Today I'm doing a blog tour post for The Orphan The Soulcatcher and The Black Blizzard by Kimberlee Ann Bastian. I'll be giving my review on this novel, and I'll give it my rating based on my honest opinions. You can purchase this book on amazon, whether in paperback, or e-book edition for your kindle. This blog tour is hosted by Young Adult Novel Reader, and you can click HERE to get a list of blogs who are also partaking in this blog tour. I really enjoyed this book, even though I was wary at first. Here is the synopsis of this novel:
Most of his life, Charlie Reese has been surrounded by a loving family and all the comforts of home. But when a house fire claims them, he and his cousin, Jimmy are sent to an orphanage in the heart of ‘Depression Era’ Chicago. A year later, Charlie’s life is shaken by yet another tragedy and with it comes the mysterious introduction of a secretive runaway, named Bartholomew. As Charlie begins to discover more about his new companion, he unknowingly becomes a participant in a two-hundred year old secret. Come the morning of the Black Blizzard, Charlie finds he must make a choice - flee the destiny laden at his feet or take on his responsibility and follow a path full of supernatural wonders.
My first impression of this book was good, I read the synopsis on Young Adult Novel Reader's post, and it did not show a cover. As you guys know I can't help but judge a book by it's cover. If I would have seen the cover of this novel before signing up for a review, I probably wouldn't have signed up... not because I don't like the cover, it's just that it doesn't POP to me. However, I'm very glad I read the synopsis first, because this novel was very good. It was a little slow for me at first... and by at first, I mean the first chapter, because after that first chapter the author took you on a wild-ride that you couldn't get off of if you wanted to. One thing I disliked at the beginning of this book, was the immediate death of one of the characters, I didn't get a real connection with him, so when other characters would mourn his death later, I felt weird reading why they would sob, and not being able to feel what they did for the character. A few other things I didn't like about this book were:
- There were several grammatical/spelling errors throughout the book
- There was a repetitive use of descriptions (Ex. The Grocer was described as the portly man...so... The portly man walked towards the door, then the portly man did this or that). It just got a little annoying after a while.
- Great/Relatable Characters (Buck and Charlie specifically, my personal favorite was Buck.)
- There was a lot of mystery and suspense (There were two original scenes in this book that had me on the edge of my seat: the Pool (Billiards) scene, and also the Harmonica contest. I wasn't expecting to be so interested in these two scenes, but I was... and I Loved it!)
- The mythology of this book was amazingly original, and I loved learning more about it as the story progressed.
- The author's story-telling skills were very good as well.
- Left a perfect set-up for book 2
- "If anything, fear the man who does not keep his word, for he is the truest of tricksters and cannot be trusted."
- "Buck, sometimes it's not about being brave or having something to prove, but rather taking the risk because you have nothing to lose."
Don't forget to check out the author at these sites:
goodreads
If you would like to purchase The Orphan The Soulcatcher and the Black Blizzard you can do so HERE.
