Welcome to Indie April everyone!
If you're new here, Indie April is where we highlight books that are published independently of major publishing houses; basically, if you can see it in a major bookseller, such as Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, etc., it's not an indie book.
I personally consider pay-to-publish and micropublishers part of the indie umbrella due to the hold traditional publishers have on the market (as in there are now only three or four major publishing houses because one bought out the competition and made it in imprint around February/March 2021), but for the sake of this month's reviews I'm keeping it simple with actual "indie published" books.
You guys ready?
 |
| Cover retrieved from Goodreads page |
Where Trains Collide is a New Adult romance novella
My Goodreads review can be found here.
My Amazon review can be found here.
As usual, anything off topic will be in this color.
I found Ms. Stokes through a long line of connections. Yes, I know she is married and interchanges her maiden/married name. For the sake of clarity I'm referring to her as the name that is on the cover. Unfortunately, her socials have been wiped but her books are still here for us to enjoy. If you're looking for a romance, both contemporary and historical, her books would be at the top of my recommendations for you.
The most important thing I have found is Ms. Stokes has an amazing ability to give the atmosphere of the story to the reader no matter the length. This story is no different. The nostalgia and the sadness of lost expectation (both romantic and personal/professional) was striking considering the length of the story. Her ability to write longing and wistfulness of what was is an amazing feat and even though it wasn't the main point, I feel that she needs recognition for that ability alone.
Building on this, I feel that her characters, at least when they're working through their issues, are great examples of what is missing in a lot (but not all) of traditionally published stories. I have found there's just movement, going from point A to point B (yes, even in the romance genre; point A is the meet-cute and point B is Happy Ever After) and minimal thought given to how the characters are feeling about the situation. Ms. Stokes is good about taking a moment for the character to think about how they feel and how their actions have impacted or will impact their decisions and future.
This story has a lot of this technique as it's a second-chance romance. One of my favorite parts is using the technique mentioned above to go about relearning both each other and themselves. Characters should reflect reality, both the good and the bad, and in reality it is healthy to relearn both oneself and those around you. Ms. Stokes has the characters relearning themselves and each other in a way that is fun to read and leaves you wanting more.
Finally, I loved the characters for themselves and not just what they can represent. They are actual adults and though it can be high-key awkward and can give the reader second-hand embarrassment, there is also joy, love, and excitement to balance out all of the awkward.
I've noticed that Ms. Stokes seems to run on the short side, even for a novella. I personally think that adding one or two more chapters would give the story room to grow from a good and simple story to a great and simple story.
As mentioned above, Ms. Stokes is good about having her characters take a moment to understand their feelings and actions. However, it is simply that: a moment. This moment, while important, is not quite enough to give the characters time to show themselves to the readers.
All in all, I really enjoyed this story and its characters and I highly recommend it.
 |
| Cover retrieved from Goodreads page |
My Goodreads review can be found here.
My Amazon review can be found here.
As usual, any thoughts or not directly on subject will be in this color.
***As part of my disclaimer statement, I know both the author and illustrator personally. This in no way influences my thoughts on this book.
Though I am not the target audience, I did enjoy this story for many reasons. First, I'm excited to see different genres in indie publishing. I've found most indie authors are YA+, with a little bit of of Middle Grade thrown in. Having a story focused to younger readers/listeners opens up a new age range, who in turn will grow up understanding that indie stories can be just as enjoyable and respectable as traditionally published stories.
The illustrations are super cute. I traditionally don't like illustrations like this because of how weird it looks in general. These illustrations give enough detail to show the story but doesn't try to put too much and therefore avoids a lot of what makes these illustrations odd.
Finally, I love how it reflects the creativity in the indie publishing. While traditional publishing has its perks and pros, it is bound to the industry's highs and lows when it comes to tropes and styles that are popular. Children's stories are unfortunately no different, even though it has the most room for variety.
In indie publishing, there is no reason to discount the stories that authors want to tell. Even if it's "just a children's book," there is room for any creativity for all ages to enjoy.
This is super cute and if you have a young reader/future reader that you want to entertain, this is a good book for them.
****
Next week I'm reviewing Perception by Emily Ann Benedict. Come join me then!
No comments:
Post a Comment