Take a photo of a barcode or cover
caomhin 's review for:
Fire Damage
by Kate Medina
It took me a while to get into this book. It has many impressive aspects, but in some of the early chapters there was an awkwardness. Kate Medina is a superb writer within her niche, a niche that definitely suits this crime/thriller genre. I found the early chapters with Sami uncomfortable in the best possible way; a painfully realistic portrayal of a child in distress. I was finding myself trying to make sure they weren't the last thing I read because those emotions had the power to linger. But there were also a few uncomfortable sections where she tried details that she seems uncomfortable with. Describing the areas where the story took place felt like someone trying to paint a vivid picture but actually read more like directions or a police report for example. Small details just didn't ring true, they felt like gestures to try and capture a wider audience with a broad background, and ended up breaking the mood of the writing instead. Minor bugbears however, and mostly an issue in the early chapters - it's just the concentration of them in those chapters jarred against the rest of the, very accomplished, writing and kept me at arm's length for a while.
Once the book took shape and Medina's voice took over things became more addictive. The plot is spot on, with clever reveals as the storyline comes together. The truth trickles out in measured doses.
Interestingly Medina gives the minor characters quite a lot of depth, at times they seem more three dimensional than the main characters. It feels as if something is being held back for future books, although not so much to leave them totally void of interest in this one.
Overall a good read. I feel the author wasn't quite allowed the freedom she deserved and that blunted it slightly, however I also think she proved herself capable of taking Jessie Flynn further. It will be interesting to see where this series goes, it has a lot of potential.
Once the book took shape and Medina's voice took over things became more addictive. The plot is spot on, with clever reveals as the storyline comes together. The truth trickles out in measured doses.
Interestingly Medina gives the minor characters quite a lot of depth, at times they seem more three dimensional than the main characters. It feels as if something is being held back for future books, although not so much to leave them totally void of interest in this one.
Overall a good read. I feel the author wasn't quite allowed the freedom she deserved and that blunted it slightly, however I also think she proved herself capable of taking Jessie Flynn further. It will be interesting to see where this series goes, it has a lot of potential.