Review of "Sins of the Father" by RJ Palmer

Story Overview:

Bowen is a boy who is sent to a middle ages monastery by his neighbours after all of his family is killed. There he is brutally tortured until one night he escapes. Aaron is a minister in modern day America, who has recently been struggling with the world around him and how his job fits in with it. However when he falls over one day in church he is taken to see the torture of Bowen in past and as the days go past he visits Bowen more. That is until he has sleep therapy and the visions go away. But then Aaron is introduced to an autistic child at a mental institution that looks exactly like Bowen. Suddenly Aaron finds himself traveling down a path he never thought he would.

 

Cover Page:  18/20

The cover page is simple, yet effective. The image of a child being burned on the crucifix is very striking and conjures up all sorts of images in which we can all associate with. Yet its simplicity doesn’t give much to the plot, or the time frame in which the story largely takes place, which may be its weakness. The font is perfect for the title and story of the book, giving more away about the story than the front cover.

Character (and their development):  20/20

The characters are well portrayed and very realistic. Aaron is the minister that none us imagine when we think of religious leaders, but that is more to do with the preconception of them rather than the character. Aaron instead gives a more down to earth and human appearance to ministers that is refreshing from the stereotypical character that I have often found in other novels. His movements and thoughts are perfectly drawn out and his character development is done so well that it truly feels linear.  Other characters are portrayed with the same delicate touch that makes them believable and lovable. The actions of the autistic character, named Lucian by another patient at the medical centre, are beautifully crafted and seemed to be well researched.

Storyline: 18/20

The storyline is well thought out. Unlike most novels, there is not one single thread that the reader must continuous go along and consider at the time, but a number of well drawn out threads that lead into one large story plot. I don’t want to give the story away, or any clues as to what happens, preferring you to read it yourself, but I can say that every moment was an eager moment to discover what the next card to turn would be. Unfortunately I think that certain story plots were easily left by the wayside and forgotten, but if they were brought back or even in it from the start and more drawn out it might have gotten top marks.

Style:  15/20

The author certainly has talent, but I feel that it is in need of a little refinement. The description was lovely and was really scene setting, but at the same time long and complicated words were used all too often when simple language could have conveyed the message and not made sentences seem chunky. There isn’t a huge amount of dialogue in the novel, mostly concentrating on the thoughts and actions but when there is dialogue it is wonderfully created and seems the most natural of conversations.

Unfortunately what really let the style down are the very long sentences and paragraphs in places. For the most part the writing was really good. But at more than one point the paragraph took up more than a page on my e-reader and sentences had 4 or even 5 commas in it making reading a chore in places.

Spelling and Grammar:  15/20

To say that the spelling and grammar is poor is a little bit of an over statement. There are some mistakes littered throughout the novel but nothing serious. The main points have been mentioned before, long sentences and paragraphs and some awkward wording in places.

The main issues is the formatting, something that I don’t often mention. On the contents page the formatting changes from “CHAPTER 1, CHAPTER 2” to “chapter 19, chapter 20” which unfairly makes it look like it could be a poor book. I also noted there were two chapter 26’s. Also the paragraphs most of the time have line breaks for them but from chapter 6 some paragraphs are just indented and there are a couple of times when a paragraph break happens mid sentence. These are easily fixed errors and if they were corrected, would instantly move this sections grade up. But as it stands it does look odd in places and needs correcting.

Conclusion:  86/100

It seems like a tale of two halves with this book. The story, characters and the initial look of the book are fantastic, putting it up with some of the best writing that I’ve had the pleasure of reading for a while. However at the same time, the style grammar and formatting is in need of a little improvement. I feel there is great potential in the author and the story is strong enough to be read by the masses, but I think that some people will be overly critical for the use of some words and the formatting mistakes.

So I’ve broken it down to one question: Would I recommend the book?

Yes. Despite the errors, the story and characters are strong. The formatting can be fixed and the use of words is not wrong, just not warranted by the mass market. If a reader can get past these, they’ll have a great read that is full of excitement few authors can achieve.

