Title : Scarlett and the Soul Thief

Author : Annie Oliver

Genre : Children's Fiction, Fantasy

Synopsis
A mysterious stranger known only as the Soul Thief lures Scarlett Winter away from her family to a world far beyond this one. Bullied and tormented all her life, Scarlett now has the power to give the pain back. Will she make the right choice?


Member review: Scarlett's wishes

This passes the most important litmus test with flying colors: I got so engrossed in the tale I didn’t even think about it as a ‘reading assignment’, but simply as reading for pleasure. I got to the end before I knew it (7000 words flew by)and was quite disappointed not to be able to read more about the effects of Scarlett’s spell. This book, although a tale for children, definitely has that all-important ‘crossover’ appeal.

So high marks are guaranteed, and the only question which remains is: how high?

Characterization: 5 all the way. All the characters come alive (with the possible exception of Scarlett’s mum). I was especially impressed with Jemima, the evil teenage bully and the way the author presents both sides of her: a bully indeed, but also neglected and bullied at home and with a laudable desire to make something of herself. I suspect that when Scarlett has the chance to take revenge on her, she’ll have to think twice. As I said, Scarlett’s mum didn’t seem right to me. She shouldn’t have been ‘beautiful’ in my opinion, and if she was how did she wind up with such a dork as Martin?

Plot: It’s a great story, but it does have a ‘borrowed’ feel about it (Harry Potter anyone?). So I had to give a 4 here.

Pace: The pacing is snappy and perfectly fits the tale. 5

Language: There were a few places where I thought the language didn’t match a child’s POV (would a 13 year-old talk about her mother’s ‘insipid boyfriend’? But on the other hand the language was quite original and captivating in places, so I gave a 5.

POV – Perfect, 5

Dialogue – Also very good, 5.

Settings: This was the weakest part of the story, IMO. I couldn’t figure out what her ‘upstairs neighbors’ were doing eating breakfast in her apartment, nor what Freda and Edna's relationship to Scarlett and her mother was at all. In truth couldn’t ‘see’ the settings very well, except for the final scene in the shop, which was excellent. 4

Themes and ideas: Great theme – if you had power over your enemies, what would you do? I also liked the ‘be careful what you wish for’ idea. 5

A typo: Scarlett could just imagine the kids faces as school…

Also in the context the line ‘Just like her sister, Rebecca, who was getting married the next month…’ appears at first glance to refer to Jemima’s mother’s sister, not Jemima’s. Later this is clarified.

Other than that, the text is extremely well written in terms of editing.

My kudos to the author for this excellent work.
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