Sunday, February 26, 2012

Book Review: Daughter of Helaman (Whitney Finalist)

Title: Daughter of Helaman
Author: Misty Moncur
Enjoyment Rating: 6/10
Referral: Whitney Finalist
Source: Library Copy
Books I've read this year: 29

It's a story almost as old as time, or at least as old as Joan of Arc. A girl yearns for the same kind of adventure she sees her brothers enjoying. People tell her she should remain content with her lot in life. She cuts her hair/dresses like a boy/learns to fight/stows away on a ship until she gets the respect she deserves. Here's that story set in Book of Mormon times, where Keturah wants nothing more than to fight with her teenage brothers in Helaman's army. Lots of people tell her no, and then eventually, they let her (no haircuts or breast-binding required).

What to say about this book? It's very readable. I think there are probably lots of readers out there who would enjoy it a lot. It seems to end right at the point where the action starts (does that mean there will be a sequel? Noooooo!). I've decided I am not a big fan of Book of Mormon "historicals" because there is so much about the history of the Book of Mormon that is not known, and all of the books seem to have a modern, American sensibility to them, but I'm not sure how that kind of situation could be remedied. I'm not holding this against the book in any way, but I've decided that I'm not a huge fan of the size of the Covenant/Bonneville books. The pages are big and there's not a lot of white space, and I think I find the amount of type on one page to be overwhelming. I know it's probably cheaper that way, but in the age of the iPad, long blocks of type feel especially fatiguing.

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