Official Review: This Thing Called Life by Ashshajuanna

[Kourtney Bradley]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "This Thing Called Life" by Ashshajuanna.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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This Thing Called Life is fiction novel written by Ashshajuanna and published in May of 2015. This is the first book in a three part series by the author. The book starts off following 12 year old Hydeia in 2005. The young girl is badly mistreated by people in her life, including her own mother. She suffers from severe self esteem issues, as well as living in poverty and having to deal with severe hunger. The title of the book is very fitting, and accurately describes the content in the story.

At the ripe young age of 12, Hydeia is forced to learn how to care for herself due to the lack of her mother's presence at home. She experiences bullying while in school due to the filty clothes she wears, and when she returns home she spends most of that time foraging through the cabinets for food. Fortunately for Hydeia, she is blessed with a loving best friend who does anything she can to help. She is given hand-me-downs, warm meals, and an occasional place to sleep from her generous friend Zeilla's mother and grandmother on a regular basis.

Hydeia quickly learns that she has to rely on herself to make a better life. We follow her through tough decisions, heartbreaking realizations, and the already difficult task of growing up in a poverty filled life. She is faced with making the choice of walking away and moving on with her own life, or trying to forgive those who have done her wrong.

Overall, This Thing Called Life was a good read which had really positive potential. The story line is definitely there and is a great story to tell about forgiveness, revenge, and all things in between. However, I felt that the emotion that was portrayed in the book was a little forced and didn't seem realistic. Growing up with a mother who has made some of the same decisions that Hydeia's has, I know this can be devastatingly emotional, but it seemed like the main character was able to "move on" from the issues a little quickly. However, with this being a Young Adult novel, it may actually prove a little more fitting so that the story is not portrayed as dark.

I enjoyed reading about the main character Hydeia, because she is so strong and independent at such a young age. Even though she often wishes she had what other kids her age have, she never let jealousy and spite get in the way of some true friendships she developed. I am also a fan of how her self esteem starts to boost as she ages, which is great for a young adult book so that readers of that genre can see how important it is to love yourself.

After careful thought, I've decided to give This Thing Called Life a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. It did leave me wanting to read the next two in the series, and I will continue with them to see how the story turns. The author has great potential, and I hope to see more from her to see how she advances at a writer. I really enjoyed this book, and it all flowed together well even with it being spanned over a few years time.

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This Thing Called Life
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Like klbradley's review? Post a comment saying so!

[AA1495]

sounds good! Glad you enjoyed it. thanks for the review ?

[ebeth]

Sounds interesting. Great Review!

[Kourtney Bradley]

sounds good! Glad you enjoyed it. thanks for the review ?

Thank you!

-- September 18th, 2016, 8:04 pm --

Sounds interesting. Great Review!

Thank you!

[CrescentMoon]

This book sounds really deep and heart-warming. I love it when characters in a book have huge improvements in self-esteem throughout the novel, it really makes the book so satisfying to read. Great review!

[Kourtney Bradley]

This book sounds really deep and heart-warming. I love it when characters in a book have huge improvements in self-esteem throughout the novel, it really makes the book so satisfying to read. Great review!

I totally agree! A satisfying conclusion makes all the difference sometimes! Thank you!

[Serena [Poetree]]

Great review! Sounds like a very good book minus the unrealistic emotions.

[Kourtney Bradley]

Great review! Sounds like a very good book minus the unrealistic emotions.

Thank you!