The beginning of this book really didn't make me hold up too much hope for the rest of the novel. However, not one to put aside a book unfinished, because if someone has invested their time and effort into writing a novel the least I can do is finish reading their hard work, I persevered on to the end.

For the YA reader at which this book is aimed, the persistent 'chatter' (too much dialogue) may be fine, but for this reader; I found it to be too much at times.

The main character was an angry and petulant teenage girl, a trait I put down to her being spoiled by her Father, as mentioned early in the novel. However, she did begin to develop nicely, and by the end of the book I felt, given a few more chapters, I may have warmed to her. Most of the back characters, including the bad guys, are nicely written and help make this story something more, adding a nice touch of humour to the book as a whole.

Some of the scenes could have been combined to make them more 'meaty' and helping the transitions run more smoothly, as the tale tends to drag in areas and may lose a reader's interest.

All in all, Far from Home is a fun little read and, for anyone looking to get their YA back into reading, I would highly recommend this as a starting place; the ending of this novel could possibly be the beginning of more adventures for Mara.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/2013/06/19/review-far-from-home-j-h-zaynor/



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