Through Violet Eyes by Stephen Woodworth (Edit)

I recently went to the public library, and as usual, I picked up several books. Typically, I pick some from the young adult section, a few from the juvenile fiction, and some from the adult fiction bookshelves. One of my adult books was Through Violet Eyes by Stephen Woodworth. It's his debut novel, so I suppose he needs a bit of leeway, but having read the first chapters of book, I cannot say that I'm all that impressed. The characters are incredibly flat and unoriginal. And, the writing is clunky and loaded with 'I'm such a clever writer' character development, which makes the bibliophile in me wince. Trite, I suppose, would be the word to sum it up. I like the idea of the Violets, people who can channel the dead, but I cannot claim to like any of the characters. What a shame sense the cover was so nice. Maybe the characters will get deeper as I get further in the story... I can only hope.

Ha, I actually wasn't lucky enough to find Brisingr in the library, so you all will have to wait for a real rant. Then again, Paolini may have happened upon a less derivative plot and more believable characters, and I will have nothing to report. But, for some reason, I find that unlikely.

UPDATE: Well, I've finished it. Guess what? The entire book was a bad as the first chapters. The characters were all shallow. I've read books where I love certain characters; I've had books where I hate certain characters; but, I've never had a book where I didn't care about any of the characters. 'Til now. On the cover, Iris Johansen is quoted, saying, "A stunning thriller." Funny, I didn't think this was stunning or thrilling, and if I am to go by the credibility of this review, I am in doubt of the use of "A."

The books most rewarding qualities are its ending. It's unexpected and not as clean cut as the rest of the book. The last... 30 or so pages are the fastest paced and best. It's a pity you have to suffer through the first 300 pages to get to them.

Now, onto reading Coraline : )