Customer Reviews

A Touch of Night

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Over the last six years, I have read literally hundreds of P&P "what ifs" and have even written three of them. If you are looking for something unusual and totally out of the box as far as imagination and creativity goes, then this is it. Although it is taken from P&P, it is a tale set in a kingdom far, far away in the land of make-believe where were-creatures roam the land and are hunted down for sport because, human by day, they transform into beautiful mythological beings of the night. They are gentle, loving, kind, and even humorous at times, but are so misunderstood. However, Miss Elizabeth does understand. Though not a were-creature herself, she does know a few, so when she meets this beautiful were-dragon, she cannot help but be captivated by his sad eyes. Can you guess who he is? For $4.99, trust me on it, this is a must have book for every Austen collection, and like I've said, I've read just about everything there is. My only regret is that it is not available in paperback. :(

I am not going to critique the content of this work, as my opinion is negatively affected by the authors turning Jane Austen into: "the most beautiful of the five daughters: curls like spun gold, classical features, porcelain complexion, and an elegant figure..." with simpering, syrupy manners and "beautiful, pale hand[s]."

(just a tip: to avoid clichés in your work, imagine what "spun gold" actually is like: be real, be gritty, be specific. You can't, can you? It's a stock phrase used very, very often. It is more effective to use a simile that is real and fresh, that evokes how the hair appears to your imagination.)

Jane is a saucer-eyed blonde who cries. Jane Austen. Yep. Jane Austen, that lady whose sharp wit and keen observation of her neighbors, whose fiery determination to write in an era where it wasn't approved of led her to sew together books that were tiny enough for her to conceal in her clothing; who managed in spite of the lack of support and constant interruptions to create several great works that are still living and breathing today, this Jane, our brilliant, (and dare I add? Brunette) Jane, is reduced to a whimpering blonde with hair "like spun gold." as though pretty looks are her biggest achievement. The mind revolts.

But I wasn't going to start...I need to rein myself in, here.

I do have to mention, for the literary types that might stumble on this book unprepared: the author misquotes (twice) one of the most famous opening lines ever written, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the line is, in fact, an impeccable example of IRONY (in this book the line is taken completely literally, thus destroying its wry humor and beauty).

I will confine myself to saying : someone please take pity on this poor book and edit it.

Here are some examples:

"And also that any were-animal would assume any human of non-were kind was enimical. [sic]" This is a complete sentence, the spelling is not of my creation.

"She could only imagine what a servant would think upon finding the hidden ladder hidden."

A Touch of Night is a fantastical retelling of Pride and Prejudice. If you enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, you will be delighted with this book. It is romantic, humorous and suspenseful, but our beloved characters from Austen's masterpiece live an even happier ever after! I enjoyed it so much I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to try this author's other books.

To really enjoy this book, it is necessary to be acquainted with either the book or movies of Pride and Prejudice. I loved this version: the vision of Mr. Collins made me laugh out loud and how they dealt with Wickham was much more satisfying than the original.

I just finished A Touch of Night and I really enjoyed it. I've learned to not have high expectations from free downloads and usually delete them as soon as I've read them. This one is a keeper! There were parts that made me laugh out loud and I can't say that about my beloved copy of the original Pride and Prejudice.

(I rarely like zombies, so I'd been quite "meh" about P&P mashups. Now I'm taking a fresh look!) Anyway! This is a very fun book. And, despite some presentational flaws, I'm rounding up five stars. (I'm an evil, evil stickler for copy-editing (watch the typos breed in my text now!), so dock half a star for typos in the version I read.)

The two flaws:

1: There are a fair smattering of comma-errors, and one search-and-replace that turned "ramrod" to "raMr.od" -- probably because "Mr Name" is appropriate for UK/Regency spelling, and "Mr. Name" is required by American custom. There are a few other typos, but it's hardly unreadable -- and I am *terribly* touchy about such things. Other people are likely to be less-bothered. (And there is always a chance that the author might upload a repaired file; ebooks are handy that way!)

2: I quibble about the cover art. The dragon should be far more noble, much larger, and without the smirk. This is one of the times when the book should not be judged by the cover.

So. Ignore the cover art, and cope with the typos, and develop a big grin. Pride and Prejudice meets were-creatures, from wolves to bears to dogs to dragons, and while I enjoyed the original P&P -- I do admit, adding were-dragons has quite improved it for me! No only do Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy have to cope with the usual sorts of misunderstandings of the era, but certain misunderstandings are compounded by the need to speak around delicate matters, which permits people to assume... quite different things, to the amusement (i.e., hysterical giggles) of the reader. Add in a dash of Noble Selflessness even when the true misunderstandings are resolved, and the romance is quite properly complicated.

Also, since were-creatures' clothing does not change with them, there's a certain amount of "fan-service" -- though appropriately glossed! (No purple prose paroxysms of Paranormal P... er, Romance, though the admiring of a well-muscled body is perhaps not entirely period.)

All this, and currently a freebie? Download it! It's an entertaining read.

I have not read Pride and Prejudice but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even though it is a retelling of P&P, the story stands well on its own.

I have read the original and the zombie version. I did not care for the original. The zombie version was better, but it was still 60% the original book and only helped the story be a bit less boring. This book has almost no dialogue by Mrs. Bennet and the plot makes a lot more sense than the zombie version. It is far easier to relate to the characters than in the original version. I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. Four stars because it was not absolutely fantastic, just very good.

An adventurous tale with innovative ideas. I enjoyed the story very much with the twists and turns of magic involved. Makes for a lively tale appealing to all ages.

I started this book thinking it would be an amusing, urban fantasy-style alternate universe for Pride & Prejudice, only to discover, to my horror, that Elizabeth Bennet thinks homosexuality is a deviance and abomination. She's perfectly open and accepting of were-creatures, of course. It's just she keeps thinking Darcy and Bingley are gay (and that it's bad for them to be gay), because the entire plot would be ruined if she realized they were were-creatures before the plot called for a reveal.

Yes, it's historically accurate, but surely the authors could have come up with some kind of "comic" misunderstanding that would be both historically accurate as well as not offensive to modern readers? It's out and out insulting to LGBT folks and allies.

I know the book is free, but skip it anyway. It's not even worth wasting Kindle drive space on.