serranok's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
reginasharinette_71's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this first book! Dr. Jaya Jones is a 4 foot plus Indiana Jones in heels who travels to Scotland after receiving the news that her former boyfriend has died in a tragic car accident and just after receiving a priceless ruby bracelet from him in the mail.
There were so many twists and turns but in a good way!
There were so many twists and turns but in a good way!
purplepenning's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
mefrost's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
tonki's review against another edition
DNFed at 43%.
Annoying characters, especially the protagonist, predictable plottwists, illogical decisions by the characters, bad writing, overexplaining the simplest things (come on, you could trust your readers to make some conclusions on their own, do you really need to describe a face expression and then explain what it means?), sooooo much redundancy, details everywhere that don't add anything to the story or the characterization.
This reads like a first draft, not a finished text. I get that it's marketed as a cozy mystery but "cozy" shouldn't mean lazy writing!
Stereotypical characterization as well, pretty much for every character from another country.
And how about the fact that at one point the main character thinks she hears someone call her name (TWICE), and then she realizes it actually wasn't a sound, no one's calling her, it was a feeling, and that's how she realizes she's being followed?! Personally I've never felt someone call my name.
I wasn’t hearing anything, though. I was feeling it.
Someone was watching me.
(...)
This wasn’t a vague sense of uneasiness. Someone was following me.
Spidey sense, apparently. And she seriously keeps going with that, she uses this feeling to figure out when she's no longer being followed:
I realized I hadn’t felt the sensation of being followed since I’d hopped in the cab.
Just a couple of random sentences, representative of the writing as a whole, in case I ever need a reminder of why I DNFed this :
“My brain hurts,” I said inelegantly.
I can answer the question blindfolded.
And stuff like this all the time - why was stuff like this necessary (the context doesn't make it any more relevant):
I made a quick stop in a Tesco Metro supermarket to grab a packaged egg-mayonnaise sandwich. It was not a frivolous stop. A girl has to keep up her energy to be productive.
Being very specific about every single detail, like what store she went to and what sort of sandwich she ate, doesn't automatically make your writing better, sorry.
If this was self-published that would explain some things, but it's not. So Henery Press gets a pass from me in the future.
Annoying characters, especially the protagonist, predictable plottwists, illogical decisions by the characters, bad writing, overexplaining the simplest things (come on, you could trust your readers to make some conclusions on their own, do you really need to describe a face expression and then explain what it means?), sooooo much redundancy, details everywhere that don't add anything to the story or the characterization.
This reads like a first draft, not a finished text. I get that it's marketed as a cozy mystery but "cozy" shouldn't mean lazy writing!
Stereotypical characterization as well, pretty much for every character from another country.
And how about the fact that at one point the main character thinks she hears someone call her name (TWICE), and then she realizes it actually wasn't a sound, no one's calling her, it was a feeling, and that's how she realizes she's being followed?! Personally I've never felt someone call my name.
I wasn’t hearing anything, though. I was feeling it.
Someone was watching me.
(...)
This wasn’t a vague sense of uneasiness. Someone was following me.
Spidey sense, apparently. And she seriously keeps going with that, she uses this feeling to figure out when she's no longer being followed:
I realized I hadn’t felt the sensation of being followed since I’d hopped in the cab.
Just a couple of random sentences, representative of the writing as a whole, in case I ever need a reminder of why I DNFed this :
“My brain hurts,” I said inelegantly.
I can answer the question blindfolded.
And stuff like this all the time - why was stuff like this necessary (the context doesn't make it any more relevant):
I made a quick stop in a Tesco Metro supermarket to grab a packaged egg-mayonnaise sandwich. It was not a frivolous stop. A girl has to keep up her energy to be productive.
Being very specific about every single detail, like what store she went to and what sort of sandwich she ate, doesn't automatically make your writing better, sorry.
If this was self-published that would explain some things, but it's not. So Henery Press gets a pass from me in the future.
mfallon3491's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
jodyladuemcgrath's review against another edition
5.0
This book is about Professor Jaya Jones who lives and works in San Francisco. One day she receives a mysterious bracelet from her ex-boyfriend with a cryptic note about it being an artifact and he needed her help. She soon finds out that her ex died in a car accident shortly after mailing the package from Scotland. Jaya doesn't believe that this is a coincidence, especially when someone breaks into her apartment and she feels like she is being followed. To get herself out of danger and prove her ex was murdered, Jaya must solve the riddle of the ruby bracelet.
I loved this book. I wasn't sure going into it, but I am so glad I gave it a chance. Jaya is such a fresh character, and the supporting characters all are unique and well thought out. One of the other main characters, Lane, is very well written, but his past is a little hard to believe. The plot is a little hard to follow, because I did not know most of the history they were discussing, but the author does a great job of explaining it without info dumping on you. If you like adventure, mystery, romance, and humor, I recommend this book.
I loved this book. I wasn't sure going into it, but I am so glad I gave it a chance. Jaya is such a fresh character, and the supporting characters all are unique and well thought out. One of the other main characters, Lane, is very well written, but his past is a little hard to believe. The plot is a little hard to follow, because I did not know most of the history they were discussing, but the author does a great job of explaining it without info dumping on you. If you like adventure, mystery, romance, and humor, I recommend this book.
takeaim's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A mysterious ancient piece of jewelry arrives. A mysterious death of an ex. A mysterious fellow historian. A mysterious archaeological dig. Welcome to the first book of the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries by Gigi Pandian. Go on an adventure, untangle a love triangle, dive into history, solve a murder. A fun and fast read.
chelle493's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
chloebear21's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0