Review: 3.7 on the Masq Scale
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 13, 2013
Staci T.'s ReviewI read an advance copy of Empath: Flawed, Volume 1 by Becca J. Campbell. It's a romance with a supernatural element. It's a preferred genre for me, both to read and to write, and the description sounded promising. It's the story of a girl who has the ability to not only sense the emotions of people around her, but to actually experience them in lieu of her own. It can be overwhelming for her, so she finds isolation easiest. But as she's challenging herself to learn to control her power, she finds herself meeting new people she can be comfortable with. Unfortunately, her sojourn into public life leaves her open to new horrors as well.The plot of this story is pretty tidy, if you are willing to embrace the fact that not only the protagonist has powers, but so do the villain and both potential love interests. Part way through the book, another person develops a special ability as well. It's only because of each character's gifts that they can band together in the end and defeat (at least temporarily) the villain of the piece. I'm willing to suspend many beliefs when I read supernatural romances, but I found it a little hard to believe that so many people, in an otherwise unremarkable town, had special abilities.The characters, in and of themselves, were likable and easy to get to know. Probably my favorite character was Cam, because he was open, honest, fun-loving and just genuinely nice. I'm eagerly awaiting the second book in this series to see what his fate will be.See, this book's plot is self-contained, but there is a larger arc that is yet to be resolved. I am interested to see what happens to each of the characters and know what happens next.If you have a large capacity for accepting supernatural elements, you'll enjoy this romance. If you expect a certain element of believability, this may not be the book for you. All told, I think most people who read this genre will accept the world and characters Campbell has created and be able to enjoy the novel for what it is: a supernatural romance.Review Disclaimer: Book provided in exchange for an honest review.