Review for Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon

[Smileysaree]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]

[rbc=3]id156166-125[/rbc]In the book Strong Heart, Sarah is brought unwillingly to her grandfather’s door, a man she has never met, and interrupts a planned expedition. Tom, seeking to find closure for the loss of his own father many years ago, is startled to discover he has a granddaughter, and together with his closest friend William, and William’s daughter, they make a decision to take Sarah along on their journey, despite the dangers.



Sarah, with no place else to go, trudges into the woods with people who are strangers to her. Her grandfather carries an ancient artifact that he intends to return to the site of his father’s death, but later, in a moment of anger, she takes the artifact and leaves the group, and soon finds herself on a powerful journey of her own, transported back in time, when the artifact she holds was a vital tool for survival.



Here, the story really begins. Struggling to survive, Sarah faces great opposition, pain, loss, the threat of death, and learns firsthand the legend of her ancestors. For days, she is lost to Tom and the others, until she simply appears again one rainy, stormy night, with a tale of her impossible experience that ultimately teaches them all about the magic that ties us all together since the beginning of our existence.



I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars, because of the following: I found the first chapter to be a bit muddled, and felt that the quick introduction of the characters needed more defining to be easier to follow, leading to immediate disinterest on my part. Pushing past that, the author does feed bits of description and reference to the characters in, and once I was able to grasp firmly who was who, it was much easier to continue.



There were also a few instances where I felt the plot line with things that had happened to Sarah in the past did not match up with the reactions of those around her, the emotional response by both her and the others felt lacking and flat for the situations mentioned.



The story within the story, of Sarah’s transport back in time, was definitely the best part of the book, and while at times it was very confusing, it was so different from anything else that I have ever read that I was drawn in completely.



I did enjoy the way the author sprinkled in description of the setting among dialogue, and felt that there was a strong favoritism for short sentences. It was a different writing style for me, and slowed down the reading, but as a fellow writer, I appreciated the exposure to a new style, and once I was able to find my rhythm, I enjoyed it immensely.



There is something beautiful to be found in this story, and I was drawn into the fascinating journey Sarah takes and felt, overall, that the book was well worth the read. If you’re looking for a quick, seamless read, this book isn’t for you. There’s a lot going on here, and you’ll need to stay focused to follow the storyline.

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Strong Heart
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