Review: Trials of Life

Trials of Life by Junying Kirk

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Please Note: I originally read this book in exchange for an honest review after receiving a copy from the author. I later edited this book for the author. I do not receive any remuneration based on sales. All thoughts and opinions are my own. My review is based upon the original edition of the book, prior to having been edited by me.

About the Book: “Trials of Life” is the second book in the Journey to the West trilogy by author Junyung Kirk. Like the first book – The Same Moon – this is not the type of book I would normally read, but Ms. Kirk asked me if I would be so kind as to read and provide reviews for her books and I was happy to do so.

My Thoughts: “Trials of Life” was a much more difficult book than the first book in the series. While “The Same Moon” is focused on Pearl’s point-of-view exclusively, this book changes point of view frequently and without notice, which made it a bit difficult to follow who was “talking” to the reader. Adding the name of the person speaking at the beginning of the appropriate section would have gone a long way towards clearing that problem up. Edit: This was added into the next edition of the book. End edit Also, the bulk of the book has to do with a truly despicable person named Dick Appleton, and having to spend so much time in his head made me want to scrub my skin with pumice and then pour lye into my eyes – he was really awful. Of course, the mere fact that Ms. Kirk was able to provoke such an extreme reaction in me shows that she knows exactly how to create a character that is sure to stick in the mind of the reader. While there are some issues with grammar and proper sentence structure, Overall the writing style is excellent and I was duly impressed. Edit: Hopefully most of the grammar and editing issues were fixed when I edited the book.End Edit The main reason I marked off to only 4 stars was due to the voice confusion.

Overall I’ve found myself increasingly intrigued by both China and Scotland as a result of these books and would love to travel to both countries and have a chance to experience their cultures myself. I can recommend this book for those who enjoy a story about rising above and overcoming adversity – if that is you, definitely check it out.



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