Summary-
(From the back of the book)
Six months ago, brutal murders shook the small Ozark town- murders that stopped after a house fire reportedly claimed the killer's life. Lauryn McBride's family auction house has taken responsibility for the estate sale of one of the victims- the enigmatic Markus Chisom. Submerging herself in Chisom's beautiful but strange world, Lauryn welcomes the reprieve from watching Alzheimer's steal her father from her, piece by piece. She soon realizes that centuries-old secrets tie Abbey Hills to the Chisom estate and a mysterious evil will do anything to make sure those secrets stay hidden. Even the man who grew up loving her may not be able to protect Lauryn from the danger.
When Amede Dastillion receives an unexpected package from Abbey Hills, she hopes it might be the key in tracking down her beloved sister, long estranged from her family. Visiting Abbey Hills seems the logical next step in her search, but Amede is unusually affected by the town, and when mutilated carcasses begin turning up again in the small community, the local law enforcement isn't sure if they are confronting a familiar evil or a new terror.
Two women brought together by questions that seem to have no answers. Can they overcome the loss and darkness threatening to devour them- or will their own demons condemn them to an emotional wasteland?
What I Liked-
Bateman painted a friendly, likable main character in Lauryn. It was easy to relate to her personality and easy to become immersed into her struggles she faced with her father who was suffering from Alzheimers.
I liked the title of this book, Tandem. It fits the story well and was actually what first drew me to this novel.
What I Didn't Like-
Unfortunately, I wasn't a big fan of this book, but I'm not a big fan of most paranormal and vampire stories in general. I prefer realistic general fiction, mystery, and thrillers.
I had a big issue with this book for the reason that I picked it from the Blogging for Books program, but nothing about the book made me believe that it was about vampires, which are a huge focus in the story. I was given a thumbnail view of the cover, like you can see to your left, and I was given the description of the book, which you can read above. Do you see anything about vampires? No. It seemed like a murder mystery. If I had known that Tandem was about vampires, I would have NEVER chosen to buy it because those books don't interest me whatsoever. I feel like whoever wrote Tandem's blurb was a little deceptive about the book's content.
But onto the actual review...
I felt like Amede and her story seemed very cliche, like what today's culture expects a vampire story to contain. Hundreds of years old, a creepy name (Amede Dastillion), beginning the story by rocking in an old rocking chair and reading aging love letters. To me, Amede's side of the story seemed so fake and one-dimensional. I never really felt a connection to her character, especially when she took a mortal servant everywhere with her. No, vampires aren't real, and of course the story is entirely fictional, but it shouldn't have such a forced feel to it. Even a paranormal story should have a natural flow, which I couldn't find in Tandem.
Too many stories seemed to go on at once. Amede and her vampire antics, Lauryn and her father and her life, the journalist, and the nameless girl who was tormented for half the book. In italics at the beginning of each chapter is a memory of Lauryn's, which adds yet another story to the confusing mix. The reader was thrust jerkily from one scene to the next, which made the story flow seem awkward and confusing rather than suspenseful and intense.
There was very little Christian content in what was advertised as a Christian book, which disappointed me as well.
Finally, I have to share a small pet peeve of mine. Names. It seems that the author couldn't bring herself to use normal names in her story. Charley, Lauryn, Amede, Corky... In a way, I can understand odd names for old vampire characters, but I can't quite grasp the purpose behind the "misspelling" of some of the names of average human characters. Writers are usually encouraged to keep names simple and easy to read as to not detract from the story. Readers should be able to focus on the plot (or the many, many plots in this book's case) without being distracted each time they read a character's name.
I Recommend This For-
I would say Tandem is PG-13 because of mild violence and mature content such as blood drinking. Vampire fiction readers might enjoy Tandem, even if I did not.
----------
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
No comments:
Post a Comment