A Review of The North Star by Killian Carter

The version I read of this book had loads of errors. Spelling, grammar, syntax, you name it. I therefore was intending to give it a low rating because of it. However, I have been assured that it was published in error, and a new version has been released. As I haven’t seen this version, I cannot give the book the full 5 stars, but have only deleted one.

Synopsis
Clio is a cadet on a starship carrying secret ‘super-troops’ called Aegis to a laboratory Colony 115. Commander Grimshaw is in command of this operation .

When the starship sights a strange ship never before seen, and it attacks, they crash-land on Colony 115 only to find an invasion by strange creatures going on.

The crew has been scattered all over the planet, and they need to come together to leave. But Clio is the only pilot left alive. They must fight these aliens in order to get to the starship in the laboratories.

Characters.
The characters are believable. They all have their good and bad points. Clio has a violent temper, but also a softer side which is shown by her care for a sentient creature she befriends.

Commander Grimshaw has his anxieties, too. He must do what he can to ensure they leave the planet to tell the rest of the galaxy of these aliens.

Then there’s Randai. He’s a dropout on Sentinel. It is obvious he was once more than he is now, but he has drowned himself in drugs and alcohol, as well as getting involved with criminals.

I thought the characterisation very good.

Plot.
An excellent and original plot. It is exciting and moves rapidly.

The jumps from one character to another were done well. Making you want to continue reading to find out what happened to the ones you’ve just left.

Writing.
Aside from the errors, the writing moved the plot along, and kept you reading. The author set the various scenes well, and the reader can imagine the places and visualise the characters.

Summary.
I have deducted one star, due to the fact that I’ve not seen the latest version of this book, otherwise it would have got a resounding 5 stars. It kept me on the edge of my seat while reading, and I am looking forward to reading book 2.

Please leave a comment in the comments box.

How to write a review for Amazon

First of all, may I make 2 apologies.

First, the link for the free copy of The Wolf Pack did not work. It is now working. Don’t forget the offer finishes on 22nd, so don’t miss out. You can get it by clicking here.

Second, might I apologise for posting late this week.I was away last week and did not have the chance to write a post. anyway, here it is now.

Book reviews are important to authors. Once upon a time, before Amazon and the Internet, (Yes, there was such a time!) the only way authors got their books known about was, in the first instance, by professional reviews in the press, and by word of mouth. People told their friends they’d just read this great book, and their friends should buy it and read it, too.

Then came Amazon. Amazon allows readers to comment on the books they read, and all the world has the ability to see those reviews. (Well, almost. I had a review in India that can’t be seen here in the UK, and I have to post reviews separately in the UK and USA.)

Readers read those reviews and they help them to decide if they want to read a book. that’s great. Unfortunately, those people who write reviews are few and far between. Amazon also only adds books to the ‘People who bought this also bought,’ at the bottom of the page, if a book has 25 reviews.

I think the problem is that people think writing a book review is arduous. They remember having to write them at school and think it’s the same.

Well, it isn’t.

Writing a book review can be simple and a matter of minutes. I want to help people to get to grips with it so we, as authors, can get more reviews. It’s the main way our books our found. No one can read a book, no matter how good, if they don’t know it’s there.

Here are a few tips to get you started.

• First,go to the book’s page and click ‘write a review’ (or ‘be the first to review this book)
• Add the number of stars you want to award.
• You need a title. Simply something like ‘An excellent read’, or ‘A dreadful book’. Something simple that sums up what you think.
• In the main body of the review, you do not need to be complicated. Here are a few questions you might consider when reviewing
• Did I like the book?
• Was it well-written?
• Were the characters believable?
• Did I care about them?
• Was the plot believable?
• How easy did I find it to read?
• Did I become engrossed in the book?

You do not need to answer all of the questions, just three of four would be enough, I think.
I hope this encourages you to write reviews on the books you read, positive and negative.

Thank you for reading this.

Leave a comment in the comments box, or feel free to share this post with your friends and followers. I love hearing from you, and what you think.