3 out of 5 stars
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Xylene X Band by Charles Harvey is a 28-chapter fiction book that tells a story of the growth, acceptance, and freedom of the characters. It tells the story of X-Band members. But the focus is on Joe Ecks, the band leader, as all the characters are connected through him. The story starts with Joe Ecks having a "seizure" in the middle of mixing one of the band's songs. His personality undergoes a serious change after that. The new personality is more in tune with his social side, and he is now a better person to his bandmates, wife, and others characters. This Joe, although a better person, is not Joe Ecks, as he cannot play any instrument or sing like he used to. The story follows how Joe and the band navigate the issue of him not being Joe Ecks and how to get him back to being a top-notch artist.
The book shows the characters getting to know the new Joe, being conflicted on whether they preferred this Joe or if he was manipulating them, and finally seeing him as his new personality and not constantly comparing him to old Joe. Through Joe’s interactions, the book shows what a good work relationship looks like. Joe’s progress as a character also shows how beneficial healthy relationships with people can be. What started as “rock fiction” turned into something more heartfelt, with the characters taking up more heart space than I thought possible.
This book has its notable positive aspects. I liked how vividly the author described the band members playing their instruments; an example is when Bill describes the songs to Joe using his piano to replicate each instrument. I liked how the author weaved the lyrics of various songs into the book and explained the meaning behind some of the lyrics. Angie was my favorite character, and her growth from a scared, constrained wife to one who could freely express herself and believe in herself was a sight to behold.
The band members also had a notable growth pattern; they grew out of old Joe's shadow and were no longer just props in the background of Joe's shine. I loved new Joe's optimism in the face of anything. Negative emotions never lasted with him. I also liked how Joe and Angie's love developed. The author perfectly portrayed them like they were teenagers in love.
As much as I liked Xylene X Band, I have some critiques. Joe's Southern accent threw me off. At first, I thought they were constant grammatical errors. Another downside was that the first half of the book failed to hold my interest. I understand that the author was introducing the characters and the situation, but the choppy start detracted from my reading experience. The major critique of this book is the improper use of punctuation marks and lack of proper sentence construction in some chapters.
Xylene X Band is perfect for teenagers and young adults, especially adults interested in rock bands. Joe and Angie’s romance might appeal to romance fans. My rating is 3 out of 5 stars because of the book’s punctuation and sentence construction issues. I can safely say this book did not receive professional editing. I removed a second star because of the book’s slow start.
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Xylene X Band
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