Review: Brilliantly Clever
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 4, 2014
Book Review: When The Music Ends (The Hearts In Winter Chronicles – Book 1)by Simone BeaudelaireReviewed by J Bryden LloydNotice – I have been given a copy of this book to proof-read, though I was NOT asked for a review. In addition, this is not a genre I normally hold any interest in. This is not due to any particular reason, only a personal preference. I feel it only fair and right to state this before offering this review.Writing Style – 4.5/5.0 (Excellent)I was very impressed with the attention to detail in the writing. Nothing was left hanging, everything had a point. There is an excellent ebb and flow to this piece, and the author has clearly worked hard to understand how the elements of this story which have a more dramatic impact, work in relation to the characters affected by them. On the whole this was a huge draw for me as a reader.The structure was equally sound. The dialogue (perhaps a little slow from time to time) was well fitted to the characters and situations, and the timeline was both clear and concise without the over-complication of having too many characters and too much needless information.In short, this was very clean and very well done.Character Development – 4.5/5.0 (Excellent)The fact that I was not ready for the story to conclude when it did, is testament to the fact that the characters were both fully rounded and piqued my interest. This alone leaves me in a terrible quandary, as I now have to decide whether to simply give in and buy the next part of the series… much against my desire to not be pulled into yet another new reading genre.Erin and Sheridan are superlative as a pair of young adults going through very different traumatic events at the same time. Sean, as the male lead of the piece, feels brilliantly conflicted but determined that he is there not to dictate, but to create a reasonable path through a complex situation.These three main characters are supported by family-groups which hit both sides of the ‘typical’ spectrum, allowing these three to grow and expand in almost predetermined ways. Some clever writing leads the reader through a maze of emotion, relief, confusion and anger which seems to fill the characters even more. Very impressive.Descriptive – 4.5/5.0 (Excellent)The visuals created in this book are bordering on outstanding. Scenes are beautifully drawn… yes, even the sex-scenes… and although my personal preference would have been to understand a little more about the surroundings and overall atmosphere, where that wasn’t forthcoming it really didn’t matter.The scene-building is excellent. The characters and situations are expertly drawn. If you are drawn to a book with powerful characterisations and a solid plot line. This is one of them.Language & Grammar – 4.5/5.0 (Excellent)Grammar, punctuation, general word selection and usage… Everything here is to a very high standard. The dialogue is nicely complimented by the action and events of the scenes as they unfold.Admittedly, I got fed up with the ‘baby’ endearment, but as it is much part of the nature of the genre, I really couldn’t fault the usage. Everything fitted nicely into the plot and it felt as if there was very little by way of limitation in the range of the work.Beaudelaire is not afraid to pull the reader slightly out of the usual comfort zone, and this was an excellent example once again.Plot – 4.0/5.0 (Very Good) – NO SPOILERSFrom the opening scenes, you pretty much think you know what you are getting. But think again. The interlinking plots are very good and very carefully wrapped together to give the potential for a number of possibilities. After the first ‘bombshell’ is dropped, the writing is clever enough to keep the chance of a recurrence in the back of your mind and this, in turn, keeps a minute level of threat in the background when the story moves along its temporal line.In all, the several sub-plots work very well as they guide you through the very complicated life of a talented, young musician who merely wants a simple life. To this end, the reader may well feel frustrated by the mid-point of the story, but never write off a dream.General – 4.5/5.0 (Excellent)It usually takes me a while to admit when my personal preferences need a review. In this case, I have spent 2 weeks writing, deleting, editing and rewriting this very review.What began as a 3-star thumbs-up for a very talented author has grown into something far bigger.I can’t deny that there is genuine excellence in the writing and structure of this work; that there is brilliance in the characters; that there is everything from horror to irony in the intricacies of the plots.I’m certainly not saying I will be seeking out dozens of books in this genre, but I do think I have found an example of the genre I am more than willing to follow.The storytelling is superb and I highly recommend this to genre fans, as well as to those who maybe aren’t sure if it is really for them.5 Stars. Heaven help me, this is an excellent read.