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A review by faedarling
Flames of Truth by Annie Crawford, A.C. Pontone
3.0
Good ideas and plot...but poor execution. There were many parts in the story where the writing was just stellar, but most of it was a little lacking. The pace was too fast and important plot points were sped through. Like way too fast. To give this book the flow it needs, to aid in the story itself, another hundred pages needs to be added. The story itself is good. I like it and it has potential to kick ass, but not as it is.
First, James mentions that when you find your “twin flame” it’s all consuming. He says “They say that when you find your Twin Flame, the earth trembles under your feet. All at once you realize that up until that moment, your life has been incomplete. The moment you enter into contact with your other half, the world as you know it begins to crumble and a whole new world takes its place, only this time it’s different because it’s whole and complete.” But none of them realized she was their twin flame at first, so they treated her like dirt. I like the bully trope, don’t get me wrong, but this wasn’t that. This was “bully” to “mate” in the span of a few pages. They only changed their tune because of who she was, not because they actually started developing feelings.
Second, there was an overuse of exclamation points. I have trouble taking characters seriously when everything is written with an exclamation point. Especially with Dave and Cam. They’re the more serious ones, yet their inner musings are full of them. They also have very similar demeanors. RH should have very distinct personalities to keep the story/relationships spicy and to add real elements. My favorite example is Power of Five by Alex Lidell. She made her men very distinct. If she were to put out a new book, and gave us all quotes from the book, we’d be able to tell who said what. That’s important. Otherwise, they all just blend together in tedium. Kai was the only one who was really different. James was the “leader” and was closed off. Dave and Cam were essentially the same personality.
Third, and most frustrating, is Emma herself. Emma seems to have a split personality-emotional teenage girl and brave hard ass. This isn’t to say that feelings aren’t cool, because they are, but this was too conflicting. This girl had the weight of the world on her shoulders and managed it with her “walls” and determination (sound familiar?). But then, a few pages later, we’d read the emotional side for a long time. She “doesn’t care” what the bullies think, yet is always crying or fighting tears. She’s both incredibly mature and incredibly immature.
I hope that the author can go back and rerelease the series after some work. It has the potential to be soo much more.
First, James mentions that when you find your “twin flame” it’s all consuming. He says “They say that when you find your Twin Flame, the earth trembles under your feet. All at once you realize that up until that moment, your life has been incomplete. The moment you enter into contact with your other half, the world as you know it begins to crumble and a whole new world takes its place, only this time it’s different because it’s whole and complete.” But none of them realized she was their twin flame at first, so they treated her like dirt. I like the bully trope, don’t get me wrong, but this wasn’t that. This was “bully” to “mate” in the span of a few pages. They only changed their tune because of who she was, not because they actually started developing feelings.
Second, there was an overuse of exclamation points. I have trouble taking characters seriously when everything is written with an exclamation point. Especially with Dave and Cam. They’re the more serious ones, yet their inner musings are full of them. They also have very similar demeanors. RH should have very distinct personalities to keep the story/relationships spicy and to add real elements. My favorite example is Power of Five by Alex Lidell. She made her men very distinct. If she were to put out a new book, and gave us all quotes from the book, we’d be able to tell who said what. That’s important. Otherwise, they all just blend together in tedium. Kai was the only one who was really different. James was the “leader” and was closed off. Dave and Cam were essentially the same personality.
Third, and most frustrating, is Emma herself. Emma seems to have a split personality-emotional teenage girl and brave hard ass. This isn’t to say that feelings aren’t cool, because they are, but this was too conflicting. This girl had the weight of the world on her shoulders and managed it with her “walls” and determination (sound familiar?). But then, a few pages later, we’d read the emotional side for a long time. She “doesn’t care” what the bullies think, yet is always crying or fighting tears. She’s both incredibly mature and incredibly immature.
I hope that the author can go back and rerelease the series after some work. It has the potential to be soo much more.