Clare M

As you can guess from my review title I was not a fan of this book. I felt that the topic had so much interest and potential. However, the book was not engaging and felt like a school history lesson. It seemed to me that the author was trying to provide an unbiased and open view of Spirituality, but I think in doing so she lost her connection to the reader. Going into this book I had no knowledge of the history of Spiritualism and was excited to learn. 30 pages in and I felt bored and bogged down with a plethora of dates, names, and facts. I think this book would appeal to a history buff or someone with a better beginning knowledge of Spiritualism, just was not for me.

I found this book very enthralling. I could not put it down. This book explored the concept of fate in a new and fresh way. What kept me from fully loving this book was the main character, Mia. I felt that Colleen Oakley could have done a better job of fleshing out her character. As Mia was written I had difficulty relating to her selfishness and lack of interest in or compassion for Harrison. When she finally reaches out to him it felt like too little too late in my opinion. Otherwise, this book was thought-provoking, deeper than it appeared, and captivating. Would recommend to a friend.

Ellie and the Harpmaker is a romance novel that addresses issues of domestic abuse, paternity rights, and finding oneself. The writer introduced Ellie and Dan in an interesting way that immediately hooked me. The description of Dan's handiwork in crafting harps and his warm, inviting barn set the perfect stage for their love story to unfold. Unfortunately however, the story never picked up momentum from there. Even the supposed exciting twists and turns were quickly and tidily resolved leaving me feeling confused and wanting more. While I appreciate that Hazel Prior tried to make this romance story more substantive these plot points never felt truly cohesive or natural. For example, Ellie's friend is supportive and a free spirit who helps Ellie find her independence. However, this friend halfway through the book leaves on vacation and doesn't return! As the reader this felt like an easy way to dispense of a character and really pulled me out of the main plot. How this friend was woven into the story felt forced and may not have even been necessary from the beginning. I think this book was a good romance story it lacked a natural flow of the substantive plot points that I sorely missed.