Letter to the Editor: 'The Heart Thief'

Letter to the Editor

The Heart Thief

S Lee Benedict

Ezra Keene is an artistic sixteen-year-old who wants nothing more than to settle in at his new school and put the tragedy of his brother’s death behind him. He awakens one night, reeling from a hazy dream, to find his fingers blackened with pencil lead and a new drawing in his sketchbook—a drawing that depicts the grisly murder of someone he knows. The next morning he is shocked to learn the picture has become a reality.

Ezra has reason to believe the father of a classmate, an eccentric German scientist, is somehow involved in the slaying, but he needs something tangible to bring to the police. He sets out to discover the truth, but what he finds instead is that something much more sinister than murder lies at the heart of this mystery. Monsters exist, magic is real, and sometimes there are worse things than death. 

Dear S Lee Benedict,

I do think that your book is good. It isn't amazing. But it still is good. I really liked some parts. Note that I'll be ranting soon enough. 

I like the magical aspect. The magic was interesting. Combining the magical aspects with the realistic aspects was great. You weaved in the worlds, made them combine. There was reason in magic. If that is even possible. (Which it might not be.) I say that I personally liked that.  

The action. Wow. I normally don't like quick action scenes, but I was left breathless. How could that happen? You can't help but root for the good guys. And there is a reason. (Looking at you, Lars.) The action is fantastic. Fast without being annoying. Which is hard.  

The mystery. You can't help but wonder what happens as the story draws on. You know who the killer is. And you're screaming at Drake to just figure it out. And you're wondering why the world isn't accepting the magic. And you're ripping your hair out. I loved the mystery. It was probably one of my favorite parts. I learned the clues even though you knew full well who was murdering those poor people. (How gory... I would hate to die that way. Having your heart ripped out of your chest. Sounds painful.) That part was well done.

The Leichman family. Gosh. They are the Addams family reborn. Creepy without being freaky. I, at first, was put off by them. You get used to them. They grow on you. Forgive the pun. Their backstory  is fantastic. Seriously? (Spoiler.) They were dead? How is resurrection possible? Isn't dead a simple fact? The question that now arises is the moral consequences. Should resurrection be possible? My question is who would you bring back from the dead if you could? 

Sadly. There are a few things that pulled me down from enjoying the story too much. 

The romance between Emma and Ezra is a bit annoying. Why did that come around? Or is there any relationship? I can't tell. To me, there is something. This story doesn't have the relationship. (Maybe the second will? Not sure.) Ezra just seems to like Emma for her looks. (Does she have that amazing of a personality?) There is no chemistry. No history. I don't see why Emma accepted that kiss. She didn't seem attracted to him.

Emma is annoying. She kinda just hangs around. She's the romantic interest you wish you didn't have to acknowledge. She really doesn't help. Her only purpose was when she led Greta to the place where Greta's daughters were. Really. She is for Ezra to ogle at. If Emma had been more developed, I would have liked it more.

And our darling Dietrich. (How do you even spell that? I apologize if I butchered your name.) He is multi-talented. Scientist. Fighter. Father. Husband. He wears many hats. While I don't discourage these types of people, this guy just annoys me. How old is he really? He has so many degrees. And everything. How old? Forty? Older? I wouldn't believe it if he was. If he wasn't someone with all the talents, I would like him better. He was nice enough. But you can't just be nice. That isn't enough. He seems to hold every part except Variant. Or cop. Or...teacher. You get my point.

Overall, this wasn't bad. I mean, sir, it was a good story. But there were still faults. Not all books are amazing. Yours was just pretty good.

Weather:

Cloudy with a 25% chance of rain

3/5