Thursday, August 23, 2012

Review: The White Oak by Kim White

The White Oak (Imperfect Darkness, #1)The White Oak (Imperfect Darkness #1) 
by Kim White

Published: April 9th 2012 

~My Review~
Spectacular writing, dramatic descriptions, and exceptional otherworldly characters. The White Oak takes you on a journey where technology meets paranormal. A combination that's not often attempted but intriguing when it is.

The story started off pretty fast. Cora and her brother, Lucas, were burying their father but then suddenly they're the ones being buried alive. Fate just happened to keep Cora alive but take her brother. The main character finds herself in a world she knew within herself always existed but is still fascinated by her discovery. The other beings she meets along the way are quite interesting as well, especially when their part in the story becomes clear. 

It seems that in the underworld and in life power is always desired, and you'll read a lot about that fact throughout the book. Lucas turned out to be quite smart in technology and his knowledge is obviously useful in death as well. I wasn't too fond of his character, though nothing's wrong with him. I just didn't feel that connected. One thing I did feel super excited about was the voice in Cora's head. As she went on I was anxiously waiting for her to locate the person behind the voice, and by the end I was satisfied with the results. 

The details were pretty well thought out. I really took my time going through line by line in order to fully envision every scene passing by. And I'm deeply appreciative of such wonderful style of writing. I think the author did a good job in creating a story that's not only interesting but believable. But while I do love the journey, it did take a while to get to any destination. Not that it's boring, only that it took a while before a rising action came about. 

Again, The White Oak is a good read if you're into technology like myself, and also a fan of paranormal. The mixture was quite electrifying and I do recommend getting this novel and indulging yourself.


About the Author
Kim White is the author of a collection of poetry, Scratching for Something, and the novels The White Oak: Imperfect Darkness, Book One, and the forthcoming Sword of Souls: Imperfect Darkness, Book Two. She graduated from the University of Michigan and holds MFAs in creative writing from Columbia University (fiction) and Hunter College (poetry).

Kim is the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Prize at Hunter College, The Catalina Paez and Seumas MacManus Award, the Shuster Award for an outstanding Master’s degree thesis, a Bingham Writing Fellowship from Columbia University, and a Forbes Foundation Grant. Her electronic poem, The Minotaur Project, was shortlisted for a 2001 Electronic Literature Award.

14 comments:

  1. I find the aspect of combining technology and paranormal quite interesting.. I don't think I have heard or read a book that combines the two! That is very intriguing! I also like the cover and the title, pretty :)

    Great Review!

    Magen Corrie

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  2. I've had a tough time w/paranormal stories lately. But with such beautiful writing, I should check this book out. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. This was a great review, Shane. Made me want to put this book on my 'to read' shelf. Thanks for sharing! :)

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  4. Great review Shane. This sounds like an interesting book. I'll have to check it out.

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  5. This is different... I've never heard of tech-savvy underworld before. Thanks for the recommendation!

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  6. Whoa, technology? I am all for this book and your review make it sounds so great in terms of visual imagination. I am definitely going to read it.

    Great review!

    Sana @ artsy musings of a bibliophile

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  7. I will put this on my TBR list. Sounds good!

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  8. I think I will have to add this on to my to-read list! I'm always open to books that have some sort of technology into it, because usually when authors attempt it, it's gotta have some spectacular world-building, right? Yay for good writing! Thanks for you input, Shane!

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  9. I have never heard of this book, but it sounds really interesting. Awesome review.

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  10. Well that is an interesting way to start the book burying your characters alive! Yes I do like books that blend technology and paranormal it always makes for an interesting read.

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  11. This sounds so different and I love the way you wrote your review especially the first paragraph-buried alive! I'll be adding this to my pile!

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