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A review by lezreviewbooks
Shadow Hand by Sacchi Green
3.0
This is book four of 'The superheroine collection' featuring different Ylva Publishing authors under the common theme of lesbian superheroines. There has been a couple of very good books in this series such as 'Shattered' by Lee Winter and 'Chasing Stars' by Alex K. Thorne.
Lieutenant Ashton receives the power to move objects with her hand by a goddess while deployed by the US Army somewhere on the Middle East desert. When her abilities are discovered, she is sent to a special division in Germany to research her powers as a potential weapon of war. Separated from her longtime lover Sargent Cleo Brown, she looks for ways to get together again and use her powers for a greater good.
Sacchi Green is a seasoned author of short stories but this is her debut novel which, in my opinion, wasn't successful. I feel that her writing style is a bit distant and impersonal. For me, the book reads as a chronicle or a bird's-eye view of series of events. As the main characters' intimacy is described in a detached way, their scenes together feel devoid of emotion, too clinical. That really affected my connection with the characters and the story as a whole.
The plot seems a bit contrived and unrealistic even for the sci-fi world the author built. For example, Shadow Hand's lack of secrecy about her powers and real identity doesn't follow usual superhero behaviour. I also feel that the book ended rather abruptly, it would have been good to see how the relationship between both main characters evolve.
Overall, a good idea that fails on the execution. 2.5 stars.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
See all my reviews at
www.lezreviewbooks.com
Lieutenant Ashton receives the power to move objects with her hand by a goddess while deployed by the US Army somewhere on the Middle East desert. When her abilities are discovered, she is sent to a special division in Germany to research her powers as a potential weapon of war. Separated from her longtime lover Sargent Cleo Brown, she looks for ways to get together again and use her powers for a greater good.
Sacchi Green is a seasoned author of short stories but this is her debut novel which, in my opinion, wasn't successful. I feel that her writing style is a bit distant and impersonal. For me, the book reads as a chronicle or a bird's-eye view of series of events. As the main characters' intimacy is described in a detached way, their scenes together feel devoid of emotion, too clinical. That really affected my connection with the characters and the story as a whole.
The plot seems a bit contrived and unrealistic even for the sci-fi world the author built. For example, Shadow Hand's lack of secrecy about her powers and real identity doesn't follow usual superhero behaviour. I also feel that the book ended rather abruptly, it would have been good to see how the relationship between both main characters evolve.
Overall, a good idea that fails on the execution. 2.5 stars.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
See all my reviews at
www.lezreviewbooks.com