“Missed the Target
Now normally I don’t talk about other people’s reviews in my reviews. I don’t roll like that. Generally, I don’t even read the reviews of others except for a few. But in this case, with all these 5-star glowing reviews, I am wondering if we all honestly read the same book. Did you read what I read? I didn’t hate this book, but I certainly did not like it.
Okay, so “Valentine” is the story of a female assassin. She’s a full time killer and a part time prostitute, or I’ll say “escort” to make it sound better. But you know what I’m talking about. She has the hots for her female neighbor who happens to be a cop. Tragedy strikes the neighbor; she becomes the damsel in distress and runs into Valentine’s open and waiting arms and legs, bringing danger with her.
So that’s the premise. A little farfetched but I can rock with it as long as the author can sell it. Make me believe. Get me so caught up that your imagination becomes the reality. That didn’t happen here. I wasn’t buying what the author was selling. He asked of his reader too often to suspend belief and reality. The story was choppy. Issues or storylines were introduced but never again addressed or resolved. Clichés that have become so prevalent in today’s books were present. There were editing issues as well as a few inconsistencies. (Example of inconsistency: “I pulled the blade from his thigh…” A few lines later it read: “I shot him in the right a** cheek and pulled the blade from his leg.”) I felt that the author relied too heavily on drama and sex and focused less on giving a strong story. Sex and drama may make some readers “ooh” and “ahh” but it won’t mask what the story is lacking.
I suppose with the way the book ended and with the storylines that started and vanished there can be a sequel, but I will pass. You have to give me a complete story. Readers shouldn’t have to wait for another book for an author to address what they brought up and didn’t deal with in the first book.
So I say all that to say, the book was not terrible. A great read? No. There were too many fundamental flaws for that. I’d advise the author, D.V. Hent, to seek the assistance of a good developmental editor to help smoothen his flow and rid the story of the unnecessary, unbelievable and inconsistent. I’d also urge him to seek the assistance of a good copyeditor, especially with knowledge of punctuation in conjunction with quotation marks. It’s obvious he has a story to tell and the potential is there, he just needs a little help in doing so.
2.5 stars ”
Ms Toni wrote this review Sunday, July 24, 2011.
(
reply |
permalink )
