Rate this book

The Snowmelt River (2012)

by Frank P. Ryan(Favorite Author)

3.46 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1780877382 (ISBN13: 9781780877389)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Jo Fletcher

series

Three Powers

review 1: After a week of reading this thing, and trudging through it, I have to give up. First of all, 700+ pages for any book is way too much. It is absolutely dismal to hold a book that thick and see yourself barely making any progress at all because you have so much ahead of you to get through. If a book is over 700 pages then it should definitely be separate and not part of a series. I certainly don't want to read a book this big knowing the story isn't even finished at the end.At first I really thought it was going to be interesting, because of Alan and Kate liking each other. In the beginning Alan kissed Kate and she kissed him back, and I always like romance in a book. It will make a story 10 times better for me. And then Mark and his sister Mo were introduced to the story, ... moreand it went downhill immediately from there. I didn't like Mark, and I didn't Mo or her name. They bothered me so badly. Mo stammers when she talks, every time she talks, for every word. It was so annoying, so irritating I got so fed up every time I read her speaking, and if that makes me a bad person then so be it, but I can't take a stutter; it's so much more annoying in writing because you have to read each word. I couldn't stand her, and she's younger than the rest so all of them babied her and that irritated me even more. As soon as you open the book you're being thrust into a story you know nothing about and can't understand. I thought the author would take time to explain things soon, but no, I was left adrift on the river without a paddle, wondering what in the world this story was about. There are 4 orphans, two of which are adopted siblings. Mo, the stuttering baby, and Mark, her jerk of a brother who uses language and has thoughts he shouldn't be having. I'm not sure how old he is, and I don't care enough to look it up, but he just all of a sudden really likes Kate, so much so that he despises Alan because Alan is with Kate and Kate likes him, and gets in a fight with him over it. He takes pictures of Kate all the time, even when she's in her bathing suit, which is creepy. The language these young teenagers used was deplorable. They were cussing all the time, one of them even said gd. I can't stand that, and it's pretty irresponsible as an author I think to have young people use profanity such as this when there are young people reading the book. You have to think of the audience you're writing for and if it's okay or not whether they're reading what you write, and eliminate things accordingly or else write for a different audience. I couldn't believe how much they were cussing, just cussing all the time.Also, their conversations did not flow in any way, shape or form. They just weren't logical. I hate reading where the author knows what they're talking about, making references to things only they know about, and not including readers, so I get so lost and confused I have no idea what's going on. Every single moment, every dialogue, every action was contrived. Nothing was natural at all. Conversations are supposed to be logical and natural; they're supposed to flow and the things the characters are saying are supposed to make sense. No one was making sense in here. Someone would say something and then someone else would just come with something that didn't go with the first thing. I kept asking myself where did that come from, why are they saying that? The author had an agenda, he was going to make it happen right then and there whether readers or the characters were ready for it or not. For example, no sooner do I start the book and expect to slide into the ease of starting a new book and learning what it's all about does the author slam me upside the head with the fact that there are 4 orphans who are together, "you think 4 orphans come together and there's not a reason for it?" "You think fate didn't have anything to do with it?" and things like that. Over and over and over I'm being force-fed this conspiracy that there's a greater force that wanted these 4 orphans together. And I call it a conspiracy because I had no time to even digest that they were all triplets, and maybe form my own theories, which I wouldn't have done because personally I don't think it's that crazy for 4 orphans to come together. I was like what's the big deal, so 4 kids without parents find each other. Let's move on. But no, the author wouldn't let me. He kept bringing it up in a completely controlling manner that there was a reason. There was no buildup, no mystery, nothing really except the author forcing readers to accept the fact that he had something planned for 4 kids. My curiosity was picked though when Mo was drawing crystals or something, and a man was there and expressed an interest in it. I wanted to know who he was, what he knew and why he was interested in her take on the world. And then it just got stupid. Mo has this weird connection to nature and describes it as the "blooming" or something like that, and they go on to compare that analogy to their new-found knowledge about themselves. I thought it was just dumb.Mo has a special understanding of nature, and she sings like an angel, all traces of her stutter disappearing. Of course. They all stop to listen, thinking she sounds angelic and looks ethereal, singing