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A review by sarahjonewt
Why the Devil Stalks Death by L.J. Hayward
3.0
Barely 3 stars, tbh. This was mildly entertaining but that’s about it. The beginning started strong but the end flagged and became overly maudlin. The author relies way too much on exposition and there’s way too much “tell” rather than “show.” The dialogue is weak (and often jerked me from the story because most conversations don’t sound like that).
Besides the rough dialogue, my second biggest peeve is that the author builds “suspense” and mystery by having the POV character allude to a development that they already know but just refuse to relay to the reader. In other words, the plot isn’t unfolding in real time as the character makes discoveries. The “unknowns” are shown by the POV character making a vague declaration, demonstrating that he knows the answer but is just choosing not to reveal it. To me, that’s a cheap, lazy way to unfold the plot.
The one thing the author does consistently well, however, is write the character Ethan Blade. I think the only reason I’ve gotten though two novels (and the only reason I’ll read the third) is because he is such a compelling character.
Also, it go so sappy towards the end that I did sort of skim through the last very pages.
Anyway, despite my bashing, this is good novel to unwind to. I found that I didn’t need to pay a lot of attention, nor did I feel gutwrenched at the end. It’s a good “rebound” book.
Besides the rough dialogue, my second biggest peeve is that the author builds “suspense” and mystery by having the POV character allude to a development that they already know but just refuse to relay to the reader. In other words, the plot isn’t unfolding in real time as the character makes discoveries. The “unknowns” are shown by the POV character making a vague declaration, demonstrating that he knows the answer but is just choosing not to reveal it. To me, that’s a cheap, lazy way to unfold the plot.
The one thing the author does consistently well, however, is write the character Ethan Blade. I think the only reason I’ve gotten though two novels (and the only reason I’ll read the third) is because he is such a compelling character.
Also, it go so sappy towards the end that I did sort of skim through the last very pages.
Anyway, despite my bashing, this is good novel to unwind to. I found that I didn’t need to pay a lot of attention, nor did I feel gutwrenched at the end. It’s a good “rebound” book.