Talisman of El by Alecia Stone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Talisman of El was... okay. What it promised, was spectacular. Sadly, it fails to deliver to me.

The book started too slow to me. There were too few things happening, and suddenly, out of the blue, the tension comes in. It's too sudden and made me frown in confusion.



Jacob's 180 degrees change is really the part where I do not like. I do not like sudden things, out of the ordinary. Jacob should have shown some hints of being evil. Going off somewhere is totally not the right amount of hints to tell the readers something is not right with the guy. Especially when it is mentioned in a passing moment.

Charlie feels like a deus-ex-machina guy. The type of an overpowered guy that can do anything and everything and seem invincible. Main characters, especially, need to have flaws. Yes, flaws that can make them improve and constantly changing into better and real characters. Characters that will make you believe they could exist in real life. Even if they're magical.

The world-building though, it's unique. It's different that what we've most heard in the world of YA books today. It's fresh and a breath of fresh air. It's what draws people in.

Sadly though, it is lacking in the execution department. The whole novel felt like a mechanical way of explaining the characters doing things. I felt no feelings from the characters, alas, I can't connect with them. Even for Charlie.

The whole "Show, don't tell." is definitely needed more in the book. The dialogues are witty, but it's just the dialogues. The inner thoughts as well as descriptions are lacking in emotion. Or adjectives.

3.5 stars but leaning more to 3.


View all my reviews