Book Reviews and Plot Holes by Konnie Enos

This past week I’ve read two new books which in and of itself is unusual since I don’t get as much time as I’d like to read.

The first book I read was Tamora Pierce’s recently released Tempests and Slaughter which is set in the lands of Tortall but unlike all her other Tortall books, the leading character is a male. The subtitle for this book is The Numair Chronicles. The lead hero is Arram Draper who latter (not in this book) changes his name to Numair.

I am so thrilled to be able to read his backstory and I was, just a bit, disappointed, that I didn’t learn how or why he left Carthak and changed his name. I cannot wait until the next instalment, The Exiles Gift, comes out so I can learn the rest of his story.

One thing I did learn about Tamora Pierce’s writing is she knows how to handle the delicate matters of going through puberty in telling a story. I’ve seen it in how she told both Alanna’s and Kel’s stories and I see it here. I sort of wish I’d had this book when my boys were tweeners. It would have helped me discuss their changing body with them. I’m going to recommend my daughters read this before they have sons going through that phase of life.

The second book I read was a romance. I saw on Goodreads that my eldest daughter was reading so I checked it out. It was free on Kindle so why not?

The story line was actually very interesting and held my interest but within just a few chapters I learned something.

I got an excellent illustration of what a plot hole is and how it can pull the reader right out of the story.

You see in this lovely story the author went into some detail describing the heroine’s rattle trap car as she’s parking outside the hero office building just before they are to meet for the first time. Within minutes of them meeting, he drags her off in his car (there are reasons for this) and then much later that day returns her.

Here is where the plot hole is.

Now I understand why the author has the hero return the heroine to her home, NOT his office. She needed him to know where the heroine lived for the next scene and the most logical way was for him to take her home. In fact, if he’d just taken her to her car he would not have known her address or phone number and therefore he would have had difficulty getting in touch with her in the next scene. So I understand why he took her home but she never once addressed the heroine’s car. And she only shows the heroine returning to that office building one other time, over two weeks later.

Through the rest of the story the heroine’s car is never mentioned again. Not once.

I read the whole story wondering what happened to it.

If she had never mentioned the heroine’s car I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But that wasn’t the case and now I’m left wondering who stole the girl’s car and why didn’t she report it to the police?

I’ve heard of plot holes before. I understand I’ve got at least one in one of my stories that I’m currently working on, but I’d never seen one so obvious and glaring as this one.

Anyway, if you are into fantasy you really should pick up a book by Tamora Pierce.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.