Review: Good story, bad editing
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 21, 2014
There's a lot going on in this book. Pretty much anything that can go wrong for the Carriers and the Preppers, does. (Graham's Resolution 2: Murphy's Law?) I don't want to give too much away, but the entire book is an almost never-ending stream of crises that the characters have to deal with in a post-apocalyptic world with limited resources.As with the first book, this one could also use an editorial overhaul. I was more willing to let it slide the first time around; now, with the second book in the series showing the same types of errors as the first (despite myself and other reviewers mentioning the problems), I find myself less willing to overlook them. Things like comma errors, missing words, stilted dialogue (not using contractions), and so forth. As both a reader and a writer, I found the mistakes very irritating and distracting; they pulled me out of what was otherwise and interesting story.Shaw's characterization is great - there are quite a few characters, but they're all written with a unique voice (even the twins, Marcy and Macy) so that the reader is easily able to differentiate them. Even the less-than-lovable characters are well crafted, and you're likely to find yourself emotionally invested in what happens to Graham and his crew of survivors. The ending to this one, while it also has its sad points, is more uplifting and cheerful than the ending of the first book.Overall, the storytelling is good and the plot is interesting, so despite the editing issues I'll be looking for the next book in the series. "The Cascade Preppers" is an interesting (and frightening, in the sense that it's realistic enough that the events are actually feasible) book that's worth reading if you can get past the editorial issues. Without those issues, this book would be a solid four stars for me.