I received a free copy of The Journey of Maggie Mission from Goodreads First Reads.

I'm not accustomed to writing negative reviews, so I really don't know where to begin. Both the characters and the plot are incredibly underdeveloped. Everything seems to lack substance. Nothing about the narrative and dialogue resembles what a reader might expect from a novel set in 1922. (I had even hoped for a bit of Irish terminology. But what I mainly got from Maggie was "Alright".) We aren't given much of Maggie's history or that of any of the other characters in the story. This makes it hard to truly relate to Maggie, our obvious protagonist, (or anyone else) or understand why she thinks and behaves as she does.

Unfortunately, Maggie comes across as a little girl rather than the twenty-two year old she's supposed to be. She also seems somewhat devoid of deep emotion. She loses two of the only family members she's closest to. Her reaction: decorate dresses, chase a boy? Really? I understand that each person grieves differently, but Maggie doesn't appear to focus on or consider anything for very long--something you'd excuse in a much younger person.

And then there's the redundancy. Like all the smiling. Chaunce smiles, Maggie smiles, on and on, back and forth. But wait...there's an occasional grin or frown. Then all the staring. She stares, he stares,....and I'm pretty sure some trees are staring. What kind of trees would they be? Why, baobab trees, of course--which are apparently the only trees (or the only ones worth noting) there are in Seulmonde, our painfully uninteresting setting with one exception. Apparently, there's a lake called the fountain (Why? I don't know) that has waters to heal whatever ails you and keep you young forever. (Maybe it's called a fountain to evoke the image of a fountain of youth. Plausible, but is a little more imagination, more creativity too much to ask for?) Sounds interesting, right? Well, don't get too excited because there's not much else explained about this either. Ughhhh!!!

Needless to say, I'm incredibly disappointed in this book. I thought it would start with the Irish Civil (and maybe explain some of the unrest the revolutionists felt or how it "made its way to [Maggie's] doorstep"), and move on from there. Like with what finally prompted them to leave, their journey and shipwreck, and then their adventures in their strange, new environment. It turns out I expected too much. Others maybe more satisfied than I am with this book--that's great. But I don't think I'll be recommending this to anyone. ( )

1.5 Stars if one is being generous…

Ug… this book…. Can I say anything good about it? If I search hard enough, maybe. The author had some interesting ideas. The idea of a young girl shipwrecked on Madagascar and her struggle to survive or find a new home in this strange place was intriguing. The author also took the time to do a bit of research on her setting to give us a few specific details. These include the use of baobab trees as a place setting, the mention of the fossa animal, and having Maggie overlook the Straits of Mozambique.

However, this is where the good ends and the bad begins. First off, those few details I mentioned are all the author really uses in her setting that has any basis in fact. On the back of the book I received, it mentioned the story took place in 1922. And yet, Maggie is meeting a “buccaneer” who owns a Spanish Galleon?!?!? In 1922? WTF!! And if the book hadn't had that date on the back, I would never have placed it in 1922. There are absolutely no details to back that fact up. I could have begged the author to do more research to back up her setting and story.

Then there’s the characters, the worst offender being Maggie herself. I don’t think I've run across a more stupid girl in a while. For example, she feels uneasy around a certain character and is almost killed by that individual. And yet when she meets that same individual in the middle of the night and in the middle of nowhere, she decides to approach that same person and give them “the benefit of a doubt”… I’m sorry!?!?! WTF again!?!?! At times, I almost wish Maggie had been killed to save me from her stupidity. Needless to say, I didn't feel one ounce of connection with her or her struggle to find a new life after the tragedy of the shipwreck in the beginning of the novel.

Then there’s the grammar and writing flow. Sentences are choppy or run together without commas. Paragraphs aren't indented, and huge spaces between paragraphs give the feeling that we've had a scene change when no such occurrence has happened. I did notice red markings in the copy I got so maybe I just got a rough draft copy, but should that really be given away to someone you’re hoping for a review from? Really?! There are also some issues with the flow of the story. There are times where I seriously bored, moving from Maggie’s home to the fields to the lake to the cloth house to Maggie’s home…. At times, nothing happens to break up that sequence besides a bit of lackluster dialogue or a wimpy kiss. Other times, the action and drama comes so thick I think I need a shield to protect myself.

After reading this novel, I feel like I just finished with a bad piece of fanfiction. It started out with a unique and possibly intriguing idea and was supported by a few interesting scene setting details that happen to be true. Yet, grammar/writing flow issues, a character I’d rather see dead than read about, and a serious lack of world-building left me extremely cold. I can safely say I would not recommend this book, to anyone in any genre. Look elsewhere for your reading material please, unless you’d rather waste your time on this drivel.

Note: Book received for free from author via the Good Reads First Reads program in exchange for an honest review. ( )