David Jackson (23)

The book follows Jace and his return to his family after two years away. He has always loved where he grew up and receives a warm welcome from his family. The story informs readers of Jace’s background and the people in his life. His dad wants Jace to help with the business while he settles and one task is to go in the woods with his brother. They uncover a secret and Dane insists they keep this discovery hidden from their parents. Not long after, Dane disappears and a darker secret creeps show more out of the woodworks over time.

Every chapter opens with wise words, summarising what’s to come in the story. Moreover, there are a lot of characters featured so it’s practical for the book to use their names over the use of pronouns. This makes it a lot easier to read the story and keep track of the characters featured. The story is also very descriptive, showing readers how Jace feels, and what he sees, does, and thinks, all giving insight into Jace’s character.

However, this is a slow-burn read. The story delves into Jace’s life at home long before the mystery takes place. In addition, the dialogue is rigid and unnatural, extending what would normally be condensed. The phrasing is also repetitive. For example, the description contains two sentences, one after the other, saying the same thing. The difference is the second sentence is the rephrasing of the first. The characters are also very animated when unnecessary, often shouting or losing their temper quickly. Furthermore, finding Dane doesn’t seem to be a priority for the majority of the story until it becomes important, by which time it becomes a race to find Dane. The book also has a lot of missing punctuation. There is a mystery to solve and Jace takes it upon himself to investigate; however, this investigation takes a long time to begin. By then, there are a lot of elements for Jace to piece together.

I received a free review copy. Thank you to OnlineBookClub and author. show less