Review: The Good and the Bad
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 21, 2013
The good: the plot was interesting, the events unusual enough to keep me reading. Not often have I read a book where the deus ex machina was a central character, personified (even though a shadow). When the inexplicable rescue occurred, it was clear where it was coming from. I found it refreshing to be out front about it.Word to the wise: MAKE A CHARACTER LIST. With the plethora of characters popping in and out, it can be difficult to keep track of who is related to whom and how they fit into the story. There are plot holes, with one character's sister helping her to escape and then disappearing from the pages, never to be heard from again, while another's father disappears only to reappear chapters later. And why does the dragon suddenly grow to four times its size?The writing was all right, but not exceptional. In places, it was downright pedestrian, especially the descriptive portions. The characters' "voices" were not well-distinguished from one another, and I found myself just reading along, not heavily invested in them at all.The ending...just ended. 'There will be more, my pretties. You journey has just begun.' Please--YA and older readers are more sophisticated than that. The story arc just truncated, after a hurry-up escape?OK for a few hours' entertainment, but not enough to make me want to read the second season.