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tlwick's review
2.0
The premise of the book was enticing, so I went for it. And the cover art is just gorgeous, not that one can truly judge a book by its art.
HIGHLIGTHS: Benulis does an amazing job of description, making the reader feel he/she is right there seeing and experiencing these events and locations. The characters are interesting and diverse. I love the random twists and tweaks to the usual Heaven/Hell battle for domination.
NOT SO MUCH: My real problem with the book was the format. The first few chapters drop the reader into the middle of a plot with no introduction to characters or a clue what is going on. I actually re-read chapters and checked pagination sure I'd missed some key page that would put everything in perspective. I'd say about a third of the way through, the author starts doling out details that start making events and terminology sensible at long last. Unfortunately, that kind of stingy doling out of information continues throughout the book until the final few chapters when much more makes sense, but still leaves one wondering who is what and where this is going... fodder for book 2?
This book would have benefited with a little back story earlier in the book. The characterization and fantasy plot was just close enough to the known/possible that it also contributed to this reader's confusion. Perhaps mention of the glossary of terms in the beginning of the book would have also helped, rather than tucking it away at the end, unknown until it had become redundant.
THE GIST: Overall, it was a good story line with a darkness that can be simultaneously appealing and repellent. Too many references to attempting and longing for suicide for my taste, especially in a young adult book. It was an entertaining read that required a little more work than I'm accustomed to in YA fantasy.
HIGHLIGTHS: Benulis does an amazing job of description, making the reader feel he/she is right there seeing and experiencing these events and locations. The characters are interesting and diverse. I love the random twists and tweaks to the usual Heaven/Hell battle for domination.
NOT SO MUCH: My real problem with the book was the format. The first few chapters drop the reader into the middle of a plot with no introduction to characters or a clue what is going on. I actually re-read chapters and checked pagination sure I'd missed some key page that would put everything in perspective. I'd say about a third of the way through, the author starts doling out details that start making events and terminology sensible at long last. Unfortunately, that kind of stingy doling out of information continues throughout the book until the final few chapters when much more makes sense, but still leaves one wondering who is what and where this is going... fodder for book 2?
This book would have benefited with a little back story earlier in the book. The characterization and fantasy plot was just close enough to the known/possible that it also contributed to this reader's confusion. Perhaps mention of the glossary of terms in the beginning of the book would have also helped, rather than tucking it away at the end, unknown until it had become redundant.
THE GIST: Overall, it was a good story line with a darkness that can be simultaneously appealing and repellent. Too many references to attempting and longing for suicide for my taste, especially in a young adult book. It was an entertaining read that required a little more work than I'm accustomed to in YA fantasy.
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