Official Review: Jeremiah Jericho: Allowance

Post by **kandscreeley** » 27 Jul 2019, 14:57

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Jeremiah Jericho: Allowance" by Azariah Scott.]

2 out of 4 stars

Share This Review

Jeremiah Jericho just turned sixteen. This sweet sixteen he won't get a car like others his age. Instead, he discovers that his dad has left him a chip that allows him to see the thoughts of others and manipulate their feelings. Now, not only must he learn to use his new gift, but he must also avoid the government who wants to get their hands on this technology. Happy Birthday, Jeremiah.

Jeremiah Jericho: Allowance by Azariah Scott is a young adult science fiction. With around 475 pages, the book is a medium length read, as internal dialogue takes up quite a bit of space in the pages. There are adult themes in the book, so I would only recommend it for mature teenagers.

I liked the premise of the book: a boy who's still going through puberty thrust into special abilities and intrigue. Jeremiah is an average teenager who just wants to fit in. The secondary characters are fun and different; several of them appear as voices in Jeremiah's head. The novel has humorous moments to break up the seriousness.

Though this book deals with futuristic technology, it's more of a coming of age book. There are undertones of dealing with abusive relationships as well. Jeremiah's own family has relationship problems as do many of those he helps with his gift. The details aren't explicit, but the themes are dark. The abuse is realistically portrayed, which means it doesn't always have a positive outcome.

The formatting could use work, as it was tedious to read. To show different internal dialogue, one voice was left-justified and another right. Because of the way it was written, there were unnecessary line breaks, which made me lose the flow of the story. Also, some words ran together, causing me to believe this was not professionally edited.

My other complaint was the randomness of some of the interactions. I found myself having to reread passages multiple times to glean the details needed to move on with the story. If I struggled, I know young adults would.

One last point. This book is another one that seems to stop. Nothing is wrapped up; I guess you'd call it a cliffhanger, but the author didn't even try to come to a good stopping point. I kept clicking trying to get to the next chapter before I realized that was it. Azariah Scott could have chosen a better place to end, in my opinion.

After all this, I rate Jeremiah Jericho: Allowance 2 out of 4 stars. The lack of professional editing and choppy flow made me rate the book lower. It's a great start with important themes handled in an exciting way. It just needs a good editor to bring it all together. Once the author makes some changes, I'd love to look at this again.

******
Jeremiah Jericho: Allowance
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Kathleen Wolfe · Post by **Kathleen Wolfe** » 28 Jul 2019, 04:51

Its got quite an unusual story line. It would be pretty cool if it was real. Sorry to hear about the errors, even the best plots can lose its grip on the reader if they are too frequent. I do hope the author takes your constructive criticism to heart. Thank you for a well worded review!

Stephanie Elizabeth · Post by **Stephanie Elizabeth** » 28 Jul 2019, 05:58

While the storyline sounds intriguing, the lack of editing would likely turn me away from reading it. I like that he uses his gift to help others. Thanks for the wonderful review!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 28 Jul 2019, 06:16

Kathleen Wolfe wrote: ↑28 Jul 2019, 04:51 Its got quite an unusual story line. It would be pretty cool if it was real. Sorry to hear about the errors, even the best plots can lose its grip on the reader if they are too frequent. I do hope the author takes your constructive criticism to heart. Thank you for a well worded review!

Thank you. It needed a little tweaking, but the basic story is good. I hadn't quite seen it done like this before.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 28 Jul 2019, 06:17

Stephanie Elizabeth wrote: ↑28 Jul 2019, 05:58 While the storyline sounds intriguing, the lack of editing would likely turn me away from reading it. I like that he uses his gift to help others. Thanks for the wonderful review!

For sixteen years old, he handles the new gift fairly well. He has his moments, but it wouldn't be realistic if he didn't. Thanks.

Cecilia_L · Post by **Cecilia_L** » 28 Jul 2019, 11:00

This sounds like an interesting premise for a plot, but the formatting and editing issues are a turn-off for me, too. Thanks for your honest review.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 28 Jul 2019, 15:25

Cecilia_L wrote: ↑28 Jul 2019, 11:00 This sounds like an interesting premise for a plot, but the formatting and editing issues are a turn-off for me, too. Thanks for your honest review.

I understood what the author was aiming for with the formatting, but he didn't quite accomplish it. Thanks for your insight.

maggi3 · Post by **maggi3** » 28 Jul 2019, 15:37

I hope this book gets a good editor. I was excited to read it based on the premise, but I wouldn’t like having to read passages more than once to understand them, and I know I would be frustrated by the ending. Thanks for the review!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 28 Jul 2019, 18:43

maggi3 wrote: ↑28 Jul 2019, 15:37 I hope this book gets a good editor. I was excited to read it based on the premise, but I wouldn’t like having to read passages more than once to understand them, and I know I would be frustrated by the ending. Thanks for the review!

I don't mind a good cliffhanger, but I dislike when books just quit. Hopefully it can be fixed. Thanks.

sarahmarlowe randomeducator · 29 Jul 2019, 07:13

I kept clicking trying to get to the next chapter before I realized that was it.

Yikes! I can imagine doing the same thing -- tapping and tapping on my reader wondering why the next page wouldn't show up.

That's frustrating. I understand that authors look for ways to entice readers to continue the series, but I think the best way is having a good solid book.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 29 Jul 2019, 07:36

sarahmarlowe wrote: ↑29 Jul 2019, 07:13
I kept clicking trying to get to the next chapter before I realized that was it.
Yikes! I can imagine doing the same thing -- tapping and tapping on my reader wondering why the next page wouldn't show up. That's frustrating. I understand that authors look for ways to entice readers to continue the series, but I think the best way is having a good solid book.

I completely agree! I've read books where the whole plot is wrapped up in the first book, and I still want to continue the series because it was just that good. That's the best way to entice a reader in my mind! Thanks for your comment.

Fu Zaila · Post by **Fu Zaila** » 29 Jul 2019, 09:48

Well, that was the best birthday gift anybody could receive in my opinion, lucky Jeremiah! However, a story with no direction and difficult themes might be good for particular teens and not all. Brief but a great review. Thanks!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 29 Jul 2019, 10:28

Fuzaila wrote: ↑29 Jul 2019, 09:48 Well, that was the best birthday gift anybody could receive in my opinion, lucky Jeremiah! However, a story with no direction and difficult themes might be good for particular teens and not all. Brief but a great review. Thanks!

It's a good gift, but he might be a bit young for it. Thanks!