Review: Not quite there yet
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 1, 2011
-- No spoilers --I bought my Kindle with the intent to buy and read low-priced novels from unknown and indie authors. So far, that experience has been pretty rewarding. City of Rogues made me pause, though. This novel has the foundation to be good book, but is lacking in important areas.The best part of City of Rogues is the pace and action. There is constant action, and the plot moves forward at a good pace, certainly not too slow, but also not too fast. The plot helps the pacing, but is pretty straightforward. The language is clear and makes for an easy read. The action scenes are written quite well. The level of worldbuilding is satisfying, even original in places, and hints at some interesting matters which may become relevant later in the trilogy.I was mainly disappointed by the characters. Ty Johnston created some promising characters, notably Kron, Belgad , Gris, Markwood and Randall, and to a certain extent also Lucius, Adara, Wyck and Stilp. But the promise never develops into something more, as the characters stay two-dimensional, and at several junctions in the story make some head-scratching decisions based on weak explanations. Also, I never had the feeling that I really got into the characters skin, and had trouble to identify with them and care for them. The fact that the POV would jump from character to character, often in mid-scene, didn't help at all. On the flip side, Johnston at least did paint most of the characters grey, with the villains showing some positive traits, and the heroes some bad ones. It just wasn't developed enough, much to my regret.Overall, this book shows some promise, and I may end up buying the next book. But City of Rogues could have been so much better, and it is a pity that it isn't.