My Book Rating System

My book rating system is based on 5 stars. The book must be rated at least 3 stars for a review.

3 Stars: Good story, good plot, good writing.

4 Stars: I was wowed, but something about the story fell short of perfection.

5 Stars: I was either drooling, on the edge of my seat, or falling in love.

If you would like me to review your book, please contact me at 00ibitz@charter.net.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Book Review: Undermountain, by Eric Kent Edstrom

Undermountain
Eric Ken Edstrom



Star Rating: 4 Stars 


Summary (from Goodreads):
Two teens from from different worlds . . .

Danny Michaelson, sixteen, just wants a little time away from his troubled home in Nashville. So when he joins a group of teens in the Canadian Rocky Mountains for a ten day hiking excursion, he's primed for adventure.

Breyona Lewis, sixteen, is a beautiful rich girl from Chicago. Outwardly cheerful, she conceals a dark secret. One she denies even to herself.

. . . the encounter of a lifetime . . .

Danny and Breyona come face to face with a creature of legend--an eight foot tall beast they tag as "bigfoot." But it's no missing link, no mere animal. And it does not want humans knowing its secrets. Because there are thousands of them here on Earth, living in a hidden city deep beneath the mountains, waiting for the day humans are "ready."

. . . friendship, love, and loyalty . . .

Separated from each other and told they may never return home, Danny, Breyona, and the others race to escape. To survive.

One is made more than human, one is made less.

One must fight, one must surrender.

Both must face the truth of who they are.

My thoughts:
Okay, at first I was like, Bigfoot? Really? Can that be any way interesting in a story? Well, in fact, it kinda was. I liked the plot, I liked the characters, I liked the descriptions, and I liked the writing. I think the premise is unique and different. There's some humor in there (I love how Wa gets his nickname), there's a bit of romance (but just a tinge...perfectly acceptable for younger, male readers...seriously, not enough to gross them out), and there's a lot of growing up for these kids. I wanted to kick the bad apples in the butt, they were so irritating; and yes, that's a good thing. And best yet...the writing is solid.

The only real gripe I have is that one character is extremely intelligent. Good, good, I can take a smart kid. But this character's intelligence was portrayed through his speech...a lot of times relying on not using contractions. Geniuses use contractions when they speak. I would prefer a brainiac's dialogue supported by the substance of *what* is being said rather than *how* it's being said. It makes the character sound like he's trying to be smart, instead of portraying him as smart. And yes, this character did use contractions sometimes, but really, that's not how kids speak...even the brilliant ones. This character just didn't sound natural to me.

Other than that one very small thing, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

No comments: