Review by KayK03 -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
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KayK03
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Review by KayK03 -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
Strong Heart written by Charlie Sheldon was a magical adventure that I didn’t know I needed. At the beginning of the mystical journey, an angsty orphan, Sarah, unites with her grandfather, Tom. The importance of family was highlighted immediately and carried through consistently. To begin with, I found Sarah quite an unpredictable young child as did the other characters in the story. She began to be a burden on everyone, but her character grew on me after every chapter, particularly once I realised how courageous and strong she really was. I realised that her presence in the group was just as important as anyone else’s. The story highlights the importance of family background and history and how it can link people together. After being forced to come on the camping trip, I became aware that Sarah may have enjoyed it more than she led on. No one was prepared for how much Sarah would change their lives and how important it was for her to come on the journey with them. She became a part of their history. The adventure Sarah takes the group and the reader on was a magical and thrilling one which they will never forget. The camping trip truly brought all the members of the group together in a way they did not imagine. Sarah’s fearlessness was contagious to all of the characters she was camping with as they had the will to go one despite all of the risks and dangers that could follow. The quote, ‘fear keeps us alive’ is key in this story as it helped everyone to survive. I think that quote really stuck with me the most.
The setting of the Olympic Peninsula and its hostile and natural environment was very well described by Sheldon. Sheldon’s in-depth understanding of the historical background of the land made the story and atmosphere really come to life. Initially, this environment is not appreciated by Sarah, but she realises how important the land and her native people are. It is fascinating to know that thousands of years before, their native people walked those very trails. The morals and rules in which the native people followed are passed down to the native people that live today like Myra and William. I found the rich history of the ice ages and the large animals including mammoths, sabre-toothed tigers and bears extremely interesting and somewhat educational for the reader. The spiritual aspects were consistent throughout whether it during Sarah’s experience or Tom and the camping group. They kept the same faiths their ancestors had, despite the modernistic approaches to life and death we have today.
There is a lot of magic and mystery which makes the reader question what is true and what is false. Sergei’s introduction in the story added a new element to the story as he always questioned what fact or fiction through finding raw data and evidence over trusting folklore and legends. It really highlights the arguments that occur in science which I can relate to as a scientist myself. I particularly enjoyed how Sergei and Myra’s relationship evolved. There was always conflict, but an underlying fascination of each other’s stubbornness and strength in both of their beliefs. The title ‘strong heart’ resonates in all of the characters as they had the will to go on whether they were old, exhausted, hurt or at risk. After everything Sarah has been through, I thought it was very brave for them to return. Being headstrong is a trait that runs through every single character in the camping group. Therefore, it was a thrilling and educational adventure in which I went on with them as a reader. There was a lot of relatable aspects which occur often in families. There is always a member of the family who does not enjoy outdoor activities. This made the story relatable to a wide audience. The family dinner at the beginning was humorous and I enjoyed the way the members bounced off of each other. I was immediately drawn to the characters, particularly Tom and his banter with Sarah. I appreciated the use of some North American adjectives such as ‘ornery’, which was a great word to describe Sarah.
The conflict between what is fact and what is fiction was very interesting and is a reoccurring discussion between the characters. They needed evidence and proof of what they had seen. When Sarah told her story, I could not help but believe her even though the tale was far-fetched and unusual. The historical stories of their native people once living there makes the reader question the world we live in and what was here thousands of years. It also highlighted how hard it is to survive on natural resources out in the wilderness. Furthermore, I thought a quote from the text which really sums up the land was said by Myra, “A land of magic, history and legend”. I could not have described the land better myself.
I thoroughly enjoyed Strong Heart and would rate it a 4 out of 4 stars . I found it entirely enchanting with all-around fantastic storytelling. I would recommend this book to an audience who are teenagers/young adults as the younger characters are easy to relate to as well as having older role models. The story was easy to follow for a younger age group and I believe the experience of Sarah would really appeal to them. I really like the smooth transition from third person to first person and hearing Sarah’s story from her point of view and as her experience. I believe this was the best way to tell her story along with all the people she met. Furthermore, the text was very well edited with only a limited number of grammatical and punctual errors, none of which affected the flow of reading. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery, legends and adventure.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Strong Heart written by Charlie Sheldon was a magical adventure that I didn’t know I needed. At the beginning of the mystical journey, an angsty orphan, Sarah, unites with her grandfather, Tom. The importance of family was highlighted immediately and carried through consistently. To begin with, I found Sarah quite an unpredictable young child as did the other characters in the story. She began to be a burden on everyone, but her character grew on me after every chapter, particularly once I realised how courageous and strong she really was. I realised that her presence in the group was just as important as anyone else’s. The story highlights the importance of family background and history and how it can link people together. After being forced to come on the camping trip, I became aware that Sarah may have enjoyed it more than she led on. No one was prepared for how much Sarah would change their lives and how important it was for her to come on the journey with them. She became a part of their history. The adventure Sarah takes the group and the reader on was a magical and thrilling one which they will never forget. The camping trip truly brought all the members of the group together in a way they did not imagine. Sarah’s fearlessness was contagious to all of the characters she was camping with as they had the will to go one despite all of the risks and dangers that could follow. The quote, ‘fear keeps us alive’ is key in this story as it helped everyone to survive. I think that quote really stuck with me the most.
The setting of the Olympic Peninsula and its hostile and natural environment was very well described by Sheldon. Sheldon’s in-depth understanding of the historical background of the land made the story and atmosphere really come to life. Initially, this environment is not appreciated by Sarah, but she realises how important the land and her native people are. It is fascinating to know that thousands of years before, their native people walked those very trails. The morals and rules in which the native people followed are passed down to the native people that live today like Myra and William. I found the rich history of the ice ages and the large animals including mammoths, sabre-toothed tigers and bears extremely interesting and somewhat educational for the reader. The spiritual aspects were consistent throughout whether it during Sarah’s experience or Tom and the camping group. They kept the same faiths their ancestors had, despite the modernistic approaches to life and death we have today.
There is a lot of magic and mystery which makes the reader question what is true and what is false. Sergei’s introduction in the story added a new element to the story as he always questioned what fact or fiction through finding raw data and evidence over trusting folklore and legends. It really highlights the arguments that occur in science which I can relate to as a scientist myself. I particularly enjoyed how Sergei and Myra’s relationship evolved. There was always conflict, but an underlying fascination of each other’s stubbornness and strength in both of their beliefs. The title ‘strong heart’ resonates in all of the characters as they had the will to go on whether they were old, exhausted, hurt or at risk. After everything Sarah has been through, I thought it was very brave for them to return. Being headstrong is a trait that runs through every single character in the camping group. Therefore, it was a thrilling and educational adventure in which I went on with them as a reader. There was a lot of relatable aspects which occur often in families. There is always a member of the family who does not enjoy outdoor activities. This made the story relatable to a wide audience. The family dinner at the beginning was humorous and I enjoyed the way the members bounced off of each other. I was immediately drawn to the characters, particularly Tom and his banter with Sarah. I appreciated the use of some North American adjectives such as ‘ornery’, which was a great word to describe Sarah.
The conflict between what is fact and what is fiction was very interesting and is a reoccurring discussion between the characters. They needed evidence and proof of what they had seen. When Sarah told her story, I could not help but believe her even though the tale was far-fetched and unusual. The historical stories of their native people once living there makes the reader question the world we live in and what was here thousands of years. It also highlighted how hard it is to survive on natural resources out in the wilderness. Furthermore, I thought a quote from the text which really sums up the land was said by Myra, “A land of magic, history and legend”. I could not have described the land better myself.
I thoroughly enjoyed Strong Heart and would rate it a 4 out of 4 stars . I found it entirely enchanting with all-around fantastic storytelling. I would recommend this book to an audience who are teenagers/young adults as the younger characters are easy to relate to as well as having older role models. The story was easy to follow for a younger age group and I believe the experience of Sarah would really appeal to them. I really like the smooth transition from third person to first person and hearing Sarah’s story from her point of view and as her experience. I believe this was the best way to tell her story along with all the people she met. Furthermore, the text was very well edited with only a limited number of grammatical and punctual errors, none of which affected the flow of reading. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery, legends and adventure.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The MISOGI Method by Jody B. Miller
