I feel conflicted about this story because while I loved it, I also had some serious issues with it. First, I enjoyed the characters a lot in3.5 stars
I feel conflicted about this story because while I loved it, I also had some serious issues with it. First, I enjoyed the characters a lot in this story. Remus was my favorite, and it was so much fun getting to see his evolution as a character, which is still changing and shows a lot of promise. I’m still warming up to Sebastain. The ending didn’t help his image in my mind, and I’m pretty irritated with him. I understand his reservations and why he’s acting the way he is, but he supposedly loved Remus so much and yet when that love is challenged, he sinks. So yeah, not too happy with Sebastian right now.
Victor though…Victor just broke my heart. He went from being a character I didn’t really connect with to one of my favorites. He is loyal to a fault and I can’t wait to see what happens in book 2 now that he’s got his shot (though with all the angst going on at the end of the book, he’s going to have to work for it).
Several of the secondary characters are interesting as well, particularly Foster. I loved his cryptic messages ‘cause I’m just a sucker for slow reveals like that, and I can’t wait to see what comes of them. I’m also really interested in what’s going to happen with Arthur as I can see it going one of two ways, both of which would be extremely interesting and have huge consequences.
The plot was also really interesting. I have to admit, I did not see where this story was going, and I can’t wait to see where it’ll go from here. However, I wasn’t a big fan of the ending. I don’t really know how to describe it. It doesn’t really end on even an HFN, but it’s not a total cliffhanger either. In fact, it doesn’t feel like there was really any resolution at all. I’m not a big fan of these types of endings as it feels like a tease, and not a good one. The last line is literally “Remus Black was dead, and I was the thing that killed him.” At least warn me that the book is going to end without an HFN or without much of a resolution at all. I mean, I kind of saw an ending like this coming once I got near the end of the book and it does fit where the story is at that point, but I was not expecting it at all going in to the book, which again, both good and bad. The epilogue is then basically a big plot twist at the very end of the book. I actually liked this, as it helps set up the conflict in book 2 and was a real “oh snap” moment. I enjoy books that tease little hooks at the end. However, I don’t like that we don’t really have a satisfying resolution whatsoever before the epilogue.
My biggest issue was that the book could have used some major edits. Not only were there quite a few spelling and grammar errors, which kept pulling me out of the story, there was a lot of extraneous information and scenes that could have been cut down to improve the flow and the plot. Some of these scenes actually hampered the overall story and there were some continuity errors.
Even with its flaws, I absolutely loved this book. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot, and am very interested in finding out what happens next in Liminality. So if you can put aside the lack of editing, I highly recommend giving Pendulum a read as it is a great adventure and the start of a promising series.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*...more
I’m not normally a big fan of short stories, mainly because I feel like they don’t answer all my questions about the story or characters. I’m also notI’m not normally a big fan of short stories, mainly because I feel like they don’t answer all my questions about the story or characters. I’m also not the biggest fan of reading books where you get thrown in to the life of an established couple, usually for the exact same reasons as why I’m not a big fan of short stories. This book, however, is an exception. The established couple route works in this story, as we get enough information about the characters to understand why they are together, how their relationship works, etc. Plus, we do get a glimpse into how they met, which also told me a lot about the characters. Due to the way the characters are portrayed, I didn’t feel cheated by not getting the detailed first year of their relationship. And the fact that the author managed to do this so effectively in such a short story? Brilliant.
As for the characters, I love Reid. As a native Floridian who’s not a big beach fan and someone who always spends Christmas with my family, I could definitely relate. Graham was okay for me, but Reid was my number one, especially with what he pulled on Christmas Day.
This story also had a lot going on…romance, life changes, sharks, and action. And yet it all worked together. I can definitely tell that the author did her research, not only on sharks but on Christmas in Australia as well. The information on the sharks really fit into her story and I had a blast reading all about Australian Christmas, something I’d wondered about in the past but never really learned a lot about. All I have to say is that if you haven’t heard the song Six White Boomers, go look it up right now. Listening to that song while reading was just great.
