Review: Worth the Read, Particularly for a Billabong Fan
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 25, 2014
If you haven't read this series from the start, then you are seriously missing out. Book Five continued to thrill and intrigue me, just as the previous four have. Shell manages to make the settings and the characters better and better as the books go on, so I decided to finally write a review because her material is simply spectacular. They remain easy reads that can be tackled in a single weekend, but the stories and the characters stick with you, unlike other books that you may pick up and toss away. The strength and fortitude of these characters, especially under the pressures and deceit that surround them, make them powerful role models for readers, and inspiring new characters in fiction. I particularly enjoy how Shell is always able to leave just enough hanging at the end of a story to draw you into the next novel, without making it feel like a disappointing cliffhanger that doesn't provide you with the closure we all want at the end of a book. Obviously, there are more Billabong books, so it's important to draw people into the next adventure.My one critique is that this book, unlike the previous four, dragged a bit. While the prose was rich and beautiful to experience, I felt that less happened in this installment than the others, although the length was the same. There were certain moments when I felt a bit distracted or taken away from the story because it wasn't smoothly flowing along. That being said, it was still a very enjoyable read and should definitely be on your reading list. Now....on to Billabong #6....