Thriller

I couldn't decided if I really liked this or was meh about it.

I enjoyed the overall plot and I liked the backstory, however there were some loose ends and some things were left wanting.

I actually read the actual book with real-life pages this time around (someone lent it) and whenever I closed the book when I was done with a reading session, I kept seeing the author's name, Philip Carter. Now, the back of the book says distinctly that that's a pseudonym for another author, so I got curious.

I got curious because some of the reactions and interactions between Zoe and Ry seemed verrrry female-writer-ish. Ry did things no guy would do (or at least straight man would do) and when it was in his POV and it made it feel very...I don't know...lovey dovey. Don't get me wrong, that's all fine and dandy when reading the proper book, however I feel strange reading love scenes when the author says it's a man, when it feels like a woman writing. Now, some men do the love scene thing fine...and so do women, but it was just a weird-out mine thing when I felt looked at a male author's name.

I doubt I explained that well. Maybe other people feel the same. That was my only major gripe about it, but it was a big one. It's a fun read, though and I'd recommend it if you can ignore the author's name. ( )

Great action that doesn't seem to rely on TV gimics for support. Concept was interesting and the charaters were well written and believable. ( )

I enjoyed this book...if you like stories within a story. ( )

Despite a slow start, a likable pair of protagonists make this story somewhat enjoyable, and they hooked me before the many insanely improbable plot elements could get me to walk away. I just had to see how things turned out for those two, and they were by far the best thing about this one. Which, in retrospect, wasn't enough to carry the day. Overall, the pacing is extremely inconsistent, with the narrative bogging down more often than not whenever the bullets aren't flying. Even the writing itself seems to be a cooperative effort here, with some chapters suggesting a masculine hand and some a more feminine touch. Nowhere is this more evident than in some of the more risqué passages, with some seeming to come from a mature feminine hand and others from a twelve-year-old boy. The dust jacket says that "Philip Carter" is a pseudonym for an internationally known author, which leads me to wonder if it's not really a collection of authors. In terms of plot, as is too often the case these days, "thriller" here seems to mean things like "over-the-top, eye-rolling action scenes" and "don't settle for a simple kill or murder when an attention-grabbing assault requiring multiple clips of ammo is available." Things like that. In short, there's an interesting premise behind this one, but it tends to get lost in the silliness. As for the characters, pretty much everyone beyond the aforementioned two principals seems to be one-dimensional, and that's assuming that they're given anything more to do beyond serving as a means for advancing the plot. All in all, a disappointment, and I kinda wish I'd been able to walk away from this one at around page 100. ( )