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stellar_raven 's review for:
Darkfever
by Karen Marie Moning
Hmmm...I'm not quite sure how to start this review, because I'm not entirely sure how I felt about the book. Overall, I thought the book was good--I liked the storyline and the world that Ms. Moning created--but I did have a couple of problems with it.
First of all, I can't really get behind a male character--and I'm assuming potential romantic interest--manhandling a female character the way Barrons did Mac early in the story. You can establish a character as a 'big bad alpha male' without having him push the female lead around. I found it to be a turn off. It's a shame too, because other than that he's the sort of character I could really like; I'm quite partial to the dark, mysterious enigmatic type--although, his later character development made him come across as slightly more likable. I'm reserving final judgment on that character for now.
Next, there seemed to be quite a bit of product placement going on. The mentions of Mac's iPod, iTunes, etc. were really jarring and took me out of the story briefly. I actually wondered if Apple had paid for advertising in the novel. (ok, not seriously, but you get my point) I say this as a person who--like Mac--loves music and takes her iPod pretty much everywhere she goes. I don't know, maybe it wasn't the fact that it was mentioned, but that it was overly described that bothered me. The fact that she'd bought Green Day's Greatest Hits from iTunes and paid less for it than if she'd bought it at Wal-Mart, for example. Too much detail for something that doesn't advance the storyline at all.
Mac...I wasn't sure I was going to find her likable at all. She seemed so shallow to me at first, but I actually quite enjoyed watching her character develop some depth throughout the book. Her reaction and grief over her sister's death was very well written, in my opinion. I can't quite say I really like her character just yet, but she definitely has potential. I'm pulling for her.
All-in-all, despite it's problems, this wasn't a bad first in a series book, I'm hoping the next one is better.
Oh, and can I just say that I don't like cliffhangers? Good thing I already have the second book, so I can continue the story.
First of all, I can't really get behind a male character--and I'm assuming potential romantic interest--manhandling a female character the way Barrons did Mac early in the story. You can establish a character as a 'big bad alpha male' without having him push the female lead around. I found it to be a turn off. It's a shame too, because other than that he's the sort of character I could really like; I'm quite partial to the dark, mysterious enigmatic type--although, his later character development made him come across as slightly more likable. I'm reserving final judgment on that character for now.
Next, there seemed to be quite a bit of product placement going on. The mentions of Mac's iPod, iTunes, etc. were really jarring and took me out of the story briefly. I actually wondered if Apple had paid for advertising in the novel. (ok, not seriously, but you get my point) I say this as a person who--like Mac--loves music and takes her iPod pretty much everywhere she goes. I don't know, maybe it wasn't the fact that it was mentioned, but that it was overly described that bothered me. The fact that she'd bought Green Day's Greatest Hits from iTunes and paid less for it than if she'd bought it at Wal-Mart, for example. Too much detail for something that doesn't advance the storyline at all.
Mac...I wasn't sure I was going to find her likable at all. She seemed so shallow to me at first, but I actually quite enjoyed watching her character develop some depth throughout the book. Her reaction and grief over her sister's death was very well written, in my opinion. I can't quite say I really like her character just yet, but she definitely has potential. I'm pulling for her.
All-in-all, despite it's problems, this wasn't a bad first in a series book, I'm hoping the next one is better.
Oh, and can I just say that I don't like cliffhangers? Good thing I already have the second book, so I can continue the story.