Buy "Sins of the Father" at Amazon.co.uk      Buy Sins of the Father from Amazon.com

Connect with the Author 

Blog - http://rjpalmer.blogspot.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AuthorRJPalmer
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/RJ-Palmer/188994047794916

Review for "Song of the Fairy Queen" by Valerie Douglas

Our first review is in...

Story Overview:

Set in a fictional fantasy world, this story tells the story of a King deposed by his brother and his attempt to regain his crown with the help of his loyal General; Morgan and his Marshalls and the mysterious and beautiful Queen of the Fairies. As can be expected from such a book, there is battle scenes, lives lost, magic, mythical creatures and romance.

Cover Page: 19/20

A striking and bold statement on the front cover that when I look at it draws me in. The character on the front of the book surely is someone that I wouldn't expect to be a fairy and that adds to the appeal of the book - there is a new twist to a well known mythical creature. My only nitpicking (and it is nitpicking) is that with the wings and the arrow holder visible, it is evident that they aren't connected, but that is really being nitpicking.

Character (and their development): 18/20

The depth and the development of the characters have been excellent shown within the writing and as you read the story you do feel that they are changing with the events which are unfolding. My original concern with the book was that there were too many characters introduced too quickly and at the beginning I was checking on who was who. However by chapter three or four I had gotten use to all the characters and felt that I knew them well. The emotion felt by all the characters is especially done well and is not easily resolved by any of them. For instance; you can really feel the emotional pain that King suffers as he loses his wife and his journey to cope the sadness. There are also no two dimensional characters, even the most minor of character has his or her own distinct character.

Storyline: 18/20

The start of the story is strikingly good. As the attack of the castle commences there is the sense of the confusion and panic which is often associated with battle, adding to an excellent atmosphere. As the battle continues there are many questions asked but very answers at the time, left for the reader to get the information in little pieces as the book progresses, just as if you were a defender in the castle from the surprise attack. I loved reading about the fairies, having only really touched upon fairies from Peter Pan, I can honestly say I didn't know what to expect and I was pleasantly happy with the way the author has taken a mythical creature and made it her own. She has also done the same with another mythical creature, but I'll leave that for you to discover in the book. The fact that the back story to the universe has been well established in the book makes you feel as if this isn't just a made up story but a tale of a real work.

The only disappointments in the storyline was the fact that it was a brother who overthrew the King, which I tend to think is too obvious (however an Uncle would certainly have been worse) and the fact that the passage of time sometimes seems too quick.  I wonder if there was a chance for several books here or a longer novel exploring what happened in the weeks between chapters.

Style: 18/20

By delving straight into the action you immediately get hooked onto the story and immediate loss of a character that seems so promising is an excellent way for the ready to keep on guessing who is safe and who is not. The actual writing is very descriptive to the point where I could almost draw images of what was around the main characters or try for a good picture of the characters themselves. Yet the author doesn't describe too much in the battle, instead keeps the action moving and speed fast, forcing the reader to read at the pace of the battle, adding to the sense of chaos and blurriness that battle can bring. However I found the change in perspective every couple of paragraphs at time a little confusing and sometimes frustrating as I had little indication as when the change was made and who it was changed to.

Spelling and Grammar: 17/20

If search for other books by Valerie Douglas and her works, you will find reviews commenting on her poor spelling and grammar. You'll also find those who say it is great and there is nothing to worry about. To be honest, there are a few mistakes, but if you look at some of the great works out there, there is a lot of mistakes too. I tend to look at mistakes as if I am driving down a road and a mistake is a pot hole. If my car goes over the pot hole and I don't notice anything but a little bump then what is the problem, after all we are all human. However if it can break my car, then I am worried. In the case of this novel there is nothing here that would destroy the car. The mistakes, which are all word misplacement (rather than spelling), are few and far between, and often it is obvious what was supposed to be there that the reader could easily read over them without noticing.

Conclusion: 90/100

A highly enjoyable book, which if I am honest I couldn't put down despite not being on my usual reading pile. I enjoyed the battle scenes, the romance scenes and the friendships that grew from the book. If this review was on Amazon, this would get five stars and I truly hope that more people give this book a try and the recognition that it so deserves.

Buy Song of the Fairy Queen at Amazon.co.uk Buy Song of the Fairy Queen from Amazon.com

Connect with the author

Website
Blog
Twitter