Review: Only one good thing...
Rating: 1 out of 5
Date: 06 21, 2012
I have been trying to give books like this the benefit of the doubt. After all, the author did the work of writing it and then shared it with the world for free. But ultimately, when I find myself pressing to finish it, not because it's a page-turner, but because "there's only 20% left" and then checking that percent every time I turn  the page, I need to admit the book is bad.The problems:- The plot is boring. It is standard "girl in fantasy world learns to fight and takes on injustice."- Plot problems can be overcome, when the world is interesting, but this world has no character at all. All I really know is that two countries warred, her country lost, and she was made hostage to the winning country with two child compatriots.- Oh and her sweet sixteen turns on her magic. Huh? Which she can't control, but she has a week to learn, save the adulterous (and really young) queen who is also her best/only friend and the queen's bastard child.- By the way, the queen is locked in a dungeon because the king has unspecified proof of her adultery, but he doesn't know who the father is.- Oh and her boyfriend, who she's loved since she was a kid, is using her, so she realizes she's actually in love with this other guy who has avoided her for years.- Everything happens too quickly with too little explanation. The rescue happens with only a day or so of planning, she goes from total adoration of Kellan to being in love with Bryden in about 3 minutes, she can barely manage her magic, but she can do more with it immediately than either of the other two hostages. This would be okay except that then the author refers to how she's been in love with Bryden for a long time without realizing it. Seriously?I suppose it's realistic for a 16-year-old to think that two-day-old love is a long time, but Lianne stupid too. She's never touched a weapon, but believes she is the best fighter in the land. Her first boyfriend, Kellan, wants her to kill the king, but he can't help. In fact his plan, that she agrees to, has her killing the king at the execution of the queen, but there is no discussion of how she will get away.And finally, this book commits the ultimate sin, in my mind, of any book. It doesn't end. They still have to go find the queen. Yes, the title tells you it's a trilogy, but I hate trilogies that are really one long book chopped into three. Perhaps if I liked the characters or the story it would be okay, but I didn't, so it's not.Oh, and the one good thing? It was free.Apologies to Ms. Jensen. I wanted to like this book, but it feels like it was written in a month and then not edited at all.