If You Dare by Erica Spindler : Book Review

If You Dare (Australia)
Author: Erica Spindler
Series: Lightkeeper 2
Publisher: Hachette Australia/ Sphere
Genre: Suspense, Mystery, Paranormal

It also has a different name

I got this book from Netgalley, and on the fine print, it says that this book has another name in some countries. And Amazon has it.

Triple Six

The Review

I got If You Dare not knowing that this is part of a series, since Netgalley allowed it, I read it. Fortunately for me, the author had kindly included a good summary for book one. So thank heavens for that, or else it would have been slightly more difficult to follow.

My second Erica Spindler book, I like her writing style, but never came back because there are other books in my TBR list that I had to catch first. Plus, I am also an impulse reader, and I have no compulsion to read more of her work yet.

If You Dare (or Triple Six) picks up where Zach and Micki Dare left off, if it were not for the summary, the book would have lost me. Because this one hit the ground almost running, setting up the pace for what is coming. Her writing style is still the same, neat and fast. There is a lot of tension going around the characters, even though they are on the same side. I guess this will be the main issue in the future parts of the series.

The biggest problem is that I did not enjoy reading how the characters keep on making obvious mistakes. Sometimes authors have to remember readers are not stupid. Detectives are supposed to be smart and analytical, not making too many emotional mistakes. However, the characters seem to be forgetting that part.

My other gripe is that the story seems a little slow. There is a lot of things going on in between the major plot, but all are strings for the series, and dangling everywhere. I got annoyed sometimes, when I really wanted the book to move forward but it stayed where it was for a few chapters.

Verdict

If the author saw my Tweet, I wonder what she would say? Like I said, I have read her work before. It was Red and it had the same pace as this one. This is probably her pace, can’t say that I like it much. The characters a solid, I particularly like Micki and her stubbornness. Zach has issues, and being a Lightkeeper is just part of it.

The Final Seven is the first book of this series, and will make more sense if you read that first. I do have my doubts overall for this series. Not because of the writing, but the story and plot is nothing new. What makes it worse, is that I could guess how it would end. The trajectory is set, and the characters are not ready. I have a hard time liking or relating to the characters, coupled with this normal story line, it is hard to say that this will be a great book.

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