text: One tiresome, heavy-handed simile after another; agonizing, descriptive detail that unnecessarily prolongs action; simplistic, trite phrasing and dialogue -- characters constantly express vague but contradictory emotions in the same sentence, an obvious effort by the author to provoke interest or conflict which falls flat; routine characterization; a sentence or two slipped in during a scene or an unexpected circumstance placed at the end of a chapter meant to build plot and suspense read as forced and predictable; proofreading errors; fragmented, poor sentence structure -- this book is amateurish writing all the way around.  I cannot fathom the reasoning for the quality of the professional reviews which this work received.  I cannot understand the lack of proper editing.  I am an avid reader and approached this book with much enthusiasm, so imagine my disappointment when I was ready to put the book down a couple of pages into the Prologue!  In fairness to the author (and with a hopeful attitude), I forced myself through the first 70 or so pages, however with each turning page I found myself reading along just for sport, my mind constantly drifting and more and more incredulous (and annoyed) with this juvenile effort. What could have been a fascinating read due to the intriguing premise is instead a colossal waste of time. 
  