This is the third book in what apparently will be a four-book series. The books are well written, with interesting and well-drawn characters and an exciting plot line with plenty of action.
But there are two reasons why I didn't give them five stars: First, they need to be cut back. Stephen King says manuscripts usually need to be cut by about one third to get rid of the fat--and this one has a lot of fat. As the plot becomes stretched further and further with the series progression, more and more detail (fat) is required to make each edition an acceptable book length, and the story line loses its punch, lost in extraneous detail.
Second, I'm sick to death of cliffhangers. They seem to be the bread and butter of indie publishers, and I understand why authors want to "encourage" their readers to buy their next book. But all I'm beginning to feel when I come to the end of a cliffhanger is suckered.
Louise Penny has written a wonderful series of detective stories with virtually the same cast of main characters in each one, and each book concludes with a satisfying ending in and of itself. None of her books requires buying the next one to find out what happens; ya pays yer money and ya gets your story, beginning to conclusion. Period.
Ms Lilly is an excellent writer; but no matter how great the writing, editing (here read "professional," "not beta reader") is still an important component of the writing process, even for indie writers with the sharp minds and writing skills required of lawyers.
Of course we, the reading public, are at fault here too; if the reading public doesn't really care, then it's anyone's game. Unfortunately for me, I do care. There are other good writers out there, and I will regretfully be moving on.
The Conflagration: The Awakening Series, Book 3
Audible Audiobook
– Unabridged
| Amazon Price | New from | Used from |
|
Kindle Edition
"Please retry" | — | — |
|
Audible Audiobook, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
$0.00
| Free with your Audible trial | |
- Read with Our Free App
-
Audiobook
$0.00 - 1 New from $13.99
Related to this topic
Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
Top reviews from other countries
brownie
you have to read the whole series and ending not very good with too many questions and not at all what ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 16, 2018Verified Purchase
Nikki
Three Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 26, 2018Verified Purchase
jan catterall
A great read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 20, 2017Verified Purchase
Judith
A great story line
Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on May 6, 2017Verified Purchase
Mum4eva
Loved it - highly recommended.
Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on March 30, 2017Verified Purchase
