Review: Excellent Debut Novel
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 18, 2014
I have to say I’m not a big fan of mystery books but I was intrigued by the raving reviews this one got and by the book’s blurb.The start of the story seemed a little slow for me and I agree with other reviewers who said there were too many characters. I did get a little lost and was tempted to skip some descriptions but I didn’t do it because I guessed they would be important later on in the story. Otherwise, why would they be there, right?I also agree with fellow readers who said the book needs editing. As a writer myself, I know how hard it is to read the same text over and over without becoming blind to its possible flaws. I’ve done so many times. That’s why I encourage readers to ignore whatever typos they find and keep reading it because the plot and the story are worth their time and effort.Like I said before, not being a huge fan of mysteries gave me the necessary distance to approach the story from a different perspective. I got scared and got surprised countless times. If I were a fan of the genre I might saw some of the twists in the plot coming but, as it was, I was completely clueless (pun intended). That’s why I advise other readers to navigate carefully through the published reviews as some did spoil the end.Some scenes were a bit too gory. But, again, this is my fault, not the book’s since I don’t particularly appreciate this kind of scene. Actually, I would say the fact that I kept reading The Reunion until its very end, in spite of my own hesitations towards the genre and parts of the narrative, is proof enough that the story is powerful. It drew me in regardless of my qualms and kept me going.As for the astounding end, don’t let anyone spoil it for you. You won’t see it coming and it will blow up your mind.Fans of Agatha Christie everywhere – keep tabs on Ms. Atoyia A. Pencil because this new author is going places!Liz Gavin