Review: Great three-part novel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 17, 2014
Be sure to understand that this is NOT a stand-alone book - it is a single novel sold in three pieces.  I usually don't like it when publishers split a book that way, because it usually means they're trying to find a way to extract extra money from readers.  However, that certainly isn't the case here; for now, at least, the novel is quite under-priced.  (As I write this, book 1 is free and books 2 and 3 are $.99 each.)  It would still be a good value if the three books (together, not individually) were priced at $6 or $7.I typically rate lower than most readers, but I really liked this book.  I'd normally rate it 4.0 to 4.5, but the great value rounds it up to a solid 5.0.  The author's writing is polished and professional (unlike many writers in this genre.)  The characters were well developed and likable, despite their flaws.The author tackles some very difficult issues like sexual abuse and illness,  I normally don't care for books that include such serious themes, but Bishop addresses them in a sensitive manner that worked for me.  It probably helped that the abuse was treated in flashback manner, without going into lots of detail.Despite all of the trials life throws at him (or perhaps because of them), main character Abel works to overcome them and support his sister in all ways.  The other characters are great as well.Surprisingly, I think the publisher (or perhaps Amazon) is underestimating the number of pages in the book.  Here's how the pieces break down:Abel 1: It Can't Be You  - 3870 locations; Amazon says 161 pages; I say (conservatively) 258Abel 2: Hearts In Chaos - 2223 locations; Amazon says 112 pages; I say 148Abel 3: Shattered - 2353 locations; Amazon says 116 pages; I say 157For the entire three-part novel:8446 locations; Amazon says 389 pages; I conservatively estimate 563 pages.There is no extra filler in these locations counts; they are all (except for at most 50 locations per book for contents page, etc.) pure story content.Because the three books make up a single novel and can't be read individually, I'm commenting on and rating all three parts identically.