Archive for September 2011

The Realms Thereunder By Ross Lawhead

Monday, September 26, 2011

  I'm writing this review with very mixed feelings.   I wanted to like this book.   The cover art and the plot was fascinating.  However, the "chapter within a chapter" was annoying. The author switched between "now" and "then" excessively, sometimes even in the same chapter.   There were multiple story lines outlining different time lines both in our world and the alternate world beneath our own.  

  Freya's character was annoying. A brilliant but OCD college student who is a nasty snot to the homeless "hero" of the story, Daniel.  By chapter 10 they have only encountered these mysterious demons once or twice with no explanations of why they're stalking Daniel or what it  means for our world other than some random killings, crime and suicides.   This is pieced together by a detective who seems to appear at some point in the book with no character building.

  Though I often read fantasy and books with complex story lines, I had to go back and look his name up just to remember who he even was when the book would suddenly shift to his part in the story.  It never really tied together, and it was  too much to process. I'm very disappointed. The book looked promising. I really wanted to enjoy it.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html>