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A review by andypeloquinauthor
Chronicles of Steele: Raven by Pauline Creeden
4.0
Right off the bat, I loved the rich steampunk world. There are a lot of fascinating things about the book, such as the clockwork machines, the styles, and more. I loved the concept of the Reapers, though why they are so awesome is never explained. It's a story you will not want to put down until you have reached the end!
But it has its flaws as well…
The descriptions of some of the machines are a bit weak, as is the narrative--particularly in action scenes. The way the backstory is revealed is VERY odd: the hard-as-nails, assassin-like character breaks down and cries in front of a nine-year old child she just met. That is NOT how it happens in real life.
There are a few inconsistencies. For example, she just finishes beating up a bunch of bandits and they are running away when one of them shoots her, then runs away. Not really how it works! Or she uses a diamond-tipped crossbow bolt for some reason. Are diamonds really that cheap/available that someone would waste them on a crossbow bolt? She's just not rich enough for this to be possible.
Her character is often a bit all over the place. She is a Reaper, but the life of killing people should have hardened her a lot more than she is. The character is a bit two-dimensional, without any real growth or development beyond finally opening herself up to falling in love--kind of cliché and definitely not the strong woman character I wanted to see.
The verb use is quite weak in some places. For example, one of the characters "gave a measured shake of their head" rather than just "shaking their head". In another scene, “sobs caused his shoulders to move up and down” instead of "sobs shook his shoulders".
All in all, while the story was interesting enough to keep me hooked all the way through to the end, I couldn't give it as high a rating due to these flaws.
But it has its flaws as well…
The descriptions of some of the machines are a bit weak, as is the narrative--particularly in action scenes. The way the backstory is revealed is VERY odd: the hard-as-nails, assassin-like character breaks down and cries in front of a nine-year old child she just met. That is NOT how it happens in real life.
There are a few inconsistencies. For example, she just finishes beating up a bunch of bandits and they are running away when one of them shoots her, then runs away. Not really how it works! Or she uses a diamond-tipped crossbow bolt for some reason. Are diamonds really that cheap/available that someone would waste them on a crossbow bolt? She's just not rich enough for this to be possible.
Her character is often a bit all over the place. She is a Reaper, but the life of killing people should have hardened her a lot more than she is. The character is a bit two-dimensional, without any real growth or development beyond finally opening herself up to falling in love--kind of cliché and definitely not the strong woman character I wanted to see.
The verb use is quite weak in some places. For example, one of the characters "gave a measured shake of their head" rather than just "shaking their head". In another scene, “sobs caused his shoulders to move up and down” instead of "sobs shook his shoulders".
All in all, while the story was interesting enough to keep me hooked all the way through to the end, I couldn't give it as high a rating due to these flaws.