Official Review: Aces by Michael January

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Kibet Hillary
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Official Review: Aces by Michael January

Post by Kibet Hillary »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Aces" by Michael January.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Aces is a historical fiction book that was written by Michael January. The book is organized into chapters. It contains a total of nineteen chapters. It is written in the third person point of view.

The book narrates the journey of some college friends. It begins with a thrilling flying competition. It is in the year 1935. A big crowd is gathered to watch the National Air Races at Cleveland Aerodrome. Aaron Miller wins the competition narrowly. He is followed closely by his friend, Michael “Miki” von Steuven. It is after this race that Aaron and Miki begin parting ways. The separation is hastened when Lacy Dunbrough chose to marry Miki. Both Aaron and Miki had been eyeing her. This decision was partly influenced by her father. Aaron is angered. The rivalry between the two former friends grows rapidly. In the end, Miki finds himself flying bomber planes for the German Nazi during World War II. Aaron and his three other friends decided to join the Royal Air Force. Will the two friends ever meet during the war?

The dominant themes explored are friendship, romance, love, war, philanthropism, and loyalty. How the author was able to weave these themes into the fabric of this story was fascinating. These themes revealed the characters well. The author dwelled on character development much. It was fascinating to follow the characters as they developed from the start to the end of the story. Many other minor characters were merely introduced along the way. They helped to build on the chief characters.

What I liked most about this book is how the author was able to weave all the themes into this perfect story. The plot was well developed. It was exceptionally easy to follow the storyline and understand the flow of events. The story was also made more intriguing by the numerous twists and turns in it. This is one of the stories where the end cannot be told from the beginning. However, in some instances, there was a big lapse in time between different scenes in the same chapter. Hence, connecting the two scenes would be difficult. This is because the sudden transitions came at a time when none was expected. The book is also action-packed. This made the story intriguing as it helped to break the monotony of narration. It was astonishing to see how two people who were once friends and college mates could turn to enemies fighting on opposite sides.

Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The book was edited professionally. The author was also able to develop the characters well. The dialogues were also very realistic, and this made it easy to be in the story. The book was mainly slow paced. I recommend it to all ardent fans of historical fiction books. Any reader who will want to read this book should be aware it contains some sexual scenes. These scenes, however, are not graphic. Those who enjoy flying or reading about aircrafts will also find this book to be interesting.

******
Aces
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Post by AliceofX »

Personally, I think World War II is a bit overdone in historical fiction, but I'm glad you enjoyed the book.
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Post by kfwilson6 »

My guess would be that Aaron and Miki do meet up eventually, otherwise it wouldn't be that interesting of a story. I'm curious as to what happens when they do encounter each other in the midst of WWII though.
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Post by Aren »

The main theme of the view in this fiction is about . reflects the beauty of love and also on the other side tells about the jealoulsy when human beings starts to feel the presence of love.I read this book because of the great background it has reflected on the story.
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

AliceofX wrote: 14 Aug 2018, 07:57 Personally, I think World War II is a bit overdone in historical fiction, but I'm glad you enjoyed the book.
This is true though I had not noticed it. Almost al historical fiction books touch on WW I or II
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Kibet Hillary
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

kfwilson6 wrote: 14 Aug 2018, 09:24 My guess would be that Aaron and Miki do meet up eventually, otherwise it wouldn't be that interesting of a story. I'm curious as to what happens when they do encounter each other in the midst of WWII though.
Your guess is correct. The story is just captivating. I hope that you will be reading it soon.
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Kibet Hillary
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

Aren wrote: 14 Aug 2018, 11:21 The main theme of the view in this fiction is about . reflects the beauty of love and also on the other side tells about the jealoulsy when human beings starts to feel the presence of love.I read this book because of the great background it has reflected on the story.
This is true. The themes are many and include war, love, competition, and secrecy as well. I am sure that you will enjoy reading it.
Thanks for the comment.
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Post by Quinto »

I like war novels a lot, and I think this would be a great read. The romance would be a bonus. Thanks for your nice review.
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Post by Espie »

Thank you for your descriptive review.

I may not be looking for a war story at the moment especially since I left the military life almost eight years ago. Yet, I once dreamt of being a pilot (before I met my husband who later on convinced me to join the Navy). The perfect review rating you've given should also make it appeal to followers of its genre.
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Post by AmySmiles »

Historical fiction is not my cup of tea, but I appreciate your review, thank you.
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

Quinto wrote: 15 Aug 2018, 01:22 I like war novels a lot, and I think this would be a great read. The romance would be a bonus. Thanks for your nice review.
This will for sure make a good read for you. Thanks for the reply.
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Kibet Hillary
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

Espie wrote: 15 Aug 2018, 03:07 Thank you for your descriptive review.

I may not be looking for a war story at the moment especially since I left the military life almost eight years ago. Yet, I once dreamt of being a pilot (before I met my husband who later on convinced me to join the Navy). The perfect review rating you've given should also make it appeal to followers of its genre.
Thanks for your insightful reply. Congrats on the service you offered to the nation in the Navy. I am hopeful that indeed it will help many when making a decision on whether or not to read this book.
“It just hurts too much to admit what is wanted so badly when there’s no guarantee of its availability.”
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Kibet Hillary
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

AmySmiles wrote: 15 Aug 2018, 10:37 Historical fiction is not my cup of tea, but I appreciate your review, thank you.
Thanks for the appreciation. Thanks for your reply too. I am grateful. Historical fiction can also be very intriguing, especially when the book has a mixture of nice themes. :)
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Post by Espie »

Kibetious wrote: 22 Aug 2018, 05:37
Espie wrote: 15 Aug 2018, 03:07 Thank you for your descriptive review.

I may not be looking for a war story at the moment especially since I left the military life almost eight years ago. Yet, I once dreamt of being a pilot (before I met my husband who later on convinced me to join the Navy). The perfect review rating you've given should also make it appeal to followers of its genre.
Thanks for your insightful reply. Congrats on the service you offered to the nation in the Navy. I am hopeful that indeed it will help many when making a decision on whether or not to read this book.
No worries.

My husband and I had to leave the Navy when we migrated eight years ago to pursue our dream of being together with and for our kids especially as they grow up. Seeing our kids happier and doing better never fails to make me feel that said dream is already coming true.

A perfect rating is a good start.

Thanks again.
"Life has many different chapters for us. One bad chapter doesn't mean it's the end of the book."-Unknown
"To err is human; to forgive, divine."-Alexander Pope
"Put GOD first; He'll bless your efforts with success."-Proverbs
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