Review: Too Short to Do This Premise Justice
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 3, 2011
I have to say that I really can't offer a summary of the story that is any different from the blurb provided. The concept for this one was really brilliant. A sort-of fairy tale retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk with an adult science fiction twist. Unfortunately the story is quite short and thus not enough character development or backstory is provided.Without the character development both Harp and Jaq felt flat and their romance lacked any real spark. There were hints of potential, tiny snippets of their personalities shining through but their past and the supposed passion of it is told and not shown enough for my tastes. The storyline itself feels very rushed but not in the natural way it should. Yes, there's a limited timeframe for their escape but the pacing itself didn't lend an urgency to the action which might have made it flow better. I anticipated this to be more erotic and found it didn't deliver in that department either.Ultimately, Drake has a gift for creating a great concept and she did try to make this entertaining. I love fairy tale retellings and her idea here was really well conceived. There's a lot packed into this short story as far as potential goes but there simply was not enough word-power happening here. It needed to be longer and more detailed to really stand up as a strong read. While it was only an okay read for me I fully intend to read more from this author, her imaginative world building really got me excited and this one was just probably not the one to sell me as a devoted fan.***Received Review Copy via NetGalley.