A
Human Element is written by Donna Galenti and is the first book in the
Element Trilogy. The book revolves around 3 main characters, Laura
Armstrong an adopted girl who exhibits amazing healing abilities, Ben
Fieldstone, a boy whose past links to the site of her birth, and X-10 or
Charlie who has a darkness within and has been fueled to anger and an
obsession with Laura that has turned to black hatred as he is forced to
watch her from afar.
A Human Element covers a span of time
periods as we watch the characters grow and develop into whom they are,
shaped by forces around them. Each of these characters knows loss in a
painful way. Donna was not afraid to face painful and REAL issues head
on. There are definitely some areas that graphically deal with
encounters such as rape, addiction/depression and death that seem to
follow each character. If you are overly sensitive to any of these
issues you may find some parts are painful to read.
Galenti did
an amazing job of bringing each character to life, whether ancillary or
main, they will all be as if before your eyes. I also must commend her
on adding in the realism and “humanity” aspect so that no character is
100% perfect or 100% evil.
This book is one of many dark twists
and turns and leaving you with many questions that cause you to pass
through the pages wanting to know more. Galenti is a superb storyteller
and is one that we will see more from in the future. She has the gift
of bringing her story to live, the visualization and attention to detail
in both character and setting make her rise above many other
independent authors that do not devote the time to show a true love for
their story as it is transformed into the written form.
Overall,
I award this book 4/5 stars. This is an amazing story in the stages of
development, although it could definitely be cleaned up a bit (at least
on the Kindle copy that I read). This would help eliminate any break
in flow. Otherwise, the story was really great and definitely worth the
read. This is definitely a story unlike any you have read before. If
you are into sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, suspense, romance, fiction, young
adult, etc you will definitely want to check this one out!
*I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.
If you are interested in viewing the author spotlight that I wrote on the fabulous Donna Galenti, check it out here: Spotlight on Donna Galenti