A review by mirificmoxie
Uncharted: Story for a Shipwright by J.B. Chicoine

adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I first came across this book on a Goodreads list of books set in Maine. The setting and beautiful cover intrigued me, so I added it to my summer reading list.

The first 100 pages or so were rough. I obviously misinterpreted the description, because I was expecting a supernatural twist - time travel or something along those lines. I was a little befuddled about what direction the book was going. It didn't help that I was not immediately drawn to either main character. Sam was a little on the bland side to start with until you start finding out more about his family and his past. Marlena was extremely awkward - not the eccentric, endearing kind of awkward, but the uncomfortable, peculiar kind. 

I also felt that although the book was set in Maine, there really was not anything that substantiated the setting or local culture. It was a relatively generic description of coastal living. I also wish some of the other characters had been developed more particularly his relationship with his brother.

Initially I was much more interested in the story-within-the-story that Marlena tells. But things definitely picked up as the plot and character developed more and everything began to tie together. The second half of the book flew by. I bumped my rating up to 3.5 stars because I liked the twist and the ending. 

It isn't a bad book overall, but it certainly isn't a classic.