The Rose Diary

by Curtis Maynard

A Wild Roller Coaster of a Book!

Jacqueline finds herself dealing with death much more intimately than most her age would ever be expected to do.   First, it’s her childhood best friend, Chase who passes in a mysterious fire, and now it is her older sister, Sandra who is discovered dead in her bed.  Family rifts and accusations follow her throughout the book until she discovers her sister’s death was much more than an illness … so much more!

Curtis Maynard develops the story vividly and realistically through dialog, character development, and plot twists.  The author is meticulous in details, leaving nothing to chance.  Every movement of each character is carefully choreographed to make the story realistic and accurate.  The plot twists and supernatural occurrences resonate with many because of the simplistic approach used in the storyline. Maynard expertly communicated the story, emotions, and character relationships.

I had a difficult time stopping the book until I was free to listen again.  Maynard does not scratch the top of the story, but rather takes the listener deeper and reveals a much darker story.   I enjoyed listening to the book and hearing the plot and twists evolve with each passing second.  The cliff hanger at the end was a bit of a shock and well done but it makes me need to hear the 2nd book now.

The narrator, Jess Combs, performs the story with just the right amount of emotion.  Her performance engages the listener to vividly see the book and each step of the mystery until the end.  Her voice for the story was very well done – one would not believe she wasn’t 14 or 15 years of age!

There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.