Review: Trail of Bones
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 13, 2013
I loved this book, even though I am way past being a Young Adult. It's a pleasure to read a book with a substantial plot, engaging characters, and good setting. I particularly liked the way the author handled the change of POV each time, including a phrase or two to make it clear immediately where and who was involved.Another strong point is the author's ability to give each character his own voice and personality. As the story drew to a close, each actor remained true to his characterization, even while changing and growing as an individual, and as the group grew to become a community, a team. The ending was a bit weak--I would have preferred a sense of victorious closure before the teaser for the next book.For me, the fight scenes dragged, but that may just reflect my own tastes in such matters. The backstory portions were, for the most part, concise enough (though I thought the description of The Shale would never end). At one point a character is re-introduced from a couple of hundred pages back--it would have been nice to have included an apposite phrase to remind the reader who this is.I really wanted to give this book 4 stars (3 being average, 4 for above average, 5 for a classic). Chris Salisbury is a gifted author, head and shoulders above the usual self-published hacks. However, he is in desperate need of an editor, someone who can rein in the errant commas, catch the breaks in continuity, complete the broken sentences, and correct the misused words (e.g., `shutter' for `shudder'). If Amazon allowed 3.5 stars, that's what I would give Trail of Bones. It's a shame to write so well and then be downgraded for terrible editing (or lack thereof).I feel strongly that books for Young Readers in particular should be shining examples of literate writing.I liked Trail of Bones, and I will read the sequel.