Hello there and welcome to The Turndog Review: the books I read, reviewed.

I aren’t a professional critic, instead all I offer is my honest opinion into everything I read. However, I do this with a difference, as I don’t only offer my personal views on the Writing, Plot, and Story, but also the Book Cover, Book Marketing, and Author Website.

We live in a modern world where being a writer is different to years gone by, and I feel the whole experience of the book matters. This covers everything from the initial find, the actual read, and everything that follows. Therefore I hope this review not only offers a great insight into the book and author, but also into my own mind and what makes me tick.

So without further ado let’s begin, and today I focus on The Snow Child  by Eowyn Ivy

 

Published: 2012

Read: August 2012

Discovered: Part of the Goodreads August Challenge

 

Overview:

I’ve been slack with Goodreads recently, but I wanted to edge back into it and take part in a book challenge or two. The first step was to choose a book. The other options didn’t do anything for me, but The Snow Child held my intrigue.

I hadn’t heard of it before, and didn’t know much about it, but it seemed whimsical and fantastical. This was exactly what I needed.

I’m so glad I read it, and it once again shows that you should always be open to reading something new. To read a book that you wouldn’t usually pick up from the shelf.

The story is set around an aging couple in 1920’s Alaska. They are childless, new to the area, and on the verge of giving up.  Yet then, one snowy night, they build a snowman (or should I say, SnowChild) and it brought hope.

It really is a beautiful story. The descriptions are lovely and the characters are believable. You can taste the cold snow on your lips and picture the stunning mountains.

It’s also heartbreaking and hopeful all at once. It played with my heart, and even more so with my imagination. A truly great read.

 

The Good:

It has to be the descriptions. The author places you within the Alaskan landscape.  I’m not a massive fan of pointless, yet poetic descriptions. They can be beautiful, yes, but they so rarely have a point. It stilts the story and leaves you losing focus.

Not this story, though. It’s perfect. The descriptions have purpose and beauty. I only hope my own writing discovers this at some point. It’s the ultimate dream J

 

The Bad:

There isn’t much that I didn’t like. If I had to choose something, it would be the back and forth between the two main characters. At times it seemed to run into each other and I found myself losing focus on who’s mind we were in.

It was a small detail, though. Overall, I loved it!

 

Book Cover:

I love the cover, largely because it’s ACE.

It’s simple and classy. It plays on the whimsical nature of the book and it draws you in. At least it certainly did with me.

The title is big, although the authors’ name is not. This is a certain downfall of the cover. Other than that, I really like it. The colours, the style, and general layout. Very nice indeed.

 

Book Marketing:

I read the Kindle version and the in-book marketing is actually rather good. You get to know the author quite well, but it’s the content at the back of the book that makes me smile.

This book is inspired by a few other stories and there are extracts from them. It throws you further into the author’s mind and makes you understand the writer’s journey even more.

Such techniques can help drive you to a website or another book. I like it a lot and think it was a lovely touch to go at the end of a lovely story.

 

Author Website & Engagement:

Eowyn is good at engaging, that’s for sure. Her website is nice, she interacts well on Social Media, and she seems to enjoy sharing her story.

She Blogs about life in Alaska and how things are going with her book. She’s keen to share her life with her readers and this is no bad thing. She isn’t hard-core with what she does, but she interacts. This is what being a modern author is all about.

I tip my hat, miss, I tip my hat

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Overall, I loved this book. It’s fairly long, which usually puts me off, but I missed it when it was over. It was a lovely friend to spend time with at the end of the day.

If you like to drift away and dream, this is the book for you. If you like to feel something when you pick up a book, this is the book for you. It’s for this that I give this book…

5 Turndogs out of 5

 

Thanks for reading this version of The Turndog Review. I review every book I read, not only for the writing, but the marketing, website, and general communication from the author.

Turndog Millionaire – @turndog_million