1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scarred by J.M. Snyder, May 8, 2008
In an post apocalyptic world, Dae owns a diner in an almost abandoned city. No law reigns unless the regulators' law, biker gang who patrolling the zone.
Dae must protect his younger sister and so he takes on him all the brutality of the gangs member, in particular of the leader. So now Dae is alive but his body is scarred, like his soul. He no more has hope.
But one day a new regulater arrives in the city: Coby is younger but he is also a born leader. But when he is with Dae, he has a gentle touch. He promises not to hurt Dae. He says he will return to Dae every night, and every night he returns. So maybe Dae can find some hope inside him.
This is a wonderful story, of a love who blossoms among the pain. Cody is so tender and caring, Dae, even if he is older, is like a baby who reborns with the gentle touch of Cody. It is also an over romantic story, and of passion, even if you will not find the mere act of sex: the passion is all in the magic touch of Cody, and a kiss will be the ultimate gift.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4.0 out of 5 stars
Difficult to read, but certainly not without merit, October 9, 2010
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 7/10
PROS:
- Some scenes in this book are so bittersweet and tender that they literally brought tears to my eyes. (Granted, the subject matter is something that strikes very close to home for me.)
- The setting is unusual and the premise is unique--unlike anything else I've ever encountered in this genre. The world of the story is bleak, and the characters succumb at times to despair and hopelessness. But this is why I found the hope that eventually does surface so uplifting.
- I really liked Dae, the narrator. He's incredibly brave--not because he's fearless (he doesn't have that arrogant bravado attitude), but because it's the only way he knows how to survive and how to protect his sister, even if it's at the cost of himself. The constant fear Dae lives with, along with the love and protectiveness he feels toward his sister, are well-depicted and established immediately at the beginning of the story.
- I was also intrigued by Coby right from the start, although with his being the leader of a gang, I wasn't too keen on liking him as the story's second protagonist. Snyder had to really work at winning me over in order to convince me Coby was worthy of Dae. (His gentleness toward Dae did win me over eventually.)
CONS:
- I found some scenes in this story very difficult to read. The main characters suffer immensely at the bad guys' hands, and Snyder does a good job of creating palpable fear and a sense of helplessness in the good guys.
- I didn't quite buy Coby as the leader of his gang of regulators. He's not particularly large or imposing, and he's such a sweet, tender character toward Dae that I raised my eyebrows at his ability to control such a large group of lawless ruffians.
- The story is told in present tense, which muddles things just a bit. It's difficult to tell at times whether Dae is making a general statement about the condition of his life or describing a specific instance as it's happening.
- The author sort of disregards the normal rules of punctuation, namely the proper use of commas. I'm pretty sure this is intentional to a certain degree, because the writing has a bit of a stream-of-consciousness feel to it, but after a while it started to grate on my nerves. Here's an example: "He just held me, that was all, he's still holding me, and for the first time ever I don't feel the rush of shaking him off, I don't feel dirty or unclean or soiled..."
Overall comments: There are scenes of fairly graphic and gruesome violence throughout this story, and if you have problems with reading about rape (like I do), I'd suggest you stay away from this one. Those scenes aren't described in excruciating detail or anything, but Dae's memory of them is fresh and haunting and realistic. This is a good story, but it's certainly not an easy read.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Scars that run deeper than Flesh., July 29, 2008
This book wasn't really the type of story I usually read, quite the opposite, I try to avoid these. But since it was by J.M. Snyder and she does intense and emotional drama very well, I couldn't help myself and read it.
Dae is deeply scarred in more ways then one. He's used to being abused and raped by pretty much every "regulator" (bikers who rules the city and claim everything they can) that comes to his restaurant. But one in particular takes pleasure in torturing him both mentally and physically. The reason that he accepts such abuse is to protect his sister, the only family he has left.
One day a new young regulator comes in and Dae assumes it's going to be the same old again. But this one is different. He doesn't demand and take anything from him and Dae quickly finds himself craving his presence, falling in love isn't too far behind either. Desperate to cling to something he never had before, Dae tries to make his sister see that he isn't like all the others. But she simply refuses to see it.
What will happen when the person who takes pleasure in making his life a living hell realizes that some new young guy is poaching on his territory?
Overall, the sister got annoying very very fast and I was doubting the intelligence of the main character as to how he handled situations that put his sister in danger by his own hands.
Nonetheless, it was sweet and touching.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
