REVIEW for The Fifth Rule

Thank you to the wonderful Melissa at Harper Collins Canada for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE:                  The Fifth Rule

AUTHOR:             Don Aker

GENRE:                YA

RATING:               4 Stars

I really try very hard to stay "on top" of  book titles that sound like my cup of tea.  For some reason though, I completely missed the boat on this one! which is why I was so thrilled when I got home and opened the package to discover The Fifth Rule.

Firstly, this book is actually Canadian, set in Canada and written by a Canadian which I love.  Secondly, the story is right up my alley.  While this one is promoted as a YA, I have to say that the storyline is so compelling and the writing so good that it is a great read for ANY avid reader of any age.

Reef, the central character has alot of baggage, but when he discovers that his old mentor has died, he is determined to attend the funeral.  But there is a catch - Leeza - and that restraining order - both of which are excellent reasons for Reef to go to the funeral and then get out of town.

Of course, as life (and plotlines) would have it, things don't quite go as smoothly for  Reef and he finds himself having to come face to face with alot of "truths" he had been pushing to the back of his mind - including some about Frank.

For the most part, what kept me going was the plotline and the wonderfully developed characters.  I have to admit that, at times, the writing (and the pace) were a little too slow for my taste, which made me want to jump ahead a few paragraphs. Having said that though, anytime the characters interacted with each other, the novel took on a life on its own and I found myself completely involved in their conversations and actions.

The characters are very well fleshed out and continually grow as you actually can feel them experience and deal with their feelings and thoughts - its not always pretty but it is always incredibly compelling.

This is a coming of age story that is pretty raw - not a lot of pretty, pretty prose here - but it works.