For my first review I’ve
chosen a story from Indie Author John Ainsworth, in particular his
book Emerald.
The story follows
childhood friends Danny, Patrick and Sarah in their journey through life. From
growing up in the slums of Liverpool, England during the 70’s, to war-torn North
Ireland and run ins with the violent IRA. As their lives and friendships become
ripped apart amid tragedy; the only thing holding them together is a childhood
promise, which even they may not be able to keep.
Ainsworth tells his story
well and in a way that makes you ask question after question, but with very well
thought out flashbacks he manages to tell two stories in one. On one side you
have events taking place in Liverpool that builds you up. Each chapter
questions get answered and the way the story moves between the world of the
children in Liverpool to adults in England and Ireland is wonderful and it flows
very well.
A big plus for me, and
this may not be important for some people, is that the more followed of the
three characters is a member of the British army, of which Ainsworth has served
in himself. This character is the most relatable of the three, and you can see
that the writer’s personality comes through in him.
The story is more than a
tale of vengeance. It truly makes you dive deep into your own personal psyche
and wonder how far you would go if you were in Patrick’s shoes. Would you scour
the earth and kill the one that took your love away, or would you forgive and
try to forget Could you move on if you were the one reason your sister was dead?
Or would it move you to kill?
There are several pros in
this story, a fact that I am genuinely happy about since this is my first review
and I get to kick it off with a bang:
- Each chapter that begins with a
flashback you find yourself wondering how it will tie in with the events of the
characters’ adult lives.
- Each fight scene, and there are several,
keeps you turning the page for the next blow as you wonder who will come out on
top.
- The story is one of those that I
couldn’t put down, and it kept me interested
throughout.
In addition to the positives there are,
as always, some negatives that come with it. I do caution that the
positives far outweigh the negatives:
- While the story’s pace throughout is
good, the first two chapters began a little slow and the flashbacks started off
a bit confusing.
In the end Ainsworth’s Emerald is
more than worth the read, as long as you like a fast paced story that moves far
but remains smooth in its transitions. The story is compelling, the characters
likable, and the journey is great for a weekend read (or if it catches you the
way it did me a day’s read).
Overall Emerald by John Ainsworth
scores a solid 7/10 for me based on:
7/10 for readability- though the story
starts out a little slow, it quickly picks up and redeems itself in a wonderful
way.
9/10 for story- throughout the story I
tried to find something I could compare it to, or something it shared
similarities to. Some people may say it just seems like a tail of vengeance cut
and dry, but the way Ainsworth spins it that’s far from the mark on this
one.
6/10 for characters- as I stated earlier
the main characters are wonderful, but there are quite a few ‘extras’ that
didn’t hit the mark. All characters involved contributed to the story in some
way, but I found myself asking who and what when they came in with strong
dialogue and were gone the next paragraph.
7/10 for thrills/action- this last
category is the ‘wild’ card of the bunch. Each story has its own selling point,
and for me in this story it’s the action sequences and the overall ‘thriller’
component. The action sequences were great, and fight scenes
well-choreographed. Unfortunately a few of them were over so quick it didn’t
feel like they were done justice, but these were the minority. As for the
overall ‘thriller’ component I found myself thoroughly interested and on the
edge of my seat as the ending built up, and prepared to be surprised because you
will be fooled into thinking you know what’s coming, but you
don’t.
I’m very happy, and thankful, John
Ainsworth allowed me to do a review of Emerald. I really enjoyed the
story and I suggest picking it up for your next ‘guilty pleasure’ session. The
3.99 price tag on Amazon’s Kindle store is more than worth it.
If you'd
like to check out Emerald for yourself click here.
Thank you for taking the time out of your
day to read my review, as I said in the first post please feel free to comment
on anything. I'm still trying to figure out my 'niche' as a reviewer so any
comments on the overall format would be more than appreciated.
