Thursday 29 September 2016

Read in 2016 - 33: Jessica's Haunting

"Jessica's Haunting" by Tina A. Gaskins could have been a relatively good book, if it had been written by a skilled writer. As it was, though, this writer did not show much skill. I don't know how old Ms Gaskins is, but something in her style made me think that she is, like an astonishing number of people, of the opinion that "anyone can write a book" as long as they have a good idea for a story.



The story here is something of a ghost story, but not of the horror kind. Instead, the ghost in this case is the benevolent spirit of Jessica's boyfriend who died in an accident and keeps haunting her until he can be sure she has finally found true love and happiness.

The weird thing is that he is convinced she can find both only with his twin brother. A lot of people (last but not least, this reader) find the idea of getting together with the twin of a lost loved one a bit odd, if not to say slightly repulsive. No person can really ever replace another person, can they? And the author goes to great lengths to have her heroine explain that she is not at all seeking to replace her deceased boyfriend, but that the two men are very different.

It all is rather improbable and unlikely, also the extremely stubborn, stupid and aggressive way the two main characters often talk to each other and behave.

What kept me going, you may ask, and rightly so. Well, I did want to know whether the stuff I thought was going to happen would happen (it did, mostly) and how certain situations were going to develop.

But the unskilled writing (especially noticeable in the rather wooden dialogue which often went on unnecessarily for story and character development) really made me consider stopping a few times. I probably should have done so, but it's too late now. Just let me advise you NOT to download and read this book, even if you come across it as a free ebook (as I did).

8 comments:

  1. I notice you read a lot of "free" books and I wonder if, on balance, they aren't a waste of your time. I've had no luck finding good reading with the freebies from Amazon and no longer bother with them.

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    1. You do have a point there, Jill. Yes, most of my ebook reads were free downloads, but every now and then, I have been lucky and found something really good - such as the "Yorkshire Grit" series, which I have reviewed a few weeks ago.
      Also, the book I am reading right now was free and I really like it. It is about a man who had a stroke and was in a coma for 6 years before waking up and having to re-learn even the most basic human skills.

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  2. Thanks for the warning....
    I have found some good mysteries among the free or very cheap amazon books. Before I read one I look at the rating and the reviews and consider whether this is the sort of book I enjoy.

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    1. That is something I never do - I only look at the reviews AFTER I have read a book, to compare if others feel the same about it as I.

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  3. I admire your discipline when it comes to reviewing books - even the ones you did not particularly like :)

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    1. When I do not like a book, I think it is fair to explain why not. Of course it is not always down to bad writing or editing, and I think an honest review can help others - and even the author him/herself.

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  4. I was going to say something similar to Jill....on the whole, you seem to be mostly unimpressed with the free books you read. I can't finish something I don't enjoy. Although I will admit I spend too much on books.

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    1. It is rare that I break off a book. It feels like giving up, not giving the book/the author a chance.
      But I have recently deleted a few books unread from my kindle.

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