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A review by leannarapier
The Book of Secrets by M.L. Little
5.0
The Book of Secrets isn’t an easy book to review. There’s so much to cover in this rich story that I’m going to have to break it down a little. I wasn’t even sure whether to rate it four stars or five, so I ended up going with 4 ½ . Giving stars to a book is subjective. It’s based on more than prose, plot, and characters. A large part of it is simply “Did I enjoy it and how much?” I will say, if you are looking for a story that is whimsical yet compelling with a large cast of memorable and likeable characters, search no further.
The World
One of the things that really drew me into this story is the compelling and rich world. It just feels BIG. Even though the plot mainly takes place in a relatively small area of the world—what is known as the Glennerdells—there’s mention of other countries, of history, of even other realms not of this world. Yet the author doesn’t bog down the prose with long descriptions and irrelevant details, but rather weaves in tidbits throughout the story. The world building impressed me perhaps more than any other part of this book because as a writer myself, I find this the most complicated part of writing a novel.
The Characters
What’s a story without its characters? If I’m going to love a story, I’m going to have to love its characters. The Book of Secrets follows the point-of-view of Gabriel Draven, a thirteen year old boy, who lives with his siblings in the Backcountry. The other main characters are his older sister Ren and younger brothers Hollis and Patch. I have to say that Patch (who is only six) is my favorite. I love sibling stories, and as a mom of four, I can attest that the author did a good job of making the siblings talk, squabble, and act like children. Their interactions are fun and endearing. I wish that some of the story had been told in the point-of-view of the other siblings. I would have liked to know a little more about the motivations behind Ren and Hollis in particular.
The Plot
The Book of Secrets is a young adult novel, so as expected the plot is relatively simple and appropriate for that audience; however, it is not so immature that an adult cannot enjoy it. I find stories that appeal to a wide range some of the best. I think this book would make a good read-aloud for the whole family. I say more about the plot in my blog review.
The Prose
As a whole, the prose is engaging and easy to understand. I love the dialogue. As I already mentioned the author did great with siblings. I enjoyed their banter, squabbles, and heartwarming moments. No long descriptions slow down the story, yet I felt that the world and characters are adequately described. The pacing is fast and a lot is happening, so you really have to pay attention. At times, I found myself momentarily confused because sometimes the characters would jump quickly from one scene to another and occasionally without even a scene break as a warning. But I was never so confused that I couldn’t easily follow the story.
Usually, I prefer standalones to series, but I enjoyed this first book and plan to finish the trilogy.
For a more detailed version of this review, check out my blog: https://leannarapier.com/book-review-the-book-of-secrets-by-m-l-little/
*UPDATE:
Since my review, my 13-yr-old daughter has read this book plus the other two in the trilogy. She loved them and talks about the trilogy all the time. She’s been drawing pictures of the characters.
The World
One of the things that really drew me into this story is the compelling and rich world. It just feels BIG. Even though the plot mainly takes place in a relatively small area of the world—what is known as the Glennerdells—there’s mention of other countries, of history, of even other realms not of this world. Yet the author doesn’t bog down the prose with long descriptions and irrelevant details, but rather weaves in tidbits throughout the story. The world building impressed me perhaps more than any other part of this book because as a writer myself, I find this the most complicated part of writing a novel.
The Characters
What’s a story without its characters? If I’m going to love a story, I’m going to have to love its characters. The Book of Secrets follows the point-of-view of Gabriel Draven, a thirteen year old boy, who lives with his siblings in the Backcountry. The other main characters are his older sister Ren and younger brothers Hollis and Patch. I have to say that Patch (who is only six) is my favorite. I love sibling stories, and as a mom of four, I can attest that the author did a good job of making the siblings talk, squabble, and act like children. Their interactions are fun and endearing. I wish that some of the story had been told in the point-of-view of the other siblings. I would have liked to know a little more about the motivations behind Ren and Hollis in particular.
The Plot
The Book of Secrets is a young adult novel, so as expected the plot is relatively simple and appropriate for that audience; however, it is not so immature that an adult cannot enjoy it. I find stories that appeal to a wide range some of the best. I think this book would make a good read-aloud for the whole family. I say more about the plot in my blog review.
The Prose
As a whole, the prose is engaging and easy to understand. I love the dialogue. As I already mentioned the author did great with siblings. I enjoyed their banter, squabbles, and heartwarming moments. No long descriptions slow down the story, yet I felt that the world and characters are adequately described. The pacing is fast and a lot is happening, so you really have to pay attention. At times, I found myself momentarily confused because sometimes the characters would jump quickly from one scene to another and occasionally without even a scene break as a warning. But I was never so confused that I couldn’t easily follow the story.
Usually, I prefer standalones to series, but I enjoyed this first book and plan to finish the trilogy.
For a more detailed version of this review, check out my blog: https://leannarapier.com/book-review-the-book-of-secrets-by-m-l-little/
*UPDATE:
Since my review, my 13-yr-old daughter has read this book plus the other two in the trilogy. She loved them and talks about the trilogy all the time. She’s been drawing pictures of the characters.