Category Archives: Book Review

Book Review: Caching In: a Geocaching Love Story by Tracy Krimmer

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Caching In: A Geocaching Love Story by Tracy Krimmer

A Romance Novel published by Amazon (12/11/14)

 

Summary:

Ally cooper is in a rut; same banking job for six years, no boyfriend, and a day with nothing to do…

On a hike she runs into a Geocaching couple and decides to pick up the hobby herself. At her first find and second Geocaching attempt, she meets Seth at his Bed and Breakfast and he takes her out. Meanwhile, her best friend, Chelsea is in her own type of rut, stuck on a man who already has a girlfriend. When both Ally and Chelsea compete for the same promotion at the bank, Ally’s life will turn on its head and the only constant and stable part will be her growing number of Geocaching finds.

 

Keywords:

 Romance, Bed and Breakfast, Bank Teller, Best Friends, Cheating Boyfriends, Geocaching, Predictable Plot

 

My Review:

From page one of Caching In, I found the novel to be raw. It follows your average girl Ally and she isn’t all Pretty in Pink or perfect manners. She fights with her best friend. She jumps to the wrong conclusion almost every time. She’s almost thirty, but acts like a rebellious and sullen teenager. She is overly melodramatic, but also gutsy and sticks with her convictions doggedly. She is a girl to be admired, though it is difficult to see her as an adult and not as a eighteen or nineteen years old, because that’s how she acts. She gets overcome by her own emotions and drama and sometimes you just want to smack her for overreacting and jumping to the worst conclusions in both her romantic life and in her relationship with Chelsea. Over time she has to get over her romantic past and move one.

“Maybe this was the problem. For so many years, I maintained the same hair, the same job, and the same things always held me back. ” (Page 168).

The author falls into the trap of describing details of Ally’s environment that aren’t always important to the main narrative and I ended up skimming a lot of these extraneous parts. Krimmer also uses phrases and wording that comes off as awkward and hard to read. At times, though, Krimmer punches off a clever phrasing like the previous quote.

This novel was published by Amazon December 11, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 2.75

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

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Book Review: First to Find by Mark Gessner

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First to Find by Mark Gessner

A Thriller Novel published on lulu.com (07/26/2010)

 

Summary:

First to find is full of firsts and finds that you may think you have all figured out until the ultimate first to find, every nightmare any geocacher has dreamed about. If it’s a gruesome murder, then why leave behind a jar of urine or a dead dog? Casual geocachers out for their finds will stumble upon more than they bargained for in this tale of murder and revenge. If the geocachers put together the clues, will they be led right to the killer or will he catch on to their game?

 

Keywords:

Hiking, Woods, GPS, Murder, Deranged, Thriller, Geocaching, Clues, Romance, Texas

 

My Review:

Mark Gessner opens his book First to Find with the quote “Never mess with a Geocacher — we know the best places to hide a body.” (Page 5). Gessner continues to give out great tidbits in this book, like little treasures waiting to be read. The writing style was continuously smooth, without hitches or hiccups. The flow of action was also quite smooth and progressed naturally, building up tension over time to its exciting climax.

Gessner doesn’t give the reader a chance to guess the identity of the killer, but he brings us along as the two geocachers attempt to pin down who it is. We are right along with them in their hunt. The moment when the killer turns on them is the ultimate tense scene, because at that point I am so invested in their story and so completely believing of the killer’s ability that I can only think it will end poorly for Judi and Kurt.

Each character was given full room for development and each was fully made alive. The killer had a larger role than I would expect, but even he was made bare by the end. Gessner was able to give me a well-rounded killer with equally well-rounded motivation, even if it wasn’t fully explained until the end. I absolutely loved the line, “The killer kept himself in good physical condition, and except for an occasional swig of Old Granddad and a recently developed taste for murder, he had no vices” (Page 147).

By the end everything made sense and the puzzle pieces fit together perfectly. I understand why Gessner would give his killer the name “The Killer” until the main characters found out his identity, but I didn’t think it was necessary, since even his name didn’t mean anything until that was later further explained.

 

This novel was published by lulu.com 07/26/2010 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 4.50

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Book Review: The Treemakers by Christina L. Rozelle

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The Treemakers by Christina L. Rozelle

A Dystopian/Sci-Fi Adventure Novel published by A Spark in the Dark Press (12/03/14)

This review brought to you by Silverbow Promotions Tour

 

Summary:

“To be strong in the face of weakness,’ I begin. ‘This is something our sister, Abrilynne, and our brother, Miguel, taught me. To smile, though there’s pain. To laugh, though there’s sorrow. To love, no matter what. And to forgive.” (Page 206).

