I am slowly catching up with my TBR list. Thank you to everyone for being willing to send me paperbacks. It's been difficult to keep up with eBooks due to eye strain and migraines. What I think I'll do is try to do a book review at least twice a month and movie reviews on Mondays since I watch so many. Something else future reviewers need to be aware of, I am updating my review policy so please read it before sending a review request!
My Review: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. To begin, I will not be providing a synopsis to this novel because the author's blurb does a bang-up job at doing so. I also want it known as per my review policy, if a novel or novella does not catch me by 33% in, due to overwhelming requests, I will DNF (did not finish) it. I hate doing this but unfortunately, I have to. This was one such novel. I tried so hard to go further but after 17 chapters of hearing how much Yvonne's life sucked and her angsty complaints about her break-up - plus her father's complaints about his life sucked, etc - I'd had enough. None of the characters caught my attention. They were under-developed and focused solely on how horrible things were for them and their messed up pasts and presents I couldn't connect with any of it. While I understand learning about the characters is indeed important (as I do it myself as an author), this went too far. There was so much back history slammed at me all at once. The author could've easily spread it out or cut down the detail. We had no plot other than hearing how much Trent wanted to improve on his "god-complex" and liked to mess with peoples' lives. It became a real "enough already, we get it, the guy's a narcissistic psychopath" situation quickly. It took 17 chapters for Trent to mention he even had a plan besides stalking the White family and wanting to tear them apart. This is a real problem. The inciting incident, as it is known in the writing world, should occur - especially in a promised "horror thriller" - no later than chapter 5 or (and this is pushing it) 6. Doing so any later loses the reader and becomes a drag. There was so much "why do we even need to know this?" For example, why did we need to know about Heath's past with bullies in detail? He could've easily gotten the point across to his daughter by mentioning brief backstory at the table. We didn't need a whole chapter on it. Same with meeting his wife - who, by the way - only seems to appear and disappear when she's needed to be a catalyst for something. This is weak character writing. The plot could've been strengthened by not even having the mom there or even really set off the horror plot by replacing the dead raccoon with Heath's wife. Something positive I can say is the cover is gorgeous. Simple, yet tells a story. The blurb was beautifully written and I loved the way it appeared the author took great care in editing and formatting. These are rare so as a reviewer, I appreciated it. I did like Trent, I thought he could've been a smashing psychopath with a signature and everything. I enjoy a nice serial killer thriller. I only wish such care was given to the plot as I see gorgeous potential. I will gladly re-read and re- review if another edition is provided. All in all, I'm sorry to say, Vultures did not deliver on what it promised. When an author says "an agonizing initiation into the violent laws of masculinity, Vultures is a horror-thriller that will leave you breathless," I expect it to be one. This means tension, suspense, horrifying scenes and feeling of hopelessness until hope is taken from the "jaws of defeat." None of this happened in this book. Have a book you want to recommend? Want me to review yours? I'm always looking for new books to review! Be sure to read my review policy before contacting me. There are changes! Make sure to be aware.
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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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