Embraced

Darlene
Jones
ISBN Number: 
978-1479228034
Genre: 
Other

SCI-FI:  Abby Davies, a principal and school teacher, feels as though she is losing her mind.  At night, her dental fillings have been ‘clicking’ in a pattern similar to Morse code.  Could they be alien messages?  Little does Abby know that higher powers are involved.  There are great tasks for her to complete, but the Powers involved manipulate her mind and heart, which may potentially lead Abby to insanity.  

Readers may find several aspects of Embraced problematic.  The conflict, plot, and resolution are extremely flawed.   This story lacks a clear direction and the characters seem to take the reader nowhere - so much is unexplained.   At first, Embraced seems to be about star-crossed lovers, yet the direction intermittently changes with each sub-plot.  The schemes of secondary characters as they play games with Abby’s mind; the selfish ‘soul mate’ who illogically wins the heroine’s heart; Abby’s letters to the editor supposedly serving great purpose, but with sentiments that are detailed and executed in an unsophisticated manner; the higher powers are nearly undistinguishable from humans (other than a few odd names); and the selfish being pining for Abby, are all a confusing mishmash by the story’s end.  The protagonist, Abby Davies, seems to be a victim of ambitious but ineffective writing.  “Embraced” will likely leave readers very frustrated and highly unsatisfied.  

Anna Fitzgerald