Sunstone Paperback – April 1, 2015

Holly Barbo has done it again and adds to her first collection "The Sage Seed Chronicles". I loved this collection and jumped to read her latest writing. It is steam punk ( I never knew) science fiction and fantasy. Very exciting, fast moving, and suspenseful. You will be taken to another planet, a moon, named Myrn, that has a three-day sunlight cycle called Twi days. Goddess Navara has set into place a societal system balanced by the power of Novara's sunstones. A society that over time comes to confront social injustices through the banks, corporations and politicians. My mind hit on Dickens. You'll be introduced to a geothermal grid for steam powered cars. Add aether lamps, cogs, clocks, and gears. I thought about Jules Verne, and Dan Brown. The plot will be immediately identifiable and strike a hit home. Holly Barbo writes with remarkable clarity and imagination. She has an incredible amount of knowledge about nature and science and politics. Amazingly so. I read the book stopping only to eat. Fun to read. Meaningful. Don't miss this read. And if you haven't read her other books please check them out and add them to your book collection. I'm giving this book as a gift to a friend I know will love it too. Steam Punk - great fun. Thanks Holly Barbo for a very good read.

Sunstone takes place on a moon that orbits a distant planet. Their world, like ours, is filled with corruption and greed among the politicians and businessmen (particularly pharmaceuticals). But there are also those who band together to bring about change for the better. The book has good lessons and warnings for our way of life: It is within mankind's power to reverse the detrimental effect our way of life has had on the earth and society.The author has a well-developed world in which the characters live. Religion plays a part, but the author seems to want to express that it is up to mankind to form his own destiny. The storyline follows Kes and his discovery of a Sunstone, which is used to impart the Goddess's intervention in the lives of people when disaster is about to strike. But there are three stones, and each one must be used. The problem lies in that the owners of the stone do not know who the others are.The storyline is filled with tension and holds your attention. My one complaint is that there are many long-winded dialogs that dump information and some that repeat information the reader has already been told. In all, though, it is an enjoyable story. And it has some lovely illustrations to help readers visualize the various steam-run devices.

Holly Barbo is one of my go to authors. Sunstone is without a doubt her best work yet. She has woven a few of today's problems into an enormously satisfying Steampunk mystery. Don't worry, she doesn't preach or lecture. Instead, she spins a web and ensares you. Her world and characters ring true even though they are totally fictional. And look at that COVER! How could you possibly resist? I am extremely happy I couldn't. 5 STARS for Holly Barbo and Sunstone. I would give it more if I could. I can see myself reading it over, and over, and over...

Loved it!! Would love to have one of those little cars!! Good plot throughout. You can almost see parallels with our life now. A lot of similes but gently woven in. Wonder if there is another book out there and will it become a new series? Everything I have read by this author is now in my permanent library so I can enjoy them again and again. Good job, Holly Barbo!!!

Again, Holly writes with clarity and creative wisdom, without making the story sound "plastic" or "canned". Holly's style requires one to pay attention to what is written. The reward is an intricate and building excitement. Sunstone is worthy of attention...it has something important to say for our time!

Sunstone is a very imaginative and descriptive story. A steampunk story that is well written with interesting characters. The illustrations are fantastic and inspiring! I thought the plot was very compelling and thought provoking. Barbo is brilliant at crafting vivid scenes. If you are looking for an atmospheric well-written steampunk thriller pick up Sunstone.

Barbo's books are fun to read. Her characters are believable and her plot twists and turns keep you guessing. This book is just as engaging as her Sage Seed Chronicles books, but this one seems to reflect some of our current cultural struggles. A great read.

A fun read that makes you think! Completely different setting form Sage Seed Chronicles but with the same creative imagery. Can't wait for more from this author!

Book Review: Sunstoneby Holly BarboReviewed by J Bryden LloydWriting Style – 4.0/5.0 (Very Good)Having read works by this author before, I was glad to see her familiar, smooth writing style has remained intact, but has developed a little in strength and structure.Everything seems to fit together nicely and her eye for detail has remained exquisitely focused.For the most part, the dialogue is precise and derives a strong link between the characters and the plot lines. However, I did feel that there were a lot of monologues which dragged the pace of the story back. Although these were key elements to the plot lines, this is a familiar trait with this particular writer and I felt that perhaps a little variety in the way information was gathered and distributed would have made some sections of the read a little less of a chore.Nevertheless, extended dialogue aside, this was beautifully structured and styled.Character Development – 3.5/5.0 (Good)I felt a bit conflicted over the characters. They were a strong, likeable, diverse cast, with nice traits which defined them well within their good/evil parameters.Unfortunately, I didn’t really feel that any of them really grew into someone I could be genuinely interested in.It seemed as though, despite their obvious need to rely on each other, beyond the adopted father-son pairing and perhaps the man-servant, the other characters (even those relating directly to the key characters in the story) remained peculiarly distant, despite the plot suggesting they should be far closer.As a result, there seems to be a lot of ‘telling’ rather than ‘showing’ where some characters are concerned, and although they are all likeable and very readable, this makes it equally hard to relate to a few of them in the way I am sure the author had intended.Descriptive – 4.0/5.0 (Very Good)The level of descriptive is brilliant in parts. People, places and events are vividly drawn and pull the reader into the story.Some of the visuals are stunning, and occasional sketches are provided to introduce some of the mechanisms and elements of the story.Within the sub-plots, most of the atmospheric writing and scene building is excellent, but I did feel there were occasions where the scenes were flat. Plenty was happening and the scene was by no means wasted, but detailing was either overdone or left you hanging slightly.I have to say, however, there were elements where you could pick out the clever nuances of the plot. ‘The clinking of ice cubes’ in the drink of one character perhaps sealed the inevitable, but it was so well placed I almost overlooked it.In a way, the central plot ‘idea’ involving the stones, feels a little disjointed from the wider story and is perhaps even over-simplified in the way the characters complete their task… with one remaining absent from the actual requisite deed.Personally, I felt this took something away from the story, specifically with the relationship between the stone-bearers.Language & Grammar – 4.0/5.0 (Very Good)The use of language and word selection is of an exceptionally high standard. I did feel there was a little line editing needed, especially concerning comma usage and some other, very minor punctuation.On the whole, though, this was a very good, very readable piece and it was clear how much work had gone into it.Plot – 3.5/5.0 (Good) – MINOR SPOILERSThe premise of the story and the underlying sub-plots are excellent and definitely capable of keeping the reader both involved and intrigued as the story progresses, though I did find there were very grey areas between what I considered to be sub-plots and the main plot itself.Unfortunately, I did find myself wondering WHY the gang were seeking the stones, and the reason for the tactics they employ. Although possible reasons are hinted at, it never seems obvious that there is any particular scheme or plan behind this, and equally, it seems less obvious what the bad guys expect or hope to gain from this action… especially as no-one seems to know what you have to do with the items once you have them.This is probably the biggest of several niggles in the plot, but it doesn’t really make the story unreadable.General – 3.5/5.0 (Good)Although a very enjoyable read, this had a tendency to pull you toward a conclusion, then push you away just before you got there.But whether or not this is one of those books which would benefit from another 10,000 words is debatable.Yes, we are left with a few blanks in the plot, but the story itself is very good and it does conclude… even paving the way for further adventures with these characters further down the line.Although the premise and plots are in place, Personally, I felt the sunstones themselves were very much underutilised within the story, and this frustrated enough to take the edge of a very good story.In closing, I would highly commend the cover art. It really is superb. As far as the rating and recommendation…?A very solid 3 and a half stars, edging toward 4… and a recommendation.