MORE Review
Suz Baldwin, Managing Editor, stylequirk.com

I recently had the opportunity to read an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of MORE by T.M. Franklin. I am not a young adult—far from it these days (alas)—and thus I’m not sure I’m the target market, so keep that in mind as you read this review.

Ava, a young college student, feels like she’s being watched. She already has too much on her plate—working her way through school and trying to improve her physics grade with the help of Caleb, her mysterious tutor. Caleb is nice enough, but there’s also something about him that Ava can’t quite put her finger on. Caleb, in turn, has his own reasons for wanting to help her, which Ava will slowly unravel.
As the story unfolds, it becomes quite clear that Caleb—and maybe Ava—may be more than what they seem, and thus the adventure unfolds.

And you thought your college years were tough!

There’s a good blend of science, mythology, and yes, a little bit of romance thrown in. I’m not entirely sure what segment of the young adult audience this is aimed at. Ava’s in college and deals with some scary, rather realistically depicted situations, which leads me to think high schoolers will be reading it. At the same time, the plot moves quickly enough and doesn’t get bogged down in extraneous detail, so I do think middle schoolers might enjoy it as well. I was an advanced reader and probably would have loved it as a twelve-year-old, but that’s just me.

Franklin takes the “young adult discovers secrets about herself” trope and puts her own twist on it. Ava is generally an admirable heroine; she just wants to get through work and school and spend time with her roommate, not flee from those who may want her dead. As the story progresses, she must find her courage and learn about her own innate abilities if she wants to survive.

Overall it’s a fun, fast-paced read. T.M. Franklin has a gift for the little details; when she describes a character doing something, I can picture it perfectly in my mind. For the most part, I appreciated her interaction with her roommate/BFF and the others she came into contact with. Her ability to handle the situation thrust upon her is also commendable; she wants to know what’s going on and what her options are. She’s not a shrinking violet type of character.

With that said, there were some aspects of the story I found a little hard to swallow. Not so much the fantastical elements—I’m always good with those!—but in the everyday elements. She never tries to get in touch with her parents, who she seems to love very much; that struck me as a bit odd for a young woman suddenly facing tons of danger. She doesn’t even consider trying to reach them. Why not?


I had some other quibbles with the book, but most are minor in the big scheme of things. I’m an easy reader to please: if the story is entertaining, then I’ve probably got a smile on my face. More was definitely entertaining.

I enjoyed my time with Ava and Caleb and I think T.M. Franklin has a very entertaining series ahead of her.

MORE is book 1 of the MORE trilogy. Please read this book before The Guardians by TM Franklin.

We are looking for bloggers for The Guardians blog tour scheduled for November. Please send inquires to marketing@thewriterscoffeeshop.com