Review: STRONG STORY WITH A GOOD MORAL
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 27, 2014
Since I read this first, and haven't read "Wide Awake" yet, my review is somewhat handicapped.First, without the full backstory on the characters it was a tough read. I had to fill in what had occurred in the previous novel. Luckily, the author provided enough information that helped me to understand the character's motivations. I was forgiving, to a point, because I didn't have the full story of the origins of the people involved here. It was somewhat like coming into a movie halfway through.Second, it was a genuinely enjoyable and amusing, if not predictable, read. I noticed some of the situations had been used previously by other authors. That is not to say I didn't enjoy it, because I did.Third, it's always a pleasure to be able to see an author honing his craft, coming up with good characters, and situations. I have read and reviewed this author's latest work, and it was remarkably more polished.Fourth, a  professional editor with a bunch of red pens needs to seriously work this manuscript over. I was able to put aside my petty criticisms and overlook the mistakes and put the story first, because it's a pretty damn good one when it hit its high points. If it had not had those moments of sheer pleasure, it would have just been an average story, but I saw something more here. And it made all the difference.Oh, and the moral is: life is too short to waste time. Go for it!