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A review by sparksofember
Huntress by Julie Hall
2.0
The book was uneven – there would be pages of description or info-dump conversations but then it would swing action-packed and exciting and be zipping along - and then suddenly grind back to a halt with more poetic description and lengthy conversation. So much preachy conversation. Which didn't even make sense since everyone is dead and in *heaven* therefore presumably already has a relationship with Christ but since Audrey doesn't have her memories, we get to hear everything from scratch. This was my number one clue this book is self-published.
75% of the conflict came from characters withholding information because “we don’t know if you’re supposed to know” (which made no sense) and the other 25% was refusal to communicate.
I did enjoy the snarky dialogue and sarcasm, there were several times Audrey made me laugh with her inner dialogue. But too many things didn’t make sense or were unrealistic. Maybe they are explained in the sequels but they were just accepted and not even questioned.
I had to read the "kiss to hide" scene to my teenage daughter and nieces, it was such a cheesy kdrama trope that made us all lol (but also cringe).
There were several times when I wondered if the author was a teenager.
And the ending, I thought, completely undid the lesson she supposedly learned in her "talk to Jesus" moment (which I found absolutely killed the story pace too).
My last issue was theology-ish. This heaven has marriage and romance and dating. With some characters waiting until their beloved finishes life on earth and comes to join them. But what about people who have remarried? It conveniently ignores that question. It also had injuries and people still struggling with sinful natures – honestly, it felt like earth but with magical abilities rather than any kind of heavenly afterlife. Calling it Purgatory or having some kind of "this isn't really how Heaven will be" disclaimer would have gone a long way to alleviating that. But without it, it's hard to filter the heavy doses of Biblical truth from all the fiction.
75% of the conflict came from characters withholding information because “we don’t know if you’re supposed to know” (which made no sense) and the other 25% was refusal to communicate.
I did enjoy the snarky dialogue and sarcasm, there were several times Audrey made me laugh with her inner dialogue. But too many things didn’t make sense or were unrealistic. Maybe they are explained in the sequels but they were just accepted and not even questioned.
Spoiler
Like why did the ancient weapon described in the blurb choose Audrey? Is the archangel Gabriel normally assigned as personal bodyguard to training hunters/huntresses? Would such a mighty warrior seriously be startled by a scream into dropping his sword?I had to read the "kiss to hide" scene to my teenage daughter and nieces, it was such a cheesy kdrama trope that made us all lol (but also cringe).
There were several times when I wondered if the author was a teenager.
And the ending, I thought, completely undid the lesson she supposedly learned in her "talk to Jesus" moment (which I found absolutely killed the story pace too).
My last issue was theology-ish. This heaven has marriage and romance and dating. With some characters waiting until their beloved finishes life on earth and comes to join them. But what about people who have remarried? It conveniently ignores that question. It also had injuries and people still struggling with sinful natures – honestly, it felt like earth but with magical abilities rather than any kind of heavenly afterlife. Calling it Purgatory or having some kind of "this isn't really how Heaven will be" disclaimer would have gone a long way to alleviating that. But without it, it's hard to filter the heavy doses of Biblical truth from all the fiction.