Official Review: Secrets of the Home Wood by Julie Whitley

[ritah]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Secrets of the Home Wood" by Julie Whitley.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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"Old farmers never die; they just go to seed."

Picture this — your parents get into a heated argument. Shortly after, they both go missing! One after the other. While in your room, you think you’ve seen your dad trailing off and disappearing into the woods that surround your family farm. Filled with uncertainty, you decide to follow and investigate with hopes of finding him and maybe some much-needed answers as to what is going on. Only, that results in you being plunged into a whole new world filled with factions of out-of-this-world creatures that surprisingly lived in harmony eons ago, but are now on the brink of yet another war!

Jonathon finds himself in such a world. Caught in the middle of it in his quest to find his father, he begins to wonder if he’ll ever find his Dad and make it out of this new alternate world alive. It isn’t long before he makes a new friend, Pugg — a San warrior who offers to help him find his Dad. This encounter leads to several other encounters that result in a fascinating and tumultuous turn of events. With one of the three factions of this strange world out for blood and sacrifice, does Jonathon stand a chance? Will his family ever be reunited? And lastly, will the land of the Sans, Maorrrs, and Grues ever know unity and peace again?

Secrets of the Home Wood: The Sacrifice by Julie Whitely is a compelling fantasy adventure novel that hurls readers into a whimsical world, thus taking them on a thrilling journey of the out-of-this-world and the unexpected. This novel is the author's first, which was published by FriesenPress in May of 2015.

The cover of the book is what first drew me to it, and the blurb further piqued my curiosity. I have to say, the content of the book was well worth it. From the very first chapter up to the last, there was never a dull moment. The description of the fantasy world and its creatures were so vivid that my mind easily painted a picture. The author tells the tale from three different perspectives interchangeably in the third person point of view, that of Jonathon, David (Jonathon's father) and that of Sarah (Jonathon’s mother). The author makes it easy for readers to understand whose perspective the narration is on by indicating the name of the character above the account with each person's account ending in suspense (cliffhanger). One couldn't help but wonder what would happen next — I thought this was a brilliant strategy by the author. The book was not only interesting to read; the level of suspense kept me thoroughly engrossed and easily made the book a page-turner.

The characters were well fleshed-out and came alive through their accounts. I found that some of the characters were very likable while others not so much as you’d have it in a tale with elements of good versus evil. I particularly enjoyed the dialogue between different characters which I thought added depth to the story and characters. I also appreciated the smooth flow of the story as it read naturally and didn’t feel forced. I especially liked that the pacing of the narrative masterfully balanced the intensity and action in the story. The fact that the characters' emotions were easily transferred to the reader was a plus for me; I remember feeling anxiety and grief alongside the characters.

The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the lack of paragraph spacing. I thought that a visible new paragraph would have enhanced the ease with which readers transitioned from one character's point of view to another. That being said, the more I read on, I eventually got used to the format.

All in all, I enjoyed reading the book. The setting, characters, and plot worked well in immersing me into a whole new world. I also appreciated that the secondary characters were fascinating and central to the plot. The violence in this novel was moderate as the descriptions of murder and violent actions weren’t too detailed. I recommend this book to young adults and pretty much anyone who would appreciate a unique adventure. Without further ado, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.

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Secrets of the Home Wood
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Like ritah's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Sabina G]

Thanks for your review, I agree that the way in which the author provides each character's perspective is brilliant. I'm adding this book to my to-read shelf sounds like a fascinating adventure.

[The Researcher]

Very nice review Ritah! I am definitely going to add this book to my reading list.

[juliusotinyo]

Sounds like quite the story. Reminds me of Where the Wild Thing Are some movie I saw some 10years ago. Perfect review ritah.

[ritah]

Thanks for your review, I agree that the way in which the author provides each character's perspective is brilliant. I'm adding this book to my to-read shelf sounds like a fascinating adventure.

Yes, it was. I enjoyed it a lot.

-- 17 Sep 2017, 04:41 --

Very nice review Ritah! I am definitely going to add this book to my reading list.

Thank you! It was a worthwhile read.

-- 17 Sep 2017, 05:24 --

Sounds like quite the story. Reminds me of Where the Wild Thing Are some movie I saw some 10years ago. Perfect review ritah.

Thank you. Oh really? Where the Wild Things Are? now I'm curious to watch it esp to see if you got the right impression, sounds interesting too.

[kandscreeley]

This definetly sounds like an intriguing story line. Thanks for a good review.

[ritah]

This definetly sounds like an intriguing story line. Thanks for a good review.

It was, it kept me guessing! Thanks, I appreciate the compliment.

[Donatelloo]

Wow plot seems very interesting.
Great review Ritah

[ritah]

Wow plot seems very interesting.
Great review Ritah

Thank you, I appreciate you taking the time to read my review.

[Donatelloo]

I wanna find out would he be able to find his father ?
I would love to read this book as soon as a I get a chance !!

[ritah]

I wanna find out would he be able to find his father ?
I would love to read this book as soon as a I get a chance !!

It's totally worth it, the level of suspense and adventure is awesome! While I enjoyed reading all 3 point of view, I especially loved reading Sarah's perspective. :

[Marylynn]

Seems like an interesting book. You caught my attention with the way you began your review. Thanks for the great review.

[ritah]

Seems like an interesting book. You caught my attention with the way you began your review. Thanks for the great review.

Thank you very much Marylynn I'm glad the review captured your attention It was an interesting book.

[Marie Kala]

Thanks for the review! I'm such a sucker for a story with vivid details and deep characters- this sounds like a great read.

[ritah]

Thanks for the review! I'm such a sucker for a story with vivid details and deep characters- this sounds like a great read.

Hey, Marie Kala me too! What I enjoyed most in this story was the level of suspense and switching between the characters account at a point when you couldn't resist wondering what would happen next! It was a fun read.