I liked this book very much. The action is fast paced and exciting, the world view is original and creative and the characters well developed and likable. The issues around homosexuality, or rather acceptance of homosexuality, gave depth and dimension to what could so easily have been just another action novel, and were handled sensitively and with great maturity.
The work could have been a little more polished and, I felt, could have done with slightly more rigorous editing, particularly in its final chapters, but that said, the author has obviously taken great pains with his work and as an emerging young writer shows immense promise.
The one thing that, for me, detracted slightly from the work as a whole was the cliffhanger ending, a thing of which I disapprove on principle in a novel, which should stand alone, but the main action was satisfactorily concluded, although I did feel it was a little rushed at the end. The emergence of the kitten as an adult nurse was rather sudden and could profitably have been dealt with in more detail. The cruelty of Jack towards the kitten, and the calm acceptance of it by Jack's siblings, was also a jarring note in characters who were obviously meant to be sympathetic.
Overall, a very creditable piece of work and certainly good enough to tempt me to buy the next book in the series.
For those who like to sample new authors risk-free, Caleo will be offered free on Amazon on 5 February.
No comments:
Post a Comment