Review of Like My Mother Before Me
-
Nandini Mukherjee
- Posts: 52
- Joined: 25 May 2021, 03:46
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 26
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nandini-mukherjee.html
- Latest Review: Requiem For A Queen by Kaylin McFarren
Review of Like My Mother Before Me
[Following is a volunteer review of "Like My Mother Before Me" by Naley Gonzalez.]
Like My Mother Before Me is a story that revolves around Alize, a teen with her brother Ezra, father Gabriel, godmother Zoraida, and best friend; Estelle. Alize, a freshman year student, loves playing volleyball and is currently trying to keep up with her assignments and good grades to secure a position on the varsity team and a college scholarship. Soon enough, weird things start happening with Alize when she first overhears her father and godmother discussing her possible illness, apparently something worrisome that she has inherited from her mother. This idea gets planted into her head, making her grow curious about it. Then soon enough, the following evening, she encounters a skeletal figure in her father’s study room sitting on his desk and talking. Extremely scared, she also comes across a black shroud of darkness, falls to the floor screaming, and brings out everyone in the house awake to her. She takes these as signs of going crazy and refuses to believe anything her long-dead, skeletal mother tries to tell her or warn her. From here on, the story proceeds to explore her strange, ghostly experiences and uncover hidden truths behind the untimely lapse of her mother.
The author does a great job of developing the background of the characters. Characters, starting from Estelle, boyfriend Martin, to the newly made girlfriend of Gabriel, are all given unique sets of characteristics that are both relatable and interesting to know. Being a dark fantasy thriller book, it creatively engrossed all aspects of romance, friendship, supernatural, affection suspense, and thrill. Neither of the roles was overshadowed by the other. They all had their subplots given equal importance.
The relationships were shown, with their struggles in a way, as organic and realistic as possible. The stress within the lives of each character was relatable and can get any reader to empathize with them. The storyline is credible, even for someone who does not believe in ghosts. I definitely can not get over how hooked the mystery got me.
Naley Gonzalez has written the book in simple and easy English alongside Spanish words and references to Hispanic culture in bits and pieces that readers might need to look up while reading. The pacing of the storyline is set well and doesn’t make you feel either too rushed or too deliberate. Because of its easy progress through the storyline and hooking incidents, I read the entire book in one go.
This book contains a briefly described scene of an attempted sexual assault at a party, profane words, and some scenes of violence at the end. This book has been exceptionally well-edited. I could hardly find any errors. It also gives readers a slight peek into the Hispanic culture and some of the words in its local language. I would recommend this book to young adults above the age of 15. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. It will be an engaging read for anyone who likes paranormal elements, fantasy, and suspense.
******
Like My Mother Before Me
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like My Mother Before Me is a story that revolves around Alize, a teen with her brother Ezra, father Gabriel, godmother Zoraida, and best friend; Estelle. Alize, a freshman year student, loves playing volleyball and is currently trying to keep up with her assignments and good grades to secure a position on the varsity team and a college scholarship. Soon enough, weird things start happening with Alize when she first overhears her father and godmother discussing her possible illness, apparently something worrisome that she has inherited from her mother. This idea gets planted into her head, making her grow curious about it. Then soon enough, the following evening, she encounters a skeletal figure in her father’s study room sitting on his desk and talking. Extremely scared, she also comes across a black shroud of darkness, falls to the floor screaming, and brings out everyone in the house awake to her. She takes these as signs of going crazy and refuses to believe anything her long-dead, skeletal mother tries to tell her or warn her. From here on, the story proceeds to explore her strange, ghostly experiences and uncover hidden truths behind the untimely lapse of her mother.
The author does a great job of developing the background of the characters. Characters, starting from Estelle, boyfriend Martin, to the newly made girlfriend of Gabriel, are all given unique sets of characteristics that are both relatable and interesting to know. Being a dark fantasy thriller book, it creatively engrossed all aspects of romance, friendship, supernatural, affection suspense, and thrill. Neither of the roles was overshadowed by the other. They all had their subplots given equal importance.
The relationships were shown, with their struggles in a way, as organic and realistic as possible. The stress within the lives of each character was relatable and can get any reader to empathize with them. The storyline is credible, even for someone who does not believe in ghosts. I definitely can not get over how hooked the mystery got me.
Naley Gonzalez has written the book in simple and easy English alongside Spanish words and references to Hispanic culture in bits and pieces that readers might need to look up while reading. The pacing of the storyline is set well and doesn’t make you feel either too rushed or too deliberate. Because of its easy progress through the storyline and hooking incidents, I read the entire book in one go.
This book contains a briefly described scene of an attempted sexual assault at a party, profane words, and some scenes of violence at the end. This book has been exceptionally well-edited. I could hardly find any errors. It also gives readers a slight peek into the Hispanic culture and some of the words in its local language. I would recommend this book to young adults above the age of 15. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. It will be an engaging read for anyone who likes paranormal elements, fantasy, and suspense.
******
Like My Mother Before Me
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Requiem For A Queen by Kaylin McFarren
