1 out of 4 stars
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The Land of Four Seasons: Part One by Sedric Horn and Amber Horn is a dark, emotional journey through the horrors of child abuse.
Michael and Michelle Biggs are twins. They have two older half-siblings, Sonny and Faith. Their mother, Jackie, has made one bad decision after another. After leaving the twins' father because of drugs and physical abuse, Jackie comes home with a complete stranger and announces that Pete is her new husband. From the beginning, the twins get a bad vibe from Pete and resolve to stay out of his way. Unfortunately, as time goes on, this becomes impossible. Thus starts a downward spiral in the lives of these two children that will continue for years. Will they be able to rise above the ashes of their childhood? Or are they doomed to a life of failure and heartache?
First, let me just say that this was an extremely hard book for me to read. I had no idea that it was going to contain so many graphic scenes. With that being said, I would suggest a warning be attached to the book or the synopsis. There are several scenes of child molestation that are very detailed. I know that this is something that goes on all of the time, but it was a serious shock to read about it in detail.
The style of writing in this book didn't flow very smooth for me. We start off with Michael and Michelle playing in the woods, and then all of a sudden, jump back to Jackie's early years. For me, the first half of the book felt like it was all about Jackie (who comes off as very selfish and uncaring), and then the second half is more focused on the twins. Throughout the book, it jumps to Sonny's or Faith's point of view, and even to Biggs (the biological father of the twins) and Pete's point of view. I think that the premise of the story is good, and if it were to be re-written, it could be very good. As it is, I had a hard time finishing it.
Here are a few issues that I had with the story itself. First, some of the things that the twins are said to be doing is pretty farfetched for five year olds. For example, when they are described as making ramps in the woods and cruising all of the trails on their bikes, at five years old. Also, Sonny is described as rebellious and concerned mostly with himself, but then there is a part of the book where it details Sonny teaching Michael how to ride a bike in a very parental way. Faith, on the other hand, who is described as basically being the twins sole caretaker, has no such anecdotes. Other than constantly mentioning that she has to take care of them, there isn't much interaction with her. My biggest problem with this book was the way it ended. There was literally no warning, it just stopped. I do understand that this is supposed to be Part One, but I was left trying to figure out if my file didn't download correctly.
Overall, this book could be good if it were to undergo an intense editing session. As it is, I am giving it a 1 out of 4 stars.
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The Land of Four Seasons Part 1
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