Review by shamayelnur -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon

[shamayelnur]

[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 by Charlie Sheldon is an adventure book with a soul-connecting storyline.

Tom was packing for a camp trip to Bob-Bob’s grave (his grandfather) with his friends, Myra and William. It was a stormy night, and Sarah’s arrival caught them off guard. Well, this was not the only surprise for the night. Sarah, who Tom didn’t know while ago, turned out to be his abandoned granddaughter, who’s left at his doorstep. Clearly, at first, no one was quite happy to see her. She was a girl with cranky attitudes and a troubled soul. Dispirited, Tom keeps up with the journey and decides to bring her along to the Washington State Olympic.

Myra remarks to Sarah, “This is a land of magic, history, and legend. A place of myth, ancient stories, ancient people.” But Sarah sees The Olympic Peninsula as the end of the earth. Moreover, after being reluctantly pulled into this camp for hiking, this 13-year-old is very irritated. But there is more to Sarah. Sarah is no ordinary child; she holds the soul of the strongest being. In a world with pre-teens being scared of roaches, Sarah is someone who fights bears with arrowheads.

In the wilderness of the valleys and forests, the group finds themselves on an adventure, an adventure that is uncanny. In this wild walk, Sarah is the one teaching the group all the essentials of life.

The novel uses the context of ancient times and archaeology, and this is the part I loved the most. It was commendable how deeply connected the protagonists were to the history and archaeology of the land they were walking. The description of legends and tales with factual context was intriguing and kept me drowned in the book. I enjoyed reading about the family heritage of Tom and the stories of the region, which dated back to the ancient eras. I recommend this piece to those who hold an interest in archaeology and ancient times.

I applaud Charlie Sheldon for his descriptive writing style. It was immensely engaging and managed to indulge me in the book. The descriptions of the scenes were vivid and succeeded in playing a vision on my mind. In a nutshell, the portrayal of the atmosphere and the views were beautiful.

In contrast, the illustration of the minds of the characters was not quite vivid in the book. I could connect to Sarah’s and William’s characters most, as their thoughts were described well on their journey. But I feel an elaborate representation of the minds of the other characters would have greatly enriched the novel further.

Though the portrayal of the character's thoughts was not entirely detailed, the writer managed to show how the protagonists got closer to each other throughout their expedition. The growth of emotion and affection for each other was evolutionary here. This was another aspect I liked about this book.

The downside of this novel would be the starting of the story. I felt it was slow-paced at the beginning, and the characters’ backgrounds and introductions were made late as well. However, this perspective might differ from reader to reader. Nevertheless, I don’t regard this as a significant drawback as the book gets more capturing. That being said, I rate this novel 4 out of 4.

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Strong Heart
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[Heidadel]

sounds like a great book. I admire the character of Sarah. It's unfortunate that the book is slow-paced at the beginning. However, I would love to sample the book someday. Thanks for the review.

[Rashida10]

I like the twists in the story, although I'm not a fan of books with magical powers and supernatural myths. I enjoyed your review.

[kandscreeley]

Sometimes, novels with slow starts are worth it in the end. This one definitely sounds like it is! Thanks.

[kdstrack]

I love the way you describe Sarah! The author certainly has a way of describing the setting that makes you feel like your are in the story! I enjoyed your insights about the book's themes. Great review.

[Sou Hi]

Thanks for your interesting description of Sarah. This book seems intriguing and worth a try.

[Justine Ocsebio]

It is indeed hard to read a story with a slow-paced beginning. However, I would love to read this still and see if I like it. Great review.

[afra_nawar]

It has been a helpful review. Thanks for being honest.

[Saint Bruno]

I hope Sarah remained safe..... Thanks for this wonderfully written review and recommendation.

[shamayelnur]

It is indeed hard to read a story with a slow-paced beginning. However, I would love to read this still and see if I like it. Great review.

Im sure you wouldnt regret reading it.

[shamayelnur]

Thanks for your interesting description of Sarah. This book seems intriguing and worth a try.

Sarah can pretty become youre favourite chatacter, I loved her.

[shamayelnur]

I love the way you describe Sarah! The author certainly has a way of describing the setting that makes you feel like your are in the story! I enjoyed your insights about the book's themes. Great review.

Happy that you liked reading the review!

[shamayelnur]

Sometimes, novels with slow starts are worth it in the end. This one definitely sounds like it is! Thanks.

It indeed is. You might try this one out!

[shamayelnur]

I like the twists in the story, although I'm not a fan of books with magical powers and supernatural myths. I enjoyed your review.

Happy that you enjoyed reading it!

[shamayelnur]

sounds like a great book. I admire the character of Sarah. It's unfortunate that the book is slow-paced at the beginning. However, I would love to sample the book someday. Thanks for the review.

The slow pace covers up for the storyline really.