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bryonie's review against another edition
2.0
So I'll freely admit the main reason for picking this book was two-fold. First, Sandra Brown had a new book coming out this month that I was going to read (and I wanted to read something else of hers as a lead in), and because the main character was a journalist. Ok, the cover was pretty cool too. By the end of the book I'm questioning reading Tailspin now...
Where to start with this book... I'm only a hundred pages in and, since it's taken me three weeks to get this far that should tell you something. And bear with me because I'm trying to do this on the website on my phone because the stupid Goodreads app STILL won't let you review if you haven't finished the book...
The first 50 pages were just about as awkward to read as it can get. They were boring as shit and read like this was a first time novel from a new author and not someone with 50+ books under their belt. Tons of clunky phrasing, while grammatically correct, REALLY should have been reworded to not sound stupid.
The next 50 pages I'm trying to figure out just where this attraction is coming from, considering it was non-existent in the first 50 pages. I really hate it when stuff like this is just dropped like a bombshell on the reader with no lead in to it.
But what did get me to drop everything and suffer through the crappiness of having to do a review part way through reading on my phone on the webpage (ick, ick, ick) is a sentence that should never have made it page a first reader (firstly because it's just flat out wrong, and secondly because of the subject matter). I'll loosely paraphrase. The boys were jumping around like they were aboriginals worshipping a totem pole... Yup. Well, a) surely there was some other turn of phrase the author could have used, like, oh, I don't know, like chickens doing a mating dance? Our maybe like firewalkers hoping of hot coals. Our maybe even dogs trying to reach that Milkbone you're holding a foot over their heads because you want to be a sick son of a bitch tease. And b) *whispering* they don't actually worship totem poles...
Grr. Now that I'm done, Ms. Brown hit one of my buttons that is almost unforgivable... Keeping the reader in the dark about a major plot point (almost to the point of lying to the reader about it), then springing it on us in the last 20 pages as the 'big finish'. When I got to that point (and if you've read the book, you know what I'm talking about. And if you haven't, you'll just have to slog through the book like the rest of us) I was all like, 'Why the fuck did I just read the last 400 pages of absolute drek to find out THIS, NOW? I felt let down. I felt betrayed. I may never read another Sandra Brown book again because of it. (Can't promise that though... but time will tell.)
The characterization was horrible. The 'Bad Guys' had no redeeming qualities. The 'Good Guys' just didn't seem to grow much. And even then it was all us being told how they were doing rather than us being shown then growing and changing as the story went along. And the relationship between Agent Headley and Dawson? I didn't believe it.
Where to start with this book... I'm only a hundred pages in and, since it's taken me three weeks to get this far that should tell you something. And bear with me because I'm trying to do this on the website on my phone because the stupid Goodreads app STILL won't let you review if you haven't finished the book...
The first 50 pages were just about as awkward to read as it can get. They were boring as shit and read like this was a first time novel from a new author and not someone with 50+ books under their belt. Tons of clunky phrasing, while grammatically correct, REALLY should have been reworded to not sound stupid.
The next 50 pages I'm trying to figure out just where this attraction is coming from, considering it was non-existent in the first 50 pages. I really hate it when stuff like this is just dropped like a bombshell on the reader with no lead in to it.
But what did get me to drop everything and suffer through the crappiness of having to do a review part way through reading on my phone on the webpage (ick, ick, ick) is a sentence that should never have made it page a first reader (firstly because it's just flat out wrong, and secondly because of the subject matter). I'll loosely paraphrase. The boys were jumping around like they were aboriginals worshipping a totem pole... Yup. Well, a) surely there was some other turn of phrase the author could have used, like, oh, I don't know, like chickens doing a mating dance? Our maybe like firewalkers hoping of hot coals. Our maybe even dogs trying to reach that Milkbone you're holding a foot over their heads because you want to be a sick son of a bitch tease. And b) *whispering* they don't actually worship totem poles...
Grr. Now that I'm done, Ms. Brown hit one of my buttons that is almost unforgivable... Keeping the reader in the dark about a major plot point (almost to the point of lying to the reader about it), then springing it on us in the last 20 pages as the 'big finish'. When I got to that point (and if you've read the book, you know what I'm talking about. And if you haven't, you'll just have to slog through the book like the rest of us) I was all like, 'Why the fuck did I just read the last 400 pages of absolute drek to find out THIS, NOW? I felt let down. I felt betrayed. I may never read another Sandra Brown book again because of it. (Can't promise that though... but time will tell.)
The characterization was horrible. The 'Bad Guys' had no redeeming qualities. The 'Good Guys' just didn't seem to grow much. And even then it was all us being told how they were doing rather than us being shown then growing and changing as the story went along. And the relationship between Agent Headley and Dawson? I didn't believe it.
abercrombie1986's review against another edition
4.0
Typical Sandra Brown, parts very predictable, but a few good twists.
fortheloveoffictionalworlds's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderfully weaved plot; and characters you end up adoring & villains you end up reviling!
For more reviews visit For The Love of Fictional Worlds :)
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For more reviews visit For The Love of Fictional Worlds :)
Do come join us at For The Fictional Worlds Facebook Page
cbrownhare's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
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