Review: Superb. Highly recommended.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 3, 2013
Book Review: The Sea Inside by Vickie JohnstoneReviewed by J Bryden LloydWriting Style - 4.0/5.0 (Very Good)There is a terrific flow to this read, once the story gets going. Although the opening is necessary and integral to the ongoing plots, it does tend to feel a little directionless for a while. I think the saving grace in the opening is the realistic emotional turmoil of the main character. This is brilliantly written and laced with all the doubts and fears you would imagine.The dialogue works well throughout, though with occasional very minor stutters; and the link between dialogue and descriptive is nicely done, which makes this a good read.Character Development - 5.0/5.0 (Outstanding)The characters grow on you very quickly. As you meet each cast member, they have attributes and faults that easily resonate with you, but equally, every one of them grows exponentially as they move through the story.Even the secondary and tertiary characters are written in such a way that the reader latches onto them and feels them grow.There are mythical and fantasy characters throughout the piece, all of whom are very individual, and each one adds to the value of the read.Can't fault this.Descriptive - 4.5/5.0 (Excellent)From beginning to end, this is a feast of excellent descriptive. The environs, atmosphere, the emotions and the tastes and smells; everything is there.I know what you're thinking now... `Why only 4.5?'Even though the author gets pretty much everything on the money, I was a little disappointed with the quality of the description as the book reached its conclusion. It wasn't `bad' by any means, but it felt as if the writer had simply started to run out of steam. Where the ending needed that extra little thrust to make the tiniest of differences, I felt it went a little flat.Don't get me wrong, for the preceding 95% of the book, you are in for an absolutely storming ride.Language & Grammar - 4.0/5.0 (Very Good)I have to bear in mind that, nowadays, grammatical interpretation differs very much from reader to reader. In this case, for me personally, I felt there were occasionally too many commas, then occasionally too many full stops; which made things feel a little inconsistent. It's almost as if two editors had different ideas and no-one noticed.For the most part, the grammar and punctuation were very well balanced and I was impressed with the standard of word choice and construction.All-in-all this is a strong example of a nicely created work.Plot - 4.5/5.0 (Excellent) - VERY MINOR SPOILERSThe premise of the main plot is excellent and very fresh. A nice twist on the good old-fashioned love story gone wrong. For me though, the under-pinning sub-plots were superbly done. The physical constraints of the main character, the disbelieving `best friend', the jealous `friend of the sister'. Everything worked together to push the story along and create realistic elements of doubt throughout the story.The return to the alternate world in search of the past, turns into a nicely woven twist. Where this then takes the story is cleverly done, but I did feel it progressed very smoothly, considering the expectation that the challenges would be complex and difficult.Eventually you reach a conclusion of sorts, and the definite desire to continue the story is there.General - 4.0/5.0 (Very Good)Not many negatives to this. For the characters alone, this is well worth the read.The story is imaginative and beautifully drawn. The descriptive is vivid and pulls the reader into the plots very well.As a YA read, I highly recommend this, but adults who enjoy a little fantasy-opera will equally enjoy this.A definite four stars, almost five.