Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Genre:
Coming of Age/Adventure/Fantasy
Approximate
word count: 85-90,000
words
Availability
Click
on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes &
Noble, or Smashwords store
Author:
“Brought
up in a logging camp with no electricity, Gordon A. Long learned his
storytelling in the traditional way: at his father’s knee. He
spends his time editing, publishing, travelling, sailboat racing and
writing fantasy and social commentary, although sometimes the
boundaries blur.
He
also adjudicates Speech Arts Festivals, writes and directs plays and
competes in agility with his Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever,
Josh. (Actually, Josh competes. Gordon runs around and looks like
he's contributing).”
Mr.
Long is also a contributing author at Indies Unlimited, a resource
guide for Indie authors.
Description:
“Thrown
into a nasty rebellion by a schoolgirl prank gone wrong, Aleria faces
rape, murder, and worse. She is shielded by an Army spy who has
infiltrated the band of thugs that captured her. But after a while
she begins to wonder if he isn't getting too enthusiastic about their
violent charade, and her terror mounts.
Rescue
comes, but her ordeal isn't over. To survive, Aleria must make a
decision that will change the course of her life.”
Appraisal:
Gordon
A. Long has done an excellent job building an Old World type setting
for this story. Aleria is a smart, self-assured, high-strung, spunky
teenager from an upper class family who is able the see the hypocrisy
going on around her. She has a reputation for pulling harmless pranks
or stunts to call these out. She also has a talent for sizing up
people’s characters rather quickly. After completing the class
Quest, an individual rite-of-passage, Aleria comes to the conclusion
that it was more or less a farce, which doesn’t prove her mettle.
So she initiates her own
Quest to prove to herself she is capable of taking care of herself.
Now
the real adventure begins. She is smart enough that she shares her
destination with her best friend Mito, who has promised not to tell
unless Aleria doesn’t return in a proper amount of time. After
being on the road a few days she meets a fellow traveler who has
traversed this road many times before. She asks to join him on a
short cut across a mountain trail. When a rebellion breaks out in the
direction Mito knew Aleria was headed she alerts her parents and a
search for Aleria begins.
Aleria
learning about the rebellion makes smart decisions and tries to alert
the authorities. Thinking she is now safe she inadvertently gets
captured by Raif, one of the rebel rousers. These men are a loathsome
group of disparate men. It is all Aleria can do to try to stay alive
and sane while suffering abuse and the threat of rape. However, Raif
is not who he seems and Aleria must decide whether to trust him or
not. The pace of the story turns fast and furious at this point and
became hard to put down. There are a fair number of twists because
these men are not very well organized.
The
story starts out slow as we are introduced to Aleria, her parents,
and a few of her classmates. I found the cast of characters who
played important roles were well developed. The dialogue seemed
realistic with a good amount of humor. I really enjoyed Aleria and
Mito’s friendship. Mito is from the poorer side of town but has
managed to enroll in the girls Academy. Mito is a smart, levelheaded
girl who tries to keep Aleria balanced, their heart-to-heart talks
were engaging and intelligent. I am hoping for some romance to
develop in book two, there are a couple of possibilities.
FYI:
Out
of Mischief is Book 1 in
the World of Change
series.
Format/Typo
Issues:
I
found a small number of proofing errors throughout the text.
Rating:
**** Four stars
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