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A review by slimcakeyreads
The Terrible Gift by Colette Rhodes
4.0
Okay I wavered between a very strong three and a very low four stars...I’m going with four because I found myself wishing I could get a minute to myself to read this book throughout the day and that hasn’t happened in a while.
That being said, there were some technical issues. The verb tensing is all over the place and at times it was very jarring, also there were many issues with grammar and with getting words mixed up or leaving them out completely. The prose could have used more description and less Fi 24/7 as well....BUT, this book has the feel of a first novel by an indie author and it is obviously a labor of love. Side note: when I read books that need this much work I so badly wish I could reach out to the author and offer my free Alpha reading services because I swear the errors in this book could have been fixed by one very honest friend giving it a read through.
The story itself checked all the boxes...interesting premise, pacing was pretty good, and the ending was interesting. I liked the slow introduction and the reasoning behind her harem....though I feel Fi overshadows all three guys and I am so grateful there were finally some chapters from their perspectives towards the end. Before that they were feeling like cardboard cutouts with no depth.
I will say I think the author really likes Bryn the best as he has the most personality and the most fire (haha, see what I did there...if not read the book and you’ll get it)....
All in all, were there some cringy bits like schools that pay students to attend and where everyone lives in a utopia of salad bars and sexual freedom? Yes. Did one of her harem members feel like a sad little puppy dog with no spine and no personality for the first half of the book? Yes. Can I take these things with a grain of salt and just read the next book because I’m interested in where the story goes?
I think so.
That being said, there were some technical issues. The verb tensing is all over the place and at times it was very jarring, also there were many issues with grammar and with getting words mixed up or leaving them out completely. The prose could have used more description and less Fi 24/7 as well....BUT, this book has the feel of a first novel by an indie author and it is obviously a labor of love. Side note: when I read books that need this much work I so badly wish I could reach out to the author and offer my free Alpha reading services because I swear the errors in this book could have been fixed by one very honest friend giving it a read through.
The story itself checked all the boxes...interesting premise, pacing was pretty good, and the ending was interesting. I liked the slow introduction and the reasoning behind her harem....though I feel Fi overshadows all three guys and I am so grateful there were finally some chapters from their perspectives towards the end. Before that they were feeling like cardboard cutouts with no depth.
I will say I think the author really likes Bryn the best as he has the most personality and the most fire (haha, see what I did there...if not read the book and you’ll get it)....
All in all, were there some cringy bits like schools that pay students to attend and where everyone lives in a utopia of salad bars and sexual freedom? Yes. Did one of her harem members feel like a sad little puppy dog with no spine and no personality for the first half of the book? Yes. Can I take these things with a grain of salt and just read the next book because I’m interested in where the story goes?
I think so.