Margaret Winslow

heavy-handed authorial worldview

Revisado: 11-18-20

I love the fluid writing and the terrific, believable character voice. I have a solid, clear sense of the main character, Ever, and am rooting for her. The premise is creative and interesting. But the last quarter or so of the book feels more like an explanation of the author's worldview than a satisfying conclusion to the story I became involved in. I found myself turned off by the revelation about (and by) Damon; felt pulled out of the fun of the story and thrust into the author's religious/spiritual/new age perspectives. Too heavy handed...to the point where I didn't even care about the story anymore and didn't end up finishing. :(

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Mixed feelings

Revisado: 04-11-20

The writing was beautiful and formal, the world-building concept exciting, original, magical; it's the aspect that drew me to buy the book, and in that regard I was not disappointed. The ideas are so delightfully creative and original that I was conceptually captivated, and the whole tone of the book was darkly intriguing and magical without feeling unreal; very believably expressed, which made it wonderful to "live" there with the characters for a while. I was, however, disappointed by the following: 1) The plot and style relied so heavily on the reader's power to assemble the story's mysteries that I felt lost for most of the book. I still enjoyed listening to the gorgeous language and highly interesting concepts, so I didn't abandon the story, but I feel like I didn't understand a lot of what was going on or why; I wish the author had spelled things out more; it was confusing. The concept is so unusual that I needed more explanation to make it clear. 2) The sex was fairly graphic and emotionless and felt empty, IMO; too much vulgar physical description & not enough emotional meaning/description or reason in the plot to have had it, other than just two people feeling "in heat" like animals. 3) The ending was disappointing. Arden sets off to do something I'm excited to see unfold, but the book ends and I don't get to see/find out what happens! (Is it the first of a series? If so, good--it means readers will eventually get fulfillment, but I won't be reading further books.) 4) An unrealistically disproportionate percentage of gay characters/perspectives/nods made me feel the author is trying to meet politically-correct quotas, which I find distasteful. 5) At least one plot element/character seems heavy in the beginning but doesn't amount to much in the end.

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Wish the breakdown was different

Revisado: 01-07-19

The part about needing and establishing a routine was great--but then it shifted to a list of detail about other things I don't struggle with nearly as much. I could use an entire book on just the first chapter's material.

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Gorgeous story pregnant with theme

Revisado: 04-30-18

I am so full of emotion after reading this beautiful story. It has everything I love in a story: rich characters, thematic depth, gorgeous writing, an element of "strange," vivid description that paints movies in my mind, and a bittersweet ending that makes me ache with longing and satisfaction. I haven't read a book this beautiful in years.

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scathing exposure of human nature

Revisado: 01-04-18

Reading Flannery O'Connor is like going to a play, sitting there in comfort observing the hypocrisy of the characters, and suddenly feeling the spotlight shift to focus its heat on YOU...and you realize YOU'RE the one exposed.

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Perfect for discouraged creatives!!

Revisado: 03-14-17

AMAZING book!!! THIS book has the "life-changing magic" I couldn't find in other organizing books. Finally--someone who thinks like I do and still found success! Not only did she overcome the housekeeping challenges that plague cerebral creative thinkers (who are baffled by their inability to keep their home orderly like "everyone else"), she is able to articulate an approach that MAKES SENSE to this kind of person--that penetrates to the heart of the artist and stirs up hope and inspiration that translates into effective action (an AMAZING achievement!). I think this book just saved me from the deep despair and inner conflict I've been living in for so long. Truly. This is a whole new approach to housekeeping from a friend who understands what it's like to be a creative. THANK YOU, Dana!!!

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Detective stories with awesome unusual elements!

Revisado: 05-13-16

If you could sum up The Darby Shaw Chronicles: Books 1 - 3 in three words, what would they be?

paranormal, homicide, romance

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Pretty well. Darby Shaw is the center of action, controversy, and an unusual power that often makes other characters uncomfortable. She experiences a wide range of trauma and pain that makes you want to see her succeed. And her romantic life is fraught with complexity. I was not bored!

How could the performance have been better?

I disliked the sing-songy quality of the reader--it sounded unnatural and flattened the excellent writing. Many times, I found myself talking over the audio to "correct" the reader's interpretation of how lines would be said; most of the time I thought her emphasis was "off" and it pulled me out of the story to reinterpret the tone and emphasis from the context. That was pretty frustrating. But the story itself was very good--good enough to keep me engaged despite the performance. I also liked that the reader was able to speak in accents when needed. But overall, the performance was an obstacle to me getting "lost" in the story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Murder doesn't have to be the end.

Any additional comments?

Darby Shaw is a typical detective—until she accidentally resuscitates a murder victim and discovers she’s not as typical as she thought.

Author Liberty Spiedel does a great job of blending crime-fighting, murder mystery, action, romantic, and paranormal/superhero elements in these books for a fun read. The books are very well structured and well written, but my favorite element (other than the intriguing irony of a homicide detective who can resuscitate murder victims) is the romantic tension between Darby and her partner, Mark, which is developed very gradually over the course of the book set. Characters are likable, flawed, unique, and come alive on the pages as real people; Spiedel’s writing provides just enough detail that I can “watch” the story unfolding in my mind like a movie.

It’s not for kids (we’re dealing with murder and a believable police force, so there is periodic strong language and a touch of frank sexual description...although no sex scenes), but anyone who enjoys a dramatic criminal mystery, paranormal elements, and some romance waiting in the wings will love these stories.

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