Review: Dissapointed
Rating: 1 out of 5
Date: 08 9, 2013
*Review contains some spoilers for those of you who get angry at reading that stuff in a review*I was excited to read this book but found it lacking.  I normally don't post low rated reviews as I only write a review when I feel like its a 'reward' for the authors good work.- The characters all lack depth. The gnome adds some humor so he's ok.  We know the back story of some of the characters but they lack personality.  If the names of the characters were bleeped out, the only character I'd be able to pick out would be the gnome because of his unusual humor.- The book is written in present tense, making it difficult to follow along as most books are written past tense.  Example:  present tense - "John walks over to Amy and grabs the dagger from her hand." past tense - "John walked over to Amy and grabbed the dagger from her hand."  Not really anything wrong with that... just makes it harder to read since it's not the norm.- A big peeve is the groups relationship with Talon.  I do not understand their acceptance of him.  It is too unrealistic...  He seems selfish, shallow, arrogant and untrustworthy.  I expected him to become an enemy or at least disliked by the group for weaseling his way in, but instead he is instantly welcomed as a member.  He immediately shows interest in Sapphyre who unbelievably returns the same affections.  The book concludes with them having sex after about 3 scenes of them 'lovingly smiling at each other.'  If Shapphyre were a person in real life, I'd have no respect for her.  I suppose I assumed Sapphyre would become involved with Ashcon if anyone.Overall I'd have to say I didn't feel like I could really get behind the characters and root for them.  Sapphyre, the main character, seemed to play less and less a part in the story as the book continued.  She continued to stay with the group the whole book, talked, helped and gave her opinions, but I guess I could say the story seemed to revolve less and less around her perspective.  At the end of the book, you of course expect a cliffhanger since its a series.  One of the things I was hoping to learn, was what exactly Sapphyre's powers were and more information on her.  At the end of the book, Sapphyre meets her parents, whom she never met before and they tell her who and what she is.  You'd expect this point to be a bit of a climax as the reader finally learns about her.  Unfortunately Sapphyre returns back to her group and says she'd rather not share what she learned yet.  I was rather upset with that because I felt like the story should of been from Sapphyre's perspective mainly.  When Sapphyre finally learns who and what she is, so should the reader.  Instead the reader is held back from this information...When I read a really good book, I often feel like I become the main character.  I live their life, their actions are my actions.  When they win a battle, I am happy because it feels like I won that battle.  If the character meets a companion and falls in love, I also fall in love with that companion.  If an author can make a reader feel like he or she is living the story as they read it, then it is truly a good book.