gwenythlove's review
2.0
This book was nothing what I expected to be. I was told it was a horror. Let me tell you that horror to me either implies at least minor glimpses of the supernatural or outright face smashes of gruesome bloody gore. This book had neither. And it really didn’t have much else either. If anything I might consider it a thriller, but it barely thrilled me either.
The characters were flat. They contained little or no substance. I didn’t give a damn about any of them. I felt they lacked emotion most of all. When a spouse dies you would expect the other partner to fall to the floor, body wracked in sobs. The primary female barely let a tear slip. It was totally unrealistic. One of the main reasons the killer gets as far as he does is due to the unbelievable actions of some of these characters. There was a part in the book when a character went out of their way to help the killer, knowing full well who he was! I was utterly flabbergasted at the absurdity of it all.
The atmosphere was nothing special. It wasn’t livable or breathable, it was just there. I couldn’t stop and smell the roses, because they had no scent. I couldn’t hear the distant rumbles of thunder, because there was no sound. I saw the trees, but their leaves were not vibrant with living colour. It was like walking through an old black and white movie, shades of grey and nothing more.
The story was simplistic. A man becomes a murderer due to circumstances in his life. Man is eventually caught and sentenced to life in prison. Man outsmarts guards and escapes prison and goes looking for revenge on the man that put him in jail. It wasn’t unique, but it was well written. The story made sense, most of the time, and wasn’t too complicated to read. I didn’t have to work my way through to the end. The spelling was accurate and the grammar clear, creating a nice flow. The pacing was smooth, moving from point A to point B clearly and consistently, begging to end with no jumps in between.
I wouldn’t buy the book, not even used. The price is too high compared to the level of enjoyment I received from it, which I would rate at 2 out of 5. I’ll keep it, because it was signed by the author, and little things like that make me smile.
Review originally posted at http://www.horror-web.com/reviews/YaBB.cgi?board=Books;action=display;num=1183414195 on July 2, 2007.
The characters were flat. They contained little or no substance. I didn’t give a damn about any of them. I felt they lacked emotion most of all. When a spouse dies you would expect the other partner to fall to the floor, body wracked in sobs. The primary female barely let a tear slip. It was totally unrealistic. One of the main reasons the killer gets as far as he does is due to the unbelievable actions of some of these characters. There was a part in the book when a character went out of their way to help the killer, knowing full well who he was! I was utterly flabbergasted at the absurdity of it all.
The atmosphere was nothing special. It wasn’t livable or breathable, it was just there. I couldn’t stop and smell the roses, because they had no scent. I couldn’t hear the distant rumbles of thunder, because there was no sound. I saw the trees, but their leaves were not vibrant with living colour. It was like walking through an old black and white movie, shades of grey and nothing more.
The story was simplistic. A man becomes a murderer due to circumstances in his life. Man is eventually caught and sentenced to life in prison. Man outsmarts guards and escapes prison and goes looking for revenge on the man that put him in jail. It wasn’t unique, but it was well written. The story made sense, most of the time, and wasn’t too complicated to read. I didn’t have to work my way through to the end. The spelling was accurate and the grammar clear, creating a nice flow. The pacing was smooth, moving from point A to point B clearly and consistently, begging to end with no jumps in between.
I wouldn’t buy the book, not even used. The price is too high compared to the level of enjoyment I received from it, which I would rate at 2 out of 5. I’ll keep it, because it was signed by the author, and little things like that make me smile.
Review originally posted at http://www.horror-web.com/reviews/YaBB.cgi?board=Books;action=display;num=1183414195 on July 2, 2007.
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