Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Braided Love revolves around Brenda and Cathy as they discover how to work together, come together over shared challenges, and become a family. There personal journeys are engaging and interesting, with broader themes that will prove valuable for young readers.
Prose: Pinto's prose is vivid, easy-flowing, and captures the rural, small town environment. Dialogue can sometimes feel artificial, used to deliver exposition rather than drive the story or enhance character growth.
Originality: Pinto successfully captures the warm hearted and close knit energy of a family and of burgeoning friendship. The ranch setting and characters' close connections to horses is endearing and impactful.
Character/Execution: Although the themes of family values, discovering differences, and understanding perspectives are admirable, at times these elements are heavy handed and over explained. More detailed writing that includes the complex thoughts, feelings, and motivations for the characters would help to flesh out them out beyond their archetypical roles.
Date Submitted: May 03, 2024
