The opening scene tells the reader what the outcome will ...
595479
The opening scene tells the reader what the outcome will be.  That's okay, since the rest of the book develops the story of the two  leading characters and paints an accurate and frightening picture of life for victims of the Holocaust.
107472
The movie starts out, leaving you wondering what's happening here, and
finally gets around to revelling that a mistake has occurred, and situation
left has to be worked with.  This makes the movie a bit more exciting.
2014436
This novel gives the reader an eery glimpse into an emerging future where science can dramatically alter electoral politics. It is a well-plotted fictional,yet highly credible, wake-up call set in the present day. The characters should engage any reader who is looking for signs of both self-reflection in political candidates and some relief from the polarizing forces that undercut the two-party system in America.
314531
The story opens with the heroine, Rose Daniels, huddled against a wall, in terrible pain, suffering a miscarriage from her husband Norman's abuse. Nine years later she wakes one morning to find a drop of blood on her pillow, legacy of the previous night's nosebleed.
As if waking from a dream, she sees her future - death might be a sweet release but helpless crippling is the more realistic probability. Already her kidneys are damaged. Rose flees, taking only her purse and her husband's bank card.
Thus far the violence has taken place off-stage and the reader experiences it in horrific fragments as the core of Rose's life. The terror that travels with her is palpable and riveting. Like Rose, we expect Norman, a canny and experienced cop, to pounce on her at every street corner, enraged at her audacity.
But, through the kindness of strangers, Rose Daniels becomes Rosie McLendon (her maiden name), discovers friendship at a battered women's shelter and begins to put her life together. The day before she moves out of the shelter she stops in a pawn shop to see what she can get for her ostentatious engagement ring.
The ring is a phony but the pleasant young proprietor is willing to trade it for a mediocre painting of a classical scene which Rosie suddenly has to have. The painting of a woman on a hill in a rose madder chiton calls out to her although the temple at the foot of the hill is clearly out of perspective.
Rosie also gets a job out of the encounter - a customer who admires  her voice turns out to be a producer of audio books - and a romance with the shop owner, Bill.

Meanwhile, Norman is on his way. King begins to alternate between Norman's unraveling psyche - a polluted and vile but cunning place - and Rosie's continued blossoming.
While Norman becomes more and more savage, Rosie enters the realm of the painting in the book's first supernatural scene which is, while obligatory, not half as scary or involving as her real life.
The painting seems to embody some version of the Furies - female earth dieties who exact retribution from human transgressors. The leader, the one Rosie identifies with, is no fairy godmother. A dangerous creature, consumed by madness and some leprous disease, she demands a perilous mission from Rosie which involves crossing the river of forgetfulness and entering a dead version of the garden of Eden as well as outwitting the Temple bull in a maze.
For the climax, King no longer spares us the violence up close. There's lots of blood and gore as well as supernatural interference on both sides.
A page-turning good read.
646178
It's an exciting read.  The ending was a bit predictable, though.  It is the first of a series.
4171370
The opening scenes tell us about Olivia  who she is, how she fits into her world  and present her with the problem that drives the story: her younger sister, Charlie, has disappeared leaving scant clues as to what might have happened to her. Has she run away or is it something more sinister?
Where the story really comes alive, though, is in the second part. Narrated by Charlie, it starts to suggest some answers to the questions hinted at by Olivias search for her sister. All of a sudden the canvas feels a lot bigger, all without losing the intimacy of what is, in essence, a story about a fractured family trying to put itself back together again.
368957
I enjoyed the flow of the book.  The way the author introduced the characters in the beginning gave you a basic understanding of their place in the story.
4891316
A grab you beginning. Hope the book is as good!
177103
If you have ever wondered  what "Show don't Tell" exactly means -.you'll find it here.  As a bonus you end up with a great first chapter.
1521757
Part literary turn, part thriller, all complex and intriguing, Dianne Harman, in her debut novel, has succeeded in weaving together a sometimes dark but always compelling story. Told from multiple points of view with intertwining story lines that come together with one common thread, I found it a promising start to what will undoubtedly be a rich literary career. Rather than risk any spoilers, I would urge potential readers to "check in" themselves and be the judge. That good feeling that you'll get might not be what you think.
4620559
I look for a book in this class that paints a clear picture, where you can see a plot line developing, and which comes to a good conclusion. The tension starts early and builds up to a horrifying conclusion. You hear the story from several perspectives and end up saying "Of course". A good read.
3164576
Preparing myself for Episode III, I decided to start at what I considered the beginning.  This is the prequel to The Phantom Menace which explains a bit about the Trade Federation, Valorum, Palpatine, and the tangled web that makes up the taxation of the trade routes.

And though some of the political motives escaped me sometimes, it was an excellent start to the Star Wars Universe.  The action was quick, and the characters were well done.  The new character Cohl made for exciting reading, as he has a hint of Han Solo to him.  Also Palpatine, Valorum, Qui-Gon Jinn, and surprisingly Tarkin are interesting to watch in these early stages of the fall of the Republic.

The Jedi take a backseat in this political thriller while the Senators, Freedom Fighters (also called terrorists), and the Trade Federation are the focal point of this novel.

Luceno does a good job of keeping the action rolling and the suspense intriguing, even for a book that isn't filled to the brim with space dogfights and flashy jedi.  It is also obvious that Luceno has a love of all things Star Wars and is very knowledgable about some of the smaller details of the universe.
3977514
Having met these characters in later books, it was fun to see the beginning of the story from the male point of view. Well done!  It's a good introduction to the series and bound to capture a reader's attention.
2767267
The first of the book is all first person....but an easy read when it gets going. Should be a blockbuster movie
4249930
Reading this book is like witnessing a man's fate unfold. That in itself makes it a good read so far.
578045
This is clearly the beginning of a larger book or series. The three brothers named in the title are princes, sons of the king, and they
must go off on a quest up explain some mysterious happenings at the castle. There is a failed truce with a dragon kingdom and some helpful assistance from a creature who may be gnome, forest witch, or Oracle. Plenty of excitement for young readers, and plenty to empathize with the young heroes, who are well described by the author. It will be good to see what happens next.
4178445
BETRAYAL, which was sent to me free in the hope that I would review it, is the story of two men, intermixed in a rather peculiar way.

After a short prologue (pp. 1-6), Part 1 (pp. 9-253) begins the story of the (I think fictional) Luke, whose first two great loves are taken away from him by their relatives.  Despite much sadness, it is a real page-turner.

Part 2 (pp. 257-488) is the autobiographical story of Rick. (Rick was briefly introduced early in part 1, but it was only toward the end of Part 3 that I realized this.)  The contrast with the more exciting action of part 1 caused part 2 to seem to drag at first, but it really wasn't bad (except for an abrupt transition introducing Helen on p. 402). The problem was just that I could hardly wait to get on with the story of Luke in part 3.  Actually, part 2 is the most valuable part of the book, and is well worth reading.  I am passing it on to a dear friend who suffers from bipolarism, in the hope that it will help him.

Part 3 (pp, 493-606) completes both stories.  The evil Wong Peng almost gets his just deserts (he deserved far worse) and the two heroes triumph.  I think, however, that chapter 25 (pp. 602-606) detracts, rather than contributes, and might better have been left out.

There is an epilog, pp. 609-612.

Despite its minor flaws, this is an excellent first novel, and I hope to see more from Paul Huljich.

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