Book Review: The Mine (John A. Heldt)

The Mine

By: John A. Heldt

Genre: Historical Fiction, Time-Travel,

 Romance, Young Adult, Coming of Age

In May 2000, Joel Smith is a cocky, adventurous young man who sees the world as his playground. But when the college senior, days from graduation, enters an abandoned Montana mine, he discovers the price of reckless curiosity. He emerges in May 1941 with a cell phone he can't use, money he can't spend, and little but his wits to guide his way. Stuck in the age of swing dancing and a peacetime draft, Joel begins a new life as the nation drifts toward war. With the help of his 21-year-old trailblazing grandmother and her friends, he finds his place in a world he knew only from movies and books. But when an opportunity comes to return to the present, Joel must decide whether to leave his new love in the past or choose a course that will alter their lives forever. THE MINE is a love story that follows a humbled man through a critical time in history as he adjusts to new surroundings and wrestles with the knowledge of things to come.

                                                   

Hi guys! So today I will be talking about a requested book review from an author. This book is called The Mine, and I have a lot to say about it (Kinda). Before we begin, I need to say that we were offered a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review
 So, first things first, I'm not trying to offend the author or anyone who helped write this book, I am simply doing my job and my job is being honest about the books that I read.
  It was hard for me to get through the first chapter of this book. There were grammatical errors, and it reminded me of a Lifetime movie... yeah. The writing was just awful. It was corny and seemed rushed, but at the same time took forever to describe things or when the author was describing something he wrote it in a way that is hard to understand. The characters were really cliche "Oh I'm the guy that never gets any girls and I'm really lame. But my best friend is a player and super awesome". And... I mean, that is a classic combo, but it's only good when written correctly... and the dialogue was terrible:
News caster: "All of the planets are aligning tonight causing blah blah blah"
Lame Friend: "Wow. I hope nothing weird happens."
    That is an actual part from the book. When I read it I rolled my eyes. I mean, come on! Have some originality! It seemed like the book someone who wants to take up a hobby or got fired from their job would write because they want to "Find themselves" or "I think I could do this. Why not?". Also, it felt like a first draft that the author or editor was too tired to bother fixing so they just said "Whatever, just publish it".
   This book has 70 chapters! Now, guys, I am all about long books, my goodness, I love them! But when it comes to a book like this it should have 45 max. That's why you edit it. You get rid of all the extra stuff you put a few chapters together that didn't need to be separated. That's another thing! As I was reading the chapters they ended when they could have just gone on, instead of starting a new chapter.
    The Mine has potential to be a great Sci-Fi novel, it just needs some TLC. I got through six chapters of the novel, I gave it a try, but the writing was poor and the plot was flimsy. Again, it has potential, but it needs A LOT of work, editing, and character development. Mr. John, I hope you take this as constructive criticism and use it to grow as a writer. Please don't let this one mishap end your career as an author. I might have been tough on you but I am just being honest and I believe that this review can help you if you have the right mindset about it. I know that you probably don't want to give up on The Mine because every writer holds their work dear to their heart. Thank you for your time and asking us to review your book. We sincerely appreciate it.
Anyway, that is all for today, I love you all!
xoxo ~ Naomi