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A review by kimberly_b
The Beast by J.R. Ward
4.0
3.5 stars, rounded to 4
I was a little surprised when Ward announced that she was devoting another BDB book to Rhage and Mary. In the end, this book ended up seeming a bit odd to me. The beginning read like the climax of the novel, because, really, there wasn't much that happened in the middle-ish part of the book. And, Rhage and Mary's whole storyline began to read like one of the numerous sub-plot storylines that have become so prevalent in Ward's writing. I'm not convinced that an entire BDB novel should have been devoted to their relationship. Therein lies the trouble with Ward's numerous storylines; you don't feel like there is a true focus on any one set of characters. Now, I'm not necessarily complaining about the many subplots in the BDB books now--it just makes for a different reading experience. At least she got rid of the irritating lesser POV's!
Things with Xcor were really put on the back burner in this novel, since he was conveniently out of the equation for the entire book due to a medical situation. I really hope she resolves something with him in the next novel, because his character is becoming stagnant. The best part of The Beast for me was the introduction of new, interesting characters. I really hope she continues writing about them, because they are a breath of fresh air to the series.
I really enjoyed reading this, but it wasn't a favorite in the series for me. Still, I'm comfortable rounding it up to a 4.
I was a little surprised when Ward announced that she was devoting another BDB book to Rhage and Mary. In the end, this book ended up seeming a bit odd to me. The beginning read like the climax of the novel, because, really, there wasn't much that happened in the middle-ish part of the book. And, Rhage and Mary's whole storyline began to read like one of the numerous sub-plot storylines that have become so prevalent in Ward's writing. I'm not convinced that an entire BDB novel should have been devoted to their relationship. Therein lies the trouble with Ward's numerous storylines; you don't feel like there is a true focus on any one set of characters. Now, I'm not necessarily complaining about the many subplots in the BDB books now--it just makes for a different reading experience. At least she got rid of the irritating lesser POV's!
Things with Xcor were really put on the back burner in this novel, since he was conveniently out of the equation for the entire book due to a medical situation. I really hope she resolves something with him in the next novel, because his character is becoming stagnant. The best part of The Beast for me was the introduction of new, interesting characters. I really hope she continues writing about them, because they are a breath of fresh air to the series.
I really enjoyed reading this, but it wasn't a favorite in the series for me. Still, I'm comfortable rounding it up to a 4.