Official Review: Jeremiah Jericho: Allowance

Julehart1 · Post by **Julehart1** » 15 Sep 2019, 22:23

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Jeremiah Jericho: Allowance" by Azariah Scott.]

2 out of 4 stars

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Jeremiah Jericho: Allowance is a science fiction and a coming-of-age story for young adults. It’s written by Azariah Scott. Jeremiah is a regular sixteen-year-old boy, except for the fact that he receives a computer chip in his brain that is left to him by his father. The chip allows him to read and manipulate people’s minds. He can also hear and have internal conversations with the chip. Jeremiah finds himself on the run from the government, who will do anything to get the chip away from him. Can Jeremiah save himself and protect the people he cares about from the government and other evil forces? Can he use his new superpower to help other people, or is the chip more of a curse that hurts people around him? Find out the answers to these questions in this first installment of a future trilogy.

I liked the premise of the book and found the concept of a boy with a huge superpower very intriguing. I was curious to see how the story would unfold. The way his power could both help and hurt people around him was compelling. It also helped that Jeremiah seemed like an interesting character that had a lot of layers to him. His relationships with his mother, brother, and grandfather were pretty well-developed. I was also drawn into the storyline about Jeremiah’s father and what really happened to him.

One of the issues that I had with the book was all of the internal dialogue. The book’s format and all of Jeremiah’s communication with the chip in his head were confusing. It didn’t help that there were other voices and characters in Jeremiah’s head that I don’t want to spoil about. All of the internal voices and the way they were written made it very difficult to follow the plot and really hurt the reading flow I had. It became a very tedious read after a while.

Another issue that I had was that there seemed to be too much going on in the story. There were numerous things to focus on. Some of them were: the evil government, terrorists, PATH agents, and also all of the abuse storylines with the people Jeremiah tried to help. Additionally, there was drama with his grandfather and the mystery of what happened to his father. All of those storylines had some interesting aspects, but most went unresolved. So, this seemed like more of a setup book for future installments than a book that could stand on its own. Not only was there no resolution to anything, but there was also no real conclusion. The book just ended at a very random point.

I’m rating this book 2 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed both the premise and concept of the novel. I found Jeremiah a compelling character. There were also storylines that intrigued me. The book was professionally edited but did have some formatting issues. I’m taking two stars away because I didn’t like all of the internal dialogue and found it confusing and annoying. It really hurt the reading flow I had. I also thought that there was too much going on with no resolution to anything. I found some of the themes of the book to be too dark for teenagers and also think teens will be easily confused by the weird formatting and some storylines. I would recommend this book for adults who like science fiction books about teens and don’t mind a lot of internal dialogue.

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Jeremiah Jericho: Allowance
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Kelyn · Post by **Kelyn** » 23 Sep 2019, 22:58

Ouch. It sounds like this book could definitely use some work. I love the premise of a computer chip that could be an inherited trait. That's a unique take on the whole sci-fi 'computer chip' trope. Normally, I don't have a problem with internal dialogue. I'm pretty good at sorting it out, and I'm VERY curious about those other voices in his head. I may have to give this one a look despite the drawbacks! Thanks for the very intriguing review!

Post by **Ngozi Onyibor** » 24 Sep 2019, 02:11

The premise seems alluring, the concept of the implanted chip especially. Like most stories with too much going on, I'm not surprised the plot went nowhere; it takes a certain level of expertise to weld different storylines to a cohesive end.

Rachel Lea · Post by **Rachel Lea** » 24 Sep 2019, 06:07

This book sounds like it has a lot of promise. Hopefully, further editing will sort out the issues that you described. Thanks for your honest review!

KDJ · Post by **KDJ** » 24 Sep 2019, 18:01

Thank you for your review. The ability to read and manipulate other people's minds sounds interesting. It is good that Jeremiah's and other characters were well-developed. The fact that you mention unresolved plot lines is bothersome, more so than the internal dialogue. Thank you for your recommendation.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 24 Sep 2019, 19:11

I definitely agree that the formatting needed a lot of work (I read this one too). I liked the premise, though. Your review was similar to mine. Thanks for your thoughts.

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 25 Sep 2019, 11:19

The premise of this book is fascinating - and maybe not too far from what may be coming in the future?? I hope the author polishes this book. This trilogy has potential. Thanks for the review.

Meg98 · Post by **Meg98** » 28 Sep 2019, 22:04

This sounds like a promising read but unfortunately failed on some of the execution. It is a shame as I love the premise as well. Great review! Cheers:)

Kaitlyn Canedy · Post by **Kaitlyn Canedy** » 04 Oct 2019, 23:25

The concept of the chip in Jeremiah's brain is really interesting; it is unique that's for sure! What turned me off was the part about the unresolved plot lines. When I watch a movie, I never want cliffhangers! You did say that this is one in a trilogy, so maybe I just have to wait until the other two come out before I read this one.

tristenb · Post by **tristenb** » 30 Oct 2019, 12:46

The premise of the story is certainly intriguing. If there was a chip that allowed people to read and control minds, the govenrment would certainly be after it. I would love to know what happens to Jeremiah and the chip. I can understand the problems that you had with the book, especially the confusing dialogue. Hopefully, the rest of the trilogy will answer the rest of your questions and tie everything up well. I do not really like it when authors leave too much hanging for another book or when it just seems to stop at a random place. Thanks for your review!