OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Out Of Time" by Donna Marie Oldfield.]
When I read the first paragraph of this book, as I was trying to decide whether or not to review it, I was not impressed. The first couple of sentences were wordy and overdone, so I went on to the next book. But I couldn't stop thinking about the plot description of the book so I came back to it and decided to give it a try. I am so glad that I did as I really enjoyed Out of Time by Donna Marie Oldfield.

On Scarlett's 18th birthday she is in a terrible accident and when she wakes up four weeks later everything is different. The people who claim to be her friends are different, her city is different, even Scarlett herself is different. She is now part of a group of teenagers with super powers who are trying to save the would from the evil Prime Minister.

As Scarlett learns to trust her friends, they tell her what they can do and begin to teach her what she can do. They can do things like manipulate water, run at super speeds, control electricity, and even read minds. Scarlett's abilities are a bit harder to define, (she is telekinetic, but that seems to be only the beginning of her powers). Scarlett seems to have the best power of all.

Scarlett and her friends take on the job of taking down Goulden the Prime Minister. The weird thing is that Scarlett had never even heard of Goulden or his party before the accident. Things are very different now. Will they succeed? Will things ever go back to the way they were before? What made everything change?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Scarlett was a great character. It is easy to learn to love her as she learns who she is in this strange world. I also enjoyed the budding romance between her and Dylan. It seemed like there was always just a bit of tension in the air. Just enough to keep things interesting.

The book did set up for a sequel. Not all of the main questions are answered, and we know what the next "mission" will be. The main story wrapped up nicely though, so I didn't feel like I was left hanging, I was just left wanting more.

Donna Marie Oldfield has a lot of natural talent when it comes to writing. The book was very well written and I couldn't put it down. There were, however, just a few too many grammar mistakes, (enough that I had to mention them) and in a few places the dialog felt a bit forced, not quite natural. Part of this could be because the book is written in British English and I speak American English. The book could use a bit more polishing.

With all of that said, I give Out of Time 4 out of 4 stars. The writing is good enough to overcome the minor problems. I really debated on whether to give this book three or four stars, but it came down to the fact that I really loved the story. It is totally a book worth reading, and I heartily recommend it. This is a book worth buying.

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Buy "Out Of Time" on Amazon

Hi Little House, Thank you for the fantastic review – I'm pleased you enjoyed it so much! I just wanted to assure readers that I have completed two more rounds of edits since I sent out the review copy, so that will hopefully have addressed some of the issues you found and my British spelling and grammar could explain the others. We are a bit weird over this side of the pond! I hadn't thought about that being an issue at all – maybe I'll have to do a US version. Thank you so much again. Donna

Very cool that you have already done more editing! It makes me want to go buy a newer copy (I think that my kids (teenagers) would enjoy this book too.)

This sounds like it might be a good book for teenagers. Is that the intended audience?

Well-written review. Thanks Little House.

sahmoun2778 wrote:This sounds like it might be a good book for teenagers. Is that the intended audience?

Well-written review. Thanks Little House.

I do think that it is a young adult book. It could fit into several different genres: YA, Sci-Fi, Romance... I have children who are teenagers and I think that they would like this book.

Sounds good, this is on my TBR!

I really enjoying Out of Time by Donna Marie Oldfield. I joined this forum to read your book only.

Superheroes and powers are a hot topic right now, with the cinema popularity of Marvel and DC comics. This book certainly could become a very popular YA novel, especially with the further edits already conducted. This was a great review that supplied a wonderful synopsis but also analyzed the author's writing. I'm curious as to whether the "the budding romance" you discussed plays a larger role in the novel, as romance seems to do in most YA novels, than you let on. I look forward to reading Out of Time sometime soon!

Great review! Always nice to read about new talented authors. Would you say it's appropriate for 11-12 year olds?

I think that it would be fine for a 11-12yo who likes Science Fiction and Super Hero books. My kids in that age range would not like this book very much as they are more into historical fiction or even non-fiction, but I would have no objections to them reading it.

Thanks Little House, I hope your teenagers enjoy it if they read it!

When writing the book, I aimed at the 11-19 age group as well as grown-ups who love superhero-style adventures, so it should be suitable for 11-12 year olds.

I was happy for my nieces in that age bracket to read it, but sadly it'll be a few years before I find out if my daughters like it (one's 15 months and the other is due in a few months!). Hope everyone in the thread enjoys the book.

I'm glad you decided to give it another try, too. It does sound like an interesting read. Thanks for the review!

I love your review; it's sweet and friendly .

Good review and its nice to know that the author has taken the constructive criticism and made some updates. I'm not really into the young adult genre anymore (And its not because I am now 33 lol!) but still do like the idea of ordinary people with extra ordinary happenings or abilities. Only thing I do regret is that Marvel has saturated the market with superheroes so much that it contaminates your mindset on how to think about fresh new content. Maybe its good because it sets a standard? But on the other hand it is bad because it skews having an open mind but I digress. Agreed it sounds like material for the YA crowd but indeed sounds interesting nonetheless.

Great review! I get how a good story can sometimes make up for faults. If the author has talent (even a little) then awful grammar won't make the book less fun for the reader. This Prime Minister guy sounds like a scary bad guy.