Review: I Give Up!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 8, 2014
First let me say I have tried to keep spoilers out of this review, but there may be a few. I do share some text to make my points, and in those pieces,  it may spoiil what you've read or are about to read of the story.  I have tried to mark these areas, because I hate spoiler reviews. I do not go into long details about the story, and while I do mention the Alien invasion, that was already included in the book description Amazon provides.MY REVIEW:Okay I readily admit I'm only 30% through the book, and I'm giving up.  I've put it down several times, and picked it back up to 'try again', but each time I get tossed right out of the story!  To be honest it is exhausting.  I really want to like this book.  I am curious about why the aliens are here, what's going on with Illyria and the other characters... BUT the author has worn me down with her wordy descriptions that go on far too long.  I find myself not only struggling to visualize what she's describing, but I stop, thinking "WTH?" Some examples:"His raised hands are encased in threadbare gloves.  Some of the wool fingers are missing, with frayed bits of yarn poking out. His jeans are stained and faded, patched with poorly stitched bits of randome cloth.  Light stubble clings to his chin and jawline, enhancing his rugged good looks with annoying perfection.  I notice all of this with a simple glance before meeting his curious gaze..."  WHAT?  With a simple glance?  Hell I coiuld stare at him for 10 minutes before I'd catalogue all of that!  Seriously it is that kind of thing that STOPS me in my tracks while I'm reading, trying to form a picture.  She continues:"... Vivid blue eyes with pupils ringed in gold betray intelligence and, if I'm not mistaken, a hint of humor too."  WOW.  This girl should be in CSI. She can with a 'simple glance' inventory and analyze more data than anyone I know!"Although he doesn't move or show any signs of hostility, I find myself deeply unsettled by him."  -  Again I'm tossed out of the story shaking my head. REALLY?  You don't know why he unsettles you?  SPOILER ALERT:  Could it be the shot gun in his hand?  OR the fact that Aliens have taken over your world?  Come on.  OF course you don't trust this stranger.  Hell I wouldn't trust him in my world, and nothing like an alien invasion is going on!While each of these examples may seem harmless outside of the context of the story, they truly do make it difficult to maintain the mystery and picture in my mind of what is happening.  I love to get lost in a story, to feel and anticipate the anxiety, excitement, or any myriad of emotions writers have going on, but these kinds of things snap me right out of it, and I get exhaused trying to get back in.  One good editor could help with these issues.  He or she could help select the right words and sentence structure. Help illiminate the inconsistencies, and illogical leaps writers can make, and trust me I understand leaps, I write too.  But I always have an editor read my story before sharing it with others because I know what I'm trying to say, and I can get ahead of myself very easily, no matter how many times I re-read it, I make mistakes.IF you are the kind of reader who can ignore these things, I do think the book has promise.  It got a lot of great reviews so if you can ignore these babblings and leaps, then by all means give it a try.  I do think Ms. Miles has promise as a writer.  She has great imagination.