Seaborn

An article by Karen    2 Comments

These days it’s not often that I find a book that is unique. Often, when I read I think this reminds me of … another story, but that thought never crossed my mind once whilst reading Seaborn by Chris Howard. Those other books that reminded me of something else were good stories, I enjoyed them, but the uniqueness of Seaborn makes this book stand out from the rest.

Also, it was obvious to me that the author knows his world extremely well. He should, he created it, but often authors unknowingly let their readers see the cracks in their planning. This is not the case with Seaborn and the author’s knowledge shone from every page, every sentence. Knowing that made me relax and not struggle with the details. I was ready to believe! I accepted the world wholeheartedly and when a reader does that it makes the reading experience so much better. This together with realistic, strong characters and an intriguing plot makes Seaborn an interesting book.

There were two storylines for most of the book and, naturally, they converge later in the story. However, I particularly liked Corina’s thread. It was a bit gory in parts, some unthinkable things happen (well, obviously not that unthinkable because the author thought of them ), but this side of the story was so good that I just wanted to know more. I was obsessed with what was happening and I wasn’t disappointed with how things turned out in the end either.

My only criticism is that the author over described some things. This is just a personal preference as I’m a reader who prefers the nitty gritty without the cream on top. I’m not interested in the design on the women’s dresses or how they their hair. I make up those details myself. Whilst I wouldn’t say the author went way over the top, and I’ve read plenty of books where too much detail ruins the story altogether because it distracts from the plot, I’m sure there will be a lot of readers who will enjoy the book exactly how it is. Some readers will say it enhances the world, so this isn’t a big criticism from me.

I’ve been known to skip whole chapters if they are battle scenes. I honestly find them so boring that if they go on and on I seriously consider not finishing the book. However, the battle in Seaborn was a battle with a difference and because of that it kept my interest. If you know me well, then you’ll know there is no bigger praise I could give a book!

I highly recommend this book.