It's very hard for me to stop reading a book just because I'm not
really enjoying it. I always want to give the author the benefit of the
doubt that things are going to get better/more exciting/different/etc.
Sometimes, though, the attempt is a lesson in futility. The Peculiars
by Maureen Doyle McQuerry was a good story, but
I found myself raising my hand saying "Edit, please!" The exciting
parts went by too fast, the lead-up for exciting events was similar
to the lead-up for not-so-exciting events, and I found myself wishing
that a careful red pen or white-out would have shaved 50 pages from the
book.
Now, the story itself was a fun steampunk-esque romp
with the recently popular "otherworldly" elements scattered throughout.
The style of writing seemed to fit with the 1800's timeline and the
author obviously did her homework on some historical things occurring at
that time. The characters were, perhaps, underdeveloped. I had trouble
guessing what a character would do in a given situation, which you want
in mysteries, but makes it hard to know if, in a more action/drama
setting, if they are truly sincere.
I give it 3.5 out of 5, a score easily buoyed up by some skilled editing to polish the story.
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