Over Cast by K.W. BentonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Over Cast is a well-written and charming tale with likeable characters but containing many terms and phrases unfamiliar to this British reader. However, despite this small obstacle and the fact that its main appeal would be to teenagers and young adults, I found to my surprise that I quite enjoyed it. The story is told through the voice of Glory (or G J as she is called throughout the book) a somewhat precocious fifteen year-old girl, who is taller than average and happens to possess paranormal powers.
The book has an intriguing opening when G J is confronted by the principal of her school to explain her behaviour, the consequence of which is another girl student having the unpleasant experience of a hot muscle liniment in her underpants. Gradually the reader learns that G J is not always in control of her paranormal powers and that they can produce devastating effects, depending upon her emotions. We are constantly reminded of the typical see-sawing turbulence to which a teenager’s feelings may be subject, in addition to G J’s persistent distraction by the athletic bodies of the boy students around her. I found some of her observations and thoughts unrealistic and too mature for such a young girl, for example references to Da Vinci and Stephen Hawking. It becomes apparent also that G J is a kind and well-mannered southern girl, who often has to put up with teasing and jibes from fellow students about her height and Louisianan drawl, amongst other things. Using the first person to narrate the story works particularly well for this and it is well done by K W Benton.
Unfortunately, one of the main problems I have with the use of first person is that it can become a little tedious after a while, since the reader is having to follow just one point of view all through a book. To my surprise, because of the way that K W Benton presents G J, with all her typical and very understandable emotions, I found I warmed to her character and was rooting for her, especially during the latter part of the book when things become much more sinister. There is a strange friendship between G J and a wolf to contend with, and much wit and humour in this entertaining teenage fantasy that I repeat I found quite enjoyable. I found a few errors that could be put right by another glance from a copy-editor, which affected my overall rating in the end.
View all my reviews
RSS Feed
