Review: Well Written Fantasy Heist
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 10, 2012
In The Duchess of the Shallows, Mr. Ravipinto and Mr. McGarry tell of a young woman who, though born into nobility, fell into hard times.  The book tells of her attempt to rise above her current lot in life regardless of the danger.Why to buy this book: The book is fast paced and well written.Why not to buy the book: My biggest problem with the book is that it took me quite a while to relate to the POV character, perhaps because the authors did not have her struggle enough at the start.  Once I did, the book grabbed me.  I also had some minor quibbles:  1. The character's name is Duchess.  It wasn't clear to me at the beginning that it was her name and not a title.  I had that moment where I wondered, "Why is a Duchess working in a bakery?"  2. What's with all the authors lately who overuse semicolons?  It's a minor deal, but I found it distracting.  3. The "gangs" in the story are all referred to by a color like the Red and the White.  If the names are based on color, why do the authors describe things as "gray" but the gang is "the Grey?"Bottom Line: Though I spent much more time above on the negatives than the positive, I found this book, overall, an enjoyable read - well worth what I paid for it.  I give it 4 stars.