Official Review: Terralepus by Kathleen M. Hamilton

[spencermack]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Terralepus" by Kathleen M. Hamilton.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Terralepus Cora’s Dilemma: Book Two by Kathleen M. Hamilton is a young adult adventure story about Cora and her family defending themselves against Captain Tye, who is attempting to sabotage their lives. Captain Tye has travelled in time to kill Cora’s mother, Jackie so that her children will never be born. Cora, her siblings, and her friend Greg must work together to save their family and their world.

The characters in this book are all animals. Cora and her family are bunnies and Captain Tye is a hedgehog from another planet. Personified animals in young adult literature can be engaging and appeal to the audience. However, the plot is not changed at all by the characters being animals. Usually, personified animals will still display animalistic traits. That is not the case in this story. Even though there are bunnies and hedgehogs, the characters are completely human in their actions and personalities. I think the author could use people instead of animals to engage the reader as well as have the characters match their described qualities.

That being said, these characters are a lot of fun. I especially liked the dynamic between two friends Cora and Greg. They are both preteens just trying to find their way in a boy-girl friendship. They are teased about their relationship and the interactions are highly realistic. The audience can connect with this relationship as it is a universal experience. I found the parents of Cora, Jackie and Max, interesting. They act like young adults themselves and at times this can become confusing. I would expect these parents to act more like parents than friends to Greg and Cora but they don’t. I think the author needs to bring in different traits to Jackie and Max so that their relationship with their kids isn’t mistaken as a friendship.

I really enjoyed the plot in this story. An alien invader from the future here to save his own planet and wreck someone else’s is a great recipe for excitement. The author does a great job of keeping the pace of the story intriguing. There were very few slow sections in this book. I didn’t appreciate the relationship dynamic between Cora and her parents. I found them to be friends instead of parents toward Cora. I think this muddles the message a little. The story appeared to be professionally edited as I found no glaring grammatical issues.

Due to the above reasons, I am rating Terralepus by Kathleen M. Hamilton 3 out of 4 stars. The plot and characters are a lot of fun, but the author could work on developing character dynamics more effectively. I recommend this book to any young reader who enjoys animals or adventure stories. It will engage them and keep them excited throughout the story.

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Terralepus
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[Kanda_theGreat]

I love the fact that the author instilled universal experiences in the animal characters.
Thank you for the review.

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

I agree with you, that the author may have been further ahead to make the animals humans, especially considering the fact that they already possess human traits. I think I will skip this one, but thanks for the engaging review!

[Anon_Reviewer]

Why make them animals when they act like humans? I hope the author works on the characterization in the book, with your review in mind. Good review. Thank you!

[Nisha Ward]

The animal thing is confusing. Like, is the author trying to appeal to a much younger set than the young adult moniker? Or was there something else behind this decision? It seems a bit odd to me, but, at the same time, not exactly a deal breaker.

[spencermack]

I love the fact that the author instilled universal experiences in the animal characters.
Thank you for the review.

Definitely relatable, thanks for the comment!

[spencermack]

I agree with you, that the author may have been further ahead to make the animals humans, especially considering the fact that they already possess human traits. I think I will skip this one, but thanks for the engaging review!

Thanks for the engaging comment!

[spencermack]

Why make them animals when they act like humans? I hope the author works on the characterization in the book, with your review in mind. Good review. Thank you!

I hope so too! Thanks for your comment!

[spencermack]

The animal thing is confusing. Like, is the author trying to appeal to a much younger set than the young adult moniker? Or was there something else behind this decision? It seems a bit odd to me, but, at the same time, not exactly a deal breaker.

I do think the attempt at appeal is there, yes. thanks for commenting!

[Zainabreadsnow]

I'm so excited to read this! I am already in love with the friendship between Cora and Greg. Thank you for the review!