With the exception of a very few (for example Chelsea Fine’s “Sophie & Carter“) I get unabashedly irritated with short novels. Not all short novels mind you; the ones that have a beginning, middle and an end (aka novellas) aren’t so bad. But series novels that stop when they just get started drive me insane. So imagine my angst when I found out that I (excitedly) agreed to review an 89 page fantasy novel. (*gasp*)
Luckily for me (and Ms. Tyler since I tend to go off on people that annoy me) if this novel had been even 1 page longer my opinion of it may not be quite so friendly.
See…contrary to popular belief (and by popular belief I mean my son) I do enjoy things other than books. One of those things is TV. That’s right…I am a TV whore. One of the reasons I like TV so much is the anticipation of what will come next. (kind of like books without the years worth of waiting in between) What does this have to do with “Two Moons of Sera?” Absolutely nothing…I enjoy being wildly random. (Just kidding; I’m not that mean.) What struck me about Tyler’s work was that it read like a very well written pilot episode that flipped to credits at the exact moment that you were sucked in.
So why wasn’t I horrified by this? To be honest…I’m not quite sure (maybe I’m feeling generous due to the holiday season) but the fact remains that despite it’s untimely ending, I REALLY enjoyed this book!
Now, before I go on…let me first tell you what the book is actually about.
“In a world where water and earth teem with life, Serafay is an anomaly. The result of genetic experiments on her mother’s water-borne line Serafay will have to face the very people responsible to discover who she really is. But is she the only one?”
For a book so short, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out how beautifully detailed it was. Despite it’s lightning pace and it’s under-developed plot (only because this was very obviously a “set-up” novel for the series) Tyler’s descriptions were vast and abundant, creating a world only her artists mind could dream up. In fact…this detail alone makes me wonder what Tyler could have created if she had allowed her writing scale (length) a little more freedom.
The dialogue (and character building) however is where I think Tyler really left her mark. While her lead character Serafay was well spoken her counterpart Tor was not. His language skills where underdeveloped and his mannerisms brusk causing tension and moments of emotional flare-ups that may have been absent if they were on the same level.
And…as if that wasn’t enough, there were some killer life lessons strewn throughout the read.
For instance:
“It’s easy not to care when you have what you want. It’s the longing that makes us act the fool.”
“It’s difficult to identify the void within you until something fills it, showing you the piece that had been missing all along.”
So what is my overall impression of this teeny tiny teaser of a novel?
Great start to a promising series that, (if Tyler maintains her style of writing) won’t take up too much of your time but is sure to entertain.
Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: share your similarities and celebrate your differences.
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[Rating:4/5]
Book Trailer