I will admit though, while I enjoyed most of the book, the missing shark aspect didn’t really work for me. It came off as a bit odd, and didn’t seem to fit as well as Graham’s troubles or Reid’s homesickness. At first Reid was super worried, then we got an odd time skip and didn’t really hear about the issue again until the end of the story when everything worked out. So I was left wondering why this was important to the story. Other than that though, this was a fun, short read, and makes a perfect Christmas in July (or December) read.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.*...more
The story was interesting for me, because instead of watching a couple fall in love for the first time, you get to see them deal with a fadin3.5 stars
The story was interesting for me, because instead of watching a couple fall in love for the first time, you get to see them deal with a fading relationship. Sean and David have been together for 12 years, but they have started to drift apart. So many times you read a book and at the end it's "...and they lived happily ever after." But life is never that easy, so it was nice to read a book where the characters had to work to keep their relationship going, and deal with the fallout from drifting apart.
I enjoyed reading the story, but felt that it would have done better as a longer story, since you see the direct aftermath and then there's a time skip to see what happens in the future. While I liked hearing from both men's POVs, including the self-discovery they went through in the immediate aftermath, I would have also liked to see more details about how they mended their relationship, instead of just seeing a small portion of it and then skipping ahead to the future. All in all though, I did enjoy reading Invisible, and would definitely recommend giving it a try.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.*...more
This is a book that deals with a lesser seen aspect in romance, the death of a loved one. I liked how the author really described and talked about notThis is a book that deals with a lesser seen aspect in romance, the death of a loved one. I liked how the author really described and talked about not only the emotions you go through when dealing with a devastating loss, but also how she didn't rush the resolution. Matthew wasn't magically healed, it took time and effort. I also enjoyed how Matthew and Elliot's relationship slowly evolved and I loved the little details the author added, such as the visits to different art museums, which just added to the story for me. All in all, I greatly enjoyed this story, and I think the author did a great job writing about such a difficult topic.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.*...more
This was an interesting introduction into a fascinating world for me. I’m not normally a huge mystery fan, but something about this one just 3.5 stars
This was an interesting introduction into a fascinating world for me. I’m not normally a huge mystery fan, but something about this one just grabbed my attention. I will definitely keep reading the series from here on out, if only just to see how Mark and Vinnie’s relationship grows. I loved seeing these two interact with each other; the tension building between them was fun to see and left me feeling a sense of FINALLY! when they got together. Their banter with each other was great, and I liked seeing how they solved the mystery and got the job done.
As for background characters, this book has a wealth of secondary, tertiary, and other characters. I love Jaime, he/she cracks me up and is the perfect sidekick for both Mark and Vinnie. I can’t wait to see what happens with Jaime in future books, because he/she is a character that deserves to be explored. I also really liked Tortego, who seems like he could grow to become a very interesting character.
The story telling was interesting to say the least and worth talking about here since it could potentially turn some readers off of the story. For one, there are a lot of narrative flashes to the future, reminiscent of the description sometimes given at the end of a movie about what happened to the characters after the movie’s end. And some of the flash forwards were on tangents that are then never mentioned again For example, after the death of one of the victims, we get a flash to his family placing missing person posters and ends with “His mother would grow old and die waiting on that dream to come true.” I didn’t really find these distracting, more an interesting story telling device showing the author’s writing style.
Another interesting style choice was that there are also lots of internal dialogues, which I didn’t mind since I like knowing what’s going on in a character’s head. However, I did have an issue at times with how needlessly violent the book could get. One of the flash forwards in particular was just very odd in that it ended with a surviving victim murdering his boyfriend because he did something that reminded him of the killer, and then just jumps right back into the story like nothing happened. It was odd and jarring how events like this happened, especially since they were not relevant to the plot. So I’m not sure if the author included these to purposefully try and jar the reader or develop a certain tone, but it didn’t always work for me.
I did enjoy the chapter titles though, as they provided hints at what was to come and I thought they were a nice little touch that added to the story. However, I was not a fan of how the victims were portrayed. Normally in a mystery, I don’t mind following a victim’s final moments, especially when they’re interacting with the killer because it can provide clues about the killer and where the story is going. However, most of the victims followed here were creepy and disturbing, so it was hard to feel any sympathy for them (except for poor Jordy). For example, why was it important to know that several of the victims were okay with hurting and even raping their partners in such detail? I understand explaining how the victims and the murderer met, but beyond that, I don’t know. Yes, it was a bit of poetic justice where you had these total asses who had the tables turned on them, but I thought it was a bit of an odd choice for the story, especially since Mark and Vinnie never learned about what asses the victims were. I kept thinking this would somehow come into play, maybe in the murderer’s justification behind why he killed them, but it never did. It just seemed like superfluous information that wasn’t necessary and brought the story down in my mind, mostly because at the end I was left thinking WTF?
