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A review by thinde
A Dance of Mirrors by David Dalglish
2.0
DNF 42%
I've continued with this series despite the stupidity of most of the characters. One flaw doesn't make a book unreadable. However, it's getting worse and now I have to put up with 50% of the narrative being told from the point of view of assh*les. I want to occupy the protagonist's POV. Is that so hard?
Haern has spent the last decade killing criminals and corrupt oligarchs, outside of the law. Now he's asked to kill an assassin that supposedly murdered the heir to one of those oligarchies. Does he stop for one second to consider if the "victims" were actually deserving of death? Of course not. The mother of the slain couple offers no word of condemnation for the assassin, instead pitting herself against the people that have come to hunt him down. The Wraith wants to recruit someone to his murderous cause but offers no logic, facts, or arguments... just threats.
This disconnect, between a character's good sense and the actual narrative, is typically a sign that the author is forcing the plot. A thing needs to happen, therefore the characters will bring it about, regardless of whether it suits their self-interest, common-sense or prior behavior. When the reader's internal dialogue seems to be running on a loop crying out, "But why didn't they just..." then you know something's wrong. The frustration builds until it's just not worth continuing.
I've continued with this series despite the stupidity of most of the characters. One flaw doesn't make a book unreadable. However, it's getting worse and now I have to put up with 50% of the narrative being told from the point of view of assh*les. I want to occupy the protagonist's POV. Is that so hard?
Haern has spent the last decade killing criminals and corrupt oligarchs, outside of the law. Now he's asked to kill an assassin that supposedly murdered the heir to one of those oligarchies. Does he stop for one second to consider if the "victims" were actually deserving of death? Of course not. The mother of the slain couple offers no word of condemnation for the assassin, instead pitting herself against the people that have come to hunt him down. The Wraith wants to recruit someone to his murderous cause but offers no logic, facts, or arguments... just threats.
This disconnect, between a character's good sense and the actual narrative, is typically a sign that the author is forcing the plot. A thing needs to happen, therefore the characters will bring it about, regardless of whether it suits their self-interest, common-sense or prior behavior. When the reader's internal dialogue seems to be running on a loop crying out, "But why didn't they just..." then you know something's wrong. The frustration builds until it's just not worth continuing.