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matt_and_cheez 's review for:

The Scarlet Reaper by Cameron C. Cross
3.0

Although young adult lit really turns me away, I felt drawn to this novel because it was written by an indie/self-published author. I was happy to support him and to give his novel a try.

I'm trying not to come into this review with a bias against YA and superhero genres, as those types of books just don't do it for me. Overall, it was a fun story. Structure-wise, I found it just too face-paced though. There wasn't much lead up to the introduction of the problem, and backstories seemed to be swept away once they became less central to the current plot. I would've liked to see more character development, particularly the relationship between the main protagonist, Carter, and his several side-kicks.

On the flip side, the fast-paced nature allowed for many action and fighting scenes, which I found to be written pretty well. I was given a vivid, multi-sensory image of the action. I also enjoyed Cameron's creative ways of presenting old mythology and stories in a novel way.

Overall, I think if you enjoy YA lit and a superhero twist, then give this a try. For me personally, I don't feel compelled to buy the second book, but that has more to do with my tastes, and less to do with his work.