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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great New Series, April 26, 2009
This review is from: Always Watching (The Rayne Tour, Book 1) (Paperback)
Shaley O'Connor has the kind of life most girls would do anything for: A rock star mom, limitless wealth, and the celebrity status to boot. What teenager wouldn't want to tour with one of the world's most famous bands? Unfortunately, the fame soon loses its power and appeal when one of Shaley's closest friends is murdered back stage at the latest concert. As new evidence comes to light she soon realizes her own life is in danger. Not knowing who to trust, Shaley turns to the God who has always seemed so far to help her in her greatest time of need.
Mother and daughter team Brandilyn and Amberly Collins have stormed onto the YA scene in exhilarating style with this great new series. Always Watching is a fast paced whodunit set against the intriguing backdrop of rock star celebrity. From the opening lines, we are immersed into Shaley's exciting life as a celebrity's daughter. It doesn't take long for us to see that fame is not all its cut out to be. Indeed Shaley's struggle to balance her public status with her true identity is one of the most interesting aspects of this story.
When you read Brandilyn Collins you expect mystery and thrills, and once again she doesn't disappoint. Her adult fans will find much to rave about here, while new teen readers will love the youthful voice and perspective that Amberly Collins brings to the table. Underlying the tension and dread is a strong spiritual message about trusting in the God who is always watching over us. In the end we are left with the closure we long for and a promise of even more mystery to come. The Rayne Tour is in full swing and you can guarantee that I won't miss a show.
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Shallow., December 19, 2009
This review is from: Always Watching (The Rayne Tour, Book 1) (Paperback)
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Could a novel targeted at middle school girls possibly be more cliched than this one? The characters in this book are not good role models for teenage girls. The multiple older men who are obsessed with the main character was a disturbing element that made me wonder what the authors could possibly have been thinking, especially given that one of them was depicted in a positive light.
This novel is a short, easy read. The mystery itself is actually quite good, with a red herring that can easily mislead, but with the actual killer well set up. But the mystery is the only thing about the book that's any good.
Where to start? The main character, Shaley O'Connor and her best friend Brittany are both 'popular and attractive' -- thin, beautiful, fashion and makeup conscious, with no subtlety or depth to their characters. Shaley is annoyingly immature; what depth she has involves whining and throwing temper tantrums about her missing father, and her famous mother who doesn't pay enough attention to her. She insists that she would give up all the money and perks for time with her mother, but in the very next scene is off spending atrocious amounts of money shopping for clothes.
Brittany, her best friend, is little more than an accessory. She has no personality, aside from the bizarre quirk of 'sometimes being able to see the future' (a very crude plot device that is used once, unnecessarily, at the beginning and is never useful again). She disappears when it's inconvenient to have her around, so that she's left behind several times when Shaley goes to do important stuff elsewhere. And when the time comes for Shaley to finally really break down and need comfort, even with Brittany right there, she calls in a third party to console her.
The authors also resort to the tired and over-used device of short cut-aways to the twisted mind of the killer in a sad attempt to up the suspense. These were so poorly done -- and utterly disturbing, given how pedophilic they became -- that I eventually just started skipping them.
There were so many elements that had potential, especially Shaley's relationship with her mother, but what could have been thoughtful and touching was handled clumsily and without any particular depth or insight. Top everything off with a few references to Jesus Christ clumsily jammed in, and the product wasn't worth the time I took reading it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Uneven, January 27, 2010
This review is from: Always Watching (The Rayne Tour, Book 1) (Paperback)
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"Always Watching" is a fast-moving mystery that begins when one of the members of a rock tour is murdered backstage. Shaley O'Connor, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the band's lead singer and star, is especially upset as she was a friend of the victim and also found the body. But the show must go on, and the band packs up and heads to the next venue. Meanwhile, Shaley gets frightening messages, receives words of comfort and religion from one of the band, is stalked by paparazzi, and receives an apparently psychic warning from her friend, who has flown in to join Shaley during the tour.
The story at the heart of the book is OK, but there are elements that don't seem to fit well. It is not clear, for example, whether the religious aspect is supposed to be taken as part of the book's message or merely as one character's views. Either one is fine, but the book seems to skirt uneasily between the two (especially with one character, Shaley's friend, who apparently has psychic visions). A major difficulty, at least for me, is that the book is not self-contained. There are two mysteries in the book. The first is the identity of the killer, and the second is the identity of Shaley's father. Only one is revealed. The other is teased for subsequent books. There's nothing wrong with a series, of course, but it's good to know ahead of time that the book is not self-contained. As for the mystery, I did not see any particular clues or red herrings, so those who want a chance to solve their mysteries will not have much of a chance here.
Finally, the characters seem too insignificant to really care about. Shaley, for instance, responds to the murder and the intense security around her by going shopping at a mall. The authors do go to lengths to establish Shaley's need to escape from a hotel room, but the destination is the point. Maybe this spoiled little rich girl will grow in future books. What I read here, though, doesn't make me want to find out.
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