REVIEW: "Raven", by Suzy Turner

Title: Raven (The Raven Saga #1)

Author: Suzy Turner

Format: Kindle eBook

Pages: 257

Publisher: Suzanne Turner Publishing

Release Date: May 8th 2011

Synopsis

Taken from Goodreads

Her whole life had been based on a lie. Lilly had grown up in a loveless home with a father who she had barely ever seen and a mother who was... well, not very motherly.

After they mysteriously disappear without a trace, Lilly is sent to Canada where she finds a whole new way of life. A life filled with love and people who care for her. But that's not all she discovers, Lilly also finds out that she isn't who, or what, she thinks she is. 

Lilly has a very special ability and it's just a matter of time before her true self starts to shine. And when it does, her life will never be the same again.

Review

As I said yesterday, this will be my last review of a self published work for a while. After so many disappointing reads from SP authors over the last weeks, Raven was the last straw. I've been persistent in the past, and even when I haven't enjoyed a book, I've ploughed through to the end. Evidently, however, my willpower has weakened and I found that I just could not carry on reading this book.

Lilly was a bit like dirty dishwater as far as characters go. She was dull and lifeless and I felt no qualms about pulling the plug on her. 

Here is an example of the dialogue in the book. I think it indicates fairly well why I just had to put the book down:

“Lilly, that is so sad. I wish you had grown up here with us. We would probably been the best of friends from the day you were born. You know, for someone that never really had any friends or a loving family, you're very grounded. If I had to guess, I would have said that you grew up happy and loved, judging by your personality.” (p56)

This is just one example of how heavy-handed and unrealistic the dialogue is. Whatever happened to “show, don't tell”? It gets worse when the love interest gets involved. Lilly and whatever-his-name-was see each other once before they're talking about “falling” for each other. It was predictable and cheesy. I've said it before and I'll say it again: judging books by their covers is fine. Especially when they're as bad as this one...

Now, I gave up on this one so I have no idea if it got better. Perhaps, after the first third of the book, it developed into something astounding and original. But I was just too bored of clumsy writing to be forgiving any more. For me, this was a one and a half star read, at best. Maybe someday I'll try to finish it... but when there are so many good, well-written books out there, who has time to waste on sub-par efforts? Life is fleeting after all.