The Tree Factory. It sounds hopeful, but it isn’t. Inside the walls of the factory are Bygonne’s orphans and they have been forgotten by all but the evil Superiors who work the children to their death. The trees are meant to keep the dying outside world alive with fresh oxygen while inside the factory the children are dying and enslaved. One of the olders, Momma Joy, takes it upon herself to find a way to free them all. No matter where you look it’s a hard life. The world outside has suffocated under the heat and poisonous air. The world underground harbors monsters and killer beasts. The world in between is full of those who seek freedom and survival. It is there that Joy must bring her precious sisters and brothers and it is there that more hardships will be encountered.

 

Keywords:

 Factory, Orphans, Survival, Death, Exploration, Dystopian World, Polluted Air, Evil Intentions, AI, Motherliness, Help, Underground, Paradise, Fighting, Strength, Resilience, Spirit

 

My Review:

I was given a copy of the book in exchange for this review.

The world Rozelle has created is a mix between dystopian/fantasy/futuristic/jurassic/etc. She has pulled so many intriguing elements into the world of The Treemakers that every new part of it is fascinating and alive. The Treemakers doesn’t just take place in the factory, but moves among different environments that are each unique and mesmerizing in their own way. Not only is the environment a slight twist on the familiar, but the characters and the story and the depth involved contain their own twists.

The setup was well-written and instantly pulled the reader into the otherworldly dystopian setting. But Rozelle didn’t stop there, she went further. She pushed the boundaries of the world she created and the genres the novel falls under. This book kept surprising me with the layers upon layers that unwrapped and interconnected to the end.

Though I found the romance both distracting and unnecessary, I didn’t think it inappropriate and thought it only logical in the book. It’s always mildly disturbing for young children to be flirting and reproducing, but in a dystopian future where not many reach over 30 years, it’s perfectly natural and the only way to continue the line of humanity.

This novel was published by A Spark in the Dark Press on December 3rd, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.5

 

Links for more information:

Christina L. Rozelle’s Website

Christina L. Rozelle on Twitter

Goodreads

About the author:

Christina L. Rozelle

Christina L. Rozelle, author of the YA Dystopian-Scifi-Romance-Adventure, “The Treemakers,” is a mother of four currently residing in Dallas, Texas. She enjoys fiction that shines a light in the dark; has emotion, intensity, verve, depth, and truth. She writes what she’d love to read. Though her focus is currently YA speculative fiction, she dabbles in other genres as well, including adult speculative, fantasy, addiction/recovery fiction, and other general fiction. To find out more about her, as well as links to her other social media outposts, please visit her fan-site: http://christinalrozelle.com/

Book Review: P.A.W.S. by Debbie Manber Kupfer

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P.A.W.S. by Debbie Manber Kupfer

A YA Paranormal Novel published by Rocking Horse Publishing (06/25/13)

 

Summary:

“You never know how strong you really are until you are tested.” (Page 263).

Miri Katz is barely keeping her head above water. She is clumsy and nerdy. She has made no friends at her school and is made fun of by the cool kids almost daily. She is an average girl, maybe even below average because she has no special talents. She is failing math. But then everything changes when, in a moment of panic, the amulet her omama gave her transforms her into a cat. Now everyone wants Miri, but not to be her friend.

 

Keywords:

Animagi, Shapeshifters, Werewolves, Animagi, Revenge, Loyalty, World Domination, Special Powers, Friendship

 

My Review:

I almost put this book down. It started off with a historical fiction spin which was really exciting, but then quickly turned into something else entirely that was barely keeping my attention. The writing was a bit stilted and the main character Miri was much too pathetic to like or relate to when we first met her. “Miri did very little other than read fantasy novels and write in her notebooks. In her classes she was a mediocre student at best, plus she was clumsy and socially awkward.” (Page 65).

But I kept reading. There was something about the story that just wouldn’t let me go. And then the story got so much better. The author sucked me into the clutter of Miri’s life and the deepening intrigue of the multiple subplots that eventually merged into the main story. The author had woven a complicated plot that was not at first visible.

Normally I don’t pick up and read paranormal fantasy, but I liked the story and the characters of P.A.W.S. In a world where there are shape shifters, werewolves, and animagi, Kupfer has done a great job sorting through the possibilities of what life would be like in this kind of environment. There are rules and boundaries that make these abilities much more interesting. Kupfer is great at world building.

