Review of Golden Legacy
Posted: 08 Oct 2022, 13:27
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Golden Legacy" by Robert James Glider.]
Golden Legacy by Robert James Glider follows Jacson Kidd, a former member of the US Defenses. After his best friend, Reg, is killed, he blames himself as he could have saved him if he had been more vigilant. Reg's wife, Abigail, calls Jac after her mother's death suspecting foul play and asking for his assistance. This leads to a series of events unfolding around the treasure that a woman named Anne Cormac had hidden when she was a pirate along with her partner, Mary Read. Abigail is Anne's descendant, and with both parents dead, predators try to claim Abigail's house in order to find the directions to the treasure. Together, Jac and Abigail chased after these predators and the treasure, taking them from California to Miami all the way to the Island of Tortola in the Caribbean, chasing after this hidden treasure along with many other of their friends, some of whom they met on this journey.
I loved how the author expressed the emotions of certain characters with his choice of words. He has a unique writing style when it comes to expressing the characters' emotions. It's hard to describe; you just have to read it yourself; there's this relatability that comes with the characters' reactions to certain plot points being revealed or even concealed, making you go, "yes, that's exactly how I would react". A lot of mainstream literature and media today have fallen so deep down the hyperreality hole that they can't seem to know how to climb out anymore until every once in a while before plummeting back down there among the "average books/movies". The author seems to be immune to this hyper-reality syndrome, and it absolutely made the book a must-read. Another thing that's definitely worth mentioning is the action pacing of the book. A lot of authors tend to start slow, and almost at exactly the midpoint of the story, they try to squash in two more entire arcs so it doesn't end too generically. That is almost always counterproductive, and I was so glad not to have experienced this while reading Golden Legacy. It felt regularly paced, and even if it might have become a tiny bit generic around the ending, sometimes that's all a reader wants.
One thing I didn't particularly like about the book was the way the author narrated the diaries of Mary and Anne. Sometimes you couldn't tell if it was someone reading from the diaries or the actual content of the diaries or if a character was visualising what they thought was the interpretation of the things written there— and this happened often. It was hard to differentiate these, and most times, I just accepted that I couldn't know the difference.
I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars because it encapsulates beautiful characters, great storytelling and an antagonist that actually has reasons for what he is doing and doesn't just hate the protagonist for no reason. I found just a few errors and can confidently say the book was professionally edited. The story was engaging throughout and kept me reading for the most part.
I recommend this to anyone that's even remotely a fan of pirates and the treasure-hunting genre in media. Young boys and girls especially will find this a very thrilling read with the subtle romance here and there to reinforce the love interest that was not very prominent during the beginning, with the action sequences bringing vibrancy to the scenes and the mystery that is slowly uncovered the more we read. It emphasises the power of friendships and the good that can come from working together toward a common goal.
******
Golden Legacy
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Golden Legacy by Robert James Glider follows Jacson Kidd, a former member of the US Defenses. After his best friend, Reg, is killed, he blames himself as he could have saved him if he had been more vigilant. Reg's wife, Abigail, calls Jac after her mother's death suspecting foul play and asking for his assistance. This leads to a series of events unfolding around the treasure that a woman named Anne Cormac had hidden when she was a pirate along with her partner, Mary Read. Abigail is Anne's descendant, and with both parents dead, predators try to claim Abigail's house in order to find the directions to the treasure. Together, Jac and Abigail chased after these predators and the treasure, taking them from California to Miami all the way to the Island of Tortola in the Caribbean, chasing after this hidden treasure along with many other of their friends, some of whom they met on this journey.
I loved how the author expressed the emotions of certain characters with his choice of words. He has a unique writing style when it comes to expressing the characters' emotions. It's hard to describe; you just have to read it yourself; there's this relatability that comes with the characters' reactions to certain plot points being revealed or even concealed, making you go, "yes, that's exactly how I would react". A lot of mainstream literature and media today have fallen so deep down the hyperreality hole that they can't seem to know how to climb out anymore until every once in a while before plummeting back down there among the "average books/movies". The author seems to be immune to this hyper-reality syndrome, and it absolutely made the book a must-read. Another thing that's definitely worth mentioning is the action pacing of the book. A lot of authors tend to start slow, and almost at exactly the midpoint of the story, they try to squash in two more entire arcs so it doesn't end too generically. That is almost always counterproductive, and I was so glad not to have experienced this while reading Golden Legacy. It felt regularly paced, and even if it might have become a tiny bit generic around the ending, sometimes that's all a reader wants.
One thing I didn't particularly like about the book was the way the author narrated the diaries of Mary and Anne. Sometimes you couldn't tell if it was someone reading from the diaries or the actual content of the diaries or if a character was visualising what they thought was the interpretation of the things written there— and this happened often. It was hard to differentiate these, and most times, I just accepted that I couldn't know the difference.
I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars because it encapsulates beautiful characters, great storytelling and an antagonist that actually has reasons for what he is doing and doesn't just hate the protagonist for no reason. I found just a few errors and can confidently say the book was professionally edited. The story was engaging throughout and kept me reading for the most part.
I recommend this to anyone that's even remotely a fan of pirates and the treasure-hunting genre in media. Young boys and girls especially will find this a very thrilling read with the subtle romance here and there to reinforce the love interest that was not very prominent during the beginning, with the action sequences bringing vibrancy to the scenes and the mystery that is slowly uncovered the more we read. It emphasises the power of friendships and the good that can come from working together toward a common goal.
******
Golden Legacy
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon