Review: A perfect example of a good idea gone wrong
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 25, 2014
The following review has appeared previously on The Magnolia Blossom Review, a site owned and maintained by L. Avery Brown. The book was donated to The MBR by the author in return for a fair and honest review. This review was completed by: Hannah George. Hannah has given L. Avery Brown permission to submit the review to Amazon on her behalf.1. Book Title – 4 of 5Q. For the Reviewer: Did it grab your attention right away? (5) Was it ho hum? (3) Would you glance at it and then forget it? (1) What do you think the author might consider for future book titles?A. I found the title to be intriguing, particularly the first bit: 'Creatures of Fire.' There was an air of mystery about those words. They made me wonder exactly what these creatures were. However, it was almost ruined by the second addition: 'Demons Die Harder.' Then, the mystery has been destroyed, and it also appears to be "trying to hard." (Ah, forgive the pun.) 'Demons Die Harder, the words that are displayed on the cover (hold on, I'm not there yet), speak of a more "hardcore" novel. This book is about ACTION, and the author wants you to know it.2. Book Cover – 4 of 5Q, For the Reviewer: Did it grab your attention? (5) Was it ho hum? (3) Did it look like it was haphazardly thrown together? (1) What do you think the author might consider for future book covers? Did it help make the title more effective?A. At least it was professional in appearance, at the very least. That is probably one of the most important things about a book cover; it should always look polished. That's enough to put it in the range of good book covers. Then again, when every book cover features a woman glaring into your eyes, it gets a little repetitive. It takes something a little more interesting and unique to go that extra mile. That being said, I have no idea what could improve the image. It was cliché to begin with, but it matched the book.3. First 500... – 8 of 10Q. For the Reviewer: Thinking of the first 500 (usually about 2 pages) words of the book, do you think the author provided enough incentive to urge the reader to continue? What stood out to you the most? Were you captivated after a couple of paragraphs? Did the 1st sentence grab you? Did you get to around the 500 word mark and didn't have a clue where the story was going?A. After reading a few pages, I was of the impression that I would really like the book. The split perspectives of Sariel and Alexander was interesting, and beginning with a feeling of surprise was effective. However (truth be told), I found Alexander's perspective to much more interesting than Sariel's, though she was the protagonist. Sadly, the beginning of the book was (hmm...) misleading.4. Blurb Effectiveness – 10 of 10Q. For the Reviewer: Now that you've finished the book, please take a moment to look back over the blurb. How effective do you think the blurb will be to potential readers? Did the author write a blurb that was enticing and went along with the story? (10) Was the blurb lacking? (5) Was it entirely too long or too short? (1) Do you have any suggestions for the author to make it more effective?A. Very, very good blurb, I must say. It had me re-reading it a few times, going, "Ooooooooh! Fascinating!" Of course, I'm a weirdo when it comes to my joy to read, but...5. Age Recommendation/Genre Classification – 8 of 10Q. For the Reviewer: Age Recommendation - If the book is entirely too young/juvenile for the intended age group? Is it entirely too mature? (Please take into account swearing/sexual scenes/drug use, etc... Genre Classification - Was the book listed as a thrill ride of a read but was more of a bumper car ride (sort of all over the place)? Was it listed as a mystery and you simply had to turn the page to find out 'who did it'?A. The book was listed as YA (Young Adult), an entirely fitting recommendation. There were elements of adult themes - thoughts pertaining to desires, slight adult humor, etc. - and yet, it felt muted somehow, like the characters wanted to curse, and it was on the tip of their tongues, but before they had the satisfaction of getting it out, the author grabbed them by the ear and said, "No, no, no. Bad." In some cases, this dilution was effective, where the characters' thoughts were filled with angry descriptors, but in others, when the characters seemed, at least to me, to be furious enough to kill, I'm sorry, but "Bloody hell!" doesn't quite cover it. My level of obscenities would be much, MUCH higher. Regardless, I understand that catering to a certain age group is important. As for the genre, fantasy is, I think, only part of it. The best fitting genre would be more along the lines