Review: Not bad, but not stellar
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 21, 2011
I just finished this book last night and I have mixed feelings. Let me start by saying I've enjoyed the series thus far. I think Mr. Rain has done a great bit of storytelling and I enjoy the world he's created enough to over look his habit of repeating key phrases and words on the same page (and sometimes annoyingly in the same paragraph and sentence).First, what I liked about the book: I enjoyed the continuation and completion of the story-arc regarding her son and his illness. I think the conflict he expresses within the character was insightful and well-handled. I'm not sure how anyone would act in such a horrible situation were it presented to them and I think it must have been a challenge to write well.Now, on to what I didn't care for: the repetition. He not only tells us details we well know by the fourth book but he tells us repeatedly throughout this book the same information. Almost as if he's afraid we've forgotten and wants to make sure we follow. He needed better beta readers or a better editor helping with content. He has a style of repeating information in the same exact phrasing on the same page, and while it didn't bother me as much in the earlier books it seemed to leap out at me in this one and pull me out of the moment quite often while reading.The editing in this book was not as tight. I spotted a lot of small errors, like extra words in the sentence or the wrong tense/usage of a word and started highlighting them in my Kindle. I considered writing to the author and sharing the errors with him, but I'm sure his other readers will do so and I doubt he'd appreciate such an email from someone who has never contacted him before.Lastly - I felt the book was rushed and short. While the story is told to completion, some things are wrapped up a little too nicely - like Fang's reaction to hearing about Sam and Kingsley in the end, or her decision to jump back in a relationship with the attorney when she states earlier she doesn't respect him because of his job (which honestly, as a woman would be a no brainer for me, if I didn't respect the guy a little chemistry isn't going to change my mind about dating him). Or the complete turn around from flirty to hate by her ex-husband, with no comments or exchange between them on their son's final outcome.This book is only 75% of the download. When I compare it to other books I've read, I'd say it's around 200 pages long were it in paperback, which was not nearly what I'd hoped for and think it may have been shorter than his earlier books. Will I continue to buy his books? Maybe. I do enjoy the world and characters, but if he churns out another one as fast I think I'll wait and see what the reviewers say a few months in rather than buying it so quickly, as I have all the others.