Comments | calico_reaction: Summers, Jordan: Scarlet

calico_reaction

Summers, Jordan: Scarlet

Jul 11, 2009 17:32

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blog: reviews, fiction: futuristic, ratings: waste of time & money, fiction: paranormal romance, jordan summers, fiction: romance

Comments 11

gategrrl July 12 2009, 00:41:12 UTC

I can't remember if I left a comment for your "Red" review, but the first book, IMHO, had the same problems that this second book appears to have--and no way I'm reading the second book to find out. The author, who had a feature article on The Big Idea on John Scalzi's blog a few months ago, had an intriguing premise (what if Red Riding Hood was also the Wolf?) but limped painfully along on that premise. Afterward, on her own blog, she admitted she needed boning up on world-building. Personally, I didn't think that was really the problem in the first book:

The main problem the first book had was a repellent, hardly present first person POV bad guy #1; the other chapters in 3rd; cardboard stuck-in-there for the helluv-it antagonists... there were a LOT of problems with it.

I'd been hoping to hear that Summers had improved since the first book (I gave it away on Paperback Book Swap asap after reading it), but I'm sad it didn't happen.

Ah well. Onward.

calico_reaction July 12 2009, 01:10:03 UTC

From what I can tell on Summers' website, she's a romance writer, and while she's still in her genre, as these books are paranormal romance and she's shelved in romance, there are still elements you have to consider when dealing with the paranormal elements. I link to the first review in this one, and the book did have its problems, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. But this book, sheesh. Given the speed in which these books are being published, I wonder if Summers has all three written, so we won't see an improvement until this trilogy is over? I don't know, but I don't feel I have a compelling reason to seek out more of her work.

janicu July 24 2009, 13:22:06 UTC

oooohhhh, Waste of Time and Money. I don't have this on the TBR but I do have Red. I guess I'll see how much I like Red first.

calico_reaction July 24 2009, 16:38:14 UTC

When you read RED, read my review. You're gonna laugh because as much as I say I enjoyed it, I nitpicked the HELL out of it.

But the sequel? Not enjoyable in the slightest. I won't be reading the third.

mondyboy July 12 2009, 02:36:48 UTC

May I just drop in and say how much I'm enjoyong you reviews :)

faith_adeline July 12 2009, 03:10:12 UTC

I hate when romance writers try to make a rape scene (or almost rape) the best time of the character's life or have them fall in love with their rapist. I mean, who enjoys being raped, ya know? Blah. That alone would make me not want to read the book.

calico_reaction July 12 2009, 03:18:22 UTC

While romance writers, which this author is, get a bad rap for doing it because it's certainly where the trope started, I don't think romance writers are immune to doing this. But I don't have a non-romance example, so I'm just hypothesizing!

At any rate, that's why I mention the rape thing in both the main review and outside the LJ cut. It pisses too many people off, and I know if I'd known about it BEFORE getting the book, I wouldn't have bought it, let alone read it.

faith_adeline July 12 2009, 03:38:24 UTC

mhmmm, I hate when that happens. You get a book expecting it to be great, and then something like that happens. It's like, man I paid for this?!?!?

tezmilleroz July 12 2009, 05:00:57 UTC

Speaking of rape, I've just started (about 5 pages into) Patricia Briggs' Iron Kissed. Everyone seems to rave about this series, but I felt kind of meh about the first two books. Is this one worth me reading? Thanks if you can help.

calico_reaction July 12 2009, 14:46:57 UTC

I think it's the best of the series so far, but it's one of the most controversial books in the series for what happens. I spoil the hell out of it in my review, if you want to read it (then again, you may already be spoiled).

http://calico-reaction.livejournal.com/75416.html

BONE CROSSED, the book that comes right after, has some issues. It picks up right after IRON KISSED and it felt like Briggs was really struggling to find her story. IRON KISSED is the best so far, but if you're feeling meh, I can't predict how you'll feel about this one, save your critical mind is probably going to be more active?

future_guardian July 13 2009, 13:08:53 UTC

Thank you for the review. I picked this up in a bookstore and it sounded interesting enough, but more because it was the second book in the series than because the synopsis sounded good. Now I will not be reading it. If the third book is better and there's something I missed out on, I would just find "book sppoilers" somewhere.