of a modern paranormal fantasy, with a touch of romance. (And when I say a touch, I mean a very light touch.)6. Presentation/Format – 10 of 10Q. For the Reviewer: Did the 'innards' of the book follow a clear, concise, standard format throughout the book? Or did you have a hard time keeping up with paragraphs or dialogue? Were multiple fonts used? Were they distracting?A. The format was very clear and easy to follow.7. Theme/Originality – 4 of 10Q. For the Reviewer: Was this book similar to something you may have read before? If it was a retelling - did the author make it feel fresh and just different enough that it kept you involved? Or was it formulaic and a 'rehash' of a popular tale/current 'pop' genre? OR - is this the first time you can recall ever reading a book with theme/setup/etc of this particular title?A. It's sad to think that a book began as a wonderful idea, and then goes downhill a bit. The concept of demons and half-demons was very interesting and original, for the most part, but the plot itself was not. Much of the story was predictable, and I found myself shaking my head at the sheer predictability of it all. "So you're saying that she finds him attractive? No dip! Show us! Don't tell us!!!" That's advice I get often when writing my books, and it's good advice.8. Description/Enhancement – 5 of 10Q. For the Reviewer: Did the author use descriptive language and 'all those extra little things' to make it the best it could be? Did you feel it was too sparse in description? Did the author go OVER board with the description?A. There was not an overly great amount of literary tools utilized. Everything was in plain English, which is good... I guess, but for some of us who like to read, part of that reason is because of the poetry of words. the description was sub-par, especially when describing people. It seemed that the author was afraid to have ugly people appear. The story took place in a world where everyone was attractive, and even then, it was telling, not showing - explicitly saying, he's attractive, or she's attractive, or the world is beautiful. It's unrealistic and lazy. "GOD FORBID THERE ACTUALLY EXIST UGLY PEOPLE. NO ONE WANTS TO SEE THAT!!!" says the devoted fan. Um, sorry... but that's the way things are, even in literature, or GOOD literature anyway. And for the love of all that is good and right, can you please make Hell (or even a different name for it) scary?! It's not a walk through the park! It's no picnic! I felt as if the conflict in the story was self-inflicted most of the time, but now is not the place to go on a tangent... You'll have to wait for the next topic...9. Intrigue - 3 of 10Q. For the Reviewer: Did you want to turn the next page because it was SO good? (10) Was it interesting but you didn't quite have an urge to keep reading? (5) Did you think 'I wonder if we have Twinkies in the pantry? Mmmmm, Twinkies' while you read? (1)A. But seriously!!! There needs to be some kind of fear that has us sitting on the edge of our seats. And I'm not referring to the fear of death. It is much beyond that. There needs to be a connection between reader and the characters. Yes, fear was mentioned in the book, with the constant reminder that Sariel had everything to lose if she failed in her quest, but there seemed to be a disconnect. As I read the chapters and grazed my eyes across the following passages, I kept thinking, "I'm not buying it." Of all the STUPID ways for a protagonist to brush with death, I think several occurrences in this book win first prize. Yep, they take the cake. Enough said; if I go on any longer with this, I'll be tearing my hair out.10. Grammar/Mechanics – 9 of 10Q. For the Reviewer: Was the book pretty darn flawless? (10) Did you see more that 5 or 10 'jump out' at you mistakes in grammar or the actual mechanics (verb tense, noun/pronoun agreement, misused words) ? (5) Did you feel it was a chore to read because it was riddled with errors? (1)A. The grammar was good. There were one or two places that needed touching up, but, for the most part, it was polished.11. Overall Impression – 5 of 10Q. For the Reviewer: When all is said in done - did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it to others?A. This book is a perfect example of a good idea gone wrong - riddled with clichés, packed with telling instead of showing, littered with predictable plot devices, and teeming with stock characters. It's a shame. Wrap it up with a nice cover and blurb, and you've got yourself a grade-A disappointment.After totaling up all the scores, J.B. Brookline's book, Demons Die Harder, has earned 70 out of 100 points so that it is able to just squeak into the 3 Blossom category. We do wish Ms. Brookline much success with this book and any books that may follow.