Official Review: Return by Nefetiri frazier

Post by **Shrabastee Chakraborty** » 05 Apr 2020, 01:22

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Return" by Nefetiri frazier.]

1 out of 4 stars

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Mina Calloway can barely suppress her glee at meeting Elijah Cane, her favorite author, at a bookstore. The next day at school, she finds out they have a newly appointed teacher, Mr. Raphael Brendon. Only Mina is privy to the knowledge that Mr. Brendon is none other than the world-famous author working under the pseudonym of Elijah. Very soon, she starts having excruciating nightmares. When the events from her dreams start occurring in real life, she is terrified of what the future holds. Even her friends experience hallucinations and inexplicable occurrences. When multiple rounds of exorcism fail to improve the conditions, they suspect more sinister powers are at play. Why is Jack Sanderson bent on ruining Mina’s life? Does her new friend Tate have something to do with the unnatural events? Do Raphael’s book and autograph hold the key to the mystery? Return by Nefetiri Frazier might be able to provide the answers.

To say that this novel was poorly edited would be an understatement. While reading, I had the distinct feeling that the first manuscript was directly published as a book, skipping the editing part altogether. I encountered all manners of editing issues, including punctuation errors, misspelled and wrong words, abrupt capitalizations, and incomplete sentences. It was practically impossible to read even a sentence without coming across at least one error. The plot itself became obscure due to inconsistent sentence structures and meaningless words.

The storyline follows a wide arc that encompasses everything from exorcisms and mind control to alien attacks and interplanetary transport. Separately, I like the genres this book touches, namely horror, young-adult paranormal, and science fiction. However, I found the resultant concoction difficult to digest. The abrupt turn of events and incomprehensible logic made the reading process more tedious than I anticipated. For example, one of Mina’s friends receives a bleeding scratch on her hand during a sleepover. They relate this incident with Mina's nightmare and promptly appoint an exorcist. It is unbelievable that three teenagers and a grown-up could not think of a normal and logical reason before delving into the paranormal. Ironically enough, when the aforementioned wound heals completely by the next morning, none of them seem to find that unusual.

Frazier describes the characters in detail, down to the occasional mole on the forehead. However, the author should have devoted the time to develop the character arcs instead. Even the protagonist’s character is not well-developed. She is shown to be an ardent fan of Elijah Cane books and a frequenter of bookstores. Later, she is embarrassed about being seen in a bookstore, afraid that her love interest might consider her a “nerd.” The sole character showing consistent traits is Raphael Brendon. However, on account of “being the world’s most famous author on the planet,” he appears pompous and impertinent.

Not only the characters, but their interactions and relationships are often beyond comprehension. Mina is obsessed with knowing more about Elijah, who delivers a page to her containing printed information about himself. Jack Sanderson stalks Mina even though she is not interested. She pines for Nicholas, who is dating her older sister. However, when Nicholas and Amelia break up, Mina doesn’t express any interest to him. Instead, she meets Tate and immediately falls head over heels for him. Interestingly enough, all these happen within the first 100 pages.

There are numerous minor inconsistencies as well. For example, Raphael Brendon is sometimes mentioned as “Raphael” and sometimes as “Mr. Brendon.” Also, the transitions between real life and Mina’s visions were abrupt and confusing. Finally, after some shocking revelations throughout the novel, the ending left much to be desired. The author likely had a chilling scene in mind, however, the lack of proper execution made it unappealing.

Even for the books that do not appeal to me, I usually have at least something positive to say. This novel is an exception as I did not find any positive aspect, apart from an eye-catching illustration on the cover. Accordingly, I rate the book 1 out of 4 stars and do not recommend it to anyone.

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Return
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booksandmagicshop · Post by **booksandmagicshop** » 21 Apr 2020, 13:43

Poor editing is always tough to get over, but inconsistent plot lines and characters are impossible to read. Thank you for the honesty and clarifications.

spencermack · Post by **spencermack** » 21 Apr 2020, 16:42

To me, it sounds like there is too much going on in the plot to be an enjoyable read. Great review!

Stephanie Elizabeth · Post by **Stephanie Elizabeth** » 21 Apr 2020, 17:21

While the summary pulled me in and got me excited, the poor editing makes me less inclined to tackle this book. It's too bad because the book sounds like it has great potential. Thanks for the honest review and sorry you had to soldier through!

Post by **Ngozi Onyibor** » 21 Apr 2020, 19:46

It takes great skills to weave different themes together in one book without meandering. I have a feeling this book would have been much better if the author trimmed down the themes. Thanks for your detailed and honest review.

Mrunalpatki · Post by **Mrunalpatki** » 21 Apr 2020, 23:35

Editing always forms the gist of a good book I believe. But if the story is so unstable I guess the editors also give it a miss. Feel sorry for the author. Your honest review is commendable.

hasincla · Post by **hasincla** » 22 Apr 2020, 09:47

Oh, yikes. Reading the synopsis it sounds like this book has potential and then manage to turn it all into a big ol' mess. Needless to say, I'll pass. Thank you for making it through this quagmire to write an honest review.