Official Review: The Ballad of Sidney Hill by Khali Raymond

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any crime, thriller, mystery or horror books or series.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
User avatar
TammyO
Posts: 1373
Joined: 16 Aug 2013, 19:21
Favorite Author: Jane Austen
Favorite Book: Persuasion
Currently Reading: The Husbands Secret
Bookshelf Size: 131
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tammyo.html
Latest Review: "Double Identity" by Jaye C Blakemore
fav_author_id: 2379

Official Review: The Ballad of Sidney Hill by Khali Raymond

Post by TammyO »

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Ballad of Sidney Hill" by Khali Raymond.]
Book Cover
2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


The Ballad of Sidney Hill is a YA novel written by Khali Raymond. The Ballad of Sidney Hill is told by eighteen year old Sidney Hill. Sid is a young man disillusioned with the world around him. Sid has found solace in a home and neighborhood where he feels safe and secure. However, Sidney and his family is one day uprooted from their beautiful, suburban home in Flagda, Florida. Where they end up is very disconcerting and changes Sid and his family’s life forever. The city of Badland, Pennsylvania is similar to an inner city ghetto. The air is putrid, the crime rate is very high and thugs have taken over the city. Disenchanted with law officials, Sid feels the need to take the law into his own hands to protect himself and his family.

The time is one where industrialization was in full bloom and homes and towns were being destroyed in the name of progress. Young Sidney is angry and fearful of the direction in which his life has taken. Yet, he finds a way to survive; rejuvenating old relationships and finding comfort in new, unexpected friendships helps Sid adjust to his new environment. The events that unfold during Sid’s journey through Pennsylvania’s toughest streets will test his will and endurance. Sid’s resilience proves that good can prevail over evil. However, will his family be able to sustain the trials and tribulations brought on by this new life they had to endure?

This novel gives the reader an insight into the violence of inner city living in Badland, Pennsylvania in 2013. Also, it makes the reader question their own belief system and the concept of right and wrong. The Ballad of Sidney Hill is definitely not for the faint of heart. The novel is geared toward young adults; it is also for those who enjoy action-filled adventure. However, anyone can enjoy this book.

What made this story even more amazing is that it was written by a sixteen year old young adult. It took a lot of insight and maturity to write this novel. What Khali Raymond did was make the reader feel as if he actually lived the story himself. In the same way, while reading the story, I felt as if I was indeed in Badland, Pennsylvania in the year of 2013. To be able to make the reader feel this way shows the author’s skill and talent.

I thoroughly enjoyed Raymond’s The Ballad of Sidney Hill. The characters were very complex yet believable. Sid’s mother was an aging woman who shopped excessively to gain her husband’s attention. Also, she tried to achieve a level of normalcy for her family as best she could. Sid’s father was a hard worker who provided for his family to the best of his abilities. Seth, Sid’s older brother gives the right amount of sibling rivalry which lightened up the story a bit and even made one chuckle at times. Similarly, Sid’s love interest Cat brought another twist to the plot as well. I felt really attached to all of the characters and wanted to see them triumph. This fictional depiction of life in Badland, Pennsylvania was gripping, and very exhilarating up until the final climactic end.

This novel gets 2 out of 4 stars! I really wanted to give the book 4 stars because I enjoyed it immensely. However, there were too many typos and errors that took away from my reading experience. The novel contained several grammatical errors that distract the reader from the story itself. In addition, the last few chapters felt rushed. It’s as if the author was trying to bring the story to its conclusion in a couple of short chapters. However, I must point out that I appreciated the subtitles that kept the reader updated on special times and events as they occurred. Still, a few more chapters were needed in order to thoroughly come to a satisfactory ending. In this way, the reader wouldn’t leave with so many unanswered questions. Perhaps the author did it intentionally with a sequel in mind. Nevertheless, it was still a very fast-moving, thought provoking story that anyone would enjoy.

***
Buy "The Ballad of Sidney Hill" on Amazon
Buy "The Ballad of Sidney Hill" on iTunes
"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." ~Tom Clancy
Latest Review: "Double Identity" by Jaye C Blakemore
khaliofficial
Posts: 16
Joined: 12 Dec 2014, 10:33
Favorite Author: Me of course
Bookshelf Size: 0
Publishing Contest Votes: 6

Post by khaliofficial »

Thank you very much for the review, I really appreciated it. I know my book still has many of its errors, I will release maybe a fourth edition in the future and get my book proofread.
User avatar
Skillian
Posts: 1026
Joined: 16 Nov 2014, 00:52
Bookshelf Size: 102
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-skillian.html
Latest Review: "The Christ Killer" by Robert Attenborough

Post by Skillian »

Great review! And the story-line sounds amazing. I look forward to the new edition coming out! *adds to reading list* And very impressive especially coming from such a young author. Kudos.
I love LOVE. <3
Latest Review: "The Christ Killer" by Robert Attenborough
User avatar
TammyO
Posts: 1373
Joined: 16 Aug 2013, 19:21
Favorite Author: Jane Austen
Favorite Book: Persuasion
Currently Reading: The Husbands Secret
Bookshelf Size: 131
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tammyo.html
Latest Review: "Double Identity" by Jaye C Blakemore
fav_author_id: 2379

Post by TammyO »

khaliofficial wrote:Thank you very much for the review, I really appreciated it. I know my book still has many of its errors, I will release maybe a fourth edition in the future and get my book proofread.





