Review: Too much description. Not enough left to the imagination.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Date: 12 15, 2013
I was given this ARC by the author, for an honest review and so I shall deliver.The Review:“Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” ― Stephen King, On Writing.The above quote sums up the main issue I had with this book.  It had WAY too much description.  Painting a picture is great, but when nothing...and I mean NOTHING is left to my imagination, it upsets me. Why? Because it's unneeded and unwanted filler.  Part of the excitement I get from reading books is being able to paint my own picture.  An author's job is to set a scene, yes, but don't go into unnecessary details.  It's distracting and borderline insulting to the reader. We ARE capable of using our own imaginations.[BOOK QUOTE]Turning on the ignition, the car purrs to life, the LED lights illuminating the tan leather dashboard; the GPS map coming to life, providing the location of where the car is currently sitting; and music begins to play, Lisa nodding her head along to the beat. After pulling on their seatbelts, Lisa puts the car into drive and pulls out of the garage, onto the open road for their night on the town. The buildings in downtown Manhattan are lit up, the lights glowing in the evening shade. Building after building is lined with florescent-colored lights that illuminate the area. People are walking on the sidewalks, cars attempting to drive down the busy street.[END BOOK QUOTE]Yes this is one paragraph, yes the sentences run together. This has been copied and pasted directly from the book without any alterations.The above paragraph is the prime example of the issue I have with the entire book.* Over description - This entire paragraph could have been summed up in this one sentence: "Lisa started her car and pulled onto the busy, illuminated Manhattan street."* Repetition of same word or same meaning - Lights, illuminate, glow, etc.Now that my little pet peeves are out of the way, I’ll get down to my other issues.Lisa is a very intelligent, success driven woman. I really admire that about her. However she loses that intelligence when she signs away her soul, via a job offer, because she only skimmed over the contract.  From the time I could sign my name, my mother told me to ALWAYS read something before signing it, especially the fine print.  I can't believe someone at her success level could be so stupid. But I guess it's possible.5 years later, Lisa begins to see red eyes in shadows, a man with red eyes in the mirror, blood running from faucets, etc.  She shakes this off as imagination or lack of sleep.  Umm....I'd be calling a dang Psychiatrist or an exorcist.  Who ignores that scary crap!? That's right...Lisa does.Now the male characters. Samuel(aka bad guy) he's Lisa's dark, mysterious and sexy boss. Let's just say he has special gifts that Lisa has a tough time resisting.  I can't say I really blame her. He sounds yummy.  All the way from his sexy chiseled body, down to his {Book quote}"brilliant red tie. The tie has black lines, in sporadic patterns, scattered throughout."{end book quote}Alex(aka Selaphiel, aka the good guy) is sexy and sweet. The kissing scenes between the two are pretty steamy. I loved him.  UNTIL...this part:[BOOK QUOTE]Selaphiel, the [spoiler removed], stands over Lisa and looks down upon her body. As much as he would like to admit his feelings for her, he cannot. The love he feels for her, the love he’s always felt for her, is much like the love a father would feel for his child.[END BOOK QUOTE]Umm....what?The Good Points:The Ending: It was sweet but predictable.Hell: The descriptions were dark, disturbing and imaginative.The "Fall": Dark, disturbing and very imaginative.My Final Thoughts:I’ve seen a few 4 and 5 stars for this book, so there is a good chance I’ve allowed my pet peeves to overshadow the story. I don’t know.What I DO know is, I was asked for MY HONEST opinion by the Author...and I have given that.There is a quote that goes around the internet and it’s accredited to MANY people, so I don’t know who exactly said it, but it is soooo true!“In a sense, one can never read the book that the author originally wrote, and one can never read the same book twice.”~Robin(bookreadsandreviews.com)