Recently Read: Isobel Blackthorn’s A Matter of Latitude

Recently Read: Isobel Blackthorn’s A Matter of Latitude

This review was requested by Isobel Blackthorne. She actually requested that I post a review on Amazon, but when I tried to do exactly that, Amazon told me I couldn’t review anything unless I spent 50$ on their site. Unfortunate.

Still, I promised Isobel Blackthorne that I would review her book, so here it is.

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My first impression: professional writing and editing.

I saw no major typos, punctuation errors, or grammatical faux pas. The flow of words was smooth. Isobel’s writing style is pleasant, mannerly, inoffensive, and conveys thoughts clearly. Each sentence, taken on its own merits, does not require heavy interpretation. That said, there are times within the book, usually at a chapter transition, when point-of-view changes occur, that a reader—this reader—could get confused. Especially awkward is the first person point of view. Isobel handles this point of view well, but probably the book would have benefited if a third person center of consciousness point of view was employed. Then characters could be named directly and the confusion over who was narrator wouldn’t be delayed through quite as many sentences. Another effect of the first person point of view is the diminished intensity of the action and thriller scenes. Since A Matter of Latitude is realistic, there’s no magic or Greek gods to save the character in peril (this is a good thing). The characters have to get out of peril on their own. Despite these style moments, the overall plot was believable, location seemed well-defined, and characters were complete with great dialog. I was super impressed with the dialog. I could recommend the book A Matter of Latitude to anyone ready for a realist drama with hints of tension.

And for discernment‘s sake:

Drawing power 1

Interest factor 0

Offensive factor 1

Range of emotion 1

Character factor 1/2

Style 1

Length 1

Total: 5 1/2 out of 7