Helpful Score: 2
WOW... I honestly dont know where to begin with this review.
lets start with the cover. Phenominal, great marketing stratgey. I can see where the publishers are targeting the younger audience. The premise was great, the description led the reader to think you are going to get a dark tale of a teen who can smell the spirits of the dead, and can only assume you will get a nice YA paranormal mystery out of it.
Well I was wrong. Im not really sure how to classify this book. It almost felt like I was reading 3 completely different stories, if thats even possible. The first 3rd of the book starts out with Vanesssa Stemmings, (who apparently just "changed" her own name to Yuki), starts smelling a strong vinegar smell. The smell gets progressivly worse until she finally googles the obits and the word "Vinegar" and discovers a man who died who used to own the local Apple Cider Vinegar farm. Her friends Calvin and Emma help her do a little sleuthing to try and figure out how the man died, and mostly what he wants so she can send him to the light and make the smell go away.
That all seemed fine and dandy until about the 2nd third of the book hit. The mystery just went aloof and then the author focused on Yuki's friend Calvin, who suddenly became Yuki's boyfriend out of the blue. Before you know it the 2 of them are kissing all the time and in supposedly in "love". Well in the middle of the book we learn tha Calvin is some sort of Alpha wolf. He and Yuki spend a LOT of time helping Cal grow into his new wolf status. It totally shifted into w were-wof themed themed comming of age book. BO-RING. Out of no-where the mystery of the vinegar man is solved and suddenly the vinegar smell is gone. Huh.... OKAY then I ask..... why am I still reading this.....??????
Then during the last 3rd of the book, it seemed more like a G-rated romance novel. Calvin hurts himself in the car during the dance and everyone tried to blame themselves for it. The ending seemed happliy ever after for everyone except for Yuki, who seems to have impending doom approaching her the night of Halloween, when the spirits walk.
This book could have been so much better. I was really dissapointed. There were too many useless chapters that had nothing to do whatsoever with the progression of the plot. Even with only 167 pages, the book was about 50 pages too long IMO. The characters werent very likeable, and I'll be a son of a dung beatle if I ever have to read the word "yah" again repeatedly instead of the word yeah. Maybe its the southern girl in me, but the dialect was just horrible. It was completely irritating and annoying to say the least.
Lets just say I WONT be rushing out to get the next book. 2 thumbs down, and a 1/2 star rating from me. Even with the last 20 pages of the book, I litterally had to force myself to finish it. :(
lets start with the cover. Phenominal, great marketing stratgey. I can see where the publishers are targeting the younger audience. The premise was great, the description led the reader to think you are going to get a dark tale of a teen who can smell the spirits of the dead, and can only assume you will get a nice YA paranormal mystery out of it.
Well I was wrong. Im not really sure how to classify this book. It almost felt like I was reading 3 completely different stories, if thats even possible. The first 3rd of the book starts out with Vanesssa Stemmings, (who apparently just "changed" her own name to Yuki), starts smelling a strong vinegar smell. The smell gets progressivly worse until she finally googles the obits and the word "Vinegar" and discovers a man who died who used to own the local Apple Cider Vinegar farm. Her friends Calvin and Emma help her do a little sleuthing to try and figure out how the man died, and mostly what he wants so she can send him to the light and make the smell go away.
That all seemed fine and dandy until about the 2nd third of the book hit. The mystery just went aloof and then the author focused on Yuki's friend Calvin, who suddenly became Yuki's boyfriend out of the blue. Before you know it the 2 of them are kissing all the time and in supposedly in "love". Well in the middle of the book we learn tha Calvin is some sort of Alpha wolf. He and Yuki spend a LOT of time helping Cal grow into his new wolf status. It totally shifted into w were-wof themed themed comming of age book. BO-RING. Out of no-where the mystery of the vinegar man is solved and suddenly the vinegar smell is gone. Huh.... OKAY then I ask..... why am I still reading this.....??????
Then during the last 3rd of the book, it seemed more like a G-rated romance novel. Calvin hurts himself in the car during the dance and everyone tried to blame themselves for it. The ending seemed happliy ever after for everyone except for Yuki, who seems to have impending doom approaching her the night of Halloween, when the spirits walk.
This book could have been so much better. I was really dissapointed. There were too many useless chapters that had nothing to do whatsoever with the progression of the plot. Even with only 167 pages, the book was about 50 pages too long IMO. The characters werent very likeable, and I'll be a son of a dung beatle if I ever have to read the word "yah" again repeatedly instead of the word yeah. Maybe its the southern girl in me, but the dialect was just horrible. It was completely irritating and annoying to say the least.
Lets just say I WONT be rushing out to get the next book. 2 thumbs down, and a 1/2 star rating from me. Even with the last 20 pages of the book, I litterally had to force myself to finish it. :(
