Review: Vardin Village

Vardin Village by Maggie Spence

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



My first introduction to this author and her work was when she decided cheating to vote her book up the ranks of reading lists was a great marketing ploy.  I stumbled across her marketing topic on a forum and I couldn't believe what I was reading.  I have read since then many other topics she has started and watched as her behaviour escalated.

I was hoping she would admit her mistakes gracefully and in an adult manner. But alas all I have seen is a woman who can't admit when she's wrong.  A woman who has resorted to the bullying tactics she claims she's reacting to in the first place, and who has spun many lies and excuses in the process. 

Maggie Spence even went so far as to stalk one reviewer online to find their phone number, then proceeded to call them at home and demanded they remove or change their review and tell their friends to stop talking about her.  She then threatened that she would make sure the reviewers phone number was available to any friend, family member, or stranger on the street that wanted to call them and tell them she was crazy, if the reviewer didn't submit to her bullying tactics.

I was curious as to what made her book so great that she felt it was acceptable to cheat the system and to have people who hadn't read the book falsly vote it up the ranks of the Smart Summer Reads list.  As I wasn't about to spend my hard earned cash to line the pockets and support someone who behaves in this manner, I accessed the first 7 chapters on authonomy

I found myself unable to read any further than half way through chapter three.  The story was so flat it was like reading a phone book, add to that the incident with the tractor, they laughed at almost running over Matts head.  Really? This is funny? This is the kind of material that's suitable for a Y/A novel that is written like it's aimed at much younger children, and may as a result end up in impressionable hands?

When I was still in school, I had the unfortunate experience of seeing a friend fall under a bus, the  wheel actually did run over their head.  To this day I will never forget that sound, nor can I wipe from my memory watching them fall and not being able to grab them to stop them.  There is nothing funny about a tractor almost running over a childs head, nor is it suitable for a story that may end up in impressionable hands.

I would say more but to be honest the story was so flat and after the tractor incident I really had to force myself to read as much as I did.

I would not recommend this as suitable reading for any child, it's not ok to laugh when someone else's life is put in danger.



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