Author: JD Tyler
Title: Primal Law (An Alpha Pack Novel #1)
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Signet Eclipse (Imprint of Penguin)
ISBN: 9780451234346
The Romance Author's Verdict: 3.5/5 Stars
Founded by a team of former Navy SEALS, the Alpha Pack is a top-secret team of wolf shifters with Psy powers tasked with eliminating the most dangerous predators in the world. But the gift of their abilities comes at a price…
After a massacre decimates half his team and leaves him crippled, Jaxon Law must relearn how to fight—and must defeat the anger and guilt threatening to overwhelm him. But when he rescues a beautiful woman who reawakens his primal instincts, Jax is unprepared for the dangers that lie ahead.
On the run from her employer, brilliant lab assistant Kira Locke escapes with disturbing evidence that leads the Alpha Pack team on a hunt for someone targeting human civilians with Psy abilities. And as Jax and Kira circle both the killer and each other, Jax will have to decide if the deep connection he feels with Kira is worth breaking the ultimate shifter rule—because bonding with Kira means putting his abilities at risk, and they might be the only tool he has to keep his mate alive…
Another run-of-the-mill werewolf/paranormal creatures romance I'm afraid. It wasn't bad, I'll give you that, in fact it seemed pretty darn good after the last disaster of a paranormal romance I didn't even finish reading. At least I did read this one to the end, though it was a bit of a drag.
The writing itself is quite good and easy to get into, it was the characters and storyline that lacked any real substance to hold it apart from the million other paranormal romances out on the market.
I felt like Kira accepted the whole "werewolves are real" thing a bit too easily, and oh yeah, now you have to go live in a secret government compound because you know the truth. She was kind of just like "okay then!" What about her life, family, friends before that? There was no thought process of her coming to terms with the fact she had to leave everything behind.
Also, she made a really big deal of the fact that she didn't want the mate-bond between her and Jaxon to dictate whether or not they stayed together, so she put off the decision, even knowing that Jaxon could die if they didn't mate (pretty typical of this sort of romance). Except in the end, he was pretty much on his death bed and it happened anyway. I felt kind of cheated, that in the end she did it to save him, but she supposed she loved him as well. It was like this big build up of resistance, only to cave. I think perhaps the author needed to either not make such a big deal of it, or find a way that meant Kira clearly made the choice to commit on her own without the threat of Jaxon dying hovering over her.
Throughout the book, we were introduced to different characters who will most likely get their own stories at some point. Also, it seemed that the government the Alpha Pack works for is actually betraying them (also, seen it done many times before in these types of books, so that was nothing new either) and this theme will no doubt carry on to link the books together.
Overall, it was an okay read and I will be getting the next one whenever it comes out, because I think the author has real potential to take this from good to really great. I'll be interested to see if Tyler can improve and wow me.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
The Two Star Review
Genre: paranormal romance
Published by: Pocket Star Books
The Romance Author's Verdict: 2/5 Stars
I recently read a book -- no, let me rephrase that. I recently started a book, that was so full of cliches, I couldn't get past page 80. The only person I'm naming and shaming in this case is the publisher, because I honestly believe the author must want to do better than the drivel I read.
Now, you may think it unfair to post an anonymous review, to not say what this book was and name the author responsible so others can avoid reading the book. But I for one, would not want to see a one or two star review for my own books, so I am not willing to say such about fellow authors. In the end, mine is only one opinion. I checked on Goodreads.com and some readers have loved this book.
Instead, I'm going to talk in general terms so other authors can take a lesson from this.
The book is a debut title in a new series by a new author. I truly felt like this had been written as a romantic suspense and then at some stage, some brilliant person (be it author, agent, or editor) said "I know, let's make the hero a vampire! Maybe people won't notice the glaring over-use of bad cliches and words used in incorrect context."
Okay, as a reader, maybe this book was pretty good. The idea was a bit different considering the hordes of vampire books on the market. But as a writer, I could see so many examples of why this manuscript wasn't ready for publication.
