A review by bookworm_630
Dead Zone by Robison Wells
2.0
Have you ever started reading a book and wished you hadn't but just couldn't put it down? I have, and this was the book. I really wanted to like it! It's got all the right elements-action: check! conflict: check! teens doing great things to pull adults butts out of the fire: check! a pinch of romance: check! Unfortunately, all of these things weren't enough to compensate for the lack of depth, lack of emotion, and lack of descriptive language.
I didn't realize just how much I hate "info dumps"-bunches of information the author wants the reader to know to move the story forward but doesn't want to take the time to let it develop within the story, so they just dump it out on a page as background info or have a character, say one with super sensitive hearing?, inform his team all about what the army has planned for them and what's going on in the war because he's just happened to hear all the conversations taking place everywhere on the base.
And descriptions? I know I said this before, but, really? Two books now and I still have no idea what Jack or Aubrey look like. No picture of them at all. Another character-Rich-this is the description we get of him: "Little guy. Fifteen. Black. You'd recognize him". That's it. Nothing else, and he plays a large part in this book!
The plot was tighter here, not so scattered, and easier to follow. The distracting random blog posts are gone. There is something happening on every page. There isn't any lack of action! Alec is still hanging around, sowing his brand of discontent and confusion behind American lines. You know, I kept hoping it would get better, that I would start caring about the characters and the places that were getting blown up. But I never did. Maybe you will, though, so...don't take my word for it. :)
I didn't realize just how much I hate "info dumps"-bunches of information the author wants the reader to know to move the story forward but doesn't want to take the time to let it develop within the story, so they just dump it out on a page as background info or have a character, say one with super sensitive hearing?, inform his team all about what the army has planned for them and what's going on in the war because he's just happened to hear all the conversations taking place everywhere on the base.
And descriptions? I know I said this before, but, really? Two books now and I still have no idea what Jack or Aubrey look like. No picture of them at all. Another character-Rich-this is the description we get of him: "Little guy. Fifteen. Black. You'd recognize him". That's it. Nothing else, and he plays a large part in this book!
The plot was tighter here, not so scattered, and easier to follow. The distracting random blog posts are gone. There is something happening on every page. There isn't any lack of action! Alec is still hanging around, sowing his brand of discontent and confusion behind American lines. You know, I kept hoping it would get better, that I would start caring about the characters and the places that were getting blown up. But I never did. Maybe you will, though, so...don't take my word for it. :)