Performancing Metrics

Pages

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Torn by Dean Murray

Title: Torn (Reflections #1)

Author: Dean Murray

Release Date: 10/17/11 (ebook)

Reviewed by Sabrina

Shape shifter Alec Graves has spent nearly a decade trying to keep his family from being drawn into open warfare with a larger pack. The new girl at school shouldn't matter, but the more he gets to know her, the more mysterious she becomes. Worse, she seems to know things she shouldn't about his shadowy world.

Is she an unfortunate victim or bait designed to draw him into a fatal misstep? If she's a victim, then he's running out of time to save her. If she's bait, then his attraction to her will pull him into a fight that'll cost him everything.

My Thoughts

I'm starting to think I am not a reader for the YA paranormal anymore.

What I can say about Torn is that its most aspect is Alec's struggles with his pack and how he tries to put them under control. The characters were fleshed-out well enough. There were some awkward words here and there. There are somethings that could have been improved.  

Adri could have more action in the later part of the novel. She greatly felt like she was weighing Alec's pack down. I would have preferred if more was revealed about her in Torn. I was confused about her complete trust for Alec and Alec's full-blown affection for her that developed halfway through. There were not enough scenes before to support, well, why. Initially, whenever they were around each other, there was hatred and anger.

Alec could be really frightening at times. I understand that he has a lot of pressure on him (since he is the pack leader and shifter instincts make everything intense, after all) but there is only so much I can tolerate.

There is a companion novel, Broken, which is told in Adri's point-of-view that is said to fill up a lot of missing/needed parts of this story. If so, I think that it would have been much better if those two were just put together.

5 comments:

  1. I have to admit I am a sucker for shifter books. I find them much more interesting than vampires. Given that Alec is the pack leader scary is probably a good trait! Disappointing that it wasn't as good as you'd hoped. Maybe you would like the companion novel better?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi,Sabrina.

    Firstly, thanks a bunch for agreeing to give Torn a try. I'm sorry to hear that it wasn't so much you kind of book. I believe I also sent you a copy of Broken, so you'll have that in case you want to see if it suits you more, but I completely understand if you decide to pass. Best of luck in the continuing hunt for more good books :)

    Dean

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lan,

    I have to admit to loving both vampire books and shifter books, but shifters currently seem to have a pretty completely lock on my imagination.

    If you'd like a review copy of either Broken or Torn please let me know. They each have a different feel to them.

    Torn is more intense, moves a lot faster and focuses a bit more on pack life.

    Broken is a slower build and focuses more on the romance side of things.

    As a result they tend to target different demographics, but it's been encouraging to see the way that people who read one and like it will then turn around and read the other and like it even better despite the fact that it's outside of their 'ideal' book category. It's really been largely about trying to help people start with the book that they are most likely to like.

    Enough with the self promotion-headed over to check out your blog now!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I read all 3 books broken/ torn and splintered I just wanted to know more will they ever get back together. I just didn't like the ending where she just walked away. I was hoping that they would have ended up together and all. I hope there is another novel soon about both Alec and adri..

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi there, of course this article is genuinely nice
    and I have learned lot of things from it concerning
    blogging. thanks.

    Feel free to surf to my webpage - continue reading
    My web site - payday loans online same day

    ReplyDelete

Each comment means a lot to us! We'll try to get back to you here or, if you have one, on your blog!