You are welcome. Having your book proofread will only enhance the quality of it. You are a very skillful and talented writer. Keep up the good work.

-- 30 Dec 2014, 01:43 --
Skillian wrote:Great review! And the story-line sounds amazing. I look forward to the new edition coming out! *adds to reading list* And very impressive especially coming from such a young author. Kudos.







Thank you, and yes the storyline is amazing. :)
"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." ~Tom Clancy
Latest Review: "Double Identity" by Jaye C Blakemore
khaliofficial
Posts: 16
Joined: 12 Dec 2014, 10:33
Favorite Author: Me of course
Bookshelf Size: 0
Publishing Contest Votes: 6

Post by khaliofficial »

By the way, the fourth edition has been released. Will be making another review request to hopefully get another rating on that. Hopefully one in the 3-4 star range.
User avatar
TammyO
Posts: 1373
Joined: 16 Aug 2013, 19:21
Favorite Author: Jane Austen
Favorite Book: Persuasion
Currently Reading: The Husbands Secret
Bookshelf Size: 131
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tammyo.html
Latest Review: "Double Identity" by Jaye C Blakemore
fav_author_id: 2379

Post by TammyO »

Sounds exciting, Khali. I am really happy for you. Congratulations! I can't wait to read it.
"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." ~Tom Clancy
Latest Review: "Double Identity" by Jaye C Blakemore
khaliofficial
Posts: 16
Joined: 12 Dec 2014, 10:33
Favorite Author: Me of course
Bookshelf Size: 0
Publishing Contest Votes: 6

Post by khaliofficial »

Its up on Lulu if you want to check it out. I tried submitting the epub file for review request, but they're saying its an error. Ugh..

-- 17 Jan 2015, 23:18 --

UPDATE: It'll be another two weeks before my request is live. My updated version needs to be processed with other retail distributors, so i look forward to hopefully a better review. I had left in one error of my book, but it's not that major. I fixed punctuation, dialogue errors, etc. I'll look into my book more and if they are any other errors, gladly i will fix them.
User avatar
TammyO
Posts: 1373
Joined: 16 Aug 2013, 19:21
Favorite Author: Jane Austen
Favorite Book: Persuasion
Currently Reading: The Husbands Secret
Bookshelf Size: 131
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tammyo.html
Latest Review: "Double Identity" by Jaye C Blakemore
fav_author_id: 2379

Post by TammyO »

Congratulations, you must be so excited! I really do wish you best. :)
"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." ~Tom Clancy
Latest Review: "Double Identity" by Jaye C Blakemore
User avatar
DATo
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 5770
Joined: 31 Dec 2011, 07:54
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by DATo »

Very nice review TammyO. After reading your critique of this book I find myself quite interested in reading it.

One observation I could perhaps make is that the errors you mention, and I realize they were unintentional on the part of the author, HAD they in fact been intentional, might have lent a dimension of realism to the writing ... i.e. most 16 year olds do not speak, spell or use perfect grammar in their everyday lives (most adults don't either for that matter *LOL*), therefore by having the book narrated in first person point of view would allow the errors to lend credence to the "voice" of the narrator. Of course this gets tricky to pull off with believability; for instance, the author might have begun the book with something like, (errors deliberate) "I'm writing these thoughts down now 'cause I doan't want to ever forget them including the small stuff, maybe what youd call the details."

If you remember the opening of Huckleberry Finn Twain did this and it worked very well.

YOU don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain't no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth. That is nothing. I never seen anybody but lied one time or another, without it was Aunt Polly, or the widow, or maybe Mary. Aunt Polly -- Tom's Aunt Polly, she is -- and Mary, and the Widow Douglas is all told about in that book, which is mostly a true book, with some stretchers, as I said before. - Opening paragraph of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain.

Once again ... very nice job with the review!
“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”
― Steven Wright
khaliofficial
Posts: 16
Joined: 12 Dec 2014, 10:33
Favorite Author: Me of course
Bookshelf Size: 0
Publishing Contest Votes: 6

Post by khaliofficial »

Yeah, piggybacking of what DATo said, some errors you seen in fact was intentional in a way, except with missing words or things in the wrong places (I fixed this in the fourth edition). I still left some knacks in from the previous edition but its not drastic. I mean most of the narration and dialogue is in my voice, so its how I talk at times but its my style of speaking, not the fact that I made these errors to be dumb and he is right, most people do not use proper grammar. I will put the review request in, hopefully you'll be welcome to read it once more, maybe discover something new and realize my style of writing. Aiming for maybe a 3 star review this time lol.

-- 01 Feb 2015, 10:03 --

UPDATE: The request is live. But choose the 4th Edition title instead of the Fourth Edition one. The one has the "4th Edition" inside of the title is updated with correct links and such. The Fourth Edition isn't so I don't want nobody reviewing two of the same book. Is there any way I can get a review request taken down?
User avatar
gali
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 53652
Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 07:12
Favorite Author: Agatha Christie
Currently Reading: The Suite Life
Bookshelf Size: 2287
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gali.html
Reading Device: B00I15SB16
Publishing Contest Votes: 0
fav_author_id: 2484

Post by gali »

khaliofficial wrote:Yeah, piggybacking of what DATo said, some errors you seen in fact was intentional in a way, except with missing words or things in the wrong places (I fixed this in the fourth edition). I still left some knacks in from the previous edition but its not drastic. I mean most of the narration and dialogue is in my voice, so its how I talk at times but its my style of speaking, not the fact that I made these errors to be dumb and he is right, most people do not use proper grammar. I will put the review request in, hopefully you'll be welcome to read it once more, maybe discover something new and realize my style of writing. Aiming for maybe a 3 star review this time lol.

-- 01 Feb 2015, 10:03 --

UPDATE: The request is live. But choose the 4th Edition title instead of the Fourth Edition one. The one has the "4th Edition" inside of the title is updated with correct links and such. The Fourth Edition isn't so I don't want nobody reviewing two of the same book. Is there any way I can get a review request taken down?
You can do that by sending Scott a message about it or reporting it here:

Contact Scott
A retired Admin/Mod

Pronouns: She/Her

"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)
User avatar
TammyO
Posts: 1373
Joined: 16 Aug 2013, 19:21
Favorite Author: Jane Austen
Favorite Book: Persuasion
Currently Reading: The Husbands Secret
Bookshelf Size: 131
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tammyo.html
Latest Review: "Double Identity" by Jaye C Blakemore
fav_author_id: 2379

Post by TammyO »

@ Khali. Yes, Khali. Scott should be able to take care of that for you. Just let him know which version you'd prefer he display. Good Luck! :)

@ DATo Yes. I do not disagree with you at all. Who would have thought "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" would have been such a profound book; in Twain's day and in the present day. Dialogue used in a book is very important indeed and if it is used correctly, It can make the book more interesting and appealing in many ways.

Dialogue in this book was used in great detail. I really do hope that the author didn't take all of it out because I actually understood why it was used. I can't wait to read the revised edition! (4th Edition). It should be really good. I hope Khali got a great editor. If done correctly, this book has great potential...
"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." ~Tom Clancy
Latest Review: "Double Identity" by Jaye C Blakemore
C S Harper
Posts: 42
Joined: 04 Feb 2015, 13:31
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by C S Harper »

Nice Review. This sounds really interesting. It's great that the author has revised it. A few errors may be acceptable. When it becomes too distracting it really ruins the book for me.
User avatar
TammyO
Posts: 1373
Joined: 16 Aug 2013, 19:21
Favorite Author: Jane Austen
Favorite Book: Persuasion
Currently Reading: The Husbands Secret
Bookshelf Size: 131
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tammyo.html
Latest Review: "Double Identity" by Jaye C Blakemore
fav_author_id: 2379

Post by TammyO »

I agree with you. My first rule before I do anything is to proofread .. proofread...proofread. I don't care how great or amazing a book's plot may be, if the errors are substantial, it really takes away from the entire reading experience. Of course, even when you do proofread and edit, there is a chance that one may still leave a few, minor mistakes. This I can definitely understand because no one is perfect.

That being said, I'm so glad that this author took my suggestions and improved on this novel.
"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." ~Tom Clancy
Latest Review: "Double Identity" by Jaye C Blakemore
User avatar
Stevefromtheblock
Posts: 363
Joined: 22 Nov 2014, 17:43
Bookshelf Size: 13
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-stevefromtheblock.html
Latest Review: "Short Shorts" by Alex Apostol

Post by Stevefromtheblock »

Nice review. Amazing that it was written by such a young person.
Latest Review: "Short Shorts" by Alex Apostol
Post Reply

Return to “Crime, Thrillers, Mystery and Horror Books”