Lost in a Good Book

Enthrall by MR Reed
Blog Tour
February 1-12th, 2016

Published: 12th October, 2014
Publisher: Self Published
Pages: 312
Format: ebook
Genre: Young Adult/Science Fiction
★   ★  – 2 Stars

After years of being a helpless witness to his alcoholic father’s abuse towards his family, seventeen-year-old Miles Boswell has just about reached his breaking point. He dreams of the day where he can leave everything behind and begin a new life on his own — that is, until he discovers that he has the ability to control people’s minds. Suddenly, the odds are overwhelmingly in his favor.

But what begins as the answer to all of his problems soon causes him to question his every thought when he captures the attention of August Sylvan, who seems to be the girl of his dreams. As someone who has limited experience with girls, Miles can’t help but wonder — where do his powers end, and where does reality begin? 

At the same time, he finds himself at constant odds with his morals and his potentially warped sense of justice…and soon discovers that nothing is as simple as it seems.

This book contains strong language, violent scenes, and some sexual content.

Note: I was provided with a copy of this book for review.

I could possibly bump my two stars up to a 2.5 on the basis that while the story wasn’t unenjoyable, I came away feeling unsatisfied. I finished it feeling like things were unresolved, left unanswered, and even taking into account the surreal moments and strange quality the story had, it felt as though something was lacking.

Enthrall tells the story of Miles and August, a pair of teenagers who fall in love and both have families they would rather avoid for varying reasons. The pair seems perfect for one another, but when Miles discovers he has developed a strange ability, it is the start of a dangerous downward spiral for both of them.

I started this book with a nice warm feeling. It was so sweet to see the two characters attracted to each other but thinking the other one was out of their league. Seeing August become nervous around him and Miles awestruck, it was cute. Both were semi social outcasts and had an attitude that made people avoid them. But when they become a couple they join forces to become a team of pretentious and moralistic teens who feel superior to the world which turns you off them a bit.

I liked the story, the characters had depth, they were teenagers and did teenage things. I loved their complicated home lives and the school drama, it was an enjoyable story. The concept Reed’s explored is interesting, and it certainly was an interesting experience watching Miles’ struggle. There were just a few things that didn’t sit right. One of the biggest disappointments was the lack of explanation. Even if there wasn’t a detailed explanation, something would have been better. Reed offers hope towards the end, but even then you end up more confused than anything, trying to see if you’ve missed something. The mystery would have been ok to deal with if it didn’t hint throughout that you were going to get a reason.

Reed writes with the voice of a teen and each character tells their story as if speaking to the reader, which is fine, but it takes a few chapters to get into the swing of it. The dual narration works really well and seeing both sides of the story and both experiences adds meaning and offers a different perspective on similar events. It’s also a great chance to see the gradual downfall and changes of each character, Miles in particular.

As a character Miles is someone who is hard to figure out. He seems sweet, but arrogant; he is incredibly selfish and as you watch him descend further into the mess he’s made for himself there is not pity whatsoever because you’ve seen how he’s brought it on himself. I found myself at times comparing him to punk version of Holden Caulfield, he doesn’t think everyone is a phony per se, but he is quite judgemental of others and pushes his moralistic agenda over everything and judges those who do things he doesn’t approve of. August does this as well, but to a slightly lesser extent.

As fun as unlikable characters are though, I was sad I didn’t connect with him because Miles actually does some good things when he isn’t being selfish. But because I didn’t care about him I couldn’t feel that proud of him for what he was doing, and it didn’t really suit his character when he did.

Reed shows Miles’ decent gradually, and you can see his mindset change as time goes by. Some things he did I felt were quite a big leap, and a few characters reactions were not that realistic, but it didn’t take too much away from the story. Overall it was a good read, you take enjoyment from the characters and their lives, and while there isn’t a satisfactory conclusion, the story being told is quite enjoyable.

You can purchase Enthrall via the following

Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Our formative years are the ones that stick with us the most–you know, those tirelessly frustrating yet unforgettably magical moments that shape us into the people that we will become. The music that I liked as a teenager, the books that I read, the relationships that I created (and destroyed)…those are the things that I think truly formed the adult that I am today. I still love those things. I still think about those things. I still harbor a lot of anger in relation to the events that I experienced as a teenager, and it does nothing but fuel my creative spirit.

And that’s what I like to write about: Teenagers, and all of their idiosyncrasies, and concerns, and that whole unintentionally egocentric view that they have about their worlds. I find it fascinating. I’m thankful every day that I’m no longer a teenager, but I have to admit that it’s a interesting time to look back on.

Miles and August encompass a lot of me, and my experiences, and my observations. The music, books, and beliefs that I held at that time inspired me to write about the events that take place in Enthrall. My intense hope is that somebody reads it and is able to relate, or get through a difficult time, and just know that somebody understands what he/she is going through (at least a little bit.) That’s what music and books did for me. I hope to pay it forward.