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Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Ondelle of Grioth by Danika Dinsmore - My first perfect 5/5!

Today, I am reviewing the Fantasy novel Ondelle of Grioth by Danika Dinsmore. This is the third installment of the Faerie Tales from the White Forest series. For the purposes of disclosure, this is the only novel in the series that I have read – I haven’t seen the first two. 

I give this book a 5/5. Yes, it’s finally happened – a book received an actual perfect score. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 5/5. Danika has created a society of supernatural creatures that is believable and relatable. Each character has a place, none are superfluous, and I felt connected to each and every one. From Brigitta, the confused but headstrong protagonist to Fozk and Gola and the rest, each character contributed to the story, no matter how brief his/her involvement.


More importantly, I haven’t read the first two stories in this series, and yet I was never confused by the character interactions or connections. That is a feat in and of itself!

Plot/Storyline: 5/5. Danika weaves her story like she was born in this realm and is just telling us about something that actually happened. The magic in the world is in-depth and clearly explained, with nary a feeling of the deus-ex-machina. I was fascinated by the link between Brigitta and Ondelle in particular (remember that I haven’t read the first two books) and excited by the possibilities as the story unfolded.

Flow: 5/5.  This story proceeded at the speed of plot, which is how I myself write. I never felt like more time was being taken than necessary on any point, or that the characters had diverted into needless conversation or activity. Danika wrote a story, and that story is evident in each keystroke.

Spelling/Grammar: 5/5. Huzzah! Well done! I saw no errors. I repeat, I saw no errors. This is not to say that there are none, but I did not see them as I went through. My only suggestion to Danika is that she eliminate what Stephen King called the “swifties” – which are adverbs attached to dialogue, like “he said softly,” or “she shouted angrily.” Your writing is strong enough that you don’t need them.

Overall: 5/5. Absolutely amazing. I have been planning to read this book for a long time, and now I will be getting the rest. Then, once I’ve read books one and two, I’ll be re-reading this one to see what I missed in my first go through. I can’t say it enough – Danika has crafted a masterpiece. I look forward to more.

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