Sephera Giron

(also posted on website The Paperback Stash)

Sephora Giron brings us the unique story involving a witch who has discovered the secret to eternal life, and the only way to obtain these powers is through death. The death of others that is.

There is one thing that should be said outright concerning the story: The back of the cover blurb makes it seem like something it is not. The murdering of the young girls is not the focal point. Vanessa is definitely the main star, although it’s more about her life and a separate mystery going on that doesn’t involve the deceased for the majority of the story.

I hate to admit this, but despite the intriguing plot and exciting beginning, this book just wasn’t my cup of tea. The plot also held it's own level of mild predictability. There wasn't much to really uncover and when the two "baddies" came face to face, the fight didn't hold that much pizazz.

The atmosphere of the book was light and not really full of anything deep. The scene in the cemetery worked, but what in the world happened to the girl, Marie? There’s not much that bothers me more than when a character is shown in distress and then we never know what happened.

The characters didn’t seem all that real to me. They were fleshed out to a degree, but never came across as anyone I really cared about. I didn’t sense any strong emotions when they went through their ordeals, or really see them as three-dimensional.

The end behavior of the character Ashley was also unrealistic. With all the mistrust and her newly acquired knowledge towards Vanessa, why did she suddenly turn so naïve and trusting when confronted? Didn’t make much sense and seemed to be more of something placed in to propel the plot where it needed to go.

One interesting thing that was going on was the conflicting emotions through Vanessa. Either she has a conscience or is undeniably selfish; Sephera Giron did a good job of leaving the reader in doubt, therefore making complimentary sides in this aspect.

The pace of the book is tight and swift, but there was a minimum build up of tension.

The writing style is direct and to the point, although I felt some of the emphasis was overdone. For example, when Vanessa is always haunted by being alone, the point can be gotten and felt without it repeated every chapter. I give brownie points to the author for granting her characters with emotion, but it just didn’t seem leveled out to me.

In the end, a book that keeps you reading if only to keep glancing at a train wreck with nothing that grabs you. The writing style is smooth and easy to read but the plot didn't dig that deep, and the characters weren't anything worth mentioning.… (altro)