Official Review: Esafar by Karen Lee Cawley

[aodonnell]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Esafar" by Karen Lee Cawley.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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When I read the synopsis of Esafar by Karen Lee Cawley I got excited, expecting an engaging adventure story. I’m sorry to say that I ended up disappointed with the result. It was not "cool beans."

Esafar opens with two boys who are constantly getting up to mischief and pushing the boundaries of respect for their elders. Their parents are desperate for respite, so Matthew and David are sent off to spend the summer with their Nana in San Antonio, Texas. The boys arrive prepared to be miserable but they quickly discover an underground cave system that promises the adventure of a lifetime. Along with their new friend Jennifer, they explore the nearly-magical world of Esafar. Discovering talking animals is the second most exciting discovery in the caves. The promise of lost treasure prompts the children to press deeper into the cave system and when disaster strikes they must rely on their trusty animal friends to bring rescue.

I liked the premise of the book, though I was unprepared for the arrival of the talking animals. Lost treasure and underground caves are a classic winning combination. The author used short chapters to keep the story moving. I had a lot of issues with the book, though. The author’s writing style is more telling instead of showing, like a report on the events instead of immersion in the story. I also got the feeling that the author was writing down to her audience, as though she needed to spoon-feed the story to her middle-grade readers. This was particularly apparent in the randomly italicized sentences that contained facts, usually about history or about animals. This felt akin to children's educational TV programs where the character speaks directly to the viewer to teach them something. It's appropriate for young children, but not for the 10-13 age range this book targets.

I rate this book two out of four stars. While the author has the pieces to write a good book, her approach makes it feel condescending toward the reader. Additionally, I did not find this book to be professionally edited. In addition to various grammar errors, the formatting of the PFD copy was unpleasant to read, with one chapter bleeding into the next instead of utilizing page breaks and centered and distinct chapter headings. Finally, the book is unpleasant to read because of the author’s neglect of the general rule to give dialogue its own paragraph. Readers will find sometimes three different characters all conversing in one paragraph. In instances where the author has forgotten to close one set of quotation marks before starting new dialogue or where she has the same character say several things in a row, each with its own set of quotation marks, the dialogue gets very confusing.

I wouldn’t recommend this book to any readers. It’s a middle-grade children’s story, however the author writes as though it’s for early grade readers. For adult readers it’s not particularly engaging, despite being a very fast read.

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Esafar
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[Jagiine]

I agree: the premise of this tale is quite intriguing! It's unfortunate that the author (and editor?) couldn't appropriately identify a target age group and adjust the writing to match. If there was an editor, I hope they learn to do better. If not, I hope the author learns why their services are important. Thank you for this review!

[PeterRabitt20]

That's too bad that the book didn't meet your expectations. It would be hard for me to finish a book that doesn't consider its audience. Thanks for sharing your grievances and review.

[aodonnell]

I agree: the premise of this tale is quite intriguing! It's unfortunate that the author (and editor?) couldn't appropriately identify a target age group and adjust the writing to match. If there was an editor, I hope they learn to do better. If not, I hope the author learns why their services are important. Thank you for this review!

Yes, it's so important for both authors and editors to be able to define the target audience and make sure the tone and writing matches. I do hope the author gives it another try, either refining the same story or with a new one. I think she has potential.

[aodonnell]

That's too bad that the book didn't meet your expectations. It would be hard for me to finish a book that doesn't consider its audience. Thanks for sharing your grievances and review.

It was a little bit of a challenge, but it was also a short book. The author had just enough threads of mystery going that I wanted to see the book through to completion.

[Mariana Figueira]

Talking animals, huh? Yeah, this is not my cup of tea. Thanks for the honest review!

[zainherb]

Oh, the book plot sounds like it has great potential.
The conversion from one eBook type to another might have ruined the original formatting- it happens. I guess they have quite a bit to fix in the book.

Thanks for an engaging, honest review .

[markodim721]

I think I will skip this book. Thanks for the honest and objective review.

[Chigo Nwagboso]

This book must be a very interesting and adventurous read. Thanks for an insightful review.

[Medhansh Bhardwaj]

The storyline seems good enough. I think if proper editing and formatting is done, this book will definitely move up to 3 stars, or even 4 stars!