Review: An over-the-top thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 12, 2013
DISCLAIMER: I was asked by the author to download this eBook when it was free and write a review for it.  My review remains completely unbiased.I've read many thrillers where at the end of the story a twist is thrown at the reader that one of the characters is mentally disabled so badly that he or she has created multiple fictitious personas and has been acting them out for the length of the story.  That honestly is what I expected "Solstice" to be: just another story about a schizophrenic girl who had a fake boyfriend that would go missing before chaos would ensue.  Oh wow.  This story is so much more.  In fact, it's a bucket full of crazy twists and turns that may get a bit too drastic near the end of the book, leading to a somewhat ridiculously well tied up conclusion.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.STORY - After checking herself into rehab for her depression and being treated for a few days, Dana is finally ready to visit her sister and introduce her new boyfriend to her.  On her way to the cult-like camp her sister lives in, Dana stops at a set of cabins with her boyfriend, Tyler.  The night is full of arguments and come morning, Tyler has abandoned Dana leaving only his unregistered car and a few of his belongings.  Frustrated, Dana sets off to visit her sister solo but begins to think that Tyler's disappearance may be less than voluntary.  With the police department beginning to think that Tyler doesn't even exist, Dana sets out to find the truth behind Tyler's disappearance and the cult she is now staying with.WRITING STYLE - Firstly, let me comment that Mr. Stevenson's writing is almost completely devoid of typos.  Sure, there are a few incorrect punctuation marks and a misplaced clause or two if you want to get really picky, but overall, the writing is extremely professional and what one would expect from any noteworthy author.The plot progression occasionally moved a bit too fast but mostly continued at the perfect rate.  The backstory had enough time to be set up, as did occasional flashbacks that were rarely located in the story.In fact, the only major complaint I have about the story is that the ending is just a bit too cheesy for me.  Without giving anything away, the last 1/4 of the story has so many people running around accomplishing ridiculous feats that it becomes a bit on the level a teenage horror film.  Still, I did find myself reading faster and faster as the tense scenes escalated.The character development was not really a negative aspect of the book, but it did leave a little to be desired.  There were so many names thrown at the reader that weren't really integral parts of the plot apart from a few minutes of action, and it became just a tiny bit confusing to keep them all straight.  Like I said, they weren't really influencing the story's outcome that much, though, so it really wasn't a huge deal to know the difference between Michael and Mike.WARNINGS - Language, Violence, Sexual InsinuationsOVERALL - Is this short book worth a buy?  With it being a bit cheesy and only lasting about 30-45 minutes to get through, perhaps not at the original list price of four dollars.  If you can pick it up for a buck or two, though, then you'll probably get some enjoyment out of this twisted thriller of a tale.