Grace Hammer by Sara Stockbridge Book Review

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age: 13+

Pages: 277

Gender: Female

Publication Year: 2009

Plot: 4/5

Description: 4/5

Characters: 3.5/5

Developed: 3/5

Fast Paced: 5/5

Cover: 3/3

Memorable: +1

Total: 23.5/28

Percent: 84%

Grade: B

   I originall found this book at my local library. I intended to check it out but I decided not to since it was only a one week rental. So I bought on Amazon for a few dollars a couple months ago. I finally decided to read it. It was ok, but it had some major flaws, well at least in my eyes it did.

   The plot was good, but the problem is that the author went off and just had to talk about things that had nothing to really do with the plot. The story was about a women named Grace Hammer. She lives in Whitechapel in the year 1888 (I know such a wonderful year to live in Whitechapel) with her children. Grace is a thief, in fact it is the only way she really gets money. Apparently she is really good at being a thief because she lives a well life for living in East London. But her past is coming back to hunt her, because she stole a precious gem from this guy she used to work for, Mr.Blunt. You see, Mr.Blunt is a easily angered man, so he now wants his gem back, but he does not want to stop after getting the gem. There is really not much else to the plot. There are a lot of little side plots though.

   Since I finished this book awhile ago, I barely remember anything about the description used in it. All I remember was that I wasn't astounded by it, but I wasn't disappointed by it. I remember that the author never described the setting well. So I gave it a 4.

   I believed the characters were never fully developed. There was nothing really anything unique about the characters except that they had all their teeth. Jack is a player and Grace is a thief. Her children are smart and good looking. Mr.Blunt is angry, he kills people. They are as flat as a piece of printer paper.

   The story was poorly developed. Mostly because they kept going to different people's point of views. The author never made you care about the characters, or what happened to him. The story just seemed to go in a pointless direction. The characters did things for no apparent reason. The author told us things that the story didn't need. It was just so pointles, nothing really had any depth.

   The story was generally fast paced. If you aren't put down by the changing point of views. Then since it is short and has big print you should be able to just zip through this book.

   The cover is really good. Except for one thing. There are these orange splatters on the cover. First I thought someone spilled something on my copy, but once I looked up the picture on the internet apparently all the covers have the splatters on it. I don't know if it is blood or supposed to be lights or something, but the cover can for sure do with out it. Otherwise the cover gives the book a mysterious look to it.

   This book was a little bit memorable. I remember it because another one of my favorite characters in the book was executed (In almost all the historical fiction I read, if there is a execution in it, it has to be my favorite character.)
  
   This book was not the most impressive book in the world, but it is not the worst either. I recommend this to you if you like historical fiction.