All in all, I had a bit of a mixed reaction to some of the story telling elements and plot twists, but overall, this was a very intriguing series introduction. The author definitely has his own writing style, which I admire, even if I’m not always such a fan of it. I will definitely continue reading this series as I can’t wait to see how the characters grow over time.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.*...more
I liked the characters, as they were interesting and varied. I really liked Alexandra as she is a strong female character who also cares about the peoI liked the characters, as they were interesting and varied. I really liked Alexandra as she is a strong female character who also cares about the people in her life. She also has her flaws that she struggles with, and these were very apparent throughout the story. These struggles just made her an even stronger character in my mind, since she didn’t just get over her issues, but had to actively work against them and will likely continue to do so throughout the series.
However, there were so many characters thrown at you that they were hard to track at times. There would be mentions of characters (“my lycan friend”, “the angel after who I wasn’t supposed to lust”) who hadn’t even been introduced yet coming out of nowhere. Or characters would be introduced that seemed important, but then never mentioned again. I don’t know if this is because they will become relevant in future books in the series, but I wasn’t a fan of the way it was handled, because it came across awkwardly in the story, confusing me, the reader.
The action was constant and exciting while the mystery behind what was going on was very intriguing as well. However, there were pacing issues throughout the story, and sometimes the events occurring didn’t add up or make sense to me. This book also didn’t focus on romance, though there were hints of it. At times, it felt like the author was trying to focus on romance, and then she would just change her mind. This also affected the pacing of the story and hurt it.
I think the biggest issue with the story is that it was the start of a series. The author was trying to introduce so many elements that will likely be addressed in future books. Because there was such an info dump with little explanation or resolution, it affected the quality of the story. However, while the story did have its flaws, it also set up an interesting series. The world the author created is fascinating and I can’t wait to learn more about it. The ending was also intriguing because while the immediate mystery throughout the book is solved, there is a greater overarching mystery that is revealed at the end of the book, as well as the mystery behind Alexandra’s future romantic partners. Because of this, I am eagerly looking forward to book 2 to see what happens next.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.*...more
This was a very interesting book to read due to its unusual plotline. There were three separate plotlines intertwined with each other through3.5 stars
This was a very interesting book to read due to its unusual plotline. There were three separate plotlines intertwined with each other throughout the book, which made reading it exciting yet at times disjointed.
While there is a focus on the action of catching a pimp and the mystery of solving a case, the book also focuses on the characters, specifically Jack and his developing relationship with Gareth. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, especially Jack, though there is still a lot of mystery surrounding him that will likely be expanded on in future books in the series. The secondary characters are also relevant to the story and well developed, which I enjoyed, though there were quite a lot of people thrown at you, so it was sometimes difficult to keep track of everyone.
However, we didn't get to really know a lot about Gareth personally, which I would have liked especially since he is one of the main characters. This lack of character development made it difficult to form any kind of attachment to the character. Hopefully there will be more of a focus on him in future books.
The plot of the story was very engaging and interesting. However, due to the three separate major plot lines going on, the pacing was off at times, causing the story to drag, especially around the 20% mark. Because of this, I had a hard time staying involved with the story at first, but about 35% of the way into the book, I was able to get fully into the story and stay into it throughout the rest of the book.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed getting to know these characters. I could definitely tell this was book 1 in a series because most of the character development was touched on, with some in-depth explanations and background provided. Basically, enough to get the reader interested in the characters enough to read the next book. Also, while the mystery and action plots were resolved, there is also a further mystery exposed in the epilogue relating to the Nancarrow Mining mystery plot as well as character development.
Even with its flaws, I was hooked by the end of the book and will definitely be reading the next book in the series to see where the author continues Jack and Gareth's relationship as well as the information exposed in the epilogue.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.*...more
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