Review: Waiting on book two!!  I need to know!!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 11, 2011
A small town is plunged into oppression single-handedly by a nasty piece of work.  A long-ago wealthy child is now forced to live in squalor while trying to raise and protect her younger sister.  A drug addict doing all the wrong things for the right reasons.These are only some of the characters you will encounter when you enter this little town.  The main focal point of the town is not known for its beauty, it is known for its short skirts and ample bosoms.  This quaint little port town is also being held under the thumb of a tyrant who has no problem sicking his bodyguard on anyone who doesn't or is not able to pay back money loaned out.Nereia is, unfortunately, this tyrants niece, but if you think that gains her pr her sister, Mary, any type of leniency, you would be way off the mark.  Not only does this not help these two sisters, Nereia seems to get treated worse for the relationship.  Her uncle is constantly trying to force her to work in the brothel, which she refuses to do.  She puts her life at risk every night as a thief to keep her and her sister fed and out of his clutches.  But his claws reach farther than she ever thought possible, and death may come to Nereia anyhow, and her pocketbook no heavier for the trouble.I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series, I must know what happens next.  While I am waiting on the next installment, I would say it was one of my biggest irritants about the book.  I felt that we had no closure to anything that was started in this book.  While I know this is the first of a series, the readers need some sort of closure on at least one of the plot lines that are going on in this book. Unfortunately, none of the ends were tied up...leaving me to wonder what happened with everything.What I did love about this book was the many plot lines that were woven in with one another.  This is a very complex story being told in a short novella.  I am intrigued to see how she will tie up the story to make them all fit, and what else she has in store for us.The characterization in the book is done beautifully.  We hate who we are supposed to hate, and let me tell you, if I ever would get a hold of the one we are supposed to hate in this story, there would definitely be police reports filed.  I wanna beat the tarnation outta this man!!  So, yes, we hate those we are supposed to hate, and are interested in all of the other characters that have been introduced.  For being a shorter book, I would say this was very well done.  I have seen longer books that had not been able to accomplish the same thing.Anyone with a great imagination will be able to vividly bring up the horrific details that are brought up in this book.  While this isn't a gruesome book, there are some elements in it that would be noteworthy in a horror flick.  All I cam say is...Poor, poor Emma.  The great thing about books though, is that you can make the details as clean or R-rated as  you would  like.  Add in the smells, drips, and stains if you wish, or keep it a bit more sterile, but either way, you will still get a picture of the trauma happening.I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something a bit different than the run-of-the-mill book.  This book actually takes me back to my younger years when I read more adventure books.  There is no paranormal aspects to it, just all action and some adventure.  Pay attention to the details as you go, or the web JA Clement weaves for you may be missing a few strands, and you will need to be aware of them all in order to grasp the concepts.