Review: Good writing bogged down by slow plot
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 12, 2013
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions below are entirely my own."The Tower" picks up where "Wild-born" left off, meaning that those reading through the series in succession will be relieved by the lack of rehashing, but those trying to jump into the middle will feel quite left out. Effort is made to catch them up, but the finer points and subtleties are lost without reading the first book. Therefore, I highly recommend that you read that one first - doubly because from this point on, spoilers for the first book may appear. There will be very vague plot references to the second, but nothing that will be very "spoiler-y". If you'd rather skip it (or my ridiculously long reviewing style!) head on down to the last full paragraph, my "bottom line".After being rescued from the Psionic Research Center in "Wild-born", protagonist Adrian Howell and his adoptive family seek new shelter. They find themselves a safe haven, certainly, but with the exception of a few rough encounters, this new home is almost too safe for my tastes, in the sense that much of the story feels like a training montage - the plot does not really pick up until the climax of the book, creating a sudden and jarring shift from comparative peace and almost slow-motion pace to the snappy, engrossing, page-turning style of the first book.That is not to say that the first three quarters are not worth reading - the author is able to put the urban fantasy's style of world-building to work, clearly constructing an environment populated with interesting and diverse characters, including a few additions to the main cast in whom I am genuinely interested. Even the side characters have their charms.Additionally, the author's writing style remains solid - he is able to operate through the eyes of a newly-minted teenager, in a way that is at once convincing and yet effectively descriptive. Adrian will need to go through a lot of growth and self-reflection, and it is handled well.The downfall of "The Tower" is that it suffers from a bit too much introspection and not enough plot movement. I don't just refer to "action" in a traditional sense, but rather advancement. Watching Adrian train wore thin well before the training actually got anywhere, for example.As to the editing and layout of the book, I received a .pdf for review, so I can't speak to layout of the Kindle Edition in practice, but it certainly looked good in theory. I noted no significant errors missed by editing, so I applaud the editor(s) mechanically - again, I just wish they'd made more cuts.The bottom line is that "The Tower" is a fair continuation of the series, but its lagging plot keep it from the high quality of "Wild-born". The author's writing style remains solid, however, and the strong cast and interesting setting give me high hopes for the next book. I absolutely recommend reading book one first.If anything needs clarifying, please feel free to use the comment box below, or contact me at SeanOnAmazon@gmail.com