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Member Reviews

The Story Traveler is a creative and imaginative adventure that pulls you into a world where stories come alive. The concept is magical and full of possibility, and I really enjoyed how it blends fantasy with a love for reading and storytelling. It feels like a tribute to the power of imagination, which made it easy to get lost in the pages.

The main character was easy to root for. There is a nice mix of suspense, wonder, and heart throughout the journey. The writing is simple and accessible, which makes this a great pick for younger readers or anyone who enjoys whimsical, plot-driven stories with a message.

That said, there were a few spots where I wished for a bit more depth or world-building. Some of the scenes moved a little quickly, and I wanted a closer look at the emotional moments. Still, it delivers what it promises: a fun and magical story that celebrates creativity.

This is a great read for fans of light fantasy, especially those who like stories that feel like stepping into a dream. It is uplifting, imaginative, and reminds you why books are such a powerful escape.

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This sounded sooo cool...and then it wasn't. It was a bit...chunky...that feels like the wrong word for it, but the pacing was weird and uneven. I had to DNF it. Two stars because I really like the idea behind it, but I feel that it was ultimately poorly executed.

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I started t read this book for the fun of time travel - and since i am a fan of it. Till now is gong pretty good. I consider this book from ages 12 and up.

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This was quite hard to get into (took about a third for me to finally break through to where I'm following the story), but it was alright after that. However, it's somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. The story is pretty convoluted and quite hard to figure out, so you just end up having to gullibly buy it and go with it. The main characters aren't very natural or believable (Haley is supposed to be a teen girl. She doesn't feel at all like one.) Also, the book felt vaguely somewhere in between of YA, middle grade and even adult in places - I feel like it would have benefited more, had it been written solely as a middle grade story.

The enjoyable bits of this were the secondary characters which don't really need to be that deeply fleshed out anyway, so they didn't really suffer from what I mentioned before (plus, a talking cat character? Yes, please.) The stories they traveled were also interesting. But the ending wasn't satisfying (and I don't think there was eventually a sequel?) The story could have been so much better, because the plot itself did carry some promise initially.

I thank the author and the publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This doesn't affect my opinion.

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I was expecting great things from this book, but it fell just a little short. That’s not to say that it didn’t have innovative, engaging aspects.

The concept is great- a teen who finds herself in a world of stories; layers upon layers of stories retold by the creators with doorways in and out. Stories full of characters as real as you or I- sub characters, main characters, heroes, villains. The world building was detailed, and I understood the narrative, but there were lots of info dumps. Large parts of the narrative were taken up explaining the way the story worlds worked, and what the ‘story’ characters were trying to achieve. However, the different story worlds and characters created by Candee were brilliantly imaginative.

My favourite characters were Tom the King of Cats, and Jack ‘Mr Dawes’, a man who can tranform into a Jackdaw. Both these characters held intrigue, and I loved the complexity of one character who you think betrays Haley, the main character. The narrative is written in first person, but I didn’t like Haley that much. I mean, I didn’t dislike her, but she confused me. Scared, brave, scared, brave. Trusting, untrusting, trusting, untrusting. You get the picture.

I thought the relationship between Haley and Oliver was sweet and had a believable, slow build up, but I wanted a dramatic ‘You’re the one for me’ moment of sorts. Instead, the ending became about Sarah who is a total b**tch. There are some life lessons for teens thrown in for good measure.

I just wanted to include a favourite exchange of mine:

“Do you mean storytellers give away parts of their souls every time they tell a story?” I asked.

“Absolutely,” Jack said with that creepy smile plastered on his face.

In summary, a book full of imagination, detailed world building, and some great characters, but a narrative heavy with info dumps.

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No longer interested in reading this. Clearing out old galleys.

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I started t read this book for the fun of time travel - and since i am a fan of it. Till now is gong pretty good. I consider this book from ages 12 and up.

Was this review helpful?