Review: Despite issues with the story, I found it compelling and was drawn into the story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 10, 2012
Book Info: Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Reading Level: Young AdultDisclosure: I received a free copy of this eBook from the LibraryThing Members Giveaway in exchange for an honest review.Synopsis: Follow Brighton and Lilian through an action-packed, fast-paced adventure in the first book of the Energy Chronicles Trilogy as they discover their unique talents in the art of energy manipulation.As teenagers, Brighton and Lilian live quiet, peaceful and uncomplicated lives in a remote mountain village called Four Mountains. Before they can explore their feelings for each other, a dark secret about Lilian's past rips their world apart. Brighton finds himself fighting for the girl he loves as well as his own life while simultaneously discovering an even bigger secret about himself.Brighton has to overcome great odds and even death itself if he is going to save himself and Lilian from the evil determined to destroy them.My Thoughts: An interesting idea with a strong moral to the story, but one that requires a bit more work. The main problem with this book is that is reads like a movie - there is very little description or narrative, and the plot is moved along primarily with the use of dialogue. It also suffers from telling rather than showing, which leaves what could have been a richly lush story falling a bit flat. The characters really don't have individual personalities - the good guys are good, the bad guys are bad, and everyone sounds and talks sort of the same. Despite this, I found the story quite compelling, and possibly by working with a critique group of established authors, Schutte could polish his style to create a stronger story.There was one word that was consistently misused, and it caused me some amusement. A person "nocks" an arrow; they "knock" on a door. There were some other misuses: the word "bath" was used in instances where "bathe" should have been used, "reigns" where "reins" and "feint" where "faint"; other than that, the book is well-edited; I didn't notice much else amiss, and I generally see such things whether I want to or not.I would say for writing style, a 3 out of 5 stars, and for personal interest in the story a 4 out of 5 stars; average 3.5 stars,which rounds up to 4. Recommended for fans of fantasy stories. This is book 1 in the Energy Trilogy; watch for my review of book 2, Birth of a Wizard in the next day or two.