Official Review: Elvis Blue by Lee Roberts
Posted: 17 Jul 2018, 13:44
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Elvis Blue" by Lee Roberts.]
2 out of 4 stars
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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!
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!
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...