Official Review: Finding Poe by Leigh M. Lane

MagicToDo930 · Post by **MagicToDo930** » 19 Nov 2016, 22:04

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Finding Poe" by Leigh M. Lane.]

2 out of 4 stars

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Finding Poe is a horror novel written by Leigh M. Lane. In the novel, we are introduced to Karina, a young woman whose husband has just committed suicide and the only thing that was left behind was a letter that was to be delivered to Edgar Allen Poe. Wanting to honor her husband’s final wishes, Karina takes it upon herself to make sure the letter is given to Poe and hopes along the way she can find out the secret behind her husband’s suicide. Traveling from the lighthouse she lived in with Brantley in New England to Baltimore to find Poe, Karina gets more than she bargained for, including finding out the truth about the lighthouse that she once called home. Karina’s world is soon turned upside down between reality and a nightmare and gets to the point where she can’t distinguish which is real.

The title of the book caught my attention immediately as I am a fan of Edgar Allen Poe’s work. I thought it was an interesting concept to use a real person and bring him into a fictional world where the characters had a connection to him. I especially liked how Lane used references to Poe’s work throughout the novel to describe the stories of Karina’s life, particularly the part when she mentioned an incident happening to Karina and Brantley that hinted towards The Tell Tale Heart, my favorite story by Edgar Allen Poe.

Lane wasn’t clear when it came to the plot of the book. Flashbacks of Karina’s life before moving to New England were never separated to what was happening in the present time. I found myself having to go back to previous pages to see if I had missed a part because I was left confused, but I didn’t. The flashbacks were put into random parts of the story, parts where they weren’t needed, but felt they were added for no reason other than to take up space. Along with this, I didn’t like how Lane’s writing never seemed clear whether or not Karina was having a nightmare or actually living this life. I like a story that sets everything up clearly, not leaving you wondering what on earth did you just read, as I felt many times during this book. Not once was it made clear if we were reading an actual event or if Karina was living everything out in her mind.

What I noticed about this novel almost instantly was that Lane had a roundabout way going about the main idea of the book, Karina finding Poe. After all, that was the title, is that what was the topic? In the beginning we see she’s on her way to Baltimore to find Poe then it isn’t until eight more chapters that Poe is even mentioned again. By that point, you’ve almost forgotten she was already on her journey. Perhaps living in the lighthouse with Brantley should’ve been the first part of the book then slowly moved into the journey. Lane also repeated the same introduction of Chapter 1 and Chapter 8. I don’t know what her reasoning for this was, unless it was to remind us what the theme of the book was since it wasn’t mentioned until much letter. I think it would’ve been much better had Chapter 8 tied into the Chapter 1 with some kind of difference.

I rated this book 2 out of 4 stars because I felt it could’ve been written much better had there been no confusion with flashbacks or what was real in Karina’s life. Lane had an interesting concept writing this book and it’s clear that she is a fan of Poe’s work as she brings them out in the book. I just wished the book had more clarity that would’ve made it easier to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Poe’s work and would like to see how it’s incorporated into a horror book all on its own.

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Finding Poe
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kimmyschemy06 · Post by **kimmyschemy06** » 21 Nov 2016, 07:25

That was a very honest review. I also read a few of Edgar Allan Poe's works and I enjoyed them a lot. So, naturally, I would be, initially, interested in this book. Too bad it seems like the book is not as good as you hoped it would be. Great job on the review.

MagicToDo930 · Post by **MagicToDo930** » 21 Nov 2016, 14:52

kimmyschemy06 wrote:That was a very honest review. I also read a few of Edgar Allan Poe's works and I enjoyed them a lot. So, naturally, I would be, initially, interested in this book. Too bad it seems like the book is not as good as you hoped it would be. Great job on the review.

Thank you. Yes I was really hoping this book was going to be good. But the only part that was my favorite was Poe's works mentioned.

Silvermoon · Post by **Silvermoon** » 21 Nov 2016, 16:15

Your review is honest and gives me a little pause. I have started reading the book and found it fascinating, but I have only gotten to the second chapter.

MagicToDo930 · Post by **MagicToDo930** » 21 Nov 2016, 16:17

Silvermoon wrote:Your review is honest and gives me a little pause. I have started reading the book and found it fascinating, but I have only gotten to the second chapter.

That was exactly how I felt too with it. Got excited and then it just started to go downhill from there

MarisaRose · Post by **MarisaRose** » 22 Nov 2016, 09:14

This is a great review - very honest. Too bad this book didn't live up to it's potential, sounds like it could have been a great read.

MagicToDo930 · Post by **MagicToDo930** » 22 Nov 2016, 10:53

MarisaRose wrote:This is a great review - very honest. Too bad this book didn't live up to it's potential, sounds like it could have been a great read.

That's how I felt while reading it, especially after reading the summary. I kept thinking it would get better as I read it, but sadly it just got worse.