The essential story Kupfer tells is the one that hooked me. In the beginning I thought it was about a girl trying to find her place in the world (coming of age) and it was, at least to begin with. Then Kupfer adds in complication after complication and the depth of the plot was what held my attention raptly to the end.
If you want a young adult version of Interview with a Vampire, then P.A.W.S. is your book.

This novel was published by Rocking Horse Publishing June 25th, 2013 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Debbie Manber Kupfer’s Website

Facebbok

Book Review: Fantasy of Frost (The Tainted Accords Book 1) by Kelly St. Clare

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Fantasy of Frost (The Tainted Accords Book 1) by Kelly St. Clare

A Fantasy Novel published by Kelly St Clare (01/14/15)

 

Summary:

At the intersection of two worlds, Glacium and Osolis, lies peace and the sharing of resources, but the idea of a Bruma and a Solati together would be disgusting and appalling to both people. Glacium is cold and Osolis is hot and both worlds spin in opposite directions. Those on Glacium are loud and speak their minds while those on Osolis are reserved and conservative; however, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t gossip or things going on behind closed doors.

The Tatum (the woman in power on Osolis) beats her daughter, the Tatuma – who is next in line to rule. None have seen Olina the Tatuma’s face, for she is also made to wear a veil. Still, Olina is ready to be free of her mother’s rule and when she meets the young understanding delegate from Glacium, she falls for him. It is this love that sets in motion the unraveling of all that Olina took for granted.

 

Keywords:

 Fantasy, Family, Travel, Different Worlds, Intrigue, Warring, Peace, Love, Romance, Attacks, Loyalty, Negotiations, Brothers, Evil Mother, Fear, Rulers, Power, Intimidation, Training, Female main character, kick butt female

 

My Review:

A good fantasy envelops you completely and shows you a new world that is foreign as you begin to read and completely familiar as you reach the end. St. Clare has built not just one world, but two in Fantasy of Frost and the reader must understand what it is like to live in both worlds and what it is like to be Bruma or Solati and there is a bit of catchup in the beginning. Everything will click into place around 10% into the story, where many of the necessary explanations will have been given and the world has been rounded into familiarity for you. I love the stark contrast St. Clare gave to her worlds and the Romeo and Juliet romance that was doomed from the start between Kedrick and Olina, where both societies would disapprove of their love of one another. It is a love story destined for failure, but stronger because of the hardships it must endure.

I also love that Fantasy of Frost is not just a fantasy romance. It is a quest for answers and the unraveling of secrets. It is intriguing and the worlds hold mystery and some key to finding out hidden agendas.

St. Clare has created a phenomenal character in Olina. I loved her. I felt sorry for her. I relished when she kicked butt. But she didn’t kick butt continuously! She is Solati, and therefore is able to show restraint where needed, diplomacy when it suits the situation, but throw down when that is the best option. She can fight and escape and has spunk. Everyone will want to be her, but no-one will want to be thrust into her situation.

There were only two bothersome points in Fantasy of Frost. The first being the surprising use of language (cursing). In a fantasy where the names have a different meaning (an ‘o’ in front of the Solati names is significant), it was a rude awakening – at first – from the dense and complex fantasy with the modern American curse words. It made me wince at the use of ‘sexy.’ The second point is my common point of contention in most first novels of a series, that they don’t really end! I like a grand conflict to have a resolution, but still have to continue on to the second book. I felt that Fantasy of Frost fell into this category of not having a proper resolution, ending as if it were in the middle of a book and not the end. There aren’t any more chapters in this book and this is very frustrating for a full novel not to end. Still, I have to say, I don’t care too much and will await (with only mild frustration and much baited breath) for the next book in the series.

This novel was published by Kelly St Clare on January 14th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50

 

Links for more information:

Kelly St. Clare’s Website

Facebook

Goodreads

Book Review: Passing Notes by D.G. Driver

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Passing Notes by D.G. Driver

A YA Novella published by Fire and Ice Young Adult Books (1/29/15)

 

Summary:

Mark Dowd has never had a girlfriend and never been in love, so when the girl he’s had a crush on since seventh grade is sitting outside his job, having cried her eyes out, he gets his chance to show her what a decent dateable guy he is. Mark has also never had to woo anyone before and his first halfhearted attempts are met with indignation and the cold shoulder. Mark is making mistakes left and right trying to romance this girl. He’s about to lose her when a mysterious ghost writer begins to give him advice and guide him in writing the perfect love letter and how to deliver it properly. Will this gesture prove to Bethany how much Mark likes her and how he really is exactly who she met that first night?

“Instead of throwing books around, slamming classroom doors, and screeching through hallways, this ghost chose to haunt the high school by teaching random kids how to write better love letters.” (Kindle Locations 481-482).

 

Keywords:

 YA, Male POV, Dating, Teen Love, Romance, Ghost, Guidance, Trying Hard, High School, Novella

 

My Review:

I was given a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Why would a straight A student who follows the rules date a guy like Mark? What does he have going for him? Is he good looking? The bad boy? At first he tells us that he’s getting D’s in school, can’t spell, and has poor grammar. He doesn’t brag about anything, so we assume he would never be good enough for Bethany, but his actions throughout this novella show us otherwise. Mark is revealed to be a polite, hard-working boy who really does try his hardest when he wants to attain something of value. He can apologize when he’s wrong. He is humble and works a real job. He is nice and accommodating when his elder grandmother who has Alzheimer’s mistakes him for his grandfather. Mark is not as simple as he made himself out to be. He may not know what the word ‘crude’ means, but he does know when to accept help and when to admit he doesn’t know what he’s doing when romancing Bethany. This is intelligence in spades and what Bethany is surely attracted to. It makes me like Mark, even though he’s failing in school and his life plans only amount to joining the army after graduating. He’s adorably ignorant.

Usually the smart beautiful girl leaves her jerk of a jock boyfriend for the quiet smart cute boy, but Mark isn’t the nerd we all recognize in stories. Mark is different. This made the story different and fun to read. It had a slight spin to the usual boy loves girl plot-line. Though the short story was simple in writing style, plot, characters, and motivations, it kept my attention throughout with its honest elegance.

The magical part of having a ghost was done well. The ghost was connect to Mark in both a premeditated way and an immediate way.

Passing Notes had a beautiful and fitting end that came full circle and was satisfying to read.

For any teen that stumbles through dating, this is a wonderfully informative and entertaining novella that they can learn from.

This novel was published by Fire and Ice Young Adult Books on January 29th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.75

 

Links for more information:

D.G. Driver’s Website

D.G. Driver on Twitter

Goodreads

Book Review: The Fallen (The Greatest Sin, #1) by Lee French with Erik Kort

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The Fallen (The Greatest Sin, #1) by Lee French with Erik Kort

A Fantasy Novel published by Tangled Sky Press (1/26/14)

 

Summary:

“So long as there is clan, there is hope.” (Page 174).

Chavali is the clan seer. When her wandering clan, the Blaukenevs, stop for a carnival, she is a fortune teller for the night, telling people what they want to hear. She may not be able to tell the future, but she has the ability read people, from their expressions to their very thoughts. At times she experiences accurate prophesies and is a limited telepath, though neither are under her control. She is held in high esteem, but also regarded as one apart from the bonded clan. When she is held at knife point, her guard must save her. When the clan is under attack, who will be there to save her?

 

Keywords:

 Fantasy, Clan, Family, Loyalty, Prophesy, Seer, Close-Knit, Sacrifice, Strength, Evil

 

My Review:

The Fallen is a novel that has been greatly imagined by the author. It is not just a world that Lee French built, but a culture and a people. French begins the story with the beginning and the Creator and then moves so far forward in time that the myth of the Creation is not thought of the same by all the inhabitants of the world. French makes her own Creation and interweaves the present day story throughout the trail left behind by the Creation. I really enjoyed the mythical adaptation feel that this story had and that French kept going back to it to create a tightly woven story that was intricate and fully fledged.

The concept of ‘Clan’ French created reminds me of the close-knit culture seen in the movie Brother Bear or the strong connection of a small town where everyone knows each other and they speak their own slang. French’s clan, the Blaukenevs, do in fact speak their own language known only to them. They have their own traditions and ways of life. These rituals were fascinating to read about and they were presented as part of the way of life, intriguing to the reader and not confusing in that they were foreign. It was like being privy to a new culture by being on the inside.

Chavali also presented the reader with an outsider’s perspective when she is in the outsider’s world, which I really appreciated because it was neat to see the outsider looking in perspective for an entirely different culture that French created in the Fallen society. The reader was able to get a complete picture of the new and interesting Outside world through Chavali’s eyes and it was refreshing. French described the new and different society in a way that kept my attention through every differing detail. Chavali was a fascinating character who maintained her mannerisms within her society of the Blaukenevs and throughout the Outside world. She was a no-nonsense character because she was born into an environment that allowed her to grow as a confident person. It’s neat to find a character who is strong without reason and she maintains her independence throughout a dependent clan culture as well as when she is thrust into the chaos of the Outside world.

