Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Book Spotlight: The Survivors by Daniel Harvell

Happy Day Beardies,

I’m in season! What? No seasonal, weather joke fans out there? When I look out my window I can see the leaves are changing colors. The air is noticeably cooler and feels crisp. Everything is smelling pumpkin spiced. I am one happy camper. All joking aside, autumn is my favorite season ('tis a mystery why, right?); I’m giddy to spend every waking moment outside before the dreaded snow begins to take over the landscape. While I am a weather lover, I am a bigger book enthusiast so let’s get down to the real reason I’m here chatting it up today, another Book Spotlight.






Premise:
Seven strangers survive a terrible plane crash and find themselves endowed with new powers. After going their separate ways and trying to live life with these new found abilities a string of murders brings them all back together. They must learn to trust themselves and work together if they're going to stay alive and figure out who the murderer is.

Watch Book Trailer:

Gems for Writers:
Narrative Voice. One of my favorite parts of this book was the strong voice each of the seven survivors had. There was a firefighter, a grandma, a psychiatric patient, a college basketball star, a bitter man bound to a wheelchair, a little girl, and an heiress. As each new survivor was introduced and spoke, they had a clear voice that was true to their backstory and where they were from. While sometimes almost too stereotypical (i.e., the poor grammar/slang of the black, college basketball star), it did help propel the story forward for me because I could always tell who was talking without having to constantly go back to re-read.

Pacing. From the opening paragraph, I was hooked. This book moves quickly and never lacks a driving force. Mr. Harvell doesn't leave us lingering too long in the dark, which is something—as a slightly impatient reader—I appreciate. Everything is spelled out for us as we move from chapter to chapter. Just when I thought I had the whole story figured out, there would be a new, fun twist that left me scratching my head and plowing on with the book to get to the end.

Rating:

Conclusion:
I really waffled between 3.5 and 4 stars. I settled on 3.5 because this book included everything AND the kitchen sink. I kind of wish the author hadn't wrapped up every little thing in a neat package. Overall this book is action-packed, fun, clever, and a great read. If you're a TV fan, like me, this book would be sort of like if Lost and Heroes had a baby. Pick it up. Give it a try. Let me know what you think.


Until Next Time...


***The Survivors (2013), by Daniel Harvell, is published by and copyright Daniel Harvell. It is available in stores, online (see above), and from your local public library.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the nice review, Autumn!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for writing a great book. :) I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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