itadakinasu's review against another edition
2.0
One extra star for originality.
Urban fantasy is a really iffy genre for me, and the supernatural themes presented in The Making of Gabriel Davenport actually came as a bit of a surprise. Overall, I think it was done well. The supernatural elements followed some familiar rules but also brought out some twists.
Lee wrote in some solid foreshadowing while appropriately building up tension throughout the book.
Sadly, I think that's where the positives end.
Characters
Lee introduces a lot of characters within the first 15% of the book: victimized teenager Gabriel and his broken mother Beth, studious mentor Carver, sensitive priest Noah, hot-headed Olivia and her twin brother Ollie, the farmhand savior Tom, and several minor inconsequential people.
The main problem with them is that there's no depth or development of any of them. What you see is what you get with every single one from the time they're introduced to the end of the book. I actually felt more interest and sympathy for the demon than I did for any of the other characters, and I hardly felt anything when one of them was in danger (partially because it's clear that Lee is afraid of actually killing any of her main characters off).
This reads a lot like an origin story or prequel lacking a hook to draw readers into the main series.
Plot
First and foremost, Lee's stylistic choice here is not the best. For a story like Gabriel's, we need to feel something for the characters' losses and hardships. We need to see what they're thinking and feel their pain. This distant, almost journalistic tone does little to endear readers to the characters, thus all of their struggles seem meaningless and emotional scenes fall flat.
I was tempted to DNF up until about 40% because it just dragged. The introduction when Gabriel was a baby was fantastic, but after that it was just painfully slow as Lee started setting up the pieces for the middle. Things finally started to happen around 40% and the book found its pace that it (thankfully) maintained until the end.
The main problem for me was not the pacing, though. It was a lot of random elements being introduced without being explained. Many of these elements were extremely unrealistic, such as Beth's mental state following the incident when Gabriel was a baby. I'm able to suspend my belief a little bit if there are other elements that are done well to compensate, but this just wasn't.
Conclusion
This is clearly the origin story of Gabriel. While that fact alone is fine, it just wasn't gripping enough to make me want to read more about him. The tone of the writing didn't suit the content. The pacing is awful until the latter half of the book, and even then, there are so many unexplained and unrealistic mechanics used to propel the mediocre plot forward.
Urban fantasy is a really iffy genre for me, and the supernatural themes presented in The Making of Gabriel Davenport actually came as a bit of a surprise.
Spoiler
I mean, how often do we see demons and vampires duking it out?Lee wrote in some solid foreshadowing while appropriately building up tension throughout the book.
Sadly, I think that's where the positives end.
Characters
Lee introduces a lot of characters within the first 15% of the book: victimized teenager Gabriel and his broken mother Beth, studious mentor Carver, sensitive priest Noah, hot-headed Olivia and her twin brother Ollie, the farmhand savior Tom, and several minor inconsequential people.
The main problem with them is that there's no depth or development of any of them. What you see is what you get with every single one from the time they're introduced to the end of the book. I actually felt more interest and sympathy for the demon than I did for any of the other characters, and I hardly felt anything when one of them was in danger (partially because it's clear that Lee is afraid of actually killing any of her main characters off).
This reads a lot like an origin story or prequel lacking a hook to draw readers into the main series.
Plot
First and foremost, Lee's stylistic choice here is not the best. For a story like Gabriel's, we need to feel something for the characters' losses and hardships. We need to see what they're thinking and feel their pain. This distant, almost journalistic tone does little to endear readers to the characters, thus all of their struggles seem meaningless and emotional scenes fall flat.
I was tempted to DNF up until about 40% because it just dragged. The introduction when Gabriel was a baby was fantastic, but after that it was just painfully slow as Lee started setting up the pieces for the middle. Things finally started to happen around 40% and the book found its pace that it (thankfully) maintained until the end.
The main problem for me was not the pacing, though. It was a lot of random elements being introduced without being explained. Many of these elements were extremely unrealistic, such as Beth's mental state following the incident when Gabriel was a baby.
Spoiler
Or Stu magically knowing how to stop the demon and being able to communicate this to Olivia, who he has never met and wouldn't know was in any way related to Gabriel. Or Ollie's sudden sadistic sexual fantasies, when it's even specifically mentioned that he wasn't homosexual or a sadist. Or how Noah's prayers and psalm book is able to repel the demon in the beginning but somehow he isn't physically capable of prayer at the end.Conclusion
This is clearly the origin story of Gabriel. While that fact alone is fine, it just wasn't gripping enough to make me want to read more about him. The tone of the writing didn't suit the content. The pacing is awful until the latter half of the book, and even then, there are so many unexplained and unrealistic mechanics used to propel the mediocre plot forward.
jennyrs01's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
itsme_casslee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
vespurr's review
4.5
4.5/5 rounded up.
Beverley writes beautifully and the atmospheric tension in this book is wonderful. It is a slow burn in the best way. I spent most of the story wondering what the plot was actually about, and what was really going to happen. Those can be some of the most fun books. I love going in to a good book blind. Trying to figure out what is actually going on is half the fun!
And that ending! It got a little crazy in the last 10% or so. Well worth all the build-up.
