Tea & Read: The Raven Saint

Title: The Raven Saint
Author: M. L. Tyndall
Rating: Wall Target Practice (one star)

The Raven Saint is the story of Grace Westcott, an admiral’s daughter and the picture of virtue. She is kidnapped by Rafe Dubious, a French captain and mercenary. She struggles to discern God’s purpose in her kidnapping, especially since she has found herself among some of the worse heathens in the world. Captain Dubious believes that he is doing the right thing for kidnapping Grace, but as their voyage continues, he begins to doubt his motives.

This book has the potential to be good, but unfortunately disappoints on many different fronts. The first is the characters. Grace’s judgmental attitude actually becomes a turn-off by the fifth chapter. It was hard for me to care about her well-being. Captain Dubious is more likable, but his actions and motivations seem a little too unbelievable. His charity to people in need and his lust for revenge seem to conflict in the wrong way. I found myself more drawn to Madam Dubious’ servant, Annette, than the two main characters.

Second, the plot stalled in several places. There were portions where the plot didn’t move forward. The book also contained long sections of internal dialogue from one of the main characters. I found myself skimming often. Also, Grace seemed a bit too inactive. I understand she was a captive, but often it seemed like she was simply reacting to other’s actions. Another problem was a surprise plot twist at the end that didn’t resolve one of the subplots. It only left me with more questions.

Third, the actual writing left something to be desired. Some of the metaphors and similes sounded as if Tyndall was trying too hard. It was as if she tried to be unique but her attempts ended in some ridiculous sounding phrases. My personal favorite was “The liquor took a warm stroll down his throat...” I think simply saying the liquor warmed his throat would have been far more effective.

Also, there are complete sentences in French. It is not an uncommon occurrence to have foreign languages included to add to credibility, but it was excessive. In addition, there were several times were I couldn’t figure out what the sentence meant from context clues. I don’t speak French and I don’t think I should have to work to figure out what it means. Another issue I had with the writing is her overuse of words. I grew extremely weary of men “doffing” their hats and all the hat removing didn’t add anything to the story.

This book was an unfortunate disappointment, especially since it had potential to be a great story.

The Basics of A Good Book Review

I started writing reviews in 2008 and I’ve noticed how much their popularity has grown. Sites like Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, CBD and Borders provide readers with opportunities to share their opinions of books. And people are definitely taking advantage of it. Some sites even offer special statuses for those who have reviewed often. Publishing houses are getting in on the act by starting book review programs (Thomas Nelson and Bethany House).

Reviews can be a powerful tool in promoting a book. They’re the equivalent of electronic word of the month (which still seems to be the most reliable way of creating a buzz for a book.) Many authors and publishing companies solicit reviews because positive ones can increase sales. The goal of a review is to give more information about a book so that others can decide whether to buy the book or not.

Writing book reviews can be a tricky undertaking. I have heard writers lament when they receive negative reviews but the problem is, not all reviewers are created equal. There are lots of people reviewing books, but unfortunately, some of these reviews are riddled with problems. Here are some of the problems I’ve found in some of the reviews I’ve read.

-No supporting evidence: These reviews simply state that the reviewer doesn’t like the book but doesn’t give any concrete reason why. Often reviewers say that the book was heartwarming but they don’t share what warmed their heart. I’ve read lots of reviews that deemed a book good, but that was all that was said.

Reviews have to provide supporting details (remember your English teacher stressing the importance of details?). Remember, giving details doesn’t mean spoiling the plot. If you are going to share an important detail in your review, be sure to include a “spoiler alert” warning before you do.

-Pigeon-hole observation: The reviewer gets so caught up on one aspect of the book and doesn’t consider the book as a whole. I once read a review for a book about child abuse. The review didn’t mention much about the book or the author’s technique on writing the book. Instead, it ranted on and on about the injustice of child abuse.

Good novels are made up of several parts: plot, characterization, setting, conflict, tension and writing techniques. Several of these things should be covered in your review. Writing a pigeon-holed perspective doesn’t help anyone reading it, unless he or she hates child abuse as much as you do.

-The book is not the problem: I’ve read review where reviewers have given bad ratings because the book covers a topic that they don’t like, which has nothing to do with the author. If you don’t have a problem with the topic, you wouldn’t know if the book was good or not.

A review is not a place to share your problems about the ills of society. It’s also not a place to bash the author for writing about a particular subject (I find this a lot in Christian fiction. Some reviewers have accused writers of not being Christian for the subject matter of their books). Remember, the focus of a book review is the book.

-If you don’t have anything good to say…: Yes, this saying has been drilled into our heads as children but it doesn’t work for reviews. Reviews have to share both the good and the bad. It maybe difficult to write a negative review, but it doesn’t mean it has to be mean-spirited. There is a way to be truthful in a bad review but doing it in loving way.

If you didn’t like something about a book, explain why. It’s okay. It’s understood that this is your opinion and your honest opinion is the best thing you can write. And remember, not everyone will like every book. What you dislike about a book may not be meaningful to someone else.

The point of writing a review is to help others decide if the book is a worthy purchase. Understanding what constitutes a good review is crucial to being a helpful reviewer. You are the most valuable part of your review. You are the expert on you. People who read reviews are looking to hear the opinions of others. They read to hear what you think.

God Confirms His Word

It’s been two weeks since we’ve been to church because of snow. Since we planned out our day and created a schedule, I decided that we’d have a short service here in the house. I did praise and worship (and realized how out of practice). My husband gave us a short sermon about the importance of community.

He spoke from Acts 2, the beginning of the church. He explained how community is having things in common and how the snow storm had amplified the importance of working together. He said that when we work together, it makes being stuck in close quarters more bearable. During the message, we also talked about using our gifts to help others. My husband explained that when everybody works towards a common goal, the work moves more quickly.

After service and lunch, we headed out to finish shoveling the driveway. We had a daunting task ahead of us. Our driveway is about 50 feet and we only have one shovel. I used a hard plastic dustpan, which would have been murder on my back. We had not worked long before God perfectly illustrated the message my husband preached.

One of our neighbors brought his snow blower and cleared the majority of our driveway. After he was done, he cleared another one of our neighbor’s driveway. My youngest son, who had watched the whole scene, said in a quiet voice, “Now that’s community.” Amen.