(original review published 6 November 2008 on amazon.com)
The YA rating is appropriate. This is not a dense read. I think I finished it in two or three evening's casual reading.
It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't great. I would have liked to see more conflict between Edward and Bella. There are a few scenes near the beginning where they're angry and Bella is standing up to his inconsistent behavior towards her, and these were the brief moments where I thought it might get really good. But it gets pretty sappy after that.
The most unbelievable element (in a vampire romance novel, I know, I know...) was that the Cullens are each several decades old, and they can sit through day after day of high school without losing their minds. I cannot fathom how unimaginably boring that would be.
Just don't take it too seriously or expect strong character development, and you won't be disappointed. It can be a fun read if you take it as the escapist/fantasy romance that it is.
Monday, January 1, 2018
[BOOK REVIEW] The Summoner by Gail Z. Martin - 2 stars
(original review published 1 October 2007 on amazon.com)
There is a lack of polish, and definitely the run-on sentences and comma splices are distracting, but not necessarily the author's fault (no copy editor?).
The plot is formulaic, but interesting enough that it kept me reading until the end. It had the potential to be very good. However, I felt that it read a bit like a roleplaying game: Here is your mage, a prince on a quest. Here are your warriors, your rogue, your bard, your cleric.
When Kiara makes her first appearance, you get a nearly-MarySue description of her hair color, the length of the hair, the way her hair moves when released from its bonds, etc. Many of the characters were undeveloped, especially the villians. I did not feel I knew any more about the bad guys by the end of the book than at the beginning. Tris' companions were so secondary and shallow that at times I forgot their names and/or roles.
The vampire element was surprising. As in, it was a complete surprise how they popped up suddenly and unexpectedly.
The first half of the book does not seem so much Tris' adventure as it does completing quests for experience points in something like World of Warcraft. "Collect X amount of stones for a cairn and deliver a silver piece to the farm at the edge of town. Speak to the innkeeper for your reward!"
It struck me as being more on par with a very good fanfiction rather than a published novel. If there had been an already-established backstory, world, enemies, allies, and main characters, the minimalist descriptions and actions of the characters would have been acceptable. I felt the author could have fleshed it out into two or three more books.
There is a lack of polish, and definitely the run-on sentences and comma splices are distracting, but not necessarily the author's fault (no copy editor?).
The plot is formulaic, but interesting enough that it kept me reading until the end. It had the potential to be very good. However, I felt that it read a bit like a roleplaying game: Here is your mage, a prince on a quest. Here are your warriors, your rogue, your bard, your cleric.
When Kiara makes her first appearance, you get a nearly-MarySue description of her hair color, the length of the hair, the way her hair moves when released from its bonds, etc. Many of the characters were undeveloped, especially the villians. I did not feel I knew any more about the bad guys by the end of the book than at the beginning. Tris' companions were so secondary and shallow that at times I forgot their names and/or roles.
The vampire element was surprising. As in, it was a complete surprise how they popped up suddenly and unexpectedly.
The first half of the book does not seem so much Tris' adventure as it does completing quests for experience points in something like World of Warcraft. "Collect X amount of stones for a cairn and deliver a silver piece to the farm at the edge of town. Speak to the innkeeper for your reward!"
It struck me as being more on par with a very good fanfiction rather than a published novel. If there had been an already-established backstory, world, enemies, allies, and main characters, the minimalist descriptions and actions of the characters would have been acceptable. I felt the author could have fleshed it out into two or three more books.
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