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Liked It “This is supposed to be really good! A lady on Shelfari wrote it. It sounds awesome, and I can't wait to read it! I'll make my dad order it for me off Amazon.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“This is supposed to be really good! A lady on Shelfari wrote it. It sounds awesome, and I can't wait to read it! I'll make my dad order it for me off Amazon.”
Baritone Buddie says, "Y'all get down wit yo bad selves! ;)" wrote this review Tuesday, October 14 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Melody
Apex Reviews wrote this review Wednesday, September 24 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Stacy-Deanne
ISBN: 9781593092030
Strebor Books
Reviewed By Delores Airey
Experiences of the young half-Latina Melody Cruz are reverberating tunes of harsh times. At the tender age of three, the first of many chords striking belligerently in Melody's life begins with the death of her parents. The younger of two daughters, Melody is separated from her sister, Sarah, to live with a sick aunt who can barely afford to take care of her whilst Sarah is taken in by an uncle who openly prefers her. The unfavored life of Melody and the favored life of Sarah continue ostensibly through their adulthood.
In their youthful twenties, the sisters are back and living together. Sarah blindly appears to be conducting a charmed life, unscathed by the nature of events taking place around her. Observant, Melody detects strange obscurities surrounding Sarah's latest wealthy boyfriend, Keith Taylor. Discovering disturbing truths about Keith, Melody eventually takes the risk in warning Sarah. Blinded by love, Sarah disbelieves Melody, who fears another separation in the loss of Sarah to Keith and their already delicate sisterly trust and love. Keith, on the other-hand, is prepared to go to extremes to prove his innocence.
Meanwhile, in Melody's hometown, devastation is rearing its ugly head in the name of a serial rapist known as the Albany Predator. Black women are his targets, and Melody lives in fear for her best friend. Keeping in touch, Melody visits her in the knowledge that she cannot be a constant companion. Women are being viciously and brutally attacked by the Albany Predator, who is also giving the local police the run-around, causing a lethal rift among them. How many more women will he attack before he is caught?
Melody's love life is currently verging on the non-existent. A deep thinker, she is a stickler in having things done her way and at times is accustomed to spending time on her own. Her ways can prevent a romance from flourishing, and an unfruitful relationship is currently undergoing troubling tremors with the impressive Lucas Lawson of Caper Enterprises. With a multitude of controversies surrounding Melody's mind and life, will she be able to hold onto Sarah and spare any room to make a success of her current relationship with Lucas?
In Melody, gripping scenes lock the reader in suspense. Stacy-Deanne has a robust but emotional and feminine character in Melody. The story has you following her through her trials and tribulations, and the full cast of characters blends into the story well, from the thrillingly colorful to the cold, dark, and chillingly ugly. Melody is a highly recommended, thought-provoking, and suspenseful read.”
“Melody
OOSA Online Book Club wrote this review Sunday, September 21 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
"Melody" is two stories in one. First, you have the title character Melody. After the death of her parents, Melody and her sister, Sarah, were separated and raised by different family members. Now adults, they share a home. The new man in Sarah's life gives Melody the hebby jebbies. She can't quite figure it out, but something is not right with Keith and she is determined at all cost to find out. Will it be at the risk of her relationship with her sister or even her life?
Second, you have Detective Brianna Morris. She is one of the investigating officers tracking the Albany Predator, a serial rapist targeting black women. Funny thing is the descriptions of the assailant by his victims match her partner, Detective Steven Kemp, to a tee.
I found the premise of the first plot to be gearing towards unbelievable. I never got a good grasp of main character Melody, her sister, or their strained relationship. There were unresolved issues, questions left unanswered (WHY being my biggest one) and a character that really didn't serve a purpose (Craig).
The second plot, which I found more interesting, was overshadowed by the first and as a result was not expounded on as much as I would have liked. Like the first plot, there were also unresolved issues and questions left unanswered. I questioned why this subplot was even introduced since the stories overlapped minimally at best.
"Melody" was not a bad read, but it was uneven. With more development "Melody" has the potential to be a thriller.
Reviewed by: Lela”
“I had great difficulty getting involved in this book. If I hadn't promised to review it, I probably would have put it on the bookshelf after the first chapter and forgotten about it. It did get much better half way through Chapter 4 when it moved to the police station. At that point I became very interested and finished the book that day. I don't know if it was me or the writing that bothered me in the first couple of chapters but it was definitely something.
Wyn C wrote this review Friday, September 19 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The story is set in Albany in 2007 and is about 2 sisters, Melody and Sarah, different as night and day in both looks and personality, a difficult controlling boyfriend, a rapist who focuses only on black women and the two police officers who are trying to catch him. Melody and Sarah are products of an interracial couple. Sarah is the blonde white woman only interested in rich white boys and appearances and Melody is the smoking latino insecure about both her looks and her place in the world. Sarah's new boy friend Keith gives Melody the creeps and the more she tries to discover about him, the angrier he gets, and the meaner he gets. The second story is about the rapist and how the victims seem to clam up immediately once the police start to question them. The two stories intertwine quite well and I forgot that they were 2 stories rather than one. Detectives Brianna Morris and Steven Kemp work hard to discover the identity of the "Albany Predator" and when he sets them up for a fall, the method he uses comes as a big surprise. The rapist affects Melody the most because of her colour and because she is certain that her best friend will be one of the targets. There are several sub-plots and 2 main plots.
Once past the first couple of chapters I became involved in the story and quite enjoyed it's twists and turns. My assumptions at the end of the first chapter about "who done it" were both correct and wrong. That's the part that I liked, even though I thought I knew the answer, it came as a bit of a surprise. Melody is well written letting you enter and become part of the scene. ”
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