Location: United States
Member Since: Nov. 04, 2010

lovestodive

Smashwords book reviews by lovestodive

  • Promise Kept on July 02, 2011

    It’s the year 2187, Lila Howell works for the Security Ministry as an archival historian where she records the autobiographies of those who had lived through the passing. On her next assignment she is sent to interview Susanne Newton who is living in hospice with her best friend Larissa. Rumor has it that Susanne can name the Southern Dragon who supposedly defeated the last war lord, Heavenly Wind. The powers that be at the Security Ministry would like Lila to get that name. During the course of her interviews with Susanne, Lila begins to feel an attachment to Susanne and Larissa and they convince her not all is as the New Dawn government would have the citizens to believe. This is a complicated book and not all that easy to read and understand. The book begins with a prologue that puts the events leading up to 2187 in order, which helps but the author has built a world that has all sorts of complicated laws mixed with a touch of the paranormal. Futuristic novels can be a bear to write, after all what will the future bring. Some are able to pull it off, some not. Ms. Hunt just couldn’t quite hit the mark. Like a lot of author’s she has chosen the path that there will be some high tech gadgets in the future, citizens will have very few freedoms and, of course, there will be rebellion. I couldn’t seem to get involved with the characters, Lila is a mousy sort of thing that takes everything she has been told and doesn’t dispute it. Susanne and Larissa have some mystery surrounding them and I did like them better than Lila. There were a number of supporting characters in the book, Lila’s best friend Ervin, Susanne’s nephew Kris, bad guys Aron Kirby and Brad Colon and a few assorted others that just seem to be along for the ride. There were a number of editing errors in the book, even to point that Lila’s last name gets confused with someone else. The concept was not bad and there were moments that I thought, ahhh we are getting somewhere now, but they were few and far between. I didn’t hate the book, I was just glad when I finished it. I think with some good editing and little re-write there is promise here; it’s just not quite there yet.
  • The Writer on Aug. 22, 2011

    George Mason is a successful suspense writer with three published novels about true crimes, for which he has received a good deal of money. He lives a quiet life, he spends his time alone, walking and writing and that is how he likes it. Unfortunately, his life as a writer is a lie; he actually received the manuscripts for his books anonymously and was told to publish them, so he did. He’s never felt comfortable with this arrangement and vows to actually write his next novel himself, this is not going well. Then he receives yet another manuscript, after some research he finds this is also a true case and against his better judgment contacts the FBI. His life takes a bizarre and dangerous turn from there and he runs for his life from both the bad and good guys. I would like to say this was a well written book, but I just can’t. The editing was so bad that it made it painful to read. There were places in the book where first person was used and the next sentence, third person. Throughout the book homonyms were used, sentences repeated over and over, the same thought repeated chapters later, etc. The writing style seemed to be either that of a person who did not speak English as a first language or that of a very young person. While we did learn a bit about George, the other characters he interacted with were just along for the ride. The concept behind the book was a good one; it just wasn’t carried out well. I think if this book were sent back to the drawing board, reworked and sent to a good editor it might have a chance, but as it stands now I just can’t recommend it.