Worldstone

Rating:
Summary: Sloppy and unprofessional!
Review: Fans who enjoyed Strauss' work in Arm of the Stone and Garden of Stone will enjoy reading this related earlier work by Strauss.

The Worldstone is about Alexina, an American teenager who discovers her own mindpower when she helps a strange boy who appears in a nearby cave, and must make choices about who to trust and how to use her power. Those who have read Arm of the Stone will recognize certain characters who Alexina meets. However, readers should keep in mind that The Worldstone is an "alternate" sequel to Arm of the Stone, since the events in The Worldstone are not compatible with events that occur in the Garden of Stone.

Even in this early work, Strauss creates interesting characters, who cannot be easily categorized as "good" or "evil," unlike much young adult fantasy. The weakness of this early work is that it leans much more on cliched description, and has a less than satisfying ending, which is why I do not give it more stars. However, the book is very interesting as an example of how an author develops and changes her plots, characters and writing over time.

Rating:
Summary: Fans of Strauss will find this a very interesting read.
Review: Fans who enjoyed Strauss' work in Arm of the Stone and Garden of Stone will enjoy reading this related earlier work by Strauss.

The Worldstone is about Alexina, an American teenager who discovers her own mindpower when she helps a strange boy who appears in a nearby cave, and must make choices about who to trust and how to use her power. Those who have read Arm of the Stone will recognize certain characters who Alexina meets. However, readers should keep in mind that The Worldstone is an "alternate" sequel to Arm of the Stone, since the events in The Worldstone are not compatible with events that occur in the Garden of Stone.

Even in this early work, Strauss creates interesting characters, who cannot be easily categorized as "good" or "evil," unlike much young adult fantasy. The weakness of this early work is that it leans much more on cliched description, and has a less than satisfying ending, which is why I do not give it more stars. However, the book is very interesting as an example of how an author develops and changes her plots, characters and writing over time.

Rating:
Summary: Sloppy and unprofessional!
Review: I am so disappointed in this book! The plot is weak and the characters I found to be a bit boring. Overall I thought this book was sloppy and unprofessional not what I expected by this self-proclaimed bestselling author! WORLDSTONE is a waste of time and good money, in this man's opinion.