Official Review: The Free Girl by Christopher Gary Hastings

[Hhannahh]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Free Girl" by Christopher Gary Hastings.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Marie was the only girl in a family of six children. Growing up, she learned to do things that other girls didn't do, like fighting. She was the ideal modern young woman; she believed in herself and valued her liberty greatly. In addition to being hardworking and determined, Marie was also kindhearted and remarkably beautiful. On the subject of marriage, Marie is skeptical and questions the real purpose of the institution. Nevertheless, she agrees to marry the love of her life, Bastien, but not before he assures her that she would always be at liberty to do her will. There is hope of happily ever after, but this hope might only be a mirage. Miles away from France, Marie's country, a creature of death regains its freedom after years of captivity in the tomb of an ancient pharaoh, and only the freest heart can appease its rage. Set in France, in the latter part of the 19th century, The Free Girl revolved around the themes of family, freedom, and sacrifice.

This book was not perfect, but its plot was impressive. The book unfolded from multiple perspectives and with multiple plots, which was intriguing. But more impressive was how the subplots merged with the main plot. With the introduction of each subplot, I feared that I would lose track of events, and I questioned the essence of the constant diversion from the main plot. However, by the end of the book, my question was answered with a revelatory plot twist that left me satisfied but stunned. Days after completing the book, I still pondered on the outcome of the story. The sequence of events was not chronological; rather the narrative meandered from present to past through flashbacks. Considering its moderate length, this book had numerous characters, only a few of which were well-developed. Nonetheless, every character was relevant in the story. Spiked with some suspense, The Free Girl by Christopher Gary Hastings was an interesting read.

This book was, however, not without shortcomings. Firstly, the tone of the book was bland, especially for such an action-driven narrative. It should have been active instead of passive—more showing, less telling. Secondly, the book was questionably unrealistic to some extent. On one hand, there were some unbelievable scenes, like where Marie singlehandedly overpowered five men with barely any injury on her. And on the other hand, there were several brow-raising coincidences, especially the timely 'interventions' by the Nguyen family. Also noteworthy was the hasty wrap-up of this book. Towards the end, there was a sudden switch from historical fiction/romance to horror, and the characters acted quite off. It felt like I was reading a different book.

I'm rating this book 3 out of 4 stars. I contemplated rating it two stars because of the above-mentioned flaws, but the editing was good (I noticed less than ten errors), and the story itself was also good, although I would describe it as an unusual story. If the necessary improvements are made, this book could earn a perfect rating.

Anyone who enjoys fiction with a bit of suspense, romance, and drama may enjoy this book. Note that there was a very gory scene towards the end of the book.

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The Free Girl
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[Kavita Shah]

The cover has the statue of liberty which fits the title, The Free girl. The story is unusual and It could have been just about Marie and no need for the death creature. But that's the tricky part which I find interesting. Thank you for a great review!

[Hhannahh]

The cover has the statue of liberty which fits the title, The Free girl. The story is unusual and It could have been just about Marie and no need for the death creature. But that's the tricky part which I find interesting. Thank you for a great review!

You just hit the nail on the head. This book could have easily been about just Marie, but then something much tricky come to play.
Thank you for commenting.

[Reader-247]

An nice review but feels like the author is melding two storylines together i m going to pass on this one.

[Ayru_kv]

One of the best review i ever read but since i am not really into the plot from what i have understood from the review i think i'll pass on this one

[Dzejn_Crvena]

As the only girl among 4 siblings, the first part got me.
When you mentioned the unrealistic parts, I'm reminded of some anime action scenes I watched.
The first part sounds like the only optimistic portion in the book, and then the genre of the story escalated quickly.
Great review!

[Chigo Nwagboso]

I totally enjoyed the storyline, and this is the type of book I'd love to read. Great review.

[PeterRabitt20]

The story has lots of build-up, with the setting, the plot and so on. It seems to start one way, and then it goes another direction. Interesting. Sometimes, that's a good thing. Thanks for the review!

[Nihala Nazer]

I am a fan of the ‘all subplots merging into a single plot’trope , so when I came across that line of yours where you mention it,I dedcided to give it a read. However when I read that the genre slightly shifts into horror,I am afraid to give it a go since I don’t even like horror genre a bit. What can I do?

[Kennedy NC]

A book that highlights the importance of family, freedom and sacrifice, great review.

[Hhannahh]

One of the best review i ever read but since i am not really into the plot from what i have understood from the review i think i'll pass on this one

Thank you for your kind comment.

[Hhannahh]

I totally enjoyed the storyline, and this is the type of book I'd love to read. Great review.

Thank you for sharing such a beautiful review.

As the only girl among 4 siblings, the first part got me.
When you mentioned the unrealistic parts, I'm reminded of some anime action scenes I watched.
The first part sounds like the only optimistic portion in the book, and then the genre of the story escalated quickly.
Great review!

Thank you for commenting.

[Chisom oguejiofor]

The blend of genres in this book is brow-raising, but besides that, the storyline is interesting. Great review.