Review of Before the Aurora

[José Cortez]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Before the Aurora" by Susan J Doyle.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Before the Aurora is a fictional book written by Susan J Doyle. It was intentionally divided into thirty-seven chapters and written in two hundred and four pages. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions. I cried at so many points in this book.

Susan tells a story of a boy named Frankie, who grew up in an abusive home. He watched his father abuse his mum, who eventually left him. Carol Ann and her children became his new family. The monster was murdered by his family. Her story depicts a tale of a boy who survived to become a better person against all odds. Mrs. Neary played a key role in his life.

My favorite part of the story is the storyline. The author's writing skill is admirable. I was able to read the all-around life of Frankie, both his ups and downs. I cried at so many points because of the situation he was currently in. Being a little boy and subjected to such circumstances was not so pleasant to read, but it depicted the ugly reality of our society. The relationship between Mrs. Neary and Frankie is very beautiful to read. She was like a mother who stood by him against all odds and even willed her house to him.

I enjoyed reading the love story between Frankie and Madelyn. It was a beautiful part of the book. The book was written in simple sentences, and the punctuation trend employed in the book made it very easy to read and understand. I liked the topics attached to the top of each chapter. It gave an insight into the content. I was very emotional reading his jail term stories. Sometimes I had to remind myself that this was a fictional story. The book gives a lesson on the adverse effects of growing up in an abusive home. It was a good book, and I enjoyed reading it.

One part of the story I did not particularly enjoy was how the chapters were divided. They were very short and would have been better if some had been merged. The paragraphs in the book were very inconsistent. Some sentences in the book were cut in between to become paragraphs. These parts should be revisited and edited properly.

I will rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. My reason for deducting a star is that the sentences and paragraphs were incoherent. Some sentences were cut short into paragraphs. I did not give the book a lower rating due to the negative aspects I found.

I will gladly recommend this book to adults to read and understand the adverse effects of abusive homes on our children. It should not be read by children as some contents are unsuitable for their age.

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Before the Aurora
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[Lisa Park17]

What are the secrets told? What are the secrets told? What are the secrets kept? My curiosity has been piqued! I'll go ahead to pick up a copy. Thanks for the good review.

[Amy Luman]

This is my favorite genre. The only thing I dislike about it is how many of the novels start out with abuse or some other nasty occurrence.I suppose that this serves to point the characters in the way of the story.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like a tough story but there's hope as well considering that Frankie overcomes huge adversities. I hope the author does another round of editing to fix the issues you pointed out. Thank you for your great review!