Review by Isabeau St Cyr -- E&N Escape by P.N.Holland
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Isabeau St Cyr
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- Latest Review: E&N Escape by P.N.Holland
Review by Isabeau St Cyr -- E&N Escape by P.N.Holland
[Following is a volunteer review of "E&N Escape" by P.N.Holland.]
E&N Escape, by P. N. Holland, is a futuristic novel that follows three characters on their adventures. Billy and Ricky are both wizards. Sarah, Billy’s younger sister, has unique abilities of her own.
The friends are writing a historical essay about the E&N railroad. After doing some research, the friends decide to ride on the E&N railroad. Before they get on the train, Billy notices a girl with bright purple eyes and dragon earrings. She is wearing a tight, black, Spandex suit. While riding the train, a strange green mist suddenly surrounds the boys. They disappear, leaving Sarah alone on the train with the stranger with the purple eyes. Sarah must then try to find out what happened to them. The adventures involve time travel, teleportation, and danger before the friends are eventually reunited.
The book has a creative plot line and some interesting plot points. One thing that would have made the story more enjoyable would be if the author had included more details about the main characters. Really, the only character described in detail is the villain. Beyond that, the girl with the dragon earrings who wears black Spandex and has purple eyes, has the second-most detailed description. The book never describes much of anything about the other characters. The best books allow readers to picture in their own minds what the author is describing, but if the author never describes anything, it is difficult to “see” the story the way the author intended.
The few details that are included are often inconsistent throughout the book. For example, at the beginning of the story, Sarah has blonde hair. Later in the book, she has long brown hair. In the mind of the author, she might have dyed it sometime during the story, but the readers don’t know that, and the transition is never discussed. This creates a lot of confusion.
The story also lacks consistent, internal logic. If Billy and Ricky are such powerful wizards, why do they spend almost all of the book breaking out of prison, only to get caught again, requiring the little sister to get them out? More serious still, though, is that the plot itself made leaps that were very difficult for me, as the reader, to follow.
The book does not appear to have been professionally edited. It is full of misspelled words and incorrect punctuation. Furthermore, grammatical issues plague the story. Present tense and past tense are used inconsistently.
It is difficult to know just who the intended audience is. Sarah, the main heroine, is said to be 14. However, the book has a lot of graphic violence and swearing that would be more appropriate for an older audience.
Holland certainly has a creative imagination. With some in-depth content editing, this book has the potential to be a thrilling adventure. As currently written, however, I have to rank the book one out of four stars due to the lack of details, clarity of plot, and extensive poor grammar, misspelled words, and incorrect punctuation.
******
E&N Escape
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
E&N Escape, by P. N. Holland, is a futuristic novel that follows three characters on their adventures. Billy and Ricky are both wizards. Sarah, Billy’s younger sister, has unique abilities of her own.
The friends are writing a historical essay about the E&N railroad. After doing some research, the friends decide to ride on the E&N railroad. Before they get on the train, Billy notices a girl with bright purple eyes and dragon earrings. She is wearing a tight, black, Spandex suit. While riding the train, a strange green mist suddenly surrounds the boys. They disappear, leaving Sarah alone on the train with the stranger with the purple eyes. Sarah must then try to find out what happened to them. The adventures involve time travel, teleportation, and danger before the friends are eventually reunited.
The book has a creative plot line and some interesting plot points. One thing that would have made the story more enjoyable would be if the author had included more details about the main characters. Really, the only character described in detail is the villain. Beyond that, the girl with the dragon earrings who wears black Spandex and has purple eyes, has the second-most detailed description. The book never describes much of anything about the other characters. The best books allow readers to picture in their own minds what the author is describing, but if the author never describes anything, it is difficult to “see” the story the way the author intended.
The few details that are included are often inconsistent throughout the book. For example, at the beginning of the story, Sarah has blonde hair. Later in the book, she has long brown hair. In the mind of the author, she might have dyed it sometime during the story, but the readers don’t know that, and the transition is never discussed. This creates a lot of confusion.
The story also lacks consistent, internal logic. If Billy and Ricky are such powerful wizards, why do they spend almost all of the book breaking out of prison, only to get caught again, requiring the little sister to get them out? More serious still, though, is that the plot itself made leaps that were very difficult for me, as the reader, to follow.
The book does not appear to have been professionally edited. It is full of misspelled words and incorrect punctuation. Furthermore, grammatical issues plague the story. Present tense and past tense are used inconsistently.
It is difficult to know just who the intended audience is. Sarah, the main heroine, is said to be 14. However, the book has a lot of graphic violence and swearing that would be more appropriate for an older audience.
Holland certainly has a creative imagination. With some in-depth content editing, this book has the potential to be a thrilling adventure. As currently written, however, I have to rank the book one out of four stars due to the lack of details, clarity of plot, and extensive poor grammar, misspelled words, and incorrect punctuation.
******
E&N Escape
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: E&N Escape by P.N.Holland
