The Mayfair Moon
Author: J.A Redmerski
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 350 Pages
Kindle PC E-Book, via Amazon.com
Rating: 2.5 Brownies
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GoodReads Synopsis:
Strange and tragic things begin to happen in the small town of Hallowell, Maine: residents come down with an unexplainable ‘illness’ and some disappear. In the midst of everything, Isaac Mayfair is adamant about keeping Adria safe, even from her sister whom he has warned her to stay away from.
As unspeakable secrets unfold all around Adria, impossible choices become hers to bear. Ultimately, no matter what path she takes, her life and the lives of those she loves will be in peril. As she learns about the werewolf world she also learns why her place in it will change the destinies of many.
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My Review:
Truth be told, I had to struggle to push through the majority of The Mayfair Moon. At some point about a week ago, it popped up as a recommended novel on GoodReads. I read the synopsis, noted its decent 4.03 rating and set out to see if I could get my hands on a copy. Low and behold, I find it for FREE on Amazon Kindle. I thought, "What the hell, a free novel? With a rating above 4.0? Count me in!" Such is how my journey with the novel began.
Flash forward a few days and find a frustrated reader, (myself), trying to find a way to review The Mayfair Moon as honestly as possible. I've been staring at this screen for quite some time now, so that should help you gauge what a dilemma this is.
I'll start by saying that a 2.5 rating isn't absolutely horrible; on GoodReads, a 2 star review signifies, "It was okay." That was what I based my rating on, not on a oh-god-I'll-never-give-a-book-only-1-star-that's-blasphemy-so-I-ll-give-it-2-and-call-it-a-day basis. I even went a tad further to give it an extra .5 brownies, and I truly believe that the novel deserves it. Anything higher, though, may be pushing it.
Enough talk about the intricacies of book ratings.
There were many things that irked me almost immediately about the book. For one, the thought processes and language of the main character, Adria, seemed a bit off. Something about the way she viewed and thought about things felt unnatural and inhibited my ability to immerse myself into her brain. The closest thing I can compare it to would be to infuse someone with an A+ blood type with B+ blood; the body rejects it and things go wrong.
Another thing that made it difficult to relate with Adria was her reactions to many things. She acknowledges time and time again that she shouldn't be doing or thinking certain things, but goes and does/thinks them anyway. I won't spoil anything, but this became especially annoying when the love interest, Isaac, enters the picture. My rate of face-palming only increased as I read on.
This leads to another thing I didn't enjoy, (At all): The Insta-Love. Insta-Love is kind of like Insta-Cheese; most times, you cringe at the mere thought of it. If it's served with something that makes the artificial dairy product worth it, however, you'll stomach it bravely and hope for the best. Nothing that was served with this can of Insta-Love was worth it. Whoosh, that sounds harsh. Moving on.
There were a few things I did like about the book, things that saved it from a solid 2 star rating. Some of the characters, ( Nathan, Harry, Zia), were quite fun and I enjoyed them a lot. The description and imagery that Redmerski delivers is nice, as well, giving plenty of information to help your brain picture what's happening.
All in all, I'm really glad I didn't have to purchase this book. Many people seem to have really enjoyed it, so maybe I just couldn't get myself into it for my own reasons. As of right now ( August 12th 2012), The Mayfair Moon is still completely free for kindle on Amazon.com, so if you're in the mood for some Insta-Love with a side of werewolves, have at it. More than likely you'll enjoy it more than I did.
Sorry that it wasn't great for you. Instalove and not being able to connect with a character are def valid reasons for not enjoying though, the latter is why I don't finish a lot of books.
ReplyDeleteBrandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog
Yep, I try to avoid books with it unless there's a specific reason for it. Thanks for the comment!
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