They think that because they're writing for teens, they get a pass to write a book filled with plot holes. That isn't a bad thing, but readers looking for a deep, complex novel, aren't going to find it here.ĮTA: YA is not synonymous with shallow. Like most YA, after the first 100 pages, you know you're reading a novel written for teens. I didn't enjoy Across the Universe as much as I thought I would. This review may be useless or self-indulgent to some but I think reviewing even the first 125 pages of a book to give feedback is a higher compliment than if I'd ignored it entirely.Īlso, and this is the important part, bite me. Overall I couldn't bring myself to invest in the story and characters. Do not hang giant, obtrusive warning signs over your secret antagonist. I even flipped to the end to double check and was able to easily verify that I was right because I had trouble believing that Revis had made it so obvious. It's basically one cardboard cutout after another, filled with overused archtypes.īy page seventy-five I knew who the antagonist is, which is bad storytelling. There is little incentive to connect with the characters or anything that makes them feel particularly vivid or well-constructed. The characterization is equally nonplussed, taking quite a while to really root down. One of the first events in the book, Elder attempting to save the ship, is vague in the writing which makes it difficult for readers to visualize the scene or get a handle on what's happening. My issues were that the writing is very vague and sloppy.
The language changes and mono-ethnic parts of this book showed the kind of forethought and deep, intensive investigation I generally like in an author. I credit Revis with imagination and thoughtful plot.
Being able to hook a reader within the first couple of pages is an essential skill of any artisan storyteller and if you're having a lot of DNF reviews or simply bad reviews then they probably contain a goldmine in advice to help improve your range of skills.
Often there are rookie mistakes made in writing, plot or characterization that inhibits readers from investing in the story. Especially for an author.īecause it's not necessarily the reader's fault for not being able to connect to the book. There's always going to be a small fraction of reviewers who don't connect with a book and can't finish it, but to dismiss all DNF reviews, I think, is problematic. Why would someone want to read a review by someone who didn't even finish the book?
I've heard it mentioned before that DNF(Did Not Finish)reviews were useless and self-indulgent.
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