Review by Dave Manny -- Melissa & Kasho

[Dave Manny]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Melissa & Kasho" by Camilla Chance.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Melissa & Kasho by Camilla Chance is a beautiful, touching story about a young girl with a kind heart trying to maintain her beautiful spirit in the face of adversity. The story begins with an emotionally confused Melissa being sent to a finishing school in Italy where she is bombarded with bullies of different forms. There are outright bullies who would demand that she change who she is and there are bullies that are deceptive in their bullying and appear to be her friend. She makes genuine friends while in Italy who helps her to realise her true destiny. The cruelty and disregard with which men treat people of the opposite sex is portrayed in many forms in this book.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I like that the book ended on a positive note, making the reader feel safe that at least Melissa would not return to the abuse she had been suffering since she was a little child. I, however, did not like the fact that I did not get any closure on the matter of the Russian Count. The relationship sprung up so suddenly and I felt that it flat lined before the end as she was going to be living away from him and writing to him (kind of like replacing her father with the Count).

I felt that sometimes Melissa’s behaviour was a bit odd as she was very giving but never really stood up for herself. It also shows that sometimes, a loving person may have to make a difficult choices, while seeming selfish, in order to save themselves. During the book, the story began to falter as though the writer was trying to get past a point but was unable to do so quickly. At this point the book slowed down and then the fiancé was introduced and the pace resumed.

This book is suitable for persons between that ages of 12 and 17 where the emotional turmoil during budding maturity is prevalent and the knowledge that the cruelty in the world doesn't justify a return of cruelty but an outpouring of selfless love to heal the world and be at peace with oneself.

The editing in the book is professionally done and the language is easy to read and understand. Some concepts of out of body experience are a bit hazy but it is enough for the intended audience.

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Melissa & Kasho
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