Official Review: Beyond the Bowling Ball Bombing

[Erin Dydek]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Beyond the Bowling Ball Bombing" by Kordel Lentine.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Terrance Brown never asked for fame; he just wanted his classmates to stop throwing his textbooks in the toilet. But it's hard to escape all the attention after surviving an incident as unheard of as the infamous "bowling ball bombing." No one can explain why a nerdy high school junior was the target of an ordinary bowling ball hurtling from an extraordinary five miles above Earth's surface, but Terrance would sure like some answers.

When a mysterious puzzle box arrives with an inscription predicting the exact day and time Terrance will open it, he believes he may finally get those answers. Unfortunately, solving the puzzle will unearth more questions than answers, opening the door to an uncertain future for Terrance and putting a cherished friend's life at risk. It may be more than "Bad, Bad Terrance Brown" can handle, but he's not going to back down without showing the school and town what a puzzle-loving math nerd can do.

Beyond the Bowling Ball Bombing, by Kordel Lentine, is a light-hearted time travel novel suitable for young adults and science fiction fans. I immediately loved how conversational and smooth-flowing this book was. The author drops the reader right into Terrance's strange predicament and gives us the details about how this ordeal came about in the first place. The subtle humor and the "hat tips" to various books and authors throughout the story made this a delightfully entertaining read.

I truly enjoyed how the author built suspense throughout the book by pointing out the complications that Terrance had yet to realize and the unpredictability of the book's conclusion. I also loved the Terrance posters that showed up after the bowling ball bombing and a particular song dedicated to Terrance by the Music Theory class (Jim Croce fans will probably get a kick out of it too). The author genuinely did an excellent job of blending the day-to-day high school feel with the unpredictability of time travel to create a story that deals with overcoming personal challenges and discovering who you are. My favorite part of the book was Terrance's character growth and self-assessment of what he had learned about himself.

There was only one minor complaint that I had about the book. In the final quarter, an entire chapter went into a detailed explanation of a futuristic piece of technology. While it was essential to know the equipment's differences and how it worked, this heavily detailed section of the book slowed down the rising action more than I would have liked. Afterward, the pace did pick back up, and I was satisfied with the ending. I got the feeling that this story is far from over. I hope to see the full conclusion of Terrance's story in books two and three of the From Under the Sun series, which are already available on Amazon.

Beyond the Bowling Ball Bombing was a well-edited book, and I only noticed a few minor errors. The technical section didn't slow down the book enough to reduce the rating by a full star, but I would consider taking half a point off. Still, I enjoyed this engaging book, and it was an excellent start to the series. Therefore, I give a rating of four out of four stars. There was no language or erotic content, so this book would be a good, clean read for young adults who like humorous science fiction.

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Beyond the Bowling Ball Bombing
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[Rayah Raouf]

Lovely review! I do like a good time travel book. I am curious about this one.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like an engaging novel that might be enjoyable for readers a bit more grown-up. Thank you for your great review!

[Smmwallace]

This sounds like a fun read and a good start to an engaging series. I'd like to read this, so I'll be adding it to my want-to-read shelf. Thank you for the great review!

[Prisallen]

This sounds like an engaging science fiction book that would be appreciated by teenagers. I enjoy books that have a lot of character growth as well. Thanks for a great review!

[Asma Aisha Ansari]

After reading about Terrance Brown's bizarre ordeal involving a bowling ball bombing and a mysterious puzzle box in 'Beyond the Bowling Ball Bombing' by Kordel Lentine, I'm itching to uncover the secrets behind this quirky time travel adventure.

[Marwa252688]

Experts are baffled by the incident while crackpots suggest theories that range from alien tractor beam malfunctions to government conspiracies. Most reasonable people, including Terrance, conclude that the world will never solve this mystery. Then Terrance receives an unusual puzzle box with an inscription that claims that he will learn the secret when he opens the box exactly five months after the bombing at 7:57 pm. He assumes that it is a joke until the prediction comes true.

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

Terrance's life took a huge turn after this Bowling Ball Bombing. I'm curious about his time travel and his epic battle for freedom. This book seems to offer mystery and suspense that hook readers from start to finish. Congratulations to the author on BOTD!

[Amy Luman]

Time travel is my very favorite subject. And Terrance's experiences with it seem to be fun and adventurous. Congratulations on BOTD!

[Ma Kristine Dakoykoy Rennie]

Thank you for your detailed and thoughtful review! It's evident that Kordel Lentine's storytelling skills have left a positive impression on you, and your insights into the book's strengths and minor areas of improvement provide valuable feedback for both the author and potential readers.

[magoud]

I liked how the time-travelling was described. That was cool. Also, the bowling ball dropping out of the sky was a clever way of pulling the reader into the story. After a strong start, it got a bit bogged down in the middle. This is the sort of book I would recommend to others.

[Anthony Asiemo]

I just love how captivating the book is been that time traveling is one of my best topic. The representation of it by the author was mind blowing and made me glued to the book. Terrance character was also well portrayed. Great one!

[Darrell G King]

I sampled the Amazon version fully expecting it would instantly prove to be too juvenile to interest me. I love when I do that and find myself surprised by what I uncover and that is exactly what happened. The author had me in the prologue, within a page and a half, and kept me through the first two chapters. By then, I decided I had to wait so I could read it as a dedicated experience.

I did my due diligence, though, looking for a review to help me see where the story would go (but without spoilers.) I am grateful for your efforts even though I almost wish I did not know as much as I do now! The outline was very helpful, though, and the possibility of time travel was not even on my radar. Knowing it is involved is just that much more of a tease, along with the confirmation that the poor high school nerd is, indeed, going to continue the romp through various sci-fi adventures. It will be a fun experience.

[Meghan Soderholm]

I can only imagine the questions and the suspense running through Terrance’s mind. I loved how the author structured each sequence. The story flowed together beautifully. I can't wait to finish the rest of the book. Thank you for writing an enticing review!

[Umesh Bhatt]

While sampling the book in Amazon I found the flow of story and writing style quite simple.
The review has generated much curiosity and I would go through the whole book maybe at a later date.
Thanks for an interesting review.