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whatsmacksaid's review
2.0
One and a half stars. The story started slowly, but it did eventually pick up. I liked the magic system; it was original and fresh, even if it "djemon" and "djinn" were both things, but "djemon" apparently had a silent j and "djinn" a silent d.
The main character's best friend also irked me. She was literally the most 2D character I've come across in over a decade. She came across as the author's idea of a "normal" woman--white, middle-class, mother of three boys. She was a librarian and could conveniently help the main character with research, which I thought could be awesome but mostly they go out to eat together and chat. She's a boring character. (And yes, she's supposed to be outside all the supernatural stuff the main character ends up embroiled in, but a "normal" person doesn't have to be boring. They should still be their own person.)
Finally and unfortunately, the writing dragged the story's otherwise interesting parts down. There were misplaced words, capitalizations in the middle of a sentence (and not the edgy kind of capital letters I'm talking words like "That".), and more repetition than I could stand. Information and motivations were repeated thirty pages apart, almost word for word, like the author forgot to remove chunks of writing she'd moved elsewhere during the editing process.
Overall, it came down to the fact that the Destiny Blues ebook can be downloaded for free. I didn't waste any money on it, so while I wish I hadn't bothered, it wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, either.
The main character's best friend also irked me. She was literally the most 2D character I've come across in over a decade. She came across as the author's idea of a "normal" woman--white, middle-class, mother of three boys. She was a librarian and could conveniently help the main character with research, which I thought could be awesome but mostly they go out to eat together and chat. She's a boring character. (And yes, she's supposed to be outside all the supernatural stuff the main character ends up embroiled in, but a "normal" person doesn't have to be boring. They should still be their own person.)
Finally and unfortunately, the writing dragged the story's otherwise interesting parts down. There were misplaced words, capitalizations in the middle of a sentence (and not the edgy kind of capital letters I'm talking words like "That".), and more repetition than I could stand. Information and motivations were repeated thirty pages apart, almost word for word, like the author forgot to remove chunks of writing she'd moved elsewhere during the editing process.
Overall, it came down to the fact that the Destiny Blues ebook can be downloaded for free. I didn't waste any money on it, so while I wish I hadn't bothered, it wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, either.
see_sadie_read's review
3.0
An amusing but ultimately insubstantial read. The book had an interesting magic system and I liked the main character well enough (despite her cliched clumsiness and cutesy job), but the story felt flimsy and the story contradicted itself in numerous small ways. For example, the fact that it was set in a small town where everyone knew one another was emphasized. However, the main character, her mother and her brother all lived there their whole lives but never happened to be recognized by the family they supposedly look just like. Or people who summoned demons were treated as terrorists, but demons never seemed to be summoned. Instead they were caught, like virus. Similarly thin was the character development. No one felt very well developed, some characters devastatingly one-dimensional (the brother and best friends, for example). All in all, I enjoyed the read but didn't feel it would hold up to much scrutiny.
faranae's review against another edition
2.0
An interesting premise with an uneven and sometimes terrible execution. Flat characters, no proofreading or editing, inconsistent world-building, and simply bad dialogue. Most of the stupid involved in the perspective character's (Mattie) behavior can probably be explained by assuming she got an undetected severe concussion at the beginning of the book during the tedious slapstick opening. But the magic system did get me to speed-read through, particularly skipping all the parts where Mattie is "thinking" with hormones. Not a complete waste of 3 hours of my life, but I think this might be best read while concussed.
see_sadie_read's review against another edition
3.0
An amusing but ultimately insubstantial read. The book had an interesting magic system and I liked the main character well enough (despite her cliched clumsiness and cutesy job), but the story felt flimsy and the story contradicted itself in numerous small ways. For example, the fact that it was set in a small town where everyone knew one another was emphasized. However, the main character, her mother and her brother all lived there their whole lives but never happened to be recognized by the family they supposedly look just like. Or people who summoned demons were treated as terrorists, but demons never seemed to be summoned. Instead they were caught, like virus. Similarly thin was the character development. No one felt very well developed, some characters devastatingly one-dimensional (the brother and best friends, for example). All in all, I enjoyed the read but didn't feel it would hold up to much scrutiny.
capellan's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the premise and the light and breezy tone, and all the basic elements of the plot are more or less in place, but this novel is unfortunately rather less than the sum of its parts. Too many scenes that should be a Big Deal are just kind of glossed over, either as they are happening, or after they've happened, or both. It feels like the author's first draft was just cleaned up for grammar and spelling and then released as is. A shame, since it means the end work falls short of its potential.
abeautytoyourbeast's review against another edition
3.0
This book wasn't bad, but I don't know it didn't really capture me like I thought it would. It was no doubt and easy read, but at the same time I had to convince myself to finish it and not just pick another book.
I will say the distinction between the djinn and the djemon was a tad too much for me and I found it a bit of a nuisance. I was also not a fan of how easily it was to make a djemon with no knowledge of what you were doing.
There is kind of an insta love feeling in the book, and I truly hate both insta love and love triangles. I find them to be utterly annoying. But its not the worst relationship ever.
I will say the distinction between the djinn and the djemon was a tad too much for me and I found it a bit of a nuisance. I was also not a fan of how easily it was to make a djemon with no knowledge of what you were doing.
There is kind of an insta love feeling in the book, and I truly hate both insta love and love triangles. I find them to be utterly annoying. But its not the worst relationship ever.
megant713's review against another edition
3.0
Quick read.
Pretty average novel. I didn't hate it but it wasn't my favorite either. This is a good book to read while travelling or hanging out at the beach.
Pretty average novel. I didn't hate it but it wasn't my favorite either. This is a good book to read while travelling or hanging out at the beach.
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