Review: The Scent of Jade
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 15, 2011
A typical chick lit plot device is to thrust the protagonist into an unexpected situation where she is out of her comfort zone. She'll then make a series of questionable decisions, which make her situation increasingly worse. Although flustered, she never gives up, and eventually stumbles on a way out of the situation and finds a way of meeting whatever goal initially prompted her down this road. It's a pattern that works well.In many ways, the plot of "The Scent of Jade" fits this formula. However, it is atypical in the kind of challenges the protagonist Julie encounters. These challenges are often much more physical, giving the book an action-adventure flavor, and the jade artifact adds a hint of mystery to the story.I'll consider a book a solid or competent effort if the story is told well and doesn't suffer from obvious technical flaws. What it takes to elevate it above that level varies. It might be a story that pushes the right buttons. Sometimes it is a unique twist on a typical formula. This book gets partially there on that basis. What pushed it over the top were clever descriptions that made me say, this is why she is the author and I'm just the reviewer. For example, when DeTarsio described a rainstorm "as if a Paul-Bunyan-sized cabana boy was throwing swimming-pool-sized buckets of water at the house." Another was when the protagonist Julie's narration said, "my heart stopped mid-pump while my flight instinct kicked in and kicked my fight instinct's ass." Clever, smart, and funny all in one line. For that matter, clever, smart, and funny describes all of "The Scent of Jade."**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **