Review: 'Back to the Future' + a smidge of Stephen King +  a Harlequin romance novel = John Heldt's The Mine
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 27, 2013
Please note: The review/critique of this book (which was donated to The Magnolia Blossom Review for the sole purpose of a review) was completed by Glen Marcus based on a rubric designed by the site’s owner, L. Avery Brown. Glen has graciously given permission to L. Avery Brown to post this review on his behalf using her Amazon Reviewer’s profile. If you would like to read the entire review which includes an in depth author interview – please visit The Magnolia Blossom Review’s site online today! Thank you.AND NOW FOR THE REVIEW1. BOOK TITLE - 5 of 5For the Reviewer: Use this space to writer your impression of the book's title. Did it grab your attention right away? (5) Was it ho hum? (3) Would you glance at it and then forget it? (1) What do you think the author might consider for future book titles? (You should have plenty of space for each item on the form as I think I set it up for the boxes to 'grow'.)GM: 'The Mine" is an apt title for Mr. Heldt's work. It is the portal from which he is transported back in time to the 1940's in a weird, planet-aligning kind of way.2. BOOK COVER – 1 of 5For the Reviewer: Use this space to writer your impression of the book's cover. Did it grab your attention? (5) Was it ho hum? (3) Did it look like it was haphazardly thrown together? (1) What do you think the author might consider for future book covers? Did it help make the title more effective?GM: Ok, just let me come right out and say...the cover is plain. Plain could be an understatement here, but that was my first thought. Maybe use a glowing hole in the side of a mountain, a flash of light emitting from an outcropping of rock or anything but the generic, pasty blue cover with the most vanilla of fonts.3. FIRST 500... - 5 of 10For the Reviewer: Thinking of the first 500 (usually about 2 pages) words of the book, do you think the author provided enough incentive to urge the reader to continue? What stood out to you the most? Were you captivated after a couple of paragraphs? Did the 1st sentence grab you? Did you get to around the 500 word mark and didn't have a clue where the story was going?GM: Joel and Adam stop for a bite at the Canary restaurant in Montana. Between one liners and ogling the red-headed waitress, the television plays a news report about some "significant planetary conjunction'. This inevitably will lead to a conundrum in the near future...I can just feel it. Very slow start, but this reviewer was not deterred from his duties and trudged on.4. BLURB EFFECTIVENESS - 9 of 10For the Reviewer: Now that you've finished the book, please take a moment to look back over the blurb. How effective do you think the blurb will be to potential readers? Did the author write a blurb that was enticing and went along with the story? (10) Was the blurb lacking? (5) Was it entirely too long or too short? (1) Do you have any suggestions for the author to make it more effective?GM: The blurb captures the highlights of the book and promises a romping adventure by way of time travel from the year 2000 to the 1940's. I'd say it's a fairly concise description and would interest anyone partial to the timing of the story.5. AGE RECOMMENDATION/GENRE CLASSIFICATION – 10 of 10For the Reviewer: If the book is entirely too young/juvenile for the intended age group? Is it entirely too mature? (Please take into account swearing/sexual scenes/drug use, etc…Was the book listed as a thrill ride of a read but was more of a bumper car ride (sort of all over the place)? Was it listed as a mystery and you simply had to turn the page to find out 'who did it'?GM: This book could satisfy any slot from teens on up and might be enjoyed by young and old alike. As far as genre, you have your choice. Young adult romance, pre-WWII history, fantasy bordering on science-fiction. It's all there for the reading.6. PRESENTATION/FORMAT - 6 of 10For the Reviewer: Did the 'innards' of the book follow a clear, concise, standard format throughout the book? Or did you have a hard time keeping up with paragraphs or dialogue? Were multiple fonts used? Were they distracting?GM: Mr. Heldt uses a lot of dialogue and in some instances for me, it was a distraction. While the storyline is captivating in areas, others seem to drag along and seemed to me to be unnecessary. Towards the middle and ending, the fast-paced change in point-of-view became