Customer Reviews

Through A Glass Darkly

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

 

 

A doctoral student in psychology, Lily Wright has been suffering from depression and starts having disturbing dreams and memory flash backs. She starts to believe that she suffered some trauma while on vacation four years ago. The author did a good job building suspense as the flashbacks increased, and you begin to worry about what they mean. As she meets Gabriel and they start their romance, we meet a 'bad guy' that is after them for unexplained reasons. The story is a mix of action, suspense, mystery, drama and romance. But its sweet romance, not sexy.

There are quite a few parallels to Twilight, so the story felt unoriginal. After reading all the reviews that complained about this, I tried to keep an open mind going in. I've read hundreds of books in the paranormal/urban fantasy genre and its hard for authors to keep coming up with something that hasn't been done before. But there were really too many similiarities reminding me of Twilight.

Overall I still enjoyed the story but I have to knock back some stars for copycatting. And the lack of sex was hard for me to get. Both Lily and Gabriel had had sexual relations before (in Gabriel's case many, many times), and it seemed unrealistic that they would be so in love but not be able to have the sexual bonding with each other. Not saying the book needs graphic sex scenes, but just that realistically for love to last they would need more than a platonic relationship with no sex ever again. That was a big thing left unresolved. I also would have liked more world building around being a vampire. That wasn't handled as well as many other paranormal romances I've read.

All in all, this was an OK paranormal romance. An enjoyable little read, but certainly not one of the stronger ones out there. If you are looking for good paranormal romance or urban fantasy, check out my list of favorites....
http://www.amazon.com/Paranormal-action-romance-must-reads/lm/R214ESW3HL12HM/ref=tag_lag_rb_munk_lmfull
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i bought this book a few months,but kept putting it off. i wish i would of read it as soon as it arrived. i lovvved it! it took me less then a day to read,i couldnt put it down. it was kind of like twilight,but to me,much better. read this book,it wont disappoint!

I really enjoyed reading this story (though it was reminiscent of Twilight to me). Maybe it's b/c I just recently completed grad school myself, but I found the character Lily (a grad student) to be a fleshed out character that I could relate to.

I admit I was reluctant to buy the book b/c of the price, and the fact that I had never read anything else by this author. But I figured it couldn't hurt anything to get a sample of the story sent to my Kindle. But I was so pulled into the story that at the end of the sample I just *had* to buy the book. And I'm glad I did.

I found that I cared about what would happen to the characters, and wanted the main characters to make it as a couple. She portrayed the hero, not just the heroine, as more than a one dimensional character. And I was pleasantly surprised that she made him a rather humorous character at points also.

Even the "side" characters had a sub-plot that I found interesting and that added to the story, rather than just being meaningless filler that takes away from the main story (as so many books do). I especially like the friendship between Lily and Ethan. It rang true to me, and added a surprising level of depth to the story (that didn't revolve around the main romance).

The book provided many hours of reading enjoyment. I laughed out loud many times while reading this book, and am looking forward to the sequel. I hope the next book dives more into the culture of the vampires in the world the author crafted (and whether any other supernatural creatures inhabit it).

I think fans of vampire stories (and those who enjoyed Twilight, but wish it had less teen angst) will really appreciate this story.

...but it never gets over your head, either. This is not Twilight, folks, and thank god for that. TAGD revolves around grown-ups with real, adult lives, written with such detail and attention that you might swear you know these people. Ms. Webster creates a beautiful but plausible world, asking you to suspend belief in only the smallest ways. I am looking forward to the follow-up novel, as I can't wait to see where these carefully crafted characters are headed.

The best thing about this book is that, despite it's obvious science-fiction angle, it is actually well-grounded in reality. The ordinary, day-to-day interactions of the characters are written in such a naturalistic way that you strongly identify with them and feel as though you could bump into them during the course of your own day. It is this sense of reality that allowed me (typically a non-sci-fi reader) to enjoy the book over all, including the more fantastical portions. Very well-written, especially for a debut novel; I'm excited to see where the story goes!

Mrs. Webster does a great job in creating a world in which I fell into. She always left me wanting more at the end of each chapter. It was not only a great buy, but a great read as well. There were similarities to Twilight, but Webster put her own spin on it; making it more unique and mature. I am looking forward to a sequel. I'm excited to see where these characters are headed! (:

I am not a fan of the Vanpire genre but found this book to be an excellent read. It is well written with adult characters that you care about. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Ms. Webster is definitely an up and coming new author.

For those who love Richelle Mead and Charlaine Harris, Jennifer Webster is a must have in your library. Her story combines the normal with the paranormal in a way that allows the reader to escape reality without being totally ungrounded. I love the local settings and the strength of the leading lady. I can't wait see what is in store for Lily in the next book.

This is an amazing book. Intriguing story, amazing characters, extremely well written. It has everything I love: romance, fantasy, drama, sci-fi. You won't be able to put it down! Adult "Twilight" fans, you MUST read this book - you will love it!!! This author is going to be big!

I loved this book. I don't usually read sci-fi books, but since one of my professors wrote it I thought I would give it a try. I'm glad I did. It was extremely well written and I loved how most of the book took place right next to my own home. I can't wait for the rest to come out and for her book signing at Barnes and Nobles!