This novel was published by Tangled Sky Press on January 26th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.0

 

Links for more information:

Lee French on Facebook

Lee French on Twitter

Goodreads

Book Review: The Crossing Hour by Quoleena Sbrocca

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The Crossing Hour by Quoleena Sbrocca

A Science Fiction (Historical Fiction) Novel published through CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform(1/29/15)

 

Summary:

“Oh Travis, child, what is fear ? Fear ain’t nothing but a thing that moves us forward and makes us fight ’till we ain’t afraid no more.” (Kindle Locations 4362-4364).

After he discovers the phenomenon of one way time travel, Stanley Graf sets his granddaughter Leigh upon the task of personally welcoming a Traveler from the past. They don’t know who will appear or what year they will come from, but the Grafs do know that the time travel doorway opens up every four years and that there are other restrictions on those who travel. The next Traveler to enter through the doorway in Delaware may be the Graf’s most important discovery yet! When plans to send the Traveler back in time at the appointed hour, exactly one year after the doorway first delivered the Traveler, start to unravel, could history itself be changed? Leigh has the important task of making sure time and history are not altered and the weight of this responsibility rests heavily on her shoulders, “To protect our visitors from the past, so that we may preserve history as we know it, and the future as we hope it will be.” (Kindle Locations 5303-5304).

 

Keywords:

 Time Travel, Harriet Tubman, Historical Fiction, Female Main Character, Independent Women, Strength, Fear, Hardship, Inner Strength, Family, Loyalty, Science Fiction, Destiny

 

My Review:

Time travel is completely bogus and entirely unbelievable as a premise, but Sbrocca takes the concept and convinces me of its truth. She gives underlying scientific technological explanations that had me believing in her time travel theory being plausible. And who better to travel through time then the historical figure she chose! Sbrocca’s premise and usage of time travel were both clever and riveting. The author chose a good idea and then made it into an excellent book.

From the very first pages, Sbrocca delivers tension and intrigue in a powerful beginning to her novel The Crossing Hour. If I were to choose one word to describe this book it would be ‘authentic.’ The characters were believable and felt real, even the ones from other times and places. The characters’ motivations and desires were real and authentic. The dialogue was authentic and sassy and fun.

I am absolutely smitten with Sbrocca’s clever idea of using a time traveler to introduce a specific speech pattern (19th century runaway slave) while still being set in modern, familiar USA. The reader is given a teaser into the past and how people spoke, but is not overwhelmed by this perspective.

Every character has their own story and personality without being over the top or overly unique. The characters from the past stayed true to what I know of them historically. I loved that their personalities and actions stemming from who they were matched my perspective of how I thought those particular people would talk and act and what they would do in certain situations. This is a super cool technique and makes for great historical fiction writing.

Two specifics: The chapter that went back in time to 2011 was a great idea and worked quite well in clearing up any questions that still lingered in the back of my mind. Second: after spending some time in present day technology cluttered USA, wouldn’t any curious time traveler simply ‘google’ themselves to find out why they are so important? This question nagged at me so persistently, but I was able to suspend my disbeliefs in sight of such an entertaining and well written story.

This novel was published through CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform on January 29th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.0

 

Links for more information:

Quoleena Sbrocca’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: An Unlikely Goddess by Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar

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An Unlikely Goddess by Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar

A Historical Fiction Novel published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform (10/14/13)

 

Summary:

“A straight man who won’t sleep with you because he wants to be serious? Marry him,” Manoj said, “Be happy and have lots of babies.” (Kindle Locations 3601-3602).

An Unlikely Goddess focusses on the cultural traditions of an Indian family in both India and America, with a specific focus on the first born daughter Sita. From her very birth, where she was supposed to be a boy and not a girl, she disappoints her mother, father and herself. She must figure out what she believes in order to find her way in a world where she is considered an outsider. Sita’s family is seen by Indian relatives and neighbors as the opulent immigrant family in America, where wealth is taken for granted, but their reality is far different. Sita’s family struggles to stay afloat in America and this borderline poverty affects Sita and her own struggles to be American and fit into the unforgiving expectations of the American schoolchildren.

