Book source ~ ARC
My review is voluntary and honest.
23 September 2018
Mystery | Paranormal
241 pages
My Rating ~ 3 bites
Sean Dermott is not only
the new police chief of Winston, but he’s the youngest to be appointed. So he
feels like he has a lot to prove. But he’s good at his job, so that shouldn’t
be an issue. Until the local high school coach goes missing and something big
and scary with really large teeth is found in Quarry Head Park. Sean wonders if
the two cases are connected. In the meantime, he has to protect the public from
something that hasn’t been seen for millions of years. The time to gird his
loins and wade into battle came quicker than he expected, but with the help of
his men, the state police, and some scientists, he hopes to resolve this
prehistoric dangerous situation before anyone dies.
I wish I could say this
is a nail-biting, on-the-edge-of-your-seat monster suspense, but the execution
is lacking. I love the concept of some prehistoric creatures being found and
trying to figure out where they came from, how they got to where they are, and
trying to save them without killing them. It’s a great idea. The facts about
the creatures, their brethren, and their habitat are fascinating. But the
writing. Oh, the writing. This book is filled with unnecessary description that
slows the pace way down. It’s stilted in ways that is, at times, painful to
read. Multiple POVs help carry it forward, but each time there’s an exciting
part, it’s followed by boring exposition. In addition, the timeline is really
wonky. I had no clue how much time had passed. Sometimes it seemed like only a
day then it was a week later and I was left scratching my head. Totally unclear
and frustrating. Overall, I think this could have been better written, but I
love the “monster” angle and the characters.
Darn it. I'm almost finished with a book similar to this called Fossil River, except it's set in Alaska. I just recently grabbed this and was hoping for something as thrilling. I'll keep your comments in mind when I start it and not go into it with my expectations too high.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it more than I did. I'll have to check out Fossil River. :)
DeleteIt sounds like the story has an identity crisis and it tries to fix itself with lots of prose. I'd prefer either lots of action with quick, concise writing for a story like this. I think I just read too much GRRM and I'm done with long-winded stories. Great review! I'm glad you liked it :)
ReplyDeleteMy take is the writers were trying too hard, but it could just be me. :)
DeleteThank you Carol. I too enjoyed the premise and facts about the creatures.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. The woods part was definitely creepy for me. lol
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