Review: a little something different
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 11, 2013
Cry Baby Hollow was a surprisingly good read. I say surprisingly because there are so many werewolf books on the market these days and almost all of them seem to be small variations of the same story. This one is not one of those. For one it isn't about some dimwitted heroine falling hard for another testosterone crazed alpha wolf. Thank you sweet baby HeyZeus for variety. I would hesitate to even call this paranormal romance, except that it does have paranormal creatures in it and there is some romance. Either way it's a lot of fun, if a little slow at times.Ms. Love has created an interesting story, with engaging characters and some true regional humour. I can say that too. I happen to be from Tennessee. There was a lot of genuine southern culture depicted here, but there were a few inevitable stereotypes too. Sadly, there's often a grain of truth in even them so I can't fault the book for that.I did have a few gripes though. While I loved Aubrey's sharp tongue and quick wit, it didn't always feel realistic. Old women like Vina can get away with being so acerbic, younger ones haven't earned the social right yet. On more than one occasion I laughed at some cut down or defiant act of Aubrey's ('cause they are funny and fist pumpingly "right on"), then thought, 'what a bitch.' She was just too quick to jump onto the offence. Plus, since you are given so little of Aubrey's history upfront it felt a little like all of her considerable skill came unearned. Of course she's supposed to have spent 10+ years in the Navy. No doubt she worked hard for them, but you don't feel it.I loved, loved, loved Joe, but there's a fairly drastic change in his personality about halfway through the book and I was a little disappointed in that. It was predictable really, but I still much preferred his Good 'Ol Boy self to his cleaned up self. I also wondered why he knew the area so much better than Aubrey if he'd been vacationing there for 10 years, but she'd been visiting her whole life. Seemed a little backwards.Lastly, some important events were strangely glossed over: almost anything bedroom related, Aubrey's days in the hospital which marked a sharp change in the tone of the book, her first training with Vina and pals that allowed her to fight on an even playing field with the baddy. All of them are game changers to the plot, but none of them are given to the reader. Their absence tended to make the events following them feel like abrupt shifts even when they really weren't.These are all fairly minor complaints in the grand scheme of things though. I have no hesitation about recommending Cry Baby Hollow book. It's well worth reading.