a little distracting for me also. I had to stop in several areas and go back to reread lines to figure things out.7. THEME/ORIGINALITY - 6 of 10For the Reviewer: Was this book something you'd never read? Or was it formulaic and a 'rehash' of a popular tale/current 'pop' genre? If it was a retelling - did the author make it feel fresh and just different enough that it kept you involved?GM: Well, if you like 'Back to the Future', mixed with a smidge of Stephen King and toss in a Harlequin romance novel, you'll have the formula for this work. Though we've seen books of this type ( 'Somewhere in Time' by Richard Matheson comes to mind), 'The Mine' has similar attributes with other kicked in for flavor.8. DESCRIPTION/ENHANCEMENT - 7 of 10For the Reviewer: Did the author use descriptive language and 'all those extra little things' to make it the best it could be? Did you feel it was too sparse in description? Did the author go OVERboard with the description?GM: I'd have to say the trip back to the 1940's was detailed enough to know the author did his research. Some minor flaws in Joel's choice of words would have been looked upon as gibberish at the time, but most everyone in the story didn't notice. That stood out to me.9. INTRIGUE - 7 of 10For the Reviewer: Did you want to turn the next page because it was SO good? (10) Was it interesting but you didn't quite have an urge to keep reading? (5) Did you think 'I wonder if we have Twinkies in the pantry? Mmmmm, Twinkies' while you read? (1)GM: 'The Mine' has a slow start but after the framework of the story begins to materialize, it picks up a bit. The ending has very little to offer as far as surprises, if you keep your eyes peeled for the occasional clue. Otherwise, you will get a jolt in the final pages. It reminded me of a long roller coaster ride, with its ups and downs. Some parts worth the ride, others not so much.10. GRAMMAR/MECHANICS  - 9 of 10For the Reviewer: Was the book pretty darn flawless? (10) Did you see more that 5 or 10 'jump out' at you mistakes in grammar or the actual mechanics (verb tense, noun/pronoun agreement, misused words) ? (5) Did you feel it was a chore to read because it was riddled with errors? (1)GM: The mechanics of this book are very sound. I saw a few misuse of words such as affect, averted and reigns but nothing major.11. OVERALL IMPRESSION - 6 of 10For the Reviewer: When all is said in done - did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it to others?GM: Whether or not I'd recommend this book, would depend on 4 factors. #1 Does the reader like stories that magically alter time with very little premise on how it happened? #2 When you read a book do you enjoy figuring out the ending about three-quarters of the way in? #3 If you can read an entire book without really feeling a kinship or attachment to the main character. #4 Do you like a book where a lot happens, but it progresses s-l-o-w-l-y... If so, then this book is for you.Mr. Heldt's, 'The Mine' is a mix of many things: You have a somewhat unlikable main character, that magically time travels with very few adjustments to his psyche. He then proceeds to connect with his relatives, goes from rags-to-riches and falls in love almost overnight. Just when you think he might stay in the 1940's, well think again. It seemed to me to be a lot of different stories all welded together, in hopes of making a single premise...to me it didn't quite work.The Bestowing of the Blossoms...Having totaled everything up from the cover and the title to the grammar and overall impression, John Heldt's The Mine has earned 71 of 100 points giving it a 3 Blossom rating. And to earn 3 blossoms is a very respectable thing to do in the Indie Author world. And the important thing to remember is - if you are the type of reader who thinks they might enjoy this book in spite of the fact that it didn't earn a higher score - then by all means - please check it out! And when you're done - please send us your review and we'll tack it on to this review as a comment...in fact, we greatly welcome hearing from our readers because in the end - the purpose of this site is never to pan any one's work as we know authors put a lot of time, heart, and soul into every word that goes on the page. It is our hope to build up authors! We at The Magnolia Blossom Review truly wish John Heldt the very best as he goes forward with his writing career and we'd love nothing more than to see his work, one day, at the top of a best seller list!  Best wishes, John, truly.