Red Right Hand

...While I appreciate a sense of urgency in more action-oriented stories, the first two-thirds of this novel feel like the author is forcefully driving the characters from one action scene to another in order to reach the latter third. It makes reading the first two-thirds of the novel more of a duty than anything else, as the reader chases the inherent potential that is visible in those first two-thirds, but does not really flower until the latter third.

The above does no wonders for the romantic subplot, either, since it is given no time to grow and develop properly. This means it feels completely inauthentic to the point of unnatural by the time it becomes significant to the plot. I have nothing against romantic subplots in general, since they can do wonders for character development and, in the hands of a capable writer, really push a plot forward instead of slowing it down. Unfortunately, that is not the case in this novel; the entire romantic subplot could be done away with and it would still read as essentially the same plot and story. Truth be told, I wish that had been the case; I would have rolled my eyes far less often if it were so.

Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-F4