nerdyrev's review
3.0
Whenever I review for NetGalley, I will put on the bottom of my page- "I received this for free in exchange for an honest review." Today, like always, I am going to abide by those statements that I now don't have to put on the bottom because they are right there at the top.
Anvil Soul was such a difficult book for me because the premise was great- a priest witnesses a fellow priest sexually assault a small boy. The boy hangs himself later. As the main priest tells his higher up about what he witnessed, he is told that no one really likes him and they want him out of the town. As our protagonist wanders, he continues to see his fellow priest molesting children, but starts to hear the town turn against him. The rumor starts to spread that it wasn't the sexually molesting well liked priest, but rather our protagonist whom the town dislikes. Mob mentality rules as our protagonist also gets closer to a young woman.
The premise was great. The problem was the writing. It wasn't very well written. I hate to state that because I know what it is like to pour one's time into a book, but I have to be truthful. The sentences could have used some fattening and the sense of emotion was just missing from this book. I kept thinking, if I were in this situation, I would be freaking out a little about what to do, but our protagonist seemingly has no emotion as he walks through this situation. That is what made it difficult. Great story, but emotionless writing ruined it a bit.
I gave this one 2.5 stars.
Anvil Soul was such a difficult book for me because the premise was great- a priest witnesses a fellow priest sexually assault a small boy. The boy hangs himself later. As the main priest tells his higher up about what he witnessed, he is told that no one really likes him and they want him out of the town. As our protagonist wanders, he continues to see his fellow priest molesting children, but starts to hear the town turn against him. The rumor starts to spread that it wasn't the sexually molesting well liked priest, but rather our protagonist whom the town dislikes. Mob mentality rules as our protagonist also gets closer to a young woman.
The premise was great. The problem was the writing. It wasn't very well written. I hate to state that because I know what it is like to pour one's time into a book, but I have to be truthful. The sentences could have used some fattening and the sense of emotion was just missing from this book. I kept thinking, if I were in this situation, I would be freaking out a little about what to do, but our protagonist seemingly has no emotion as he walks through this situation. That is what made it difficult. Great story, but emotionless writing ruined it a bit.
I gave this one 2.5 stars.
amandamarieger's review
5.0
This is one of the most accurate pictures of a small town and the mob mentality that goes along with them that I have ever seen. It's a little terrifying to read, because it feels so true. What James went through in Temora could happen to anyone in a small town. I enjoyed this eARC a lot and I'm glad I read it. It's a grittier story than I would normally choose. The only thing I felt was missing was a more emotional connection to the narrator - he told the story, but I couldn't always feel the story. Regardless, it was a fascinating read.
fionak's review
2.0
I can't even explain how angry it makes me that such an awesome plot was ruined by sloppy storytelling. I willfully tuned out the pointlessness of the first few chapters. I managed to overlook the awkward stilted conversations where little effort is made to indicate tone or even the speaker for long stretches, until I can no longer keep track of who is talking because they all sound like robots who haven't figured out contractions yet. I was able to discount the fact that there are two characters named Simon who are introduced three pages apart. (Unless its historical fiction, having multiple characters with the same name is simply an invitation to chaos and confusion in all who read it.) I can even turn a blind eye to the fact that, suddenly, Tom gets renamed Tim because typos happen occasionally to even the best of us. But, apparently (and for reasons unclear to me) my tolerance is breached when an author uses the same reference to the breeze twice on one page. And ultimately this is why I am so reluctant to read self-published works: anti-editor bias and a refusal to hire one. I have seen it too many times and I am tired of it. Why, sweet Lord? Do they think God will simply bless them with the insight to see all the flaws in their own work?
I received a free copy of this book for review from the author through GoodReads and I bet he’s sorry I won.
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