 | Title: The Mine Author: John A. Heldt Pages: 458 Published: March 1th, 2014 Publisher: Bookpal Review Copy: Yes Why did I want this book? I've got in touch with Aimee on Twitter, because I love her book cover. |
What if all of your friends died mysteriously? What would happen if your life was never the same again? Millie was having the best time of her life on a short holiday, just before spring break, with her friends. They were having fun, drinking, doing what teenagers do until they saw the woods ablaze. Millie’s life changed forever after every one of her friends came home in body bags. Millie was the only one to survive but she can’t remember everything that happened. Millie is forced to endure the stares, accusations and finger pointing when she returns to school. She desperately wants to escape school until she meets the new student, Benjamin Clark, but there is something familiar about him that she can't quiet put her finger on. They become friends but he holds a secret. Benjamin starts falling in love with Millie but he knows that he shouldn't be because it is forbidden to fall in love with a human. Millie starts to have feelings for Benjamin but his attitude always seems to change. Sometimes he wants to be with her and other times he ignores her. As her friends haunt her dreams she is getting sick of Benjamin’s changing personality. She confronts him and they let their desires take over but he knows his secret will change everything. That he is an Angel of the Lord sent to protect Millie because little does she know that her and her friends were in a middle of a battle between Angels and the Fallen. Millie is happy that she has found Benjamin after all of her friends died. Her life seems to be getting back to normal but how long will Millie be safe for? Will Benjamin be able to protect Millie? Will they be able to be together? Will Millie find out that Benjamin is an Angel?
Cover:
I like the cover art is so pretty. I really like the Gothic-touch.
Title:
The title is chosen nicely. It gives you an idea of what the book might be about.
Writing style:
The writing style was good. But there should have been more synonyms, because she repeated a couple of words too often. But hey, it's her first book! And therefore I think she did a good job. The target group should have been a bit clearer too. Millie and Benjamin get very sappy sometimes (some readers like that, some don't. So, I'm not going to judge that) but in other scenes the book gets quite brutal and straightforward which would address older readers.
Characters:
Millie just wanted to have fun with her friends. Partying, having some drinks and maybe even sleeping with the boy she had a crush on. But then everything turned out completely different: She is on the the run, being chased by something she can't see. She can escape because of some strangers help, but all of her friends are death. Step by step she learns the truth about what happened. I liked both characters but Benjamin seemed a bit too naive sometimes. He should be the reasonable one, since he is an angel. But after a couple of days/weeks he talks about being madly in love with a human girl. The relationship between them developed a little bit too fast for my taste. It would have been far more believable if they would have taken it slow. Friendship at the beginning of a book can be enjoyable too!
Noteworthy:
It is self-published.
Stuck in my Head:
“Have you ever been in love with anyone?” he asked softly.What I didn't like:
“Yes,” Millie said as Benjamin's eyes saddened. Millie moved closer to him and gently stroked his dazzling chest and torso.
“You,” she said quietly, staring at him. “I am in love with you.” (p.104)
I don't think it is a bad book. Especially since it is her first one an an Indie. But I had some issues with the formatting. There were blank lines between every paragraph. Something went definitely wrong here. It was hard to read because of that.
Quick and dirty:
It is a nice story with sweet protagonists. But there is still some space to improve. More synonyms and a formatted running text would be already great improvement. Four stars because I see potential and I really think the author has talent!
... Aimee Jessica Russ, who gave me this review copy in exchange of a honest review!
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