Winter Shadows by Casey BondMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
- I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This review is painful for me to write because I always try to be as nice as possible to authors, especially new ones. But, I just could not get into Winter Shadows. There was nothing to grab me, not the heroine, not the hero (either one), and none of the secondary characters. Claire is bland and one-dimensional and I can't tell the two "heroes" apart half of the time, their personalities are so similar. I understand she's trying to write Christian speculative fiction, but the message, whatever it might be, gets lost because she lacks skill.
Had her writing been more active, I might have actually invested emotionally in the story, but truthfully, she needs writing lessons. Either from a college or just by picking up books on writing from the library. Her passion is there, but her skill falls sadly short. I hope before Casey attempts a second book that she takes the time to train herself. Writing is a craft, like any other, and it requires honing. Passion alone doesn't cut it. Working on her writing skills is the first step she needs to take, doing both herself and her readership a huge favor.