readingrobyn's review
2.0
Roll With It is a decent Canadian young adult novel that is quick and easy to read but lacks a lot in terms of developed story telling.
The ideas are there, the plot is there, the potential for interesting characters is there. The only three things we're missing is compelling writing, good dialogue, and a proper editor.
Neddy is a figure skating girl who has just discovered the world of roller derby. Throughout the book we are introduced to the different technical elements of both sports, from derby terminology to a semi-behind the scenes look at figure skating. I found this aspect of the story to be interesting, the author does a good job at giving enough knowledge to set the scene without sounding instructional.
Neddy is a pretty good main character. Her internal dialog gives her a pleasing voice but also never really gave me anything serious to bite into.
The other characters peppered throughout the plot were somewhat of a hit or miss, their personalities were interesting and unique but the lack of good dialog limited their impact.
Plot wise the concept is interesting but fell flat with the complete and utter lack of conflict. There was no real conflict that wasn't solved within the follow page. There was some internal strife but Neddy's struggle never felt very gripping and was not enough to carry the entire story. There needed to be an arc to the plot, a build up to something satisfactory, otherwise it just felt very one note.
What bothered me the most after I had finished was that there are some really good ideas in this book and part of me wonders why it feels like this was never looked at by an editor. This needed some solid direction and improvement to the flow. Both of which I attribute to a proper editor.
But with all of that said, If you're a fan of those made for TV figure skating movies, or are looking for something by a Canadian author for a middle grade audience* then this may very well be a book worth checking out for you. Otherwise, it was an adequate read for something light and quick, but nothing to write home about.
*There is a brief mention of sex but nothing down and dirty.
The ideas are there, the plot is there, the potential for interesting characters is there. The only three things we're missing is compelling writing, good dialogue, and a proper editor.
Neddy is a figure skating girl who has just discovered the world of roller derby. Throughout the book we are introduced to the different technical elements of both sports, from derby terminology to a semi-behind the scenes look at figure skating. I found this aspect of the story to be interesting, the author does a good job at giving enough knowledge to set the scene without sounding instructional.
Neddy is a pretty good main character. Her internal dialog gives her a pleasing voice but also never really gave me anything serious to bite into.
The other characters peppered throughout the plot were somewhat of a hit or miss, their personalities were interesting and unique but the lack of good dialog limited their impact.
Plot wise the concept is interesting but fell flat with the complete and utter lack of conflict. There was no real conflict that wasn't solved within the follow page. There was some internal strife but Neddy's struggle never felt very gripping and was not enough to carry the entire story. There needed to be an arc to the plot, a build up to something satisfactory, otherwise it just felt very one note.
What bothered me the most after I had finished was that there are some really good ideas in this book and part of me wonders why it feels like this was never looked at by an editor. This needed some solid direction and improvement to the flow. Both of which I attribute to a proper editor.
But with all of that said, If you're a fan of those made for TV figure skating movies, or are looking for something by a Canadian author for a middle grade audience* then this may very well be a book worth checking out for you. Otherwise, it was an adequate read for something light and quick, but nothing to write home about.
*There is a brief mention of sex but nothing down and dirty.
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