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A review by smitch29
After the Storm by Maya Banks
2.0
2.5
So since it is the 8th KGI novel, I knew exactly what to expect when I started reading. It's sort of hard not to this far in. However, despite knowing the overall layout of the plot, I was really intrigued at the start.
First, let me begin by saying this is Donovan's story. Well, his and Eve's. Eve is on the run from her step-father with her half-siblings, Travis and Cammie. They end up stopping in Donovan's hometown when Cammie falls ill and Travis finds a job at Frank Kelly's hardware store.
I liked that the story didn't begin with violence or a mission. It helped set this novel apart from the rest in the series.
However, a tornado eventually strikes and causes Eve and her family some harm just days after meeting Van. This prompts Van to move them in with him so he can take care them and protect them from whatever threat is hanging over their heads. This is where things started to go down hill for me.
All of the sudden, Van is declaring that they are now his family and they should stay so he can help them. Frankly, it comes across as controlling and way too soon. Out of no where Eve turns spineless and instead of being the woman who has led her siblings across the country, she is allowing some guy come in and control her actions. She is too willing to let him dictate how to handle pretty much everything. She puts up a weak fight in the beginning, if you can call it that and then never really fights again until the main conflict comes to a head and then she goes a bit crazy in her fight to control things. Only then, it comes across as her ignorance and lack of smarts, that drive her to make really stupid decisions that didn't seem on par with someone who has done a decent job of escaping her evil step-father thus far. Perhaps I had overestimated how much of that was skill.
Also, on more of a personal preference note, than a writing critique, I wasn't thrilled with how overly cheesy this story was. I think it makes sense that out of all the brothers, Donovan was going to be the most sentimental and just cheesy romantic, but I am not a fan of reading it so much. I ended up skimming way too many parts of the book so I could get to the heart of the story and skip the hearts and flowers.
So since it is the 8th KGI novel, I knew exactly what to expect when I started reading. It's sort of hard not to this far in. However, despite knowing the overall layout of the plot, I was really intrigued at the start.
First, let me begin by saying this is Donovan's story. Well, his and Eve's. Eve is on the run from her step-father with her half-siblings, Travis and Cammie. They end up stopping in Donovan's hometown when Cammie falls ill and Travis finds a job at Frank Kelly's hardware store.
I liked that the story didn't begin with violence or a mission. It helped set this novel apart from the rest in the series.
However, a tornado eventually strikes and causes Eve and her family some harm just days after meeting Van. This prompts Van to move them in with him so he can take care them and protect them from whatever threat is hanging over their heads. This is where things started to go down hill for me.
All of the sudden, Van is declaring that they are now his family and they should stay so he can help them. Frankly, it comes across as controlling and way too soon. Out of no where Eve turns spineless and instead of being the woman who has led her siblings across the country, she is allowing some guy come in and control her actions. She is too willing to let him dictate how to handle pretty much everything. She puts up a weak fight in the beginning, if you can call it that and then never really fights again until the main conflict comes to a head and then she goes a bit crazy in her fight to control things. Only then, it comes across as her ignorance and lack of smarts, that drive her to make really stupid decisions that didn't seem on par with someone who has done a decent job of escaping her evil step-father thus far. Perhaps I had overestimated how much of that was skill.
Also, on more of a personal preference note, than a writing critique, I wasn't thrilled with how overly cheesy this story was. I think it makes sense that out of all the brothers, Donovan was going to be the most sentimental and just cheesy romantic, but I am not a fan of reading it so much. I ended up skimming way too many parts of the book so I could get to the heart of the story and skip the hearts and flowers.