Review: Four short, fast-read stories.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 24, 2013
This is a fast read with four short stories of varying lengths and plots.Something great about this book was that I never knew what to expect from the next story. She kept things different and interesting, with a good mixture of family stories and a little bit of a creep factor in others.I really liked the start for the third story, 'The Novelist.' Xunaira drew me in with her description of the old man at the beginning, and that led to a good scene set up that I enjoyed. The last story ended in such a way that didn't give me any closure. I won't include spoilers, but it came really fast, with a twist that felt a bit more contrived than believable. I felt like there was no lead up to what happened, and it came out of nowhere in a way that didn't contribute to the story.All of the stories had really great premises. A mistaken infant with her real parents searching for her, creepy sounds in the attic of a new house, etc. But I felt that the execution left the premise wanting. In the first story, Xunaira did a good job of building up the MC's life, but then when things got really interesting, it just sort of fizzled out and ended. I felt this way with the last story as well.There were a few grammatical spots that I questioned and some instances of 'telling' vs 'showing', but all in all, this was a decent first novel. I feel that Xunaira has good storytelling skills, and I also think that as she continues to write, she'll continue to find her voice. She already has a good writing foundation down, which is obvious with these stories. With that in mind, I plan to read her future releases and works.I look forward to what she comes up with next!