Review of The House of Spark
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Marsha JJ
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Review of The House of Spark
[Following is a volunteer review of "The House of Spark" by Luminita Laflash.]
Luminita LaFlash’s The House of Spark is an intriguing thriller that is set in Romania in the 1950s. The Soviet Union occupied Romania at this time, and they ruled the country with the help of their Securitate, a secret force that monitored citizens for signs of rebellion. As the narrative begins, a woman rushes in front of a car carrying the President. She then screams for him to help her. The tension of this moment is palpable. Looking backward from this moment, the author weaves a story about what led to this event. There’s a clear sense of the power that the Soviet Union held over the Romanians, and it was obvious that this created fear among its citizens. The plot focuses on the search for a missing man. There may have been foul play involved in his disappearance. Virginia, the main protagonist, collaborates with her friends to try and solve this mystery. They follow clues, track down possible leads, and put themselves at risk to get an answer.
This was a book that drew me into the story right away. It was easy to get wrapped up in the drama when one of the characters suddenly disappeared. I enjoy stories that give the reader a great sense of the time and place of the story, and this one was successful in doing so. I appreciated learning more about Romania under communist rule. The novel had a strong plot, good character development, and a sophisticated writing style. There were some good twists and turns in the story that added to its intrigue. This is a great debut novel for the author, and I find it interesting that it was inspired by historical events in her family. Overall, I thought this was an excellent book.
I had no major criticisms of the book. The only minor issue I had was that I found it a little difficult to read the PDF with the provided layout. It had two pages side by side. My reading preference is to focus on one page at a time. However, this was a minor point.
This was a beautifully told story. In addition, the book was also professionally edited with minimal errors. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars for all the above reasons.
The House of Spark is for enthusiasts of historical novels or books that integrate a sense of a past era. I recommend it to readers who enjoy intrigue and the challenge of trying to solve a mystery with clues. Given that this book involves content about the occupation of Romania by the Soviet Union, readers who are following current events might find the parallels to our current world affairs to be especially interesting.
******
The House of Spark
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Luminita LaFlash’s The House of Spark is an intriguing thriller that is set in Romania in the 1950s. The Soviet Union occupied Romania at this time, and they ruled the country with the help of their Securitate, a secret force that monitored citizens for signs of rebellion. As the narrative begins, a woman rushes in front of a car carrying the President. She then screams for him to help her. The tension of this moment is palpable. Looking backward from this moment, the author weaves a story about what led to this event. There’s a clear sense of the power that the Soviet Union held over the Romanians, and it was obvious that this created fear among its citizens. The plot focuses on the search for a missing man. There may have been foul play involved in his disappearance. Virginia, the main protagonist, collaborates with her friends to try and solve this mystery. They follow clues, track down possible leads, and put themselves at risk to get an answer.
This was a book that drew me into the story right away. It was easy to get wrapped up in the drama when one of the characters suddenly disappeared. I enjoy stories that give the reader a great sense of the time and place of the story, and this one was successful in doing so. I appreciated learning more about Romania under communist rule. The novel had a strong plot, good character development, and a sophisticated writing style. There were some good twists and turns in the story that added to its intrigue. This is a great debut novel for the author, and I find it interesting that it was inspired by historical events in her family. Overall, I thought this was an excellent book.
I had no major criticisms of the book. The only minor issue I had was that I found it a little difficult to read the PDF with the provided layout. It had two pages side by side. My reading preference is to focus on one page at a time. However, this was a minor point.
This was a beautifully told story. In addition, the book was also professionally edited with minimal errors. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars for all the above reasons.
The House of Spark is for enthusiasts of historical novels or books that integrate a sense of a past era. I recommend it to readers who enjoy intrigue and the challenge of trying to solve a mystery with clues. Given that this book involves content about the occupation of Romania by the Soviet Union, readers who are following current events might find the parallels to our current world affairs to be especially interesting.
******
The House of Spark
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Tyler's Promised Gift by M. C. Abushar
