fashion agencies and such!”

“And us?” he held her hand. He was surprised to see she was wearing the bracelet he had given her for Valentines.

“What do you mean, have you forgotten everything?” she smiled at him.

Reminiscence.

An element of an art work that revives memories of past events.

The memory of Bled.

“It’s all in your, my, our hands. Don’t fake ignorance and use Mr. Egon as an excuse!”

“Just say what you want!”

“I want things between us to stay exactly the same as they are right now. I want us to always tell each other the honest truth, even if I ever become as famous as… Claudia Schiffer.”

“Okay,” they shook hands. “Whoever breaks the promise shall be damned, a hundred times!”

“A thousand times! Damned for life! Okay?”

“Are you thinking of the curse that will strike the one who breaks the promise?” he looked at her from the side.

“Yes, exactly that one!”

“But will you be able to accept me back after all the bad things I’ve done to you? I feel like a hustler of the worst kind.”

They were quiet for a long time, staring through the window.

Two turtledoves were sitting on a branch, showing affection to each other.

“I’m sorry,” Klemen said, absorbed in thoughts. “I’m asking you to forgive me if you can.”

“I’m asking you to forgive me as well. It’s all up to you, Klemen,” Maja said softly.

He squeezed her hand strongly, as if he wanted to say that everything was back to normal.

That they were back to where they had started before Valentine’s Day 2004.

Now they could finally feel free, independent, free from evil people.

They were able to find anchor in their haven because their love was above all the filth.

And the end is always the beginning of something new.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Ivan Sivec is a writer, poet and publicist from Slovenia, Europe. People say he is ‘a man with a hundred stories’ and he has been sharing them with his audience, both young and mature, for over four decades now. He is listed under the top five Slovenian bestselling authors.

In his rich and thriving career he has written in many genres. As a poet he has written more than 2,500 lyrics for ethnic and entertaining music for which he received several awards. His broad prosaic ‘repertoire’ includes biographies, historical, psychological and adventure novels, travelogues, youth book series, picture books as well as humorous stories. To this date he published over 130 books and is considered to be one of the most popular Slovenian authors.

His particular interest goes to psychological novels on issues teenagers face today, especially topics like suicide, drug addiction, adoption, AIDS...  He shares true stories to let the young reader know they’re not alone.

Sivec devotes his free time to his wife of 44 years, their two children and three grandchildren. Since his retirement a decade ago he enjoys his days hiking the Alpine peaks (he is especially proud to have conquered the tallest mountain in Europe, the French Mont Blanc (4,810 m/ 15,771 ft), together with his daughter-in-law Tina). When he is not gathering inspiration from the mountains he is soaking in the tranquility of the Mediterranean Sea with his wife.  Nature is his source of creativity. It allows Ivan to gather his thoughts and pour them onto paper. 

Official Webpage: http://ivan.sivec.net/en/

Facebook: facebook.com/ivan.sivec.en

                

facebook.com/the.X.factor.the.book

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ivan_Sivec

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ISivec

http://bit.ly/1MOwSp0

This book is free on Amazon on January 13 and 14

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1RJz7d9

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1ZKSE29

B&N: http://bit.ly/1VXy1v4

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Ivan will be awarding a free e-copy of the X Factor or a signed greeting card from Slovenia (international) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway