Official Review: Seeds of Hope by Debbie Tremel

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Jackie Holycross
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Official Review: Seeds of Hope by Debbie Tremel

Post by Jackie Holycross »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Seeds of Hope" by Debbie Tremel.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Reading a book about the end of civilization during a world-wide pandemic is probably not emotionally smart, but I totally enjoyed Seeds of Hope by Debbie Tremel. The story begins with the heart-wrenching situation of a recent college graduate, Daniel, burying his father and best friend after a tragic avalanche. They have been hiking into the wilderness to meet up with the rest of the family and some others who joined them to live in isolation.

The world is crumbling after a fungus destroyed rice and wheat crops around the world. Famine and poverty are rampant. Borders are closing, and people are turning to violence. Daniel’s family is not surprised by this. They believe in prophecies that foretell ten years of destruction and a new pure world that could be created. They have been preparing for years by learning outdoor survival skills. They plan to return to the earth and create a society of peace.

Of course, peace does not come easily. The small group made up of a handful of families must face many obstacles. They still have much to learn about living in the wild, and they will have more than one confrontation with others who do not share their beliefs or morals. Will they be able to face nature, their enemies, and their own doubts to create a new world?

There is much to like about this book. The author is a skillful writer. Her descriptions and character building are amazing. For instance, we never meet Daniel’s friend, Aaron, who dies in the rockslide, but the reader is given enough backstory and description to be attached to him. Her imagery and figurative language are excellent as well. I could see the “sun’s lumbering progress across the sky” and I could feel the “grief … like a hole in his heart sucking the life out of everything around him into its black abyss.” Also, with vocabulary like sepia and salal, this is no brain-candy read.

I also liked how the author structured the early portion of the book. Chapters are alternated between the perspective of Daniel traveling alone and his mother with the group waiting for him to catch up. Each one longs for the other but must continue on the journey as planned.

The author does a great job of describing various survival skills in enough detail to be realistic, but not get the reader bogged down and drag the storyline. There are also strands of philosophy and inner turmoil woven into the book. The author obviously is leading the reader to her own persuasive conclusions, but she never gets preachy.

There was only one section that I thought was somewhat overdone. One of the prophecies talks about a red moon and a red sky. When this occurs the whole community cries and mourns for the death of society. This just seemed to be a little drawn out and overly emotional for me. Also, I am not a fan of profanity in stories. This author was certainly not excessive in her use of curse words, and they are used realistically, but it was not my favorite part of her writing style.

There are two rape scenes in the book, both of which are used to show the degradation of society. They are only mildly explicit, probably a 2 or 3 on a 5 point scale. Still, because of this and some discussion of sex in general as well as the language choices, I would not recommend this book for young teens or children.

Nevertheless, it is an excellent read for adults. The story is powerful, the message intriguing, and I found no editing errors. For these reasons, I give Seeds of Hope 4 out of 4 stars. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes realistic/futuristic fiction and survival scenarios. I would love to read other books by this author.

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Seeds of Hope
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khaulah
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Post by khaulah »

I love reading this type of fiction. The story is intriguing. Based on your review, I think it would be a wonderful read. Thank you!
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Post by JKO »

The authors descriptions and character building will definitely catch my eye. I look forward to reading. Thanks for this excellent review.
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Post by Ediomis_Enwongo01 »

This book really suits the time we're in. A period that the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the whole world. It offers a glimpse of hope going forward. A comprehensive review.
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Post by Splendour0606 »

Daniel's family did well by making plans for the future, they were not caught unaware. It reminds me of the story of Jacob and Egypt in the bible.Your review is really Informative.Thanks.
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Post by FEislandqueen13 »

Not sure if I want to read this book about surviving in a dying world.
Thanks for the in depth review.
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Post by Kachi_Ejiogu+_ »

Awwwn. Poor Daniel. How was he able to deal with all that loss? I'd find out more. Kudos to the author for a great job and the great job you did with this review. Thank you.
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Post by Nzube Chizoba Okeke »

I think the author did a great job with character building especially with the case of Daniel's friend. I think this would be a good read. Thanks for the insight.
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Post by NetMassimo »

If you think we're living in a bad situation, this novel seems to be really apocalyptic! Considering the good descriptions of survival skills, reading it might be useful, though I hope we won't need such skills. Thank you for your great review!
Ciao :)
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Jackie Holycross
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Post by Jackie Holycross »

Ediomis_Enwongo01 wrote: 03 May 2020, 05:26 This book really suits the time we're in. A period that the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the whole world. It offers a glimpse of hope going forward. A comprehensive review.
Yes - it really made me think.
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Post by J_odoyo »

I agree with you: it isn't an enjoyable thing to read such a book at a time like this. The book seems to be an interesting one. I like your writing style that has made this amazing review. Good job!
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Jackie Holycross
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Post by Jackie Holycross »

Kachi_Ejiogu+_ wrote: 03 May 2020, 18:06 Awwwn. Poor Daniel. How was he able to deal with all that loss?
The descriptions of his internal suffering are so vivid. And in his case it was continue on or die in the wild alone.
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Jackie Holycross
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Post by Jackie Holycross »

J_odoyo wrote: 05 May 2020, 03:08 I agree with you: it isn't an enjoyable thing to read such a book at a time like this. The book seems to be an interesting one. I like your writing style that has made this amazing review. Good job!
I’m glad you enjoyed the review. This is a great book.
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Post by Amy+++ »

I liked the review, but I'm afraid that this book doesn't interest me. I just can't read about the world ending during a pandemic at this time.
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Post by Stephanie Elizabeth »

This sounds like a time-appropriate book to read given our current pandemic. I like that his family has been preparing for some time in order to survive out on the wilderness. It sounds like a book that has both stellar character-development and action. Thanks for the fantastic review.
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