Swept to Sea by Heather Manning

Swept to Sea is a debut novel for teen, Heather Manning. Considering her age, I would say she has done a good job of crafting her first novel. And I can see potential for her future in writing. I think this might be better if labeled as a Young Adult novel. I could see the dialogue and dramatization going over better with a younger crowd. For a YA novel I might give this 3 1/2 - 4 Stars. Manning is very imaginative and writes with a flare, from the depths of her knowledge. If she were my daughter, I would be very proud of her and her ability to write out a lengthy novel - that several other reviewers really enjoyed!

However, I wish I could praise it more, but I cannot. To be honest, I dreaded writing this review. For one reason, I didn't want to discourage a young new author, but as a fellow reader I felt an honest review was due. Not to say that the other, more favorable reviews were not honest, but an honest review from my perspective. After reading said previous reviews, I was really excited to read this novel and was so hopeful... There were about 20 favorable reviews and one maybe two non-favorable reviews. So, I purchased trusting in the majorities favor, and was disappointed shortly after starting the book. I found the dialogue to be a bit unrealistic or immature, the characters to be too dramatic or unrealistic (especially with the Captain... his words and actions didn't seem to fit right with who I know she wanted to portray him as), and the story plot to be all a bit too predictable and lacking depth. I could see from a teens perspective, writing the characters and their interactions the way she did but as an adult it just seemed unrealistic and not endearing to me. I made it to about the half way point in the book without skim reading but it became a little too much for me to read word for word after that and I ended up skimming the rest of the novel just to finish it.

I do see Manning's potential, and given time I do believe she will be able to craft a great story. I give her applause for crafting her first novel, that in itself is a feat! As she matures and her life experiences expand, I am sure that will be reflected more in her future writing. Let me add that I have read other mature authors who write in a similar fashion, but for the same reasons those authors do not appeal to me. For Manning, I feel it is more her age than her style of writing. I hope that she continues to pursue her passion for writing and will grow into a successful author.