3 out of 4 stars
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A Strange Boy by John L Jewell is a C/T/M/H novel that plunges the reader into a world of conspiracy, murder and suspense to relate the story of a young boy who has taken the world by storm with his paranormal gifts. Leslie with his sister Mary are brought to ‘The Sir Giles Woodford Village for Children's’ where they meet with the dean, Sir Alastair Woodford, who orients them to their new home as well as updating them on their parents' whereabouts. Their lives are extremely shaken when they learn that a telegram from the army commanding officer had arrived, stating that their father, Will Johns, (one of the army soldiers) is presumed dead or captured. Apparently, their mother's whereabouts are unknown after her divorce from Will Johns.
It doesn't take long before it dawns on Mary and Leslie that all the children in the Village are uniquely gifted, and orphans whose parents were involved in mysterious deaths or are reported missing. While the reader is wondering whether or not Sir Alastair has a hand in the siblings' state of being orphans, the story gets a new twist. Leslie discovers that he can float above his own body and travel to any place his thoughts would take him. In his out-of-body state, he can hear, see, and can only talk to people who are able to see him. The discoveries that Leslie makes won't let the reader put the book down.
As I was confirming to read this book, I was rather pessimistic I would enjoy the reading. However, the prelude piqued my interest and the rest was a journey of discoveries. The book has a brilliant character development and a plot full of intrigue and suspense. While the author is not in a hurry to put the pen down, the reader is kept guessing and yearning for answers all through.
What I like about the book is that though the plot has many characters, the author is able to get all of them function without making the book feel congested. The different scenes make it easy to manage the characters that the author has grouped according to their functions. For instance, there is the Press, the Hospital, the Asylum, the Children and then Sir Alastair with his team. Each scene ends in suspense and leaves the reader more engrossed and at a cliffhanger. Murder, conspiracy, love, Trust and suspicion are the main themes that make the book interesting keeping the reader glued to the end.
Enthralling as it is, the book didn't lack some setbacks that attracted some demerits to it. I noticed that the transition from some of the scenes to the next is too abrupt that the reader is somewhat confused, especially when Leslie is having the out-of-body experiences. There were also errors like missing words, misplaced words, awkward sentences and multiple grammar errors. For instance: the author wrote "…the had dean…" instead of "…the dean had…," "…when he reached the it…," "…I have no idea much they are worth…," "Neither or…" instead of "Neither nor"
Owing to the aforementioned errors, I award this book 3 out of 4 stars. A few gory scenes make the book not appropriate for young readers. However, if you love reading about thrilling murder conspiracies, then you will appreciate reading this book.
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A Strange Boy
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