Review: Keep reading, I do have a point.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 24, 2013
This book reads as though a nonnative English speaker typed this up and then submitted it straight from word processor to Amazon without giving any thought to editing.  In places some of the characters remind me of Yoda speaking.  It's written more as though the author was trying to hurriedly type out everything going through their mind before they could forget it, and then submitting it as a finished product.  Some of the reviews keep talking about bad editing.  I don't believe there was any attempt at editing at allYou know how when you write even a simple letter, you put down your thoughts, print it out, go over and refine what you want to say and then, if you do it correctly, let it sit for several hours before going back and rereading it again to make any changes, and simple editing and proofing before sending out the finished work?  Well, that didn't happen here.  I'm not an author, but I try to take enough pride in anything I write as to make sure it reads coherently and try not to have typos, much less bad sentence structure, before I let someone else see it.  I used to be an administrative secretary and part-time court reporter typist so I keep several reference manuals on my desk, dictionaries, a thesaurus, several books on English structure, quotations, synonyms, etc.  But I'm unusual in that I would have purchased these materials anyway, as I love all things reading.  What happened to taking pride in something you've accomplished, particularly in something you want other people to pay good money for?That said,  as far as this book goes, the other reviews already state much better than I could, what I feel about this story.  For some reason a lot of books I have downloaded and already have on hand (over 8,000) I have been struggling to try and get through lately.  I don't know if it's just the blahs or something I'm subconsciously working through, but I can't seem to keep my mind on the story.  I downloaded/bought over 30 other books at the same time I purchased this one, and have only gotten maybe 1/5th of the way through one of them.BUT NOT THIS ONE.  I downloaded it on 9/21/13 and by the 24th, I have read it not once, but twice!  As anyone who's read other reviews I've written may have noticed, I detest bad editing and will just flat out delete any book I notice bad editing or writing in.  This book I started reading, and even though I noticed the lack of editing, I just kept right on because I was so involved in the story I just had to keep reading to see what happened next.  And there's my dilemma.I have one absolute rule when I buy ANYTHING.  I will not keep inferior merchandise no matter how much I like the brand, idea or convenience.  Yet with this book, I've spent the past four days dithering on returning or just keeping this to read and reread I liked it that much.  I liked the mixture of romance, science fiction and medievalism.  I, like other reviewers, want to read more of this world and read Kim's and Rebecca's and the other women's stories.Yet, I believe in keeping this book, or any bad merchandise, it sends a message to the manufacturer/author, that they are being rewarded for inferior products.  That they can produce anything with no regard to quality, content or safety.  How is there safety in a book?  Putting out a badly edited book in English which is then read by a nonnative English speaker, allows them to improperly understand and get erroneous ideas on English speaking countries culture, ideas and pride.  What if Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, etc., wrote badly edited materials, which were then further adulterated by bad translations.  We already know this has happened.  Not our ancestors bad editing, but the mistranslation and misinterpretation part, and look at all the controversy that has and is still causing.  Even today other countries are getting the wrong ideas about the USA and other English speaking countries from badly written/produced media.  I'm not talking about the content, but how it is presented.  I know I'm saying this badly, especially when it's in reference to a fictional story, but I think most of you get the gist of what I'm trying to say.Therefore, I have decided to return this to Amazon for a refund.  Although, if it is properly edited and proofed and then resubmitted for sale, particularly in hard copy, I would snap it up in a heartbeat.