 

Keywords:

Culture, South Asia – India, Immigrants, Fitting In, Breaking Away, Poverty, Expectations, Faith, Stuck, Happiness, Freedom, Female Main Character

 

My Review:

I will jump right in and say that Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar is like the South Asian version of Amy Tan. Rajakumar’s story in Unlikely Goddess is about a young girl growing up as a woman, an Indian immigrant displaced into a vastly different culture than the one she grew up in, parents who want their children to stay true to their culture and traditions, the oppression against females and their independence, and more. Unlikely Goddess is a brilliantly written, masterfully told, powerful story about Sita.

Rajakumar was able to weave a story that was as fascinating and informative as any of Amy Tan’s novels about Chinese immigrants or turn of the century China. An Unlikely Goddess was a story alive that gave me an unusual insight into Sita’s life. Sita was a fascinating character. Her story was the main focus, but through her the reader is privy to the angst a teen feels in America as culturally and ethnically and financially set apart from her peers. Sita’s discomfort was the reader’s discomfort. Rakajumar is able to translate the book’s emotions so that the reader is involved in Sita’s life and her emotions and desires.

It is not just Sita that the reader feels compassion and understanding toward, but also her mother Mythili. Through books like these readers can gain a true understanding of what it’s like to be thrust into an environment where you are the one apart, where you are the one that is different, where expectations are placed on you for your gender and your culture and your skin color.

This book blew me away and I appreciated Rajakumar’s prose and style and story so much that I plan on reading everything else she has written.

This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform October 14th, 2013 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.0

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar’s Website

Facebook

Book Review: From the Wreckage by Michele G. Miller

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From the Wreckage by Michele G. Miller

A YA Romance Novel published by Enchanted Ink Press (06/11/14)

 

Summary:

“Don’t waste a day wondering what if.” (Page 88).
From the Wreckage is a book that explores the above quote. For Texas teen Jules Blacklin, everything changes in one day when a natural disaster tears her small town apart. Her life is turned topsy turvey following the tornadoe’s wake. She has lost one of her best friends. Her town has a lot of recovery to go through. Her school was decimated. The aspect of her life that changed the most; however, was realizing that it isn’t worth it to stay in a relationship that isn’t the same anymore and that she shouldn’t put off her own happiness.

 

Keywords:

Contemporary Romance, Natural Disaster, Loss, Grief, Texas, Small Town, School Rivalry, Friendship

 

My Review:

This book throttled me as hard as the tornado devastated Jules’ town. The description of events leading up to and during the tornado were like a scene from the classic movie Twister. I was on the edge of my seat and my eyes were wide with the tension. The author really does capture the emotional upheaval and turmoil that goes along with escaping the clutches of a disaster. And this was less than a quarter of the way through the novel.

How could it get more tense? How could there be more excitement? Well, there wasn’t. Michelle Miller climaxed less than 25% through the novel and spent the rest of the plot and character development in limbo. It was like if I stay by Gayle Foreman, where you’re waiting for the big punch, only to be disappointed by the almost lackluster and anticlimactic ending. Miller set herself up for this when she gave away her big emotional roller coaster so soon. The rest was just the aftermath.

I thought the book could have been shorter. After all, how much resolution can there be after a climax so soon? Still, I wasn’t disappointed entirely because the novel fits quite well into young adult literature, giving me all the angsty teen drama I could want. I just wish it hadn’t been preempted so soon with such a whirlwind beginning. For this unequal pacing I was annoyed, but not too much because I loved Miller’s writing style and how she painted her characters.

This book wasn’t about the action so much as about the characters. It was fascinating to watch Jules go through her own stages of grieving and loss. Her conflicted thoughts on her relationships with both the football star and West Rutledge were the highlight of the book in my mind.

The second major nuisance of the novel was the way Miller presented the story. It was told mainly through the narrative of Jules herself, as she tells the story for the video documentation of the high school seniors. This is so annoying and unnecessary that I skipped almost all the parts where Jules is in the present commenting on the past. The second major nuisance of the novel was the odd sounding tense used (third person present). It was jarring every time I picked up the book and made the entire thing difficult to read on a sentence by sentence basis. For these two reasons alone this book will never be a five-star book, at least in my opinion. If the story is in the past, let it be in the past and don’t pull us out of the narrative to let us know Jules is sad again in the present. Let the story tell itself! Still, if I had noticed these errors before I had begun reading, would I do it again? Yes, because the story was interesting, the characters were fascinating, and the emotions were real.

This novel was published by Enchanted Ink Press June 11th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Michele Miller’s Website