Review: nice ideas, but seems like a first draft
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 02 5, 2014
I won a copy of this book in Elle Casey's January Anniversary Indie Book Giveaway. This had a lot going for it, and in the beginning I liked it a lot - promising characters in Sophie and her friends, some nice gothic mystery trappings - but as it went on it was rather disappointing. There is a lot of complex, original supernatural mythology, but it didn't have nearly enough world-building. It was all crammed into one book at a weird kind of fast pace - it almost felt like watching a movie on Fast-Forward! Also, I could never get a real handle on who Sophie was as a person. Her characterization was kind of inconsistent, which was fine for other characters whose motivations remain mysterious to help drive the plot, but mostly just confusing in the lead POV. I also had issue with the grammar throughout - mostly with commas, or lack thereof. In short, there were some nice ideas here, but it felt more like a first draft than a polished novel.