Review of Spike The Search for Redemption
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Nonso Samuelson
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Review of Spike The Search for Redemption
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Spike The Search for Redemption" by AA Freda.]
Anthony's life in the Bronx is spiraling; it seems like it has been for his entire life. The Vietnam vet is living a civilian life trying to make something of himself while fighting demons from his past. The effects of his less-than-ideal upbringing and the tragedies he's lived through seem to haunt him everywhere he goes.
But then he meets Angel, a beautiful music student studying at the prestigious Julliard. Her influence on the trajectory of his life is undoubted. She inspires him to clean up his act and focus on his studies in law school and his political ambition. But tragedy strikes again and threatens to throw everything out of balance. How does he cope with the tragedy with Angel in the picture this time? This is a remarkable story by A.A. Freda about the constant tussle between tragedy and triumph and how love can alter the course of someone's future.
Spike: The Search for Redemption was an intriguing read for me. There were a few things that stood out for me while reading. Firstly, the story kicks off with Anthony meeting Angel at a protest. Their transition from strangers to lovers was unrealistic for me—it happened too quickly. It was almost as if the author was trying to quickly get that out of the way to focus on the rest of the story. I started out hating Anthony; he seemed full of himself and treated women terribly. But as the story unfolded, I realized it was intentional by the author, and it added to the substance of the character's story arc. I especially loved Angel's character. She was sweet, young, naive, and ignorant about the workings of the real world. The dynamic between Angel's innocence and Anthony's street smartness was interesting. It was weird to me, though, that two people so in love would refer to each other by their first names for most of the book. Endearing terms only occurred sparingly.
Beyond the characters, I found Freda's world-building and descriptions to be excellent. His writing showed his knowledge of politics, legal matters, street life in New York, and even Italian culture. Whenever there wasn't an ongoing dialogue, I found myself lost in the author's words as he described places, events, and circumstances.
Other supporting characters helped make this a well-rounded story. For example, Uncle Augie, a crime boss, was instrumental in Anthony's upbringing, and the story often saw Anthony lean on him for wisdom and help. Another character, Vickie, is a young and intelligent girl who is more than a friend to Anthony and helps enrich the love story between him and Angel.
I found several grammatical issues but not enough to question the book's editing. I believe this story was professionally edited, and I rate it 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed this book, but the evolution of Angel's and Anthony's story arc in the early stages could have been better. I also think the absence of endearing terms in these characters' dialogue was too glaring to ignore. I recommend this book to lovers of romance stories between two seemingly incompatible characters.
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Spike The Search for Redemption
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Anthony's life in the Bronx is spiraling; it seems like it has been for his entire life. The Vietnam vet is living a civilian life trying to make something of himself while fighting demons from his past. The effects of his less-than-ideal upbringing and the tragedies he's lived through seem to haunt him everywhere he goes.
But then he meets Angel, a beautiful music student studying at the prestigious Julliard. Her influence on the trajectory of his life is undoubted. She inspires him to clean up his act and focus on his studies in law school and his political ambition. But tragedy strikes again and threatens to throw everything out of balance. How does he cope with the tragedy with Angel in the picture this time? This is a remarkable story by A.A. Freda about the constant tussle between tragedy and triumph and how love can alter the course of someone's future.
Spike: The Search for Redemption was an intriguing read for me. There were a few things that stood out for me while reading. Firstly, the story kicks off with Anthony meeting Angel at a protest. Their transition from strangers to lovers was unrealistic for me—it happened too quickly. It was almost as if the author was trying to quickly get that out of the way to focus on the rest of the story. I started out hating Anthony; he seemed full of himself and treated women terribly. But as the story unfolded, I realized it was intentional by the author, and it added to the substance of the character's story arc. I especially loved Angel's character. She was sweet, young, naive, and ignorant about the workings of the real world. The dynamic between Angel's innocence and Anthony's street smartness was interesting. It was weird to me, though, that two people so in love would refer to each other by their first names for most of the book. Endearing terms only occurred sparingly.
Beyond the characters, I found Freda's world-building and descriptions to be excellent. His writing showed his knowledge of politics, legal matters, street life in New York, and even Italian culture. Whenever there wasn't an ongoing dialogue, I found myself lost in the author's words as he described places, events, and circumstances.
Other supporting characters helped make this a well-rounded story. For example, Uncle Augie, a crime boss, was instrumental in Anthony's upbringing, and the story often saw Anthony lean on him for wisdom and help. Another character, Vickie, is a young and intelligent girl who is more than a friend to Anthony and helps enrich the love story between him and Angel.
I found several grammatical issues but not enough to question the book's editing. I believe this story was professionally edited, and I rate it 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed this book, but the evolution of Angel's and Anthony's story arc in the early stages could have been better. I also think the absence of endearing terms in these characters' dialogue was too glaring to ignore. I recommend this book to lovers of romance stories between two seemingly incompatible characters.
******
Spike The Search for Redemption
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
