Review by Twisted_Smilez -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon

Twisted_Smilez · Post by **Twisted_Smilez** » 24 Mar 2020, 21:16

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

4 out of 4 stars

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Tom Olsen has planned to take a hiking trip with some of his closest friends with the intention of visiting his grandfather’s grave to return a precious totem. Then, on a cold and wet evening like many others in the state of Washington, Tom receives a knock on his front door. His ex-wife, Ruth has dropped by and to his surprise, she is accompanied by a small teenage girl whom Ruth claims is their grandchild. Tom is at a loss for words and must now figure out what to do with Sarah. At his friend’s suggestion, he reluctantly agrees to have Sarah join them on their trek up the mountain.

While exploring an area not far from the group’s campsite, Sara sees an abnormally large bear observing her from across the river. Intrigued and unfrightened, Sara takes a few moments to sketch the bear and returns to the campsite to tell the others what she has seen. The others are supportive of her claims, but Sarah is very angered by Tom when he attributes the surreal experience to her very creative imagination. As a result, she decides to run away without any of the others noticing. Sarah remains lost in the mountains for a week; her grandfather and friends nervously looking for her. When she reappears, she is dirty, battered and bleeding, remaining unconscious for some time. Her story of what happened to her during the time of her disappearance is far from an ordinary tale.

I really enjoyed reading Strong Heart written by Charlie Sheldon. The storyline caught me by surprise, as it was very different from the type of plot than I was expecting. Sheldon is successful in creating coexistence between the past and present to bring this story to life. I enjoyed the insight into pre-historic times, I also appreciated the descriptive approach that Sheldon used when describing things such as the tediousness of walking the trails in the mountains or the intensity of the drastic weather taking place on the mountain. By providing such detail, I was more immersed in the story.

Strong female characters are a prominent theme in this story as well. Although, I liked every character. When it came to the female characters themselves, I felt proud of their headstrong and independent personalities. There is nothing that I disliked about the novel. My only constructive criticism towards the story is that there could have been a clearer transition in depicting what happened to Sarah during the time of her disappearance. It is somewhat difficult to determine whether Sarah is having a dream, hallucinating or talking about a past life. Regardless, this may have been intentionally done, allowing readers to form their own interpretation of what exactly happened.

I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars and recommend it to those who enjoy stories of adventure and peril. The book itself is very well edited. It does not deal with any heavy adult themes. However, there is violence and gore in it. Therefore, I would consider it youth appropriate as well but not for younger children.

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Strong Heart
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HanElizabeth397 · Post by **HanElizabeth397** » 28 Dec 2020, 19:31

I loved learning about the pre-historic times! I always find that books where there's some facts or truth to learn about are always the best ones!! I also loved reading about what happened during Sarah's disappearance. I'm really looking forward to the next book

Twisted_Smilez · Post by **Twisted_Smilez** » 09 Jan 2021, 00:09

I can tell you that the second book doesn't disappoint either. It's a little different but still a great story. I've really enjoyed the author's work.

If you're interested, I've also written a review for the second book.

Mariana Figueira · Post by **Mariana Figueira** » 11 Jan 2021, 19:02

What a lovely review, thank you for sharing.

Chizioboli · Post by **Chizioboli** » 12 Jan 2021, 13:10

I'm not a fan of fictional books but I think I will give this book a shot. Your review is nice and very detailed

Twisted_Smilez · Post by **Twisted_Smilez** » 16 Jan 2021, 00:43

Chizioboli wrote: ↑12 Jan 2021, 13:10 I'm not a fan of fictional books but I think I will give this book a shot. Your review is nice and very detailed

I think you will be pleasantly surprised. It captivates in a very unexpected way.