with her head back, eyes closed and dancing around. Of course she has a beautiful voice and doesn't stutter one bit. Of course. And for some strange reason the word "sensual" is being used. Yeah...not really the word I would have young teenagers use to describe another person singing, esp someone younger than them. That's a little creepy.It's established that an entire mountain is calling them, for some reason, and I'm expecting something interesting, again, when they start training to prepare themselves for the journey. Mark learns another language so he can read the messages, and I have high expectations. Except pretty early on it's clear they aren't going to be met.There's a weird shadow figure that almost catches them but never does. It's not really too clear. Then a weird old crone appears, who has spiders for clothing who are actively spinning webs or something, and she concocts a potion using their cell phones. Really creative stuff. She throws all their cell phones into a pot and comes out with crystals, one for each of them, except Mo who doesn't have a cell phone, so Mo doesnt get a crystal. Poor little thing. Except, wait! The little baby isn't out of the loop just yet, it turns out she can still hear the thoughts of others, in other languages, just like the other 3. Why is that, you ask. Well I'm not sure because this is the page I quit on, and I don't care to keep reading but I'm sure it's something stupid.I almost quit after the adopted father was introduced who puts burning crosses up to his forehead and says really crazy things like he's a messenger for God who thinks they're doing right when really they're just delusional. The kids relate it to Padraig, Alan's grandpa, and I just felt like I was in a dumb world I didn't want to be in. You don't want to read a book you think is so dumb you're intelligence is being insulted, and that's how I felt. I finally had enough of the weird/stupid/confusing/boring world with bear people with claws that ate raw fish, old crones feeding kids sludge, and where kids had crystals embedded into their foreheads and hands. Absolutely bizarre.
review 2: The Snowmelt River spans the Earth we know and a strange magical world called Tir. The tale opens in the picturesque Irish countryside (beautifully depicted by the author) where four young people meet and discover they are all orphans. Right away, we feel that, while quite ordinary in outward appearance, these youngsters are somehow special. Fate or some uncanny power has marked them out for a purpose as yet unknown. They have been drawn together to fulfill a great destiny. Soon they are mysteriously “called” by the nearby mountain, Slievenamon, with its ancient stone cairn and legendary portal to another world.Ireland blooms as never before. Timeless tombs reveal long kept secrets. Surging magical forces swirl through leafy woods and green fields. The secrets of the portal have a guardian who is none other than the wise old grandfather of one of the youngsters. Armed with his advice and an eldritch sword, the four young adventurers battle evil beings and face death as they traverse the portal to the world of Tir. The story that unfolds in that wild, primitive, and rugged land is crammed with magic, excitement, and danger.The four companions have taken their mobile phones with them and these, unexpectedly, are far from useless in the new world. A strange grimy being, known only as Granny Dew, magically transforms them into objects of immense power. Each young person has a special gift. But to what purpose? None of them knows why they have been summoned to Tir. None knows the true nature of their powers.Yet they are immediately swept up in the vicious war that will decide who rules this enchanted land. Vulnerable furry fisherfolk and tall Amazon warriors alike look upon them as “chosen” bearers of ancient symbols and powers. Called upon to fulfill their unknown destinies, the four companions must set aside their childish ways and step forward as young adults. Doing so proves easier for some than for others. Their perilous rite of passage is a baptism of fire.The people of Tir are not human in appearance, but all too human in every other way. We are shown the best and the worst of human character. Bold courage and willing sacrifice mingle with rank cowardice and blatant lust for power. Loyalty and sweet love vie with foul treachery and hate. The four young companions - still tender and untested - are embroiled in life as it is lived by those who stand to lose everything.Magical objects and enchanted places abound in The Snowmelt River. A mysterious ship that is alive, giant stone heads that house the souls of long-dead warriors, crystals inscribed with glowing runes, abandoned overgrown fortresses so old their gloomy inner chambers are ankle deep with dust. Each unique thing and every lovingly depicted place add their morsel of delight to this thoroughly entertaining novel. The author has imagined a brooding sorcerous world filled with dark romantic landscapes and shivering cold, and haunted by dense blue-black shadows.Like all rousing adventure yarns, The Snowmelt River builds to a frantic and desperate conclusion. The final battle goes on for chapters as the good people of Tir make a despairing stand against the overwhelming forces of the monstrous tyrant who has afflicted their lands. In the midst of fire and death, the four young companions live out their various unforeseen destinies. less

Download links for: The Snowmelt River

Advertising