Daughter of Joy by Kathleen Morgan

 

I considered not writing a review of this book. Mostly because it is not my kind of book. But I decided I should write about because books are the only thing that are giving me a reason to write lately. And more over they make me think about things. I picked this book to read because it was a free download. And I made a promise to myself that I would go outside of my comfort zone and try new things. I remember the day I tried out urban fantasy books, and I protested the whole way. Turns out I fell in love with them. Now I can't imagine a world without werewolves and fae and everything else in between. So why not venture out? Maybe there is something out there for me that I never would have thought to give a chance, a book somewhere on a shelf that will stay with me for years to come. So here I go on my journey to find that book.

To start this is a period book. The thing about period books is that as an English major and well quite frankly as a history minor I have read pieces of literature from this time, and they sound nothing like this. Although I get the reasoning behind it. I can remember struggling to understand the words on the page before me, and trying to figure out what they were saying in 1775. How the English language evolves over years is amazing to me. So that being said I believe the author did her very best to convey the times while still writing in a dialect that the average person living in 2000's could understand.

For me this book contains a lot of God. Almost to much for my liking. It's a personal preference. I understand the need for God in this book, this woman is starting over after one of the most tragic things that could happen to a person have happened to her, both her son and her husband dead within a years time. To rebuild a life after that, to strike out on her own, you need something to hold on to, and I understand that need wholeheartedly. The only thing that bothered me about the continuing mention of God 18 times on every page was Abby was on a journey to find herself, to become herself, and instead she spends so much time focusing on what God wants, and forgets to listen to her wants and needs.

Beth is really the only person I found moving throughout the book. She is a young girl who has literally turned into a bitter angry girl by following her fathers example. She tries so hard to be hard, to be like her father, that she knows no other way to be. The journey that she and Abby take together, in showing Beth that it is okay to be a girl, to want to be happy is okay, it's moving to see.

I found the last couple of chapters very rushed. The sudden reappearance and acceptance of Conner's son felt unnatural. The then sudden return of the supposed dead wife, Sally, is the most forced, surreal, part of the book. In all of like a chapter she arrives, throws everything into disarray, and then dies. And then oh my gosh, Abby and Conner and wed and live happily ever after. All this long buildup to only have this sudden sequence of events happen is just weird.

I also felt that the arrival of Hannah was unnecessary, like an attempt by the author to give the other characters in the book some reason to interact with the main characters. And as a way to show Abby has some kind of sway over Conner. Although it should be noted this is a series of books, and I think Hannah ends up being one of the "brides" in the course of the series, so maybe that is why she was introduced, either way I don't feel like she made any contribution to the story of Abby.

I will say that it was able to keep my attention, I didn't hate it. I didn't like it. But this book is not for me. I can see the appeal for other people though (that is until the last couple of chapters where the entire pace of the book changes). I will not be continuing with the series, but I do enjoy a free book.