Location: United States
Member Since:
Dec. 17, 2010
Stephanie Brail
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Smashwords book reviews by Stephanie Brail
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Soul Identity
on March 11, 2011
(no rating)
I thought Soul Identity had a really great concept. I really enjoyed the idea of a reincarnation company. So, for the most part, I enjoyed the book, except for one thing: Too many cutesy couples! I think at one point there were three happy, sappy couples all in a limo together, all cooing about how in love they were. That was just too much for me. Please, give yourself as a writer the following challenge for your future books: NO HAPPY COUPLES! In the least, have people fight once in a while. I actually found the couples to be much more unbelievable than the idea of a reincarnation company. If you work a little bit more on giving your characters depth then it should be easier to have more dynamic relationships. Of course, you don't need really deep characters to write a bestselling book: Dan Brown doesn't have sophisticated characters, his books are interesting because of the history and information. But even The DaVinci Code's Robert Langdon has issues - i.e., his claustrophobia. In his latest book, there is a very understated romance with the lead character. This is a good example of putting in a smattering of it without overwhelming your reader with sweetness. Let me put it this way: At the end of The Lost Symbol, I wanted the two main characters to get together. At the end of Soul Identity, I was wishing that one of them had left or died. Morbid, I know, but it was just all too easy. Overall, I think this was a good effort and a page turner. I actually enjoyed this more than stuff I've read from "published" authors. I hope you'll write more...just lay off the romance novels. More sci-fi, more thrills, please. :-)