The Thorn Bearer

by Andrea Renee Cox

My heart ached for the characters in The Thorn Bearer. Each one had their sorrows and burdens to carry. That was clear and written well.

I struggled with this book, though, because there was so much focus on promiscuity and sexual abuse.

The back cover copy gave away too much. I have been told that the back cover copy should never give away things after the first third of the story, but that was not the case with this one. I felt a little robbed of the anticipation that would have naturally built up as I read the story. It was still there, but not in as great a dosage as I would have liked for a story like this one.

There were many typos, misused words (right word, wrong spelling - homonyms), and a few inconsistencies throughout. I dislike mentioning this in reviews, because I know I have a good eye for this type of thing due to my work as a copyeditor, but when it's more than just one or two misspelled words, something must be said. Otherwise, where is the accountability for quality editing?

Overall, this was an intriguing story. I especially enjoyed the Lusitania aspect. I'd never before read a story that brought that ship into the plot, and I found it a well-written and carefully-thought-out piece of the puzzle.

*Parental discretion advised. This book contains some thematic elements some parents may not wish their teenagers (or younger) to be exposed to.

This is my honest review.