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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Reads more like a prologue than a fully realized stand-alone novel,
By
This review is from: Night Runner (Paperback)
*Advanced Reader Copy* (new 2009 US release) 2.5 stars
Ok, so this book wasn't awful but it wasn't really great either. I'm not a "Young Adult" but I don't discriminate against books that are written for that market. Many are still solid stories. Some YA books are YA because they write from a teenager character perspective. Some are YA because they tone down the sex/violence to suit a younger audience. And this book definitely does both. But what it unfortunately also does is try to write prose and dialogue in a "hip" manner - but badly. It reads like an adult who's trying a little hard to write young. The other issue with this book is that from the start, it's clearly set-up with a series mentality in mind. This first novel reads more like a prologue rather than a fully-fleshed out complete story. You're halfway through the book before ANYTHING happens. It's all just background and place setting. When the action does occur, it does so in weird fits and spurts. Some parts feel like filler while other parts fly past at warp speed. The very formulaic ending comes along exactly as you'd expect and features a "saw that coming 'surprise' bad guy reveal/betrayal," a character who's "more than meets the eye" and two other characters who are thrown completely into a ridiculous "buddy" role to the main character. It also ends just as one would when planning further novels - an ambiguous "end" to the Big Bad Character of the book. I think there's potential for author Max Turner should he get some further experience in writing novels. Tighter editing, more polish and better character development would all go a long way to improving the reading experience of his book. He's a first time author with this novel and it sadly shows in many ways. Still, it's not all bad. It may read better for those of a younger demographic that aren't so versed in typical novel-writing formula. I do fear that if the series does continue but the writing does not improve, it may turn off it's target audience eventually as said audience grows, matures and is left feeling a little "talked down to" by the current "voice" used in the first book.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Night Runner: A Novel (Paperback)
Zack Thompson is different. Instead of living in an orphanage, he lives in a mental ward and that's because he's basically allergic to everything - from specific foods to even the sun. Zack lives a nocturnal life - running, reading, and eating at night and sleeping during the day.
Zack thinks nothing of his lifestyle until an old man crashed a motorcycle into the mental ward. Suddenly, Zack is thrown into an extraordinary adventure. Along for the ride is Zack's best childhood friend, Charlie, and a new, intriguing, beautiful girl named Luna. Not only will Zack figure out about his odd living arrangements and his family, but Zack will find out what he is. And it isn't human. Max Turner writes a thrilling novel that draws the reader in right from the beginning. Broken up into relatively short chapters, this novel is full of twists and turns that will never leave the reader bored. Reviewed by: Steph
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
New Teen vampire series.,
By Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Night Runner: A Novel (Paperback)
"Zack" Thomson's famous archaeologist father died years ago. He had been crushed in Libya when some ruins fell upon him. That day Zack became an orphan. Instead of being placed in a foster home or orphanage, Zack was admitted to a mental facility. Due to his strange allergies to the sun, among other things, it was the only place that could properly care for him.
For eight years Zack has been content residing in the mental hospital. Now he is fifteen-years-old. Other than Charlie Rutherford, who is one year older, Zack's only real friend has been Nurse Ophelia. Charlie visits at night on weekends and the two are simply teen guys doing teen things, such as playing video games on huge monitors. As for Nurse Ophelia, she makes the best strawberry smoothies. That is good since it is the ONLY thing Zack can eat. (Goes back to his allergies and medical conditions.) Yet everything changes when a man crashes through the lobby wall on a motorcycle and tells Zack to run. Soon afterward Zack meets his uncle, Maximilian. This is how Zack learns that he has no allergies or medical conditions. Zack had been bitten by a vampire, Baron Vrolok, the day his father died. Maximilian is a vampire hunter and had been his father's partner. Before Maximilian can take over Zack's care and help him learn what he needs for survival, Everett Johansson arrives. Everett is in the service of the vampires, possibly Baron Vrolok, and Zack must flee. **** FOUR STARS! I believe teens will enjoy this new vampire series most. After all, the main "good guys" are teens and the story-line follows young Zack; however, many adults may find themselves intrigued as well. I certainly was. (The author lives in Canada, so if you live in America please know that some words are spelled slightly different from what you are used to.) This story moves at a good, steady pace and more than a few surprises spring up to keep readers on their toes. All-in-all, this title builds a strong foundation on which the author could build a fascinating series. Lots of potential shows within these pages. I look forward to the next installment. **** Reviewed by Vanessa Storme for Huntress Reviews.
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