Official Review: Elvis Blue by Lee Roberts

[Heidi M Simone]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Elvis Blue" by Lee Roberts.]

---

2 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Would you chase after a ghost? What if, by accident, you stumbled upon a murderer instead? Come find out what happens in the young adult read, Elvis Blue by Lee Roberts, where crime, mystery, and a dash of paranormal can be found. Themes of friendship, teamwork, loyalty, and revenge can also be found within the book’s pages.

Elvis and his friends join together to investigate the supposed haunted Simmons house. It is said there are ghosts, and perhaps treasure, still within its walls after the murderer, Josiah Simmons, disappeared. Between dealing with teenage hormones, a somewhat rough life at home, and a murderer on the loose, Elvis has much on his mind. Will he and his group be able to help solve the recent murders? Is there a connection between today’s murders and to the ones that happened nearly forty years ago?

Written in alternating character perspectives, the reader follows two different storylines until the two eventually merge into one. There were times when the plot was fast-paced, while other times slower. In general, my favorite portions of the book were the scenes held within the Simmons house and the threat of a potential ghost nearby. My curiosity was piqued while the teenagers attempted to figure out if there was an actual entity in the house. The only flaw with these scenes was there weren’t enough of them.

On the other hand, there were scenes that were inconsequential to the plot. For instance, a random neighborhood soccer game with several new characters, who we don’t see again, were introduced; a pool scene where it featured the talk of girls in bikinis and seemed to only serve the purpose of enticing teenage boys; and scenes where topics such as, “Swiss whale sperm”, were discussed. None of these added to plot, and, in fact, took away from the storyline.

When looking at the characters, most of them were one-dimensional, with the exception of one who showed some growth toward the end. The protagonist, Elvis, and his friends, Monk and Maria, were easy enough to remember, but the other two teenagers, Isaac and Derek, were indistinguishable from one another. I also had a challenging time remembering who was the detective and who was the suspect. This could be because the author used both first and last names to refer to one character. For instance, Detective Manny Palmero was referenced both as "Manny" and "Palmero" interchangeably throughout. This happened with the suspect, as well.

There is another aspect of the book that I feel is important to mention. That is, its message of gender stereotypes. Perhaps this was unintentional, but the way women were portrayed here was not positive. Not only were there multiple times where one girl was referred to as “perky” and a “crazy sleaze”, there was mention of “keeping it all in your mouth”. Yes, there were several hormonal teenage boys in the story, but there were also women who stereotyped genders to an extreme. For instance, one adult female said to a teenage girl, “That’s why us girls have to stay beautiful in case another good man comes along.” (page 177) and to use “physical charms” to get boys to notice. There is also mention how men are all the same, always hide their emotions, and carry secrets. Due to this being young adult, the message the book sends to both boys and girls is concerning.

After much consideration, and the fact that there were several punctuation errors here, I grant this book a 2 out of 4 stars. Perhaps those who enjoy simple young adult reads and aren’t influenced by gender stereotypes would enjoy this one.

******
Elvis Blue
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like hsimone's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Corhan2]

Thanks for this thorough review. The story line sounds exciting. That being said, I do not like the fact that women are not portrayed in a positive way and share your concern regarding the message the book sends to young adults.

[Rw20x]

I agree with the reviewer, I think that gender stereotypes shouldn't be reinforced this way especially if this book's genre is classed as a young adult book as it definitely sends the wrong message!

[MsTri]

I'd seen this on the list, too, and considered reading it, now thanks to your review, I'm still on the fence, ha-ha! I also don't like the idea of the gender stereotyping, and the thought of having non-integral scenes is a turn-off, yet I'm still interested in the plot; I love ghost stories and tales that have ties between the past and the present... Thanks for the review; you've given me a lot of food for thought.

[Cecilia_L]

I can't help but notice how many reviews (including my own,) mention the portrayal of weak female characters. It's a shame that this is so common. I appreciate your candid review!

[Heidi M Simone]

Thanks for this thorough review. The story line sounds exciting. That being said, I do not like the fact that women are not portrayed in a positive way and share your concern regarding the message the book sends to young adults.

I agree, the storyline, in general, is interesting, but the stereotyping here was something that I did not appreciate and enjoy, especially when considering young adults.

Thank you for reading.

[Heidi M Simone]

I agree with the reviewer, I think that gender stereotypes shouldn't be reinforced this way especially if this book's genre is classed as a young adult book as it definitely sends the wrong message!

Thank you for reading, and I share the same concerns.

[Heidi M Simone]

I'd seen this on the list, too, and considered reading it, now thanks to your review, I'm still on the fence, ha-ha! I also don't like the idea of the gender stereotyping, and the thought of having non-integral scenes is a turn-off, yet I'm still interested in the plot; I love ghost stories and tales that have ties between the past and the present... Thanks for the review; you've given me a lot of food for thought.

Oh no! Yeah, the stereotyping and non-integral scenes definitely affected my enjoyment of the book. If it helps, there weren't very many ghost scenes, unfortunately, so if you're looking for something that digs into paranormal, this might not be the one...

[Heidi M Simone]

I can't help but notice how many reviews (including my own,) mention the portrayal of weak female characters. It's a shame that this is so common. I appreciate your candid review!

I know! We should be reinforcing the different strengths in people, especially woman, and not treat them so poorly. It's just so disheartening to read something so new and still women are treated as eye-candy rather than real people. Anyway, I appreciate you reading my review, thank you!

[Kat Berg]

Such blatant gender stereotyping as detailed are an immediate no-go for me. They destroy any ability I have to enjoy the book. It is such a relief to me that there has been some positive change since I was a young adult in the ways gender and sex are portrayed. For me, these kinds of books shove us back in time. The thought process still exists, but a balance of that reality with other points of view is crucial. Thanks for your review.

[Bonnie Shelby]

The irrelevant scenes, the one-dimensional characters, and the stereotypes will, unfortunately, be keeping me from reading this book. Thanks for the heads up in this great review!

[EvaDar]

Written in alternating character perspectives, the reader follows two different storylines until the two eventually merge into one.

Thank you for a very comprehensive review. I love writers who know how to execute two alternating characters. It is hard to do. I enjoy observing the arc of two seemingly unrelated lives intersecting in a compelling way. I think I would enjoy this one. I really enjoyed your review.

[Hobbes]

I agree! The female characters were portrayed as weak and it bothered me!

[O3islyman]

As someone else who reviewed this book, I completely agree with what is said here. The interchangeable names like Manny and Detective Palmero were a bit distracting and I also sensed the alarming terms that were used to describe girls here. But other than that, I did enjoy the plot.

[dorebri2020]

I read this book when I first joined this site, and I absolutely agree with what you said. I particularly disliked the way the girls were displayed.