Review for Rivals (Evan Falls Trilogy, #1)

Rivals (Evan Falls Trilogy, #1) ~ Maggie Shaw
Publisher ~ Maggie Shaw
Published ~ 17 September 2011

My Rating ~ 2 out of 5 only because I actually finished it.

Willow Guggenheim is sent to live with her aunt, uncle and cousin because her mother hates her and wishes she was never born. Ok, I’m not sure if her mother hates her or wishes she was never born, but that’s the impression Willow gives in her bratty, woe-is-me, I’m so misunderstood and I’m entitled to the world attitude.

I’m not sure where to even start with this review. This short story is a mess. Ok, I guess I did know where to start. I’m not even sure heavy editing could save this story. Spelling, punctuation, sentence structure all need a complete overhaul. Dialogue is stilted, descriptions are half-hearted and the characters are below one-dimensional which I didn’t know was possible. The author can’t decide if the characters hate each other or if they could be friends. There is no back story, no front story, no story, period.

The main character, Willow, is the kind of teen I want to either smack upside the head or send to a military school. What little description of her there is paints her as a brat of the first order with no redeemable characteristics. I can’t stand her. All of the characters in this story are so shallow that if they were a grave no cadaver dog would be needed to find them. The abrupt ending, instead of being intriguing, was like being smacked in the face with a 2x4 giving one a sense of relief that you would be knocked unconscious for the next installment.

I can’t recommend this book to anyone except a proofreader and/or editor who can fix the errors and help fill in all the bare spots.