The characters are interesting and the setting created a definite mood for the narrative. The best part? It's the start of a trilogy! So there is more!
Beverley writes beautifully and the atmospheric tension in this book is wonderful. It is a slow burn in the best way. I spent most of the story wondering what the plot was actually about, and what was really going to happen. Those can be some of the most fun books. I love going in to a good book blind. Trying to figure out what is actually going on is half the fun!
And that ending! It got a little crazy in the last 10% or so. Well worth all the build-up.
The characters are interesting and the setting created a definite mood for the narrative. The best part? It's the start of a trilogy! So there is more!
pbanditp's review
4.0
Beverley has an ethereal writing quality that floats into your head and blocks out everything else. I was captivated by the characters and want to know more about their supernatural lives. Tension pulsates throughout the book which actually caused me to break out in nervous laughter at one point, not because it was funny, but so unexpected. The evil entities that lurk in this book are so menacing that I was mentally screaming at the characters to run. I am very happy that I have book two in the trilogy because I need to know more.
I left the review rather vague because I believe this is something that you need to experience for yourself.
I left the review rather vague because I believe this is something that you need to experience for yourself.
jo_in_bookland's review
This book had a very promising start but after a while the story no longer drew me in. The writing isn't bad, I think it just lacks substance.
namelesssam_'s review
4.0
I did actually read the whole trilogy, so my review is focused on this first volume when it comes to the plot line, but the commentary is referring to the saga as a whole.
I really did enjoy it even tho I got into it without knowing anything at all and expecting fallen angels, only to find out that the author had something even better that was waiting to be discovered.
Here, on my blog, the full review.
→ https://sammiswonderland.wordpress.com/2019/02/03/gabriel-davenport-series/
I really did enjoy it even tho I got into it without knowing anything at all and expecting fallen angels, only to find out that the author had something even better that was waiting to be discovered.
Here, on my blog, the full review.
→ https://sammiswonderland.wordpress.com/2019/02/03/gabriel-davenport-series/
cafedetinta's review against another edition
4.0
No suelo leer terror, pero esta novela ha conectado conmigo desde el principio. La historia me ha gustado mucho, sus personajes e incluso el final de la historia, por lo inesperado!
ruth_miranda's review against another edition
5.0
I don't even know where to start. Whenever I finish one of Miss Lee's books, I have a huge book hangover on me. Nothing I read for a while after will come even close to satisfying me, and this is very sad, because... well, because there's no new Beverley Lee novel to fall back on. NO safety net! All this to say MIss Lee is fast becoming my favourite indie author, and setting herself straight into my top ten fave authors of all times. Her writing is always curt and rich at the same time, lush with possibilities and what she doesn't tell us but leaves up in the air for her to grasp - and we hardly ever manage to grasp correctly. This novel is filled with twist after twist after twist, and when you finally think you've got it all figured out, well, honey, think again. You won't see it coming until it's too late, and then you're left with all these feelings and all these questions and you need to go and read just one more page, one more chapter, so you can find out what on earth is going on! I can't stress enough how much I love this series, the entire three books combined are a serious 4,5 stars for me. These are books I know i'll read again, if only to immerse myself on the absolutely outstanding way Miss Lee has with words. Her writing is absolutely one that sings to my darkest self, and plays there with the chords of my brain and my heart. GO read this. Honestly.
ruth_miranda's review
5.0
I didn't as much read this book as I devoured it. I honestly devoured this thing, and was hungry for more. I could hardly put it down, to the detriment of other books I was also reading at the time, and when I did put it down, it haunted my mind, I kept thinking of it, wanting to get back to it. Three days was all it took me to read it, and when I was done I was... broken, because I didn't have the sequel!! The mood of this entire book is right up my alley, reminding me of the sort of films I used to watch growing up and getting acquainted with horror and falling in love with it. There's a tendril of Anne Rice flowing through the narrative, but also a vibe that is very much early days Stephen King. As if this novel happened to be the love child of The Tale of the Body Thief and Salem's Lot? I was hooked from the start, the eerie, uncomfortable feel the author managed to set right from chapter one, where you have this thing going up your spine telling you oh boy oh boy, somink bad's about to happen. It takes a while to build up the necessary tension, and Beverley does this MASTERFULLY well. By the time soming bad does happen, I was jumping on the couch in anticipation. I was ready for it, but not really ready, know what I mean? It clawed at me. That first half of the novel is really a masterpiece in horror. But the second half is where the true art of the writer comes to shine. The characters are so vivid, and so real, and so pungent and heartfelt! I always wonder how an author has to be really very good to build up a character so well, in so few pages. From the moment you meet certain characters, the person they are shines back at you and you just know. And you can't help but love them. Then there's the odd ones where you're left in the dark, and you wonder about them, and you're intrigued by them, wanting to know more. I realise Moth is a steady favourite, but for me it was Clove. Can't wait to get to the second book so I dig into that bloke. Hmm Hmm.
Can you tell I really loved this book? I did. Do I recommend it? YOU FREAKIN' BET I DO!
Can you tell I really loved this book? I did. Do I recommend it? YOU FREAKIN' BET I DO!