Review: Worth the Money
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 26, 2012
Rory Scherer's RHYME TIME is a short work -- it is formatted like a children's book, but it has very adult themes.  When I heard it pitched, the author described it as "a picture book designed for children but also appealing to adults - similar to a Pixar."  RHYME TIME (part 1) may be designed as if it were for children, but I wouldn't recommend it to parents looking for something to read to their kids at all.  In its short run time, there's at least two jokes that are definitely adult oriented (dealing both with impotence or erections).I love the premise to this series.  The log line is "A butcher, baker, and candlestick maker attempt to remove `Fat' Tony Palmenterri, the don of the mafia, from power in Little Italy during The Great Depression."  This line sums the book up well -- it may start off as appearing to be for kids, but the fun of this comes from the juxtaposition of the children's book format and the more serious themes/plot.  The rhymes mostly work, and reading RHYME TIME was a joy.  It's good that this book is relatively short because I literally could not stop turning the pages.  As other reviewers have said, this eBook is not a standalone work.  It's the first episode in a longer series, so there is no real conclusion here at all -- no catharsis, climax, etc...  With that said, I wasn't left unsatisfied with RHYME TIME.I've seen some horrendous editing in regards to text and pictures in the Kindle format, but Scherer nails it here -- there's no wonky formatting that pulls you out of the story.  The pictures that accompany the book aren't the best, but they're not bad either.  The way I see it, the pictures are necessary to fill out the children's theme here, and while these illustrations aren't revolutionary, pairing them with the rhyming text makes RHYME TIME pretty fun.So finally, the question: is this book worth the money?  I'd say it is, but it depends on what you're wanting out of your eBook.  I finished RHYME TIME is a few minutes -- it's incredibly short.  It's brief, but it manages to pack in a lot of entertainment in the meantime.  Based on its entertainment / length ratio, this book is worth the asking price.  But if you are looking for a book to share with your kids, I wouldn't recommend this.  If you're looking for a satire that pierces contemporary economics, this isn't it either.  If you're looking for a cute and fun book to kill a lunch-break at work or bus ride, RHYME TIME is a lot of fun.(This review is based on a promotional copy provided as a gift from the author)