Review by Facennagoss -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon

[Facennagoss]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Strong Heart is based on the story of a young, orphaned girl who finds herself in the care of her unknowing grandfather. It was written by Charlie Sheldon. The story follows the protagonist, Sarah and her grandfather and his friends as they embark on an adventure that begins as an attempt to honour a late family member and ends in a race against the clock to save the Olympic Peninsula wilderness. What Sarah experiences is far beyond what any of the party could possibly imagine but will her story be the key to saving the peninsula from the Buckhorn miners?

A huge amount of research has clearly gone in to the writing of this story and this has been seamlessly woven in to the plot leaving the reader with no doubt that this is a clever work of fiction rather than a textbook. Every character has something interesting to give to the development of the plot and the strong female protagonist is particularly relevant in today’s society. The author is not afraid of allowing the characters to develop and this fluidity makes for realistic and relatable characters. On the back of this, the careful balance of antagonistic/ vulnerable characterisation makes Sarah hugely likeable and her voice believable from the start.

This tale of the colliding of two worlds contains enough mystery to keep the reader engaged and guessing from start to finish. The reader is thrown in to the story from the very beginning and the chapters tend to end with either character development or a bold statement that could send the plot either which way, making the take a gripping one. Not only are the characters extremely well written but the highly effective use of literary devices engage the reader in the setting as well.

I would have liked to have known what happened to the Olympic Peninsula in the end but am excited about the idea that the end of this book lends itself perfectly to a sequel…
Comma splicing has the potential to make some areas of the story more challenging to read but the plot is so engaging that this is easily overlooked; I couldn’t wait to get to the next part to find out what would happen next.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because I believe that the story is inspired. It contains an engaging balance of love, loss, mystery, hope, fact and adventure. Only a few minor errors were found and the book seemed professionally edited. In my opinion, this book can be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in historical fiction, adventure and mystery. I highly recommend this book.

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Strong Heart
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Like Facennagoss's review? Post a comment saying so!

[jcoad]

I really enjoyed the "pre-historic" portions of this book. I found the story line about the mining exploration, or whatever it was, a little confusing but I got through it. I'm also excited about the sequel. Thanks for the review.

[Facennagoss]

I really enjoyed the "pre-historic" portions of this book. I found the story line about the mining exploration, or whatever it was, a little confusing but I got through it. I'm also excited about the sequel. Thanks for the review.

What did you think about Sarah’s character?

[jcoad]

I really enjoyed the "pre-historic" portions of this book. I found the story line about the mining exploration, or whatever it was, a little confusing but I got through it. I'm also excited about the sequel. Thanks for the review.

What did you think about Sarah’s character?

I liked her, she was one of my favorite parts of the book. I did get annoyed with her when she ran off and threw a few of her fits. The way she helped save them at the end was cool. Good way to tie everything together.

[Facennagoss]

I really enjoyed the "pre-historic" portions of this book. I found the story line about the mining exploration, or whatever it was, a little confusing but I got through it. I'm also excited about the sequel. Thanks for the review.

What did you think about Sarah’s character?

I liked her, she was one of my favorite parts of the book. I did get annoyed with her when she ran off and threw a few of her fits. The way she helped save them at the end was cool. Good way to tie everything together.

She was my favourite too. I liked the character development from her immaturity to saving the day. I think the temper was needed for the story to progress.

[Julie Green]

I agree that it would be interesting to find out what happened to the Olympic Peninsula! I think the author does a great job of describing a beautiful landscape and bringing it to life almost.