My Review: Overall: 3 out of 5 Cover: 2 out of 5 Okay, let me begin by saying I liked the premise of this story. It's not every day an author approaches a "game show" theme and makes it into something almost resembling a plot.
It addresses a very real thing - the amount of stupidity people will go through to earn money. We've seen it in Survivor, Fear Factor and other ludicrous shows. That being said, I didn't like this read solely for the lack of plot. It was a typical gore fest which isn't something I don't enjoy but I at least want a story. What scenes there were of Damon I almost wanted to see more of him and less of the show. There was no character development, no world-building and no plot. Three major things I look for when reviewing. We get it: Damon is a narcissistic asshole with a complex for violence and blood but is that the only side of him? The author mentioned how the characters become more developed as the series goes on but the debut novel should provide a strong basis for what the reader can expect. Not doing so can lead the reader to not want to continue with the series. One thing that separates a seasoned author from a not so seasoned author is the understanding of point of view consistency. This is something I see so much with self-published or Indie published authors. A traditionally published author would have editors who would catch such a severe discrepancy. All throughout reading Easy Money, I was left asking what point of view were we supposed to be seeing things through? Things jumped all over the place so bad, I got confused and couldn't connect to any of the characters. This is a fatal flaw that can lead to a reader not finishing a book. I almost didn't finish it because of this. All of the information dumping in the beginning could've been replaced with more development of the characters. Dialogue dragged on and could have been replaced with more conflict as well. I nearly DNF'd it because of all of the information. All in all, I think this series has potential, don't get me wrong but when reading, there needs to be a plot. Promising one for the rest of the series isn't going to cut it, even if this is considered a splatterpunk novella.
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Book review time is here again. I was lucky enough to have this little gem on my TBR which coincides with a theme from the Popsugar Reading 2019 Challenge. As I've said on my social media, I do have a list up that I carefully researched in case anyone needs a recommendation. You can find it here.
My Review:Overall: 3.5 out of 5 Stars Cover: 2 out of 5 Stars Disclaimer: My reviews are based on my own opinions. By no means will I ever discourage a reader to form their own opinions by reading the author's book. Do NOT contact me and complain about your review. I am and always will be brutally honest and expect my reviewers to be the same. I didn't really know what to expect with this book when I began reading it. From the author's description, I expected a viral outbreak to hit on page one to really pull me in. Unfortunately, that's not what happened and I actually found the beginning to be quite slow. It took me a great deal to keep enough interest to continue reading but my love for the French Quarter and all things bayou kept me going.
I won't say I'm glad it did but what I will say is I was pleasantly impressed and found myself enjoying the book more. There were so many plot twists and turns, I couldn't get off the ride until it came to the ending. Which, might I say is very typical of a viral outbreak novel. The way the author wrote the book showed a great deal of care I don't see in many titles nowadays, which was indeed a breath of fresh air. The way the book was worded was very elegant and well done. This all being said, had I not received this book for a free review, I wouldn't have bought it. There just wasn't enough focus on the viral part of things and more on the human condition when faced with such an occasion. While I do enjoy the building of character arcs and the human condition, these seemed cookie cutter and a bit on the dull side. I wanted so badly to connect to a character but couldn't. The plot, though woven with beautiful twists, is something I've seen repeatedly in viral outbreak novels and movies. Adding a subtle twist could've broken the monotony. I honestly felt like I was reading a mix of Del Toro and Hogan's The Strain and World War Z (minus the zombies). Again, while the character development was more impressive than many books I've read, the world-building suffered a great deal. I would've liked to feel more immersed in the story and not like an onlooker experiencing astral projection. Overall, I did enjoy this book. I could tell the author did her research and took great care to make sure the story flowed well and the readers were kept guessing. I loved how it was set in New Orleans and how the character Queenie brought in some of the bayou/cajun culture.
My Review:Overall: 4 out of 5 Cover: 3 out of 5 The story follows Harley Baker, a young man who faced death twice after a horrible accident that resulted in the deaths of his parents. As the story continues, Harley experiments with astral projection and winds up losing his body to a powerful demon. We learn that Harley's connection this demon goes even deeper than originally believed.
This story blew me away with its multiple plot twists and completely unique take on astral projection. I honestly didn't know what to expect after looking at the cover. The cynical side of me wanted to believe this might be a spin-off of Insidious but I soon found this is not the case. With possibly one of the strongest hooks I've seen in a long time Out of Body gave exactly what the author promised it would: "A supernatural thriller with a unique ending." My only complaint for this novel was a lack of character and world building. There also could've been a bit more conflict with Harley being able to contact someone and made things a bit harder for the villain. He did indeed do so through the bodies of other, willing participants but the scenes felt rushed. I also wanted a bit more tension with the mentioning of how Harley's body was dying and required the demon to consume essences of the body to stay more healthy. This point, though powerful, felt under-developed. It seemed to be a theme with this novel - under-developed points and a rushed ending. Otherwise, I saw very little grammatical and technical error and enjoyed the story much more than I thought I would.
My ReviewOverall: 3 out 5 Stars Cover: 1 out of 5 Disclaimer: My reviews are based on my own opinions. By no means will I ever discourage a reader to form their own opinions by reading the author's book. Do NOT contact me and complain about your review. I am and always will be brutally honest and expect my reviewers to be the same. I am going to be honest. My opinion of this book is going to be unpopular. I really don't understand why it's rated as high as it is. That cover alone didn't draw me in to wanting to read it.
