Review: Poignant story! I loved its depth!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 19, 2012
I received an ARC of this story in exchange for a fair review.I love stories that will carry me away and get me so wrapped up in what is going on that I forget that I am reading a story. Fortunato has done this for me. "The Sin Collector" was a fantastic book, but I feel that in "Thomas" she has created a depth of character that made me feel deeply for the situations portrayed. Thomas is a  much fuller person in my mind now, with a fascinating story all his own.Setting the story during a war was a stroke of brilliance on Fortunato's part. The backdrop of a war created many themes in this story that resonated for me. Especially the theme of being self-serving versus being self-sacrificing.I am trying to be very careful not to talk about anything that is not apparent from reading the description. I don't want to give away this brilliant story. I will say that I would, without anyone twisting my arm, give this story 5 stars. It is brilliant and shows a skill in short story writing that amazes me. Novel writing and short story writing are not the same. They are both equally as difficult to do. I have done both. Sometimes, novel writing is easier. But Jessica Fortunato has succeeded in writing a short story that I am still thinking about. It's ending was magnificent. I'm still thinking about it!I would recommend that anyone giving this a read go to get "The Sin Collector" first. This is a fantastic read, but will mean more to a reader when taken in the context of having read the novel first. You will enjoy them both! This is such a great, original idea!