Customer Reviews

Zhena

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

 

 

Liked:

This book had the potential to be a 5 star publication.

The plot was incredible and extremely well executed. It was a "page-turner" in every sense of the phrase.

The characters were amazingly realistic. I found myself truly identifying with the main character.

There was not a "deux ex machina" to be found in this book. Every move the main character made was what you would expect of someone in her position. The danger and escapes were never contrived.

Disliked:

The book was simply filled with errors in text. It was hard to say where it was Kindle formatting or editing that created the problems.

As far as formatting, the biggest issue was the fact that there were no page or line breaks between switches in scene or point of view. Many times, the switch would occur without even showing a new paragraph. One sentence is from the main character's point of view, and the next sentence is from another character in a completely different location.

The actual writing, while showing plenty of talent, still was amateurish in places. There were repetitions within paragraphs such as, 'and then' or 'also'.

Overall:
If you can ignore the errors and formatting and read for just the plot and storyline, get this book. It is well worth the money. If this author could get this book 'cleaned up', it would be a bestseller to give Tom Clancy a run for his money.

Length: Full Novel

Rating: PG-13 for violence

I really enjoyed the way this book jumped right into the action and never really stopped moving. The character of Susan is a great tough female character willing to do anything to protect herself and her family and at no point is she presented as being at all disadvantaged physically because she is a female. Her innate (in multiple senses) intelligence let's her always stay a step ahead of her antagonists.

The main premise (very deep "sleepers") actually seems somewhat plausible (perhaps not now, but in the future perhaps) and in addition to being frightening it creates a realistic reason for the main character being able to do what she can do.

My only complaint would be that occasionally the dialog doesn't always feel natural and the exposition seems somewhat forced at times. But in the end it doesn't detract from the book being a fun read.

A good summer read (entertaining, page-turner). I could actually see this book working well as a movie.

Zhena is a thrilling page turner about a Navy wife, Susan who receives a strange phone call and suddenly her world is turