The characters start the book as interesting, believable characters, but show very little growth during the course of the novel. Instead of feeling as if the characters were more real, they became less so as the narrative progressed.
Part of the problem lies in their almost overwhelming self analysis. We spend way too much time in the heads of the hero and heroine. And there is a huge reliance on telling rather than showing. It's also painfully melodramatic.
There were parts of the book that really connected with me, but they were buried under a mountain of empty, pretty phrases and inward castigation by the characters. The plot seemed unevenly paced, the finale rushed.
Most egregious to me was the insta-cure for Gideon's psychological trauma. I just didn't buy that he would be fixed by getting it on with the heroine for a week or two. Not realistic at all.
Overall, I felt it was a tad worse than your standard Avon fare.
My grade: C-
This was the reason why I bumped "Captive" to the top of my TBR mountain. I just finished reading it a couple of hours ago, and I loved it. I really did. Even all the melodrama. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, the insta-cure was too soon -- but I feel like I'm saying that because, well, I wanted more pages from the book. :)
My review is here: http://silverfysh.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/yn-captive-of-sin-by-anna-campbell/