51: The Beginning by Liz Reeder

After reading the blurb for this book I thought it might be interesting. I saw that it had over 400 pages and put reading it off for a bit until last night. When I began reading I realized that perhaps I should have put the book off longer but did skim through the pages anyway.

My thoughts:
* The story idea has potential
* The characters need to have more backstory and personality – they needed to be fleshed out.
* The writing is mundane – it spoke mostly of what was happening in the characters’ world rather than dealing with the mystery and mayhem.
* The writing was more like journal entries and plodding rather than engaging
* About half the story could have been cut with good editing
* The book, if tightened up and rewritten with more intensity and impact could be much better.

Thank you to NetGalley and Archway for the ARC – This is my honest review.

1-2 Stars

An interesting take on the ins and outs of a small town sheriffs office as it deals with a cycle of supernatural events that seems to get more out of control with each passing day. The characters were real and likeable even as the plot kept repeating, and eventually wound down to a puzzling non ending. This is the type of story that I usually go for, but as a whole, just did not deliver.

51 - The Beginning - Book One by Liz Reeder. A fun and interesting read. A cast of very likeable characters, each with own unique quirks and secrets. The ending seem a bit sudden but am looking forward to the next book to see what caused all of the unusual sightings and happenings.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.