T.S. Dickerson
  • The Scarring Underneath
  • Blog
  • Short Fiction
  • Contact
  • Inspiration
  • The Scarring Underneath
  • Blog
  • Short Fiction
  • Contact
  • Inspiration

Book Review - Reckoning by Katheryn J. Avila

10/4/2016

0 Comments

 
​* * * I give Reckoning by Katheryn J Avila 3 stars! I was given an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
​

Phew! I almost missed out on this enjoyable read. I loved the story after Chapter 2, but it took me that long to get into it. The truth is that if I hadn’t agreed to review it, I probably would’ve stopped reading at the start of Chapter 1 and that would’ve been a shame. It would be a 4-star read for me if it hadn’t been for the awkward start.
Picture
Click cover to view on Amazon.com
What I Liked:
  • I enjoyed the fresh take on reapers.
  • There were a lot of interesting details about Lexia and her family and their abilities. I enjoyed the “psychic GPS” shared by the twins, the descriptions of astral projection, and the way reapers had to hold back their power. The touch of romance was well done, too.
  • There were some great sections where the action was interspersed with flashbacks. It served to keep the tension high while still revealing needed detail. I think more of the prologue could have been shown this way and the book’s opening would have been stronger for it.
  • Also, less related to content but still a nice feature, the cover is amazing. 

What I Didn’t Like:
  • As I mentioned above, it was hard to get into. The prologue seemed excessive to me. I understand that it depicted a huge turning point in Lexia’s life, but it seemed too long. And then, when Chapter 1 started, I felt like I had to reconnect with the characters as their ages and their lives had changed so much. But, I didn’t have the time to make that connection as a lot of action began immediately. The tension of those opening scenes was lost on me and when Lexia did a very noble, self-sacrificing thing I didn’t care very much because I hadn’t connected with her yet. When I made it to Chapter 2, I started to get a feel for her and I started to get into the book. But, if a writer loses readers in those critical first pages, it can be rough to recover.
  • Also in the first chapter, I felt that I was learning about the abilities of the characters just a split second before those abilities were in action. Common advice for writers is to begin in the middle of the action. But, this first chapter didn’t flow for me. It seemed disjointed. I feel I would’ve connected to the story quicker if we had been shown Lexia at work, trying to help people with her gifts right off the bat and I would’ve been more invested when her life was threatened. Additionally, the abilities could have been introduced further ahead of when they were needed and it would’ve felt more natural when they were used during the action.
  • There were a few minor formatting and spelling problems such as missing letters or “purchased” instead of “purchase”. I noticed, but they weren’t so frequent as to distract me.
  • Usually, I’m a fan of a fast pace. And I appreciate the difficulty of creating afterlife realms and describing them. Sometimes, though, the book seemed a bit rushed. I found myself having to go back to reread a bit to make sure I was understanding.
 
Would I Recommend This and to Whom:
I recommend this to fans of Urban Fantasy who want something refreshing. It’s a different take on the grim reaper and Nephilim. I plan to read the next in this series when it’s released as I think the concept has potential.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Tara is a long-time lover of story-telling and the author of The Scarring Underneath. She has created this blog to share her work, muse about the writing process and life in general, and record her journey.

    Subscribe to T.S. Dickerson's newsletter

    * indicates required

    Archives

    April 2020
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015

    Categories

    All
    Beta Readers
    Book Reviews
    Esyld's Awakening
    Get To Know Tara
    Mirrors And Thorns
    My Process
    NaNoWriMo 2017
    Nanowrimo 2018
    Poetry
    Quarterly Goals
    Self-Doubt
    Short Fiction
    The Scarring Underneath
    "Twice Made Vows"
    "Twice-Made Vows"
    Twisted: A Horror Anthology
    Writing Goals
    Writing Tips

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.