Review of Stone Soup

[Sonia_Gonzalez]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Stone Soup" by E. B. Mann.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Green Eyes has silver eyelashes, shimmering hair, and bright green eyes, from which her name comes. She has always been different, and her mother has made sure to let her know how ugly she is. Everything that Green Eyes wants is her mother’s love, but she has been suffering at her hand, or that of "The Beast" that hides inside her, for too long. The truth is, more than a daughter, she feels like a slave, but if that is what she needs to be to make her mother proud and happy, she’s okay with it. One day, on her journey back from the village to the cottage where she lives with her mother, she encounters two mystical friends who will make her question if she is living the life she was meant to live. Read Stone Soup by E.B. Mann to find out about Green Eyes’ journey.

I was surprised by this book, something that is not easy to do. I loved reading it and discovering the world, and Green Eyes identified at her side, as I was not able to predict what was going to happen. The book is nicely written, with simple language and a likeable character. The author’s attention to detail and descriptions are spectacular; I felt like I was traveling along Green Eyes for the entire book. I wish I could say there is nothing negative I can say about this book, because I truly wanted to love it, as I was reaching the ending I wanted to make every critique about it but unfortunately I cannot.

The book repeats some details with very similar phrasing, and I could not understand the purpose of doing this; it seems like the author and editor did not pay attention to this. While the book is nicely written, there were some parts, especially at the beginning of the book, that felt slow and boring, almost making me fall asleep. This got corrected, but the first chapters were the hardest to read; ironically, they were also the shortest. The book also has a time jump that left me wondering about what happened, which I would have loved reading, but I can also create a small story to fill the gaps.

Because of everything I said, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. While I did like this book, it needs some editing to adjust the pace and correct some errors I found. The book is good; this rating does not mean the book is bad, and I feel terrible giving it a low rating because I did like the plot. I did like Green Eyes, but it just needs some work and editing. Having an amazing plot and a nice writing style is not enough to make a book excellent; you need to be able to captivate the reader's attention from the first page and not make them struggle to read the end.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy science fiction, magic, and self-discovery. This book is suitable for both teenagers and adults, but it might be more enjoyable for teenagers as Green Eyes is getting to discover who she really is and is a younger character that might teach some valuable lessons to younger audiences.

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Stone Soup
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[Alexander Victoria]

I’m sure there would be a reason why Green Eyes looked the way she did. Maybe she’s a mythical being too, who knows? Why did her mom hate her then? I’ll like to know.