Title: Opening the Ball
Author: Nathaniel Simpson
This book is about a young boy called
Jonathan who is recruited into a mysterious paramilitary academy for
gifted boys. When he and two of his friends are chosen to take part
in an elite program, they must survive one of the bloodiest days of
battle of the Civil War.
The plot was an interesting one,
keeping me gripped from the start. It combines many of the aspects of
literature that I like; clever plot twists, exciting action and the
right level of emotion that draws you in and makes you really care
for the characters. I like the introduction of time travel and the
way it was used in the story, along with the way the characters and
setting were authentic and believable.
The characters were very relatable and
by the end of the book I really was concerned about each of them.
Jonathan was a solid and well-rounded protagonist and I think that
the author gave just enough back-story to him so that the reader
could understand his personality and the way he was. Also I like the
side characters as there were interesting personalities and it was
surprising who I, as a reader, sympathised with.
The writing style was easily
understandable and well-written. I found that the story was well
researched and authentic when discussing the Civil War in America;
with the weapons and clothing being very convincing to the reader, as
well as the characters.
Overall I would give this 4 out of 5
stars because although I really loved the plot and the whole story, I
found the ending to be a bit abrupt (this is probably due to it being
the first in a series), however, I would still definitely recommend
this.
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