Okay, so let me give you this information first. From the Netgalley page for the book, information about the publisher.

Please note that Stoke Books are created specifically for reluctant or dyslexic readers. The books are short and action-packed with compelling narratives. This book is aimed at kids aged 13 and up with a 3rd grade reading level.

So, I totally get that. Really, I do. We are not talking about a traditional teen reader here. We are targeting a reader who has reading difficulties and is not going to read at what is considered appropriate level for this age. I commend this publisher for targeting the dyslexia community because they are way underserved when it comes to reading materials.

However, while this was a great idea in theory, the execution felt a little lacking to me. The story took me about 20 mins to read. Granted, I do not have dyslexia and read at much above a 3rd grade reading level. But even a struggling reader will be able to see that there were some holes in the way the story was written.

A well executed short story, novelette, novella, or novel needs a beginning, a middle and an end. There needs to be conflict, but there also needs to be a resolution. The conflict was great. It was a universal theme in a way. But there was no resolution. We are left hanging with no answers and even more questions. What happened to Rob? Is Jasper really on Anna's side? And is her father really that afraid of the outside world that he curls up in a ball and cowers when things go wrong?

I think this would have made a good beginning of a story, but to me, it just felt like half of it was missing and I feel like it needed something more. The writing is very juvenile, but when you are talking about teenagers that have a 3rd grade reading level, that is to be expected, so I am not faulting on that. As this was an eARC, I am also not commenting on the editing, and hopefully the editing issues in this were addressed prior to final publication. I have not seen the finished copy, so I cannot really say.

I found Anna likable, if somewhat sheltered and unaware of the world around her. I was slightly disturbed in the beginning by her infatuation with the MUCH older man, and that particular part of the plot made me uncomfortable, as did the much older man's declarations toward her. However, we are never told how old Anna is, so maybe I am way off.

I am rating the book as I am because I just felt like it was not enough to stand on it's own. I feel like I needed something more. ( )

Okay, so let me give you this information first. From the Netgalley page for the book, information about the publisher.

Please note that Stoke Books are created specifically for reluctant or dyslexic readers. The books are short and action-packed with compelling narratives. This book is aimed at kids aged 13 and up with a 3rd grade reading level.

So, I totally get that. Really, I do. We are not talking about a traditional teen reader here. We are targeting a reader who has reading difficulties and is not going to read at what is considered appropriate level for this age. I commend this publisher for targeting the dyslexia community because they are way underserved when it comes to reading materials.

However, while this was a great idea in theory, the execution felt a little lacking to me. The story took me about 20 mins to read. Granted, I do not have dyslexia and read at much above a 3rd grade reading level. But even a struggling reader will be able to see that there were some holes in the way the story was written.

A well executed short story, novelette, novella, or novel needs a beginning, a middle and an end. There needs to be conflict, but there also needs to be a resolution. The conflict was great. It was a universal theme in a way. But there was no resolution. We are left hanging with no answers and even more questions. What happened to Rob? Is Jasper really on Anna's side? And is her father really that afraid of the outside world that he curls up in a ball and cowers when things go wrong?

I think this would have made a good beginning of a story, but to me, it just felt like half of it was missing and I feel like it needed something more. The writing is very juvenile, but when you are talking about teenagers that have a 3rd grade reading level, that is to be expected, so I am not faulting on that. As this was an eARC, I am also not commenting on the editing, and hopefully the editing issues in this were addressed prior to final publication. I have not seen the finished copy, so I cannot really say.

I found Anna likable, if somewhat sheltered and unaware of the world around her. I was slightly disturbed in the beginning by her infatuation with the MUCH older man, and that particular part of the plot made me uncomfortable, as did the much older man's declarations toward her. However, we are never told how old Anna is, so maybe I am way off.

I am rating the book as I am because I just felt like it was not enough to stand on it's own. I feel like I needed something more. ( )

Thanks to netgalley.com and Stoke Books for allowing me access to this title.

Based on the description, I was originally intrigued and hoped to find a quick, but satisfying read. I was highly disappointed. The main character seemed flighty to me. She went back and forth between wanting to obey her father and breaking his main rules every chance she got.

And then there was the ending. I know this was supposed to be a book for reluctant or struggling readers,so therefore on the shorter side, but what happened to the rest of the story? To me it just stopped in the middle. I really can't see this appealing to anyone who wants a complete story in one book. Absolutely nothing was resolved. ( )

I received an ebook ARC of this novel via Netgalley.

This is the description given by the publisher, "This terrifically taut and short novel is targeted for reluctant/struggling readers or kids with dyslexia. The interest level is aged 13 and up, while it is at a 3rd grade reading level."

I have included the above quote so that what I say here makes sense. The novel was definitely short at 100 pages. The novel does read with its basic sentences and light plot as if written for a younger age group. That was one of the reasons why I had trouble with the characters' ages (around 16 & up). It felt strange reading that the main character was in love with two different people because of the writing style.

As for plot, it is really, really basic. I was left, at the end of the story feeling a little let down. I hope that a second book is written to finish out the story.

Would I recommend this book for its target audience? The answer is yes. ( )

An engaging read that really captures the imagination!

This was a fast paced, fun, and entertaining read. I really enjoyed the characters and highly recommend it to younger readers. There was also a bit of mystery surrounding the boy and I thought that it was really well done and interesting.

Their is a lot of adventure and even a bit of mischief mixed into this short story and I had a great time getting to know more about Anna and seeing her finally coming alive. Anna is a very relate-able character which is nice because it helps readers to really be able to imagine themselves as her. She longs for adventure like many of us have or still do and I liked seeing how things played out for her.

This is the perfect story for those reluctant readers out there and a fun read for all! ( )