Many writers will have heard the expression "you're only as good as your last book." Readers can be unforgiving. Look, we all make mistakes, we're only human. I've found errors in my own books after they've gone to publication and cringed over every single one of them, waiting to be ripped to shreds by a reader on Goodreads.com, or Amazon, or by a negative reviewer (luckily it hasn't happened yet, though I have had some 3 star "meh, it was okay" reviews).
Here's a couple of easy lessons for wannabe writers.
For god's sake, don't use cliches. Ever. Well, unless your characters are making a joke out of the fact its a cliche. But don't use them seriously. And definitely don't use them on every other page. The last straw in this book? When the hero said "I'm your worst nightmare." And meant it.
Lesson number two from this book... make sure your words are being used in the right context. Some words have similar meanings, but subtle differences. Play around with your vocab, see if something fits better. Don't use something just because you saw it somewhere else and thought it sounded cool. Definitely don't use it if you're not one hundred percent certain you know what it means.
And the last lesson from this book? When in doubt, just use "he/she said." At the most, you could also use "reply." I don't want to see "rejoinder," "snarled," "retort," "riposte," (DEFINITELY not that one) and a million other things tacked onto the end of sentences that often do nothing for the character's speech. Be a stronger writer. If your character is "retorting" make his/her words short and sharp. Show through their actions that the comeback was snappy. When I see these now, it makes me think the writer lacks strength or couldn't be bothered coming up with anything different.
Because this was a debut author, I want to give her the benefit of doubt, I want her to improve and become a better author. But after my experience with this book, I might have to wait a couple of years before I can bring myself to read another one of her titles.
Published by: Pocket Star Books
The Romance Author's Verdict: 2/5 Stars
I recently read a book -- no, let me rephrase that. I recently started a book, that was so full of cliches, I couldn't get past page 80. The only person I'm naming and shaming in this case is the publisher, because I honestly believe the author must want to do better than the drivel I read.
Now, you may think it unfair to post an anonymous review, to not say what this book was and name the author responsible so others can avoid reading the book. But I for one, would not want to see a one or two star review for my own books, so I am not willing to say such about fellow authors. In the end, mine is only one opinion. I checked on Goodreads.com and some readers have loved this book.
Instead, I'm going to talk in general terms so other authors can take a lesson from this.
The book is a debut title in a new series by a new author. I truly felt like this had been written as a romantic suspense and then at some stage, some brilliant person (be it author, agent, or editor) said "I know, let's make the hero a vampire! Maybe people won't notice the glaring over-use of bad cliches and words used in incorrect context."
Okay, as a reader, maybe this book was pretty good. The idea was a bit different considering the hordes of vampire books on the market. But as a writer, I could see so many examples of why this manuscript wasn't ready for publication.
Many writers will have heard the expression "you're only as good as your last book." Readers can be unforgiving. Look, we all make mistakes, we're only human. I've found errors in my own books after they've gone to publication and cringed over every single one of them, waiting to be ripped to shreds by a reader on Goodreads.com, or Amazon, or by a negative reviewer (luckily it hasn't happened yet, though I have had some 3 star "meh, it was okay" reviews).
Here's a couple of easy lessons for wannabe writers.
For god's sake, don't use cliches. Ever. Well, unless your characters are making a joke out of the fact its a cliche. But don't use them seriously. And definitely don't use them on every other page. The last straw in this book? When the hero said "I'm your worst nightmare." And meant it.
Lesson number two from this book... make sure your words are being used in the right context. Some words have similar meanings, but subtle differences. Play around with your vocab, see if something fits better. Don't use something just because you saw it somewhere else and thought it sounded cool. Definitely don't use it if you're not one hundred percent certain you know what it means.
And the last lesson from this book? When in doubt, just use "he/she said." At the most, you could also use "reply." I don't want to see "rejoinder," "snarled," "retort," "riposte," (DEFINITELY not that one) and a million other things tacked onto the end of sentences that often do nothing for the character's speech. Be a stronger writer. If your character is "retorting" make his/her words short and sharp. Show through their actions that the comeback was snappy. When I see these now, it makes me think the writer lacks strength or couldn't be bothered coming up with anything different.
Because this was a debut author, I want to give her the benefit of doubt, I want her to improve and become a better author. But after my experience with this book, I might have to wait a couple of years before I can bring myself to read another one of her titles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)