Beginning and end great, middle dull
595872
The first part of the book was great. It had me confused and wondering what was going on. Annalise was just as confused as i was. slowly pieces started to get put together and you lean the truth about what happed to Annalise.
The relationship she had with Dex was warming, made you feel happy that she could find someone to actually connect with because she was keeping The Parents at bay.  There were many parts in the book that left me shocked and I never would have guessed the outcomes and fate of people in the book.

Overall the book was ok some parts of the book made me want to page scan as I wanted to get to the good stuff.
2240866
It was one of the best books on my bookshelf, however it got dull in some sections. Like at the end, for example.
728724
I really liked this book at the beginning.  The world was very interesting.  I liked seeing the changes in the world due to people suddenly being able to use magic in the mid-1800s.  The quotes from historical figures heading the chapters were really fun.

The characters were interesting as well, though calling the lead character a "Private Eye", when we never actually see him doing any private investigation was a bit of a stretch for me.  If you're going to make that such an big part of how the character sees themselves, it needs to occupy an equally big part of the story, and in this case, it didn't.

Despite the excitement of the beginning of the book, by the middle of the book my enthusiasm had waned.  I'm not really sure why.  Perhaps it was too many reactionary action scenes in a row.  I prefer books where the characters are choosing their actions, instead of having outside forces driving them.  The level of detail in the gun descriptions got a bit old as well, as I really don't know that much about guns, or have much interest in them.  I think I'd also learned all the big pieces of each character, with no other mysteries to learn. Almost all the characters were also firmly set in stone - no character growth there.  The one character that was changing, it felt less like character growth, and, once again a character having decisions made for them, not organic changes.

Regardless of the reason, my attention drifted and I skimmed to the end of the book.  I really didn't care for the ending.  It just didn't work for me.

This book will probably be a huge hit for plenty of other people - there was some good stuff in there. There was just too much that didn't work for me.
4595600
I have to say the opening chapter of this book was one of the best I have seen. I absolutely loved it, then it fell off. The idea is great but you get to about the 80th page and you know the answer and start feeling like, well why am I reading this. I know what happeneds. Then I got to about the 100th page and skipped to the end two chapters and hoped ( because he is a great writer) that the end would make me think, and what it made me think was, why would I read the whole thing?
4197342
I started this book at least a dozen times.  When I finally got to the middle it became an excellent read.  Problem is the author does not do a very good job of getting you to the middle.  Very dull at the beginning.
4197239
My take on this movie.  Beginning was a little slow (first 15 minutes or so)  The middle was great, good action, good acting, great characters lots of action and much suspense.  Then the end lost all momentum, I felt let down my the ending. Over all a fun movie.  Watched on Vid Angle with language and sex cut out.  I'd give this 3.5 stars.
1370274
Started great, gets oddly mystical toward the end. Pretty good narration
I would normally get the best book but end if this one was... Boring
4592343
I loved the beginning sections of this book; the author Chris Dolley certainly has a gift for words, humor and self-deprecation to keep one grinning ear to ear. However, after our hero succeeds in moving animals and family from one country to another, the dramatic comedy took another turn and it almost lost me. I wasn't able to finished the book in its entirety, (without reading ahead to the end of each chapter). The other plotline was stolen identity and could have made a very good story but it got bogged down into too many details for me to maintain an interest.  But the first section (trip to France) was truly a feast of words and adventures with I truly enjoyed.
2306236
This book had a great premise, very good characterization, and a great plot for about the first 2/3. Call me old-fashioned, though, but I like my fiction reading to have a better resolution than this one had. Very much worth reading, but it fell a little short of being great to me.
2014744
The middle of the book is very funny and, I think, moderately insightful (after the "twist" reveals more about the nature of Zephyr Holdings), but the last quarter seems increasingly pointless and unimaginative.  I was disappointed in the end, but there was so much to enjoy in the middle that I definitely recommend it.
2482118
I got through this by gritting my teeth. First, the good stuff... The author does a really good job with description, not too verbose so that the story drags, but enough that I could really see what was happening. Also, an interesting mystery. Unfortunately, the mystery just kind of fizzles. When someone dies accidentally in a brief firefight (loved the description of the fire following the flare gun), the mystery is magically solved? What about Gunne's involvement -- he was the person with the strongest motive to kill the first victim. (Does the US really not have an equivalent to the UK's incitement to commit violence?) It just seemed too sudden and tidy. The book just stops, and I got whiplash. Aside from that, the dialogue desperately needs a reality-check. Whereas the environmental description was excellent, the dialogue was stilted, formal and completely unnatural. It's far too exposition-like. And two completely unrelated characters use the phrase "geek out," which hasn't exactly permeated the American lexicon, and until it does, I can't buy it appearing within 40 pages of a previous reference. It was very jarring.
4370727
The book was wonderful and I couldn't wait to see what happened next until about the middle of the book.  Then it wandered about with no particular focus and become somewhat uninteresting.  There were some instances of excitement, but were few and far between.  If the book would have ended earlier it would have been much better.
579859
Great beginning. Couldn't put it down at first, and got really immersed in the story and character. Alas, this book is just too long and begins to drag. All the diving stuff was boring, and eventually (about two-thirds through) I just couldn't anymore. The Dexter Styles subplot was interesting, but I couldn't bring myself to care that much about Anna, and I know I was supposed to. This book had a lot of promise early on and then just slowly fizzled away.
3322265
overall, i really liked this book.  it got slow and boring in the middle, and i almost didn't finish it.  but i'm glad i did, the ending was a surprise, and i think back on the book with a good feeling.
3648097
The beginning of the book was very exciting and got you into the thrill of the story but the middle dragged too long on the same explanations over and over. After getting thru the middle which just couldn't hold ones attention long enough, the ending was much better and a surprise .
894400
The Dark is rising in their last bid to claim the world of men. Only the power of the Old Ones can stand against them, but the circle remains incomplete. The Lady is absent. And so once more Will Stanton must embark on a quest; first to find the Lady, and then, with her guidance, seek out the last thing of power, the crystal sword. Joining him on his quest are his master Merriman, the three Drews, and Bran, heir to an ancient legacy. Together they will travel through history, to lost lands and ancient battles, all in preparation for the final battle to cast out the Dark for all time.

An uninspired opening sets a poor example for the first quarter of the book, plodding through scenes before eventually rallying around a problem. Regrettably the story flounders again, forcing characters who just met into open animosity for the sake of tension and conflict. The underlying ideas are interesting, but without the proper time to earn them.

The second quarter brings another change, as the story blossoming into a rich narrative to rival anything thats come before. Beautiful descriptions linger on otherworldly images, while the characters struggle with ideas that both echo and challenge long held beliefs.

The final turn brings a slight dip, but in its final moments the story acquits itself well, lingering on the bittersweet reality that all things pass in time, with only dreams to remind us.

+Strong Ideas
+Strong Descriptions
*A blend of young and mature
-Weak Beginning
-Fragmented, rushed plot

3/5
2245229
There were definitely parts that were great in this novel. Great build-up and suspense. However toward the end this novel really started to drag on. And although I found the struggle of our protagonist to be relatable then began to annoy me.
I don't agree with others about this being like Lovecraft or King, because it wasn't as fluid in its storytelling. 200 pages short and I think it would have been a great read.