Review: paranormal with no standout features, negative or positive
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 27, 2013
Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.Rating: 3/5 starsSeries status: First of five episodes forming a stand-alone novelReview:* Characters: 3/5 - the characters were average; none fell completely flat but likewise none really stood out as unique or interesting. Mediocre but not bad.* Premise: 4/5 - an interesting take on vampires. Not extremely original but neither overly cliché, standard for a paranormal work dealing with mythological creatures. Kept a sufficient amount of original mythology with a few creative new ideas.* Plot: 4/5 - as it's an episode forming part of a novel (46 pages in my .pdf file copy) the plot does not undergo huge development. This episode consists mainly of introduction, introducing characters with foreshadowing regarding mystical danger in later episodes.* Pacing: 4/5 - again, as the beginning section of a larger work it is mainly introduction, but it holds interest well.* Dialogue: 3/5 - nothing glaringly unrealistic but it never caught at my interest; it was there to support not shine and did an adequate job.* Imagery: 3/5 - again, average, some imagery, enough to place scenery and scenes but no standout descriptions or other imagery.* World building: 4/5 - In this first episode there is mainly foreshadowing of the paranormal world introduced in later episodes. The real-world setting is fairly detailed and believable.* Voice: 4/5 - written from the third person point of view in past tense. Mainly from the perspective of Kat, the main protagonist, with some scenes showing other characters to lend foreshadowing. Kat's voice is believable, the other character, Amarok, has very well portrayed emotions. Not overtly noticeable voice, more action based descriptions.* Romance:* Amount: none* Explicit scenes: none* Love triangle: none* Notes: In the first episode there is no romance but from what I've read there promises to be romance in later episodes.Final notes: This book is, overall, not bad. It is well written and well paced and I had no trouble with reading it in one sitting. However there is something lacking, a certain intensity that would make it great rather than merely okay.This review and others can be found on my blog: [...]