Wednesday, January 21, 2015

The Rosewoods Taking the Reins By Katrina Abbott

Though I do not wish to offend the author, this story did not meet my standards of what I would consider a well-developed plot and characters. For example, the author describes the main character, Brooklyn, as shy, quiet, and unsure of herself. The character changes from a timid girl to a confident one in a matter of a few pages. There are times when she flirts with boys she just met. Although in real life people can change how they act around others, this character development takes both time and effort. There is nothing major in the story to push the character towards becoming more confident.
Next, one would think that in an all-girl’s school of rich kids there would be conflict and differing personalities, like the spoiled kid, the queen bee, and the nice girl. I wanted to read more about conflicts the character would encounter in her environment but instead she seems to get along with everyone she meets. In a book without an enemy, the plot becomes uninteresting. There did not seem to be a strong enough antagonist or harsh event to introduce those conflicts or twists that every story should have.
Opinions*
Readability: The Rosewoods was a speed read. I finished reading the book in an hour.
Characters: The characters were one dimensional. They could be improved by giving them flaws that affect the main character.
Plot: The plot could be improved by making the people more realistic and adding conflicts between those people.

   *Nothing said in my opinions is meant to offend the author or fans of the books. I speak only from my own honest opinionated heart. I understand the time and love that is spent in creating an original story. Since I come from a family of writers. <3 Mo

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Zaken Takeover By Reet Singh

Zaken Takeover By Reet Singh



Zaken Takeover is about aliens who are on a mission to extract information from earth, the planet they wish to capture. This mission involves kidnapping a high school boy and probing his mind. I’m not sure whether his mind would be worth probing, many of his thoughts are scattered and sometimes unnecessary to carry the plot. Although the story is littered with small bits of promise like the alien’s honor to his grandfather, I felt as if the plot was lacking in the twists and turns that I expect from a young adult book. However, I have learned that if aliens ever came to earth, I could use a shrink ray and shrink them. The prime audience for Zaken Takeover is 7-12 year olds.