Scan barcode
A review by simonrtaylor
March by Gabrielle Lord
3.0
Cal’s third month on the run is a solid continuation of the story, with a few answers and resolutions [the Jennifer issue] sprinkled among further mystery and intrigue [the doppleganger mystery is beginning to grate a bit though]. At this stage in the game, Lord is beginning to explore Cal’s reaction to events a bit more – in particular those endangered by association. For the first time we begin to think of Cal as being not just an innocent bystander but a participant in others’ fate. Hopefully this theme will be developed further. As a result the cliffhanger ending is very different in tone and, in my opinion, much better than in February.
With a kidnap-heavy January and chase-heavy February, Lord wisely avoids either in any great part with a more skulky, subtle March. Laterally, Cal takes the offensive and sets his sights on de la Force’s home.
A highlight for me is Boges and Winter finally meeting. Both important characters in their own right, each intelligent with strong opinions and a stake in Cal’s situation, the tension has been subtly built up to the point they meet. Both parties stay true to their characters and the scene is nicely executed.
There are still instances where Lord makes her characters slightly more juvenile than necessary, and tends to overexplain things to the reader. There is also quite a lot of repetition which is unnecessary and feels like the author is killing time.
In all, March is a good instalment with the introduction of Repro spicing things up and some movement in a number of plots. In some ways it seems like something of a filler month, but if it is, it’s a great quality filler that keeps you engaged for the duration. Very interested in what will happen in “Book Three: April”, according to the preview. A maths lesson?
With a kidnap-heavy January and chase-heavy February, Lord wisely avoids either in any great part with a more skulky, subtle March. Laterally, Cal takes the offensive and sets his sights on de la Force’s home.
A highlight for me is Boges and Winter finally meeting. Both important characters in their own right, each intelligent with strong opinions and a stake in Cal’s situation, the tension has been subtly built up to the point they meet. Both parties stay true to their characters and the scene is nicely executed.
There are still instances where Lord makes her characters slightly more juvenile than necessary, and tends to overexplain things to the reader. There is also quite a lot of repetition which is unnecessary and feels like the author is killing time.
In all, March is a good instalment with the introduction of Repro spicing things up and some movement in a number of plots. In some ways it seems like something of a filler month, but if it is, it’s a great quality filler that keeps you engaged for the duration. Very interested in what will happen in “Book Three: April”, according to the preview. A maths lesson?