OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Luna Tree" by Maya Berger.]

Luna Tree tells the story of author Maya Berger, a Croatian woman who was struck by a mysterious illness shortly after getting married to the man of her dreams. When her condition deteriorates to the point that it prevents her from conceiving a child, Maya embarks on a journey to restore her physical and spiritual health, and ultimately finds healing in an ancient Eastern technique.

I chose to read Luna Tree because I felt that I could relate to Maya's story. I, too, have dealt with chronic health problems that were only resolved when I turned to alternative medicine. While my issues have not been as severe as Maya's, I greatly sympathized with her struggle to find treatments that could bring her relief. I enjoyed reading Maya's story, and I admire her persistence in seeking out a treatment that would alleviate her symptoms and enable her to conceive a child. That being said, I regret to say that the book could use some improvement.

The book's biggest drawback is the sloppy editing. In the acknowledgements, Maya thanks her editors for their help, but the quality of their work is questionable. The book is filled with grammatical errors and lacks detail in certain places. I don't blame the author, as she clearly states that English is not her first language, but I would suggest that she find a different editor to look over the book. The story has so much potential, but the errors are a major distraction.

I was also disappointed by the fact that Maya did not go into detail about the healing method that brought about her recovery. She calls it Energy, and stresses its multiple benefits throughout the book, but doesn't really describe what it is and how it works, other than providing a very brief description in the introduction (which wasn't very helpful). As I read, questions about Energy kept popping up in my mind, and I was disappointed that they weren't answered.

In spite of the book's drawbacks, I have to say that I really enjoyed the tone of the book. Maya writes in the first person, with a conversational style that has the feel of chatting with a friend over coffee. Maya's talent as a writer is obvious, and it's my belief that the problems with the book stem from the fact that she is not a native English speaker, rather than any deficit in her writing abilities.

Luna Tree is a book with great potential, but I give it only 2 out of 4 stars for the grammatical errors and lack of certain details. Sadly, I can't recommend it to anyone in its current state, but with some quality editing, I believe that this book could really shine.

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Luna Tree
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Like LivreAmour217's review? Post a comment saying so!

This story sounds very moving and emotional. I'm sorry that it didn't live up to its potential. I'm sure it would've been a very powerful book otherwise. Thanks for the review!

CrescentMoon wrote:This story sounds very moving and emotional. I'm sorry that it didn't live up to its potential. I'm sure it would've been a very powerful book otherwise. Thanks for the review!

Thank you, CrescentMoon! This book has tremendous potential, and I hope that the author finds a good editor!

Great well-written and honest review, LivreAmour217! It's sad that the editors didn't catch the grammatical errors you found. I also hope the author finds a good editor because it looks like it has a good premise.

I want to thank you for sharing the personal detail about your life - needing to use alternative medicine due to chronic health problems. I hope you're doing alright now.

Thank you for the wonderful review!

I agree with @hsimone that this is a fantastic review. I really like that you shared the personal reason you decided to read this book. I really wish the author shared the exact method she used to have such a positive result.

hsimone wrote:Great well-written and honest review, LivreAmour217! It's sad that the editors didn't catch the grammatical errors you found. I also hope the author finds a good editor because it looks like it has a good premise.

I want to thank you for sharing the personal detail about your life - needing to use alternative medicine due to chronic health problems. I hope you're doing alright now.

Thank you for the wonderful review!

Thank you for your kind words, Hsimone! I am glad that you enjoyed reading my review. And yes, I am feeling much better--it's amazing what the right treatment can do!

-- 05 Apr 2016, 13:19 --

bluemel4 wrote:I agree with @hsimone that this is a fantastic review. I really like that you shared the personal reason you decided to read this book. I really wish the author shared the exact method she used to have such a positive result.

Thank you, Bluemel4! I am really hoping that the author rewrites the book with more detail as well. She had a serious condition, and many readers will want to know the specifics of her treatments.

Good, honest review. The story itself sounds great and like one I'd really like. Unfortunately, poor editing is a huge distraction for me, so I'd probably pass on it in it's current form. Hopefully the author takes some time to fix it because it does sound like a really special story.

Shelle wrote:Good, honest review. The story itself sounds great and like one I'd really like. Unfortunately, poor editing is a huge distraction for me, so I'd probably pass on it in it's current form. Hopefully the author takes some time to fix it because it does sound like a really special story.

Thanks for reading my review, Shelle. You summed up my feelings exactly! I, too, have very little tolerance for poor editing (hence the two-star rating) but the story had so much promise.

Thank you for sharing and for the well-writing review.

gali wrote:Thank you for sharing and for the well-writing review.

Thanks, Gali!

Sounds like a very promising book. Too bad, though, about the errors. Great job on the review.

kimmyschemy06 wrote:Sounds like a very promising book. Too bad, though, about the errors. Great job on the review.

Thank you, Kimmy!

Thanks for the review. Cheers!

samsam wrote:Thanks for the review. Cheers!

You are welcome

Hopefully some extra editing will happen, because this does seem like a promising book. Errors like that can really drag down a book and make it harder to get invested in it. Good job on posting both the positives and negatives!