While I found this story a unique and refreshingly dark tale of very real subjects many authors seem afraid to address nowadays, I was unimpressed overall. With claims of "fans of Supernatural and Constantine" liking this book, I expected much more action and less dragging. It bored me halfway through the book However, I did indeed finish it and found it entertaining. I liked the way one person saw Alec as one thing while another saw him differently. The series does intrigue me so I am thinking of picking it up. To begin, the first five chapters could've been omitted. There was way too much detail and not enough conflict. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of build-up but five chapters without an inciting incident is too much. We see a glimpse of Catalina's pain but Alec brushes it aside, ignoring his sister's obvious plight. You mean to tell me this is the first time the teacher saw it? That nothing was sent home even if the kids' dad was a drunken abuser? Alec saw nothing at home and everything was great until BAM....not realistic. Then there comes the arrest. No police officer worth their badge is going to arrest a kid without looking into the forensic evidence. Obviously something was wrong. They would take proper procedure and look into every aspect of the crime scene before even making an arrest. For example, the mom comes into the kids' bedroom and says nothing to the cops in her son's defense? I mean come on. They incarcerate Catalina, a rape victim? No. Not realistic. Add the lack of understanding just whose story we're supposed to be reading and I just couldn't take anymore. This is supposed to be from Alec's point of view, yet we see Buck's, Catalina's, the mom's, Sabrina's, Chaz's. For goodness sake, it got so confusing, I had to re-read a few parts. No reader should ever have to do this. Character development suffered greatly in my opinion and there were too many cliches. I mean, Sabrina just so happens to be named Sabrina and have otherworldly powers. The mother, whom we learn is on medication, just so happens to have the ability to see auras but she didn't get the least bit suspicious or make a move to protect her family? I don't think so. Finally, there's the lack of editing. An editor would've seen "their selves" and changed it to "themselves." The editor would have caught the boundless head-hopping and made the author at least settle on a point of view. This all being said, I liked the premise of the story and with a bit more care, I do believe it could've earned at least a four star review from me. Hello lovelies. To begin, I'm very sorry about the neglect the blog has fallen under. My publisher has been on top of me to make the last minute adjustments to Beneath London's Fog before they start releasing free chapters on Wattpad. I have been reading my TBR list as I can so if you asked for a review from me, please continue to be patient. I read what I feel like reading so it could be a while unless you have spoken to me about a specific deadline. Without further ado, here is today's book review. Title: The Island of Doctor Moreau Author: H.G. Wells Genre: Horror Blurb: Ranked among the classic novels of the English language and the inspiration for several unforgettable movies, this early work of H. G. Wells was greeted in 1896 by howls of protest from reviewers, who found it horrifying and blasphemous. They wanted to know more about the wondrous possibilities of science shown in his first book, The Time Machine, not its potential for misuse and terror. In The Island of Dr. Moreau, a shipwrecked gentleman named Edward Prendick, stranded on a Pacific island lorded over by the notorious Dr. Moreau, confronts dark secrets, strange creatures, and a reason to run for his life. While this riveting tale was intended to be a commentary on evolution, divine creation, and the tension between human nature and culture, modern readers familiar with genetic engineering will marvel at Wells’s prediction of the ethical issues raised by producing “smarter” human beings or bringing back extinct species. These levels of interpretation add a richness to Prendick’s adventures on Dr. Moreau’s island of lost souls without distracting from what is still a rip-roaring good read. My Review:As with many of H.G Wells' works, this novella creeped me out. It has been quite a while since such a story has been able to do so.
The story follows Prendick, a man stranded on the ocean until he is picked up by a boat where he meets Montgomery, a man transporting strange cargo, sailing for an island of unknown origin . On the boat, we see our first glances of the mysterious "beast men" in the form of a man who resembles a dog. The man's appearance raises an alarm in Prendick and he begins to wonder if he'd been safer staying in the water. These suspicions become more real when Prendick encounters Dr. Moreau, a scientist known for his bizarre experiments with the art of vivisection. Prendick flees from Moreau thinking he might be the Dr's next victim and encounters more of what he describes as "Moreau's horrors." It only gets creepier from there. Prendick encounters the "beast men" of Moreau's island and becomes mortified yet intrigued at how human they appear to act towards him. As a fan of English literature, there was nothing I didn't like about this book. Even as short as it was, Wells did a masterful job at imagery, crafting deep characters and tapping into a well-known scientific infatuation -- splicing. Prendick's recounting of the events pulled my attention using the art of showing, not telling and allowing the world to develop in such a way it played out as a movie in my mind. This is something I don't see much in modern day horror and science fiction and would love to see more of. I loved everything about this book and recommend it to lover's of sci-fi horror and old English literature. |
AuthorMy name is Iona Caldwell. I'm the author of the British Occult Fiction, Beneath London's Fog set to be published by FyreSyde Publishing October 2019. When I'm not busy weaving worlds of the arcane and dark, I'm spending time out in nature. I love books. My biggest inspirations are H.P Lovecraft, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and Edgar Allen Poe. I blog about many things but mostly everything bookish. Archives
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