Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: Heartifact
AUTHOR: Aisling Mancy
PUBLISHER: Men Over the Rainbow
LENGTH: 22,163 Words
RELEASE DATE: November 24, 2016
BLURB:
I ADVOCATE FOR ABUSED YOUTH AND THE NET PROCEEDS OF THIS NOVELLA GO TO THE TREVOR PROJECT (US), LE REFUGE (FRANCE), AND ARCIGAY (ITALY) TO BENEFIT THOSE YOUTH. PLEASE HELP ME SUPPORT THEM.
Harper Kidd is a highly respected marine archaeologist. Yet, with the economy in a slump, he’s trapped working in an oil company’s exploration division. Now, at the ripe age of thirty, Harp is disgusted with his employer’s damage to the undersea world he loves, tired of his ATM-card-filching ex, and tormented by beautiful dreams of an undersea lover. It’s time for a change and when his best friend, Stick, pleads with him to assist on a deep-sea dig in the Mediterranean, he jumps at the chance.
Harper’s sprits are high when they discover the ruins of an ancient civilization, and soar to the heavens when they discover a statue of an ancient pelora, a mysterious hybrid creature said to mediate between the worlds of reality and fantasy—and the very lover who holds the starring role in his dreams.
When the crew discovers the site is teeming with unexploded ordnance from the conflicts in the Middle East, and the excavation turns deadly, Harper must choose between saving his best friend and saving the pelora he’s fallen in love with.
REVIEW:
Heartifact is a short novella, written specifically for a fund-raising effort along with other works from other authors. The blurb accurately sums up the story.
I really liked the bones of this story. We meet Dr. Harper Kidd, who is a marine archaeologist who hasn’t been doing much recently with his degree. His employer is busily destroying a reef and Harper is having to bend the truth to ensure they are in compliance with the laws. Harper isn’t happy.
Then his friend Stick, nicknamed for her joy stick control of undersea robotic equipment, asks him to join her on a very secretive mission to the Mediterranean. When they get there they find an ancient ship and what appears to be a complete structure deep under the water. Does the building have anything to do with the strange dreams Harper has been having?
As I said, I really liked the bones of this story, but two people at our blog read it for this review, and we both ended up agreeing that while it had great characters and a great back story, there just wasn’t enough of it. It needed way more details and development to make either of us happy.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
I’ve read the above review and I’m not entirely sure you are talking about the same Heartifact by Aisling Mancy that I read. I found this story to be fascinating and imaginative. The relationship between Harper and Stick is caring and fun. Could this story have been longer? You bet, but that’s not what a Novella is.
In my opinion you did a HUGE disservice to this book by making the following comment, “That is all I can say about the story, because most everything else is in the blurb already.” That is majorly inaccurate.
This is a strong book with an interesting story line that you deemed not to mention, which is why I don’t think we’re talking about the same book.
Generally speaking, I like the reviews I read on this blog and am aware that everyone has different views on books. And I, by no means, intend to attack the reviewer as they write what they feel. Unfortunately, I found this review very unfair.