I always thought great story telling is better than a great plot. I haven't met a book that proved me wrong. Take this book for example. Some parts were told in first person and some in second. Yes, second person. I mean who does that?! In fiction no less! I understand how the book is told in different perspectives and for some books that can work. The story telling has to be full proof, though. And whose voice does the second person story telling belong to? If that's not enough there are a couple of chapters towards the end that were told in third person. I blame artistic freedom. If you can get over the constant switching of voices you might like this.
Or not. Because Love is Red had such great potential if it didn't try to put so many ideas in one book. The birth of Jesus Christ and the alien wise man (I SHIT YOU NOT), some Wiccan tale which didn't really relate to the ... colors (don't even get me started with this), and of course the main mystery. This is the first book of a trilogy, if I might add. I got more questions than answers when I'm done. I'm hoping these will be clarified in the next two instalments, not that I'm holding my breath for those. Okay sorry but the colors ... the colors should've at least been mentioned at the beginning not in the middle with no explanations whatsoever.
I'm not saying the writing isn't good.
It is ... for the most part. I wouldn't finish it if not. And I also kind of understand why this is in first and second person because there are a couple of chapters written in 3rd person and this is how one sounded like:
Chapter 28: The woman opens her eyes. Her eyes are open in the darkness. It is too dark in here.
I rest my case.
I've always wondered whether authors ever get "competitive" to the point of being catty. This book might have answered that question but it's kind of funny in a way that I expected it from a female author and obviously John isn't a woman's name. Okay, I'm stereotyping but ... work with me here, k?
I picked this book up partly because it's a mystery crime, partly because it's cheap (think I got it for 30php on a second-hand book shop) and partly (but also mostly) because it's a book about books (and I later realized book scouts who I didn't know exists). This edition has a foreword of some sort from the author himself. I didn't read the whole thing but gist is that he was talking about book scouts and about how he himself is one, etc. Let's just say that it gives us (or at least me) an inkling that the author put a LOT of his personality in this book (maybe even the whole series). That being said, I would say that the author is a book snob. Nothing wrong with that, I'm just saying. Lol. It was funny how the character would say he wouldn't pick up a book by so and so or how so and so's books are a dime a dozen compared to so and so. I guess when writing something you always put yourselves on whatever it is but what I'm trying to say is that this is based in a world that he (used to?) live in so he already knows how things work and only has to do (maybe) a little research. So ... yeah, he put a lot of himself in it. I had to chuckle when one of the characters mentioned how Stephen King is too nice he always builds up other authors and their books but never his own. Lol.
Story-wise, I think the world Mr Dunning created using this series is an interesting one. One that book lovers *coughhoarderscough* like me would like to live in-- if you take away the murder parts. Lol. In general, I liked this first book of the series and I might even hunt down the rest of them. I only gave 3 stars, however, because I couldn't ... feel ... for the character Janeway and it's not because he's a guy. I liked that he's a book man, I liked that he's persistent as an investigator ... I don't know if I like to know him more than that. I particularly didn't care about his involvement with that woman (please read the book as I do not want to say more in case it's a spoiler), it's like it was put there for the Hollywood effect. There has to be a leading lady of some sort. I don't know if I like his personality and most people need to "like" another person for them to follow-up on said person, right? I guess I'm "most people" in that regard. He is arrogant, yes but what protagonist isn't? You wouldn't want to read about a meek character. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that there is something off about the character but I can't place it lol.
So yeah, overall this is an interesting read for book lovers.
