Great Writing and Characters
933687
How do I describe this book?  It has great writing, very developed and complex characters, great atmosphere, and a good plot.  BUT.  But, I didn't really enjoy it all that much.  This is like one of those books you read for English class.  You can recognize all the things that make it great, it's just not something you enjoy reading.  That's how I felt about If I Fall, If I Die.

Will has been extremely sheltered.  His mother is agoraphobic and has kept him in the house his entire life.  He has never been exposed to anyone other than delivery people.  Will is at that age when he starts to question things and he realizes on some level that the way they are living is not normal. He decides to venture outside.  He makes a friend, starts going to school and even tries some dangerous things.

The author really does a fantastic job of showing just how awkward Will is.  Other characters look at him funny because of the things he says which makes Will feel more uncomfortable.  Sometimes he knows he's said something wrong, but he's not quite sure what.  Throughout the book, Will adjusts to the "Outside" and the reader takes that journey with him, from awkward home-bound boy to normal rebellious, risk-taking, individual.  In the beginning, Will is babied by his mom and seems happy with the status-quo, yet even then, we see glimpses of his curiosity and his spirit.  As the book progresses, Will develops a courage and individuality that were unexpected.  Will's awkwardness becomes a double-edged sword, though.  At times, he's so awkward that I found it hindered my enjoyment of the book.  I never really felt completely immersed in it.  It never really "grabbed" me.

The book also shifts to his mother's perspective at various points throughout.  During these chapters, we learn about Diane's past and how she came to be the way she is.  Her character is also complex. Her fear is almost another character in itself.  It's potent and consuming and controls her in every way.  As the book continues, it becomes clear that she must make a choice between her fear and her son.

The plot and setting were also very good.  A boy goes missing and Will and his new friend take it upon themselves to find him.  There's some mystery involved which should have kept things interesting. The book is also very atmospheric.  It's set in a Canadian town that used to be a hub for shipping grain.  Diane grew up there and through her flashbacks, we see how important this port is and how important the industry is to the town.  It employs pretty much everyone.  In present day, the warehouses are abandoned and the waterfront is now a hub for criminal activity.  There aren't any jobs and relations between the town folk and the Natives are more strained than ever.  There's a clear parallel between Diane's downward spiral and the town's.

I think my biggest problem was in the pacing.  I felt like despite the writing style, the plot and the great characters, I was slogging through most of the book.  The chapters from Diane's perspective seemed to pop up at random and, while they were important and necessary to understand the story, they broke up the flow and made the book feel very choppy.  There's also one entire section that focuses on a third character and that really brought me out of the groove.

Overall, this book is well-written with complex characters and an interesting plot but the pacing was off and I just never really got into this the way I hoped I would.  This is a book that I can definitely appreciate as being very good but unfortunately, it wasn't a favorite of mine.  However, if you're a fan of literary fiction, have an interest in agoraphobia or really love a character-driven book, I would urge you to check it out.

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
798087
I love this series. The two books, so far, are filled with good characters and excellent writing.
4820276
I got so invested in these characters!!!  This author is great.  The writing is crisp and clean, but has beautiful descriptions and the plot and characters were just amazingly well done.  I hope this author continues to write as I really want to read more.
2722717
I really enjoy the writing and the characters. I loved the descriptions and the setting. This was short and sweet.
1958074
Great writing, amazing characters, and a gripping story that touches on several different genres that just about anybody would enjoy. In depth character and descriptive writing put you in the characters head as well as in the moment and give you vivid visualizations and understaning that make the character stories easy to follow as well as a grand understanding of this world of dragons and man, love and war, and trust and betrayal.  I would and HAVE suggested this book as a tool to MANY people that mainly stick to their one or two certain types of genre to broaden their horizons because this book has it all.
1556354
What a fun and exciting series of books. I found myself sad as I ended book three because I wanted to know about what came next. I was also happy to find books 1,5 and 2.5 and others in the series. These characters were so real and believable and the story line suspenseful. Excellent writing.
280512
Just great--grabbed me almost all the way through. The very, very beginning few pages were slow.
Excellent writing and plot.
2977671
I love the continuing stories of the characters and how new ones have been added.  The struggles and events are very well written.
3571551
Well written book. Great plot and characters. I volunteered to read advance copy for honest review.
4483559
Great plot and characters. The author wrote this genre very well. I volunteered to read an advance copy for an honest review.
4332587
Excellent writing, great characters, exciting story.  I rarely like series, but I'm on my third Daniel Silva novel (the one right after The Rembrandt Affair) and will read more.  The first one I read was his current book, Black Widow, and then I went back a few to Rembrandt.  I highly recommend this book and series.
1134892
I love this series.  Great writing, great characters, and a great plot.  Egil and Nix are a ton of fun, and you can see the Fafhard and Grey mouser/D&D influence.
1168278
I LOVE this show. The characters are fantastic!!! It is so much fun to see them in different settings. The writing is fantastic. I want more!!!
40768
Beautifully written. Great story line and characters. Now up to series 4, and still loving it!! The way the authors say they come up with the story line and actually do the writing, thought there may be some disjointedness, but, flows perfectly.
4540943
Love the long and ongoing series. great characters and great writing.
963655
I love the characters. The writing is fast paced and the character development gets you into the story.  I get caught up with the people and forget about everything going on around me.
1043632
Even with the "Young Adult" category hanging over it, I found myself very much enjoying this book.  The writing is really quite good, very descriptive and the characters are well thought out and described.  I enjoyed the cast, especially the four main characters, Russ, Nadia, Mallory and Jameson, though I might have liked to have seen a little more development of the latter three, though I imagine that will come along in the next book of the series.  Well worth the investment.