Reviews

The Helios Syndrome by Vivian Shaw

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tansy's review against another edition

3.25

Another one that I'd forgotten all about by the time I came to read it. For some reason I started this thinking it was set during World War II, (something about the cover design and the plot of necromancer + airplanes had connected it to 1946 film, "A Matter of Life and Death", in my head), and was extremely confused when I discovered it's set during the present day.

So it's set in the present day! Our hero is a necromancer who is employed by the US governement to investigate plane crashes. It's a frustratingly lightweight book. There's no revelation about what's causing the incident that's the main focus of the book, and while there's a hint of a future romantic relationship nothing happens between the characters in this book. This feels like the book version of a pilot episode - setting everything up for a series about psychic plane crash investigators and the sexual tension they have with their colleagues.

dvo's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

norabelle's review

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dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ally_d's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

careythesixth's review

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dark informative mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Man, I wanted to like this so much. But given how much nothing there is at the end, this book is making me mad. I didn't like Devon's altruistic turn because it felt so unnatural. Even more unnatural is the potential romance between Devon and Dooley. Wtf? And the book just kind of ends. I looked for more pages when I was done. I don't know. This irritated me.