Review by Nerea -- Asa's Gift by Isaac Green

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 01 Jan 2019, 11:36

[Following is a volunteer review of "Asa's Gift" by Isaac Green.]

3 out of 4 stars

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A typical mining town, Lagrima, located one hundred miles northwest of Denver, was characterized by violence, epidemic, and Grey Jackets. The Grey Jackets are men who were unruly, cruel, selfish, and demanding. Nobody would dare to go against their will owing to the fact that they'd suffer dire consequences. Asa and his cousin Daniel are among the children, who grew up in this town and unlike other children, they manifested moral demeanor. Unfortunately, living in a town like Lagrima, wasn’t easy because trouble always found its way to get the youths and many lost their lives, others sustained severe injuries including Asa's Cousin.

Asa and Daniel's dwelling in Lagrima were frustrated by an epidemic that caused them pain, shock and heartaches. (Spoiler alert) Then suddenly, the town of Lagrima became extinct. As survivors of the epidemic, the two were adopted by Daniel's uncle, Harold, who later suffered a chronic illness and died, leaving Daniel the ownership of a thriving textile mill in Denver.

Asa's special case made him different from other people. He was intelligent, curious about events revolving around his life, and nobody could predict his next move. The decisions he made in life cost his cousin money and resources, but there is one decision he made that greatly benefited his cousin. This was the best and perfect gift that Asa offered to his cousin. What was Asa's gift?

Asa's Gift by Isaac Green is a science fiction and fantasy novel that’s full of adventure, horror and mysteries. The book is written in the third person narrative and contains 341 pages, PDF format with 23 chapters. Each chapter contains a title that introduces the account of the story in each chapter and creates an easy way for the reader to follow through the events in the story without losing track. Also, the beautiful artwork depicted in each chapter clearly brought the message home. The plot twists towards the end of the book are shocking and leave one in suspense.

The author's ways of developing the plot as well as the characters are realistic and outstanding. In his writing, the author focused on immortality, family, healthcare, mining, non-verbal communication, immigration, emigration, artistry(painting), friendship, history, violence, greed, education, bullying, spirituality, entrepreneurship, ransom, aliens and resurrection.

The characters are masterfully and diligently developed. For instance, Dr Simpson is diligent in his work and generous to those who come seeking for his help. When the epidemic struck the town, he is among the group of men, who risked their lives to eradicate the epidemic. Javier, a teenage boy from a humble background, always keeps himself from trouble and I like how he adopted a technique that helps him forget his problems. Caretaker is an incredible character. I nickname him Savior for the reason that he protects his friends from danger and eliminates any cause of trouble affecting his friends. Finally, Carl, one of the best dressed Grey Jackets that I hate. He is a man-slayer, and vicious thug, who tries to extort properties. The positive aspect of this character is that he is strategic and smart in his way of dealing with tasks.

I liked how the author came up with techniques to ease the readers from heartbreaking events in the plot. The writing style simple and easy to understand. The events in the cage were thrilling, adventurous and intriguing, which fully captured my attention.

I didn't like the use of the Spanish tongue in some parts of the story owing to the fact that it interrupted my reading flow. Also, the book had a couple of grammatical errors that took a lot away from the message conveyed. It'd be better if the author corrected them to improve the writing quality.

There were a couple of admonitions I drew from the story. Firstly, it's essential to plan ahead and get ready for what the future holds. Secondly, at times we may not go out looking for trouble, but it may find its way to us when we least expect it and depending on how we react to it, we can save or lose our lives. Thirdly, people who are best at diffusing problems are more likely to earn trust from their friends or fans. Fourthly, we shouldn't be too comfortable in our current state owing to the fact that change is inevitable and it can come unexpectedly. Finally, I learned that there are people, who are watching us from a distance and they come to our aid at the right time.

With that said, I rate the book at 3 out of 4 stars. The author did a great job in world-building, but I deducted one mark because of the numerous grammatical errors, such as missing words, punctuation and spelling mistakes. I'd recommend the book to those who love and enjoy reading science fiction, fantasy and horror stories as well as those who'd love to update their history knowledge.

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Asa's Gift
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Ashiyya Tariq · Post by **Ashiyya Tariq** » 05 Jan 2019, 10:25

The book sounds intriguing with a nice blend of fantasy and horror. But sad to hear about the grammar errors. Thanks for this honest review.

briellejee · Post by **briellejee** » 06 Jan 2019, 18:03

The plot sounds intriguing enough! I also liked that the characters are well-developed and the world was well-built. Sounds like an astounding story. Asa's character also seems mysterious yet exciting. Will have to check out a few pages. Thanks for this honest review!

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 07 Jan 2019, 00:15

Sarah Tariq wrote: ↑05 Jan 2019, 10:25 The book sounds intriguing with a nice blend of fantasy and horror. But sad to hear about the grammar errors. Thanks for this honest review.

Thank you for checking on my review and for commenting.

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 07 Jan 2019, 00:18

briellejee wrote: ↑06 Jan 2019, 18:03 The plot sounds intriguing enough! I also liked that the characters are well-developed and the world was well-built. Sounds like an astounding story. Asa's character also seems mysterious yet exciting. Will have to check out a few pages. Thanks for this honest review!

Sure. I hope you enjoy reading the few pages. Thank you for stopping by.

Helen_Combe · Post by **Helen_Combe** » 07 Jan 2019, 03:20

Sound an interesting book, though the science fiction and fantasy doesn’t really come across in your review.

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 07 Jan 2019, 04:28

Helen_Combe wrote: ↑07 Jan 2019, 03:20 Sound an interesting book, though the science fiction and fantasy doesn’t really come across in your review.

Thank you for your honest comment.

Kelyn · Post by **Kelyn** » 07 Jan 2019, 17:54

I can't quite decide what genre this book fits into. It seems to have a very slight sci-fi feel, but there is also drama, mystery, and tragedy. In all, it sounds intriguing, with Asa being particularly interesting and mysterious. I might have to check this one out. Thanks for the review!

Post by **Sushan Ekanayake** » 07 Jan 2019, 21:45

I am not sure whether this will be appealing to me, but I will give a try. Thanks for sharing your thoughts

Ayat paarsa · Post by **Ayat paarsa** » 07 Jan 2019, 22:24

A story set in a mining area, It would definitely be a wonderland. I am getting curious to find out more about Asa, the most unpredictable guy, after reading your review. Grammatical errors would be an issue though. Still, I think one can manage to figure out more about "Asa's Gift". Thanks for introducing this book.

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 08 Jan 2019, 04:01

Kelyn wrote: ↑07 Jan 2019, 17:54 I can't quite decide what genre this book fits into. It seems to have a very slight sci-fi feel, but there is also drama, mystery, and tragedy. In all, it sounds intriguing, with Asa being particularly interesting and mysterious. I might have to check this one out. Thanks for the review!

Thank you for your honest comments.

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 08 Jan 2019, 04:02

Sushan wrote: ↑07 Jan 2019, 21:45 I am not sure whether this will be appealing to me, but I will give a try. Thanks for sharing your thoughts

I appreciate.

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 08 Jan 2019, 04:04

Ayat paarsa wrote: ↑07 Jan 2019, 22:24 A story set in a mining area, It would definitely be a wonderland. I am getting curious to find out more about Asa, the most unpredictable guy, after reading your review. Grammatical errors would be an issue though. Still, I think one can manage to figure out more about "Asa's Gift". Thanks for introducing this book.

I hope you'll enjoy. Thanks you for stopping by.