Review: Death...in 2D
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 20, 2012
It actually got 3 1/2 stars.  I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.There was a lot of potential with this book. It had an interesting premise. The title is awesome! The cover is GORGEOUS! The blurb is intriguing. The book had a lot of things going for it and it really, really, REALLY almost got four whole stars.First of all, the imagery was amazing! One of my writer friends just texted me saying that when she'd written a scene describing the setting she said, "Oh, this is a Frankie scene." LOL! Yes. I do SO love gorgeous scenery! Ms. Masters did NOT disappoint here. From the congregation of death dealers to the places on Earth, Ms. Masters' descriptions of setting and place left me feeling like I'd left my office (and that darned non-stop ringing phone), and had been transported somewhere else.The sex was tasteful. It left me feeling warm. It wasn't raunchy. I gotta give Ms. Masters props for that. Now, don't get me wrong. I do love some great, monkey-swinging action, but a tastefully written sex scene is quite refreshing.The plot was the relationship between Death and Azreal. This is where things started going south for me. For all that I'm a hardened cynic in the real world, I'm a hopeless romantic at heart. I love watching two people meet, greet, trip, laugh, cry, scream at each other, kiss and make up. This story had all the right elements to make their love story really POP for me.But...I felt a little cold and about halfway through the book, it got worse. There was more telling than there was showing. I was being told I felt such and such for Azreal, or that I felt so and so for Death. So, toward the middle of the book, when Ms. Masters wasn't telling me I felt any particular way for either character, I said, "Okey-dokey. I'll make my own opinion," and did with what she gave me.There were missing pieces. It was as if the story was being told in 2D instead of 3D, like I was hearing the conversation, but a robot was reading it. It just felt kind of flat.That's the reason I'm giving the book 3 1/2 stars. There was a great deal of potential here. I really think Ms. Masters can go places with her writing. People, when I tell you this woman can craft a gorgeous sentence, I want you to understand that I mean it. She's off to a really great start. I just hope that in her next books (and I have a feeling this isn't the last we'll be seeing of her) that she'll allow the reader to experience more by telling less.Should you read the book? Yes! I'm a harsh judge. It comes with being a writer who has to scrutinize the need of every single word. Will I read her next book?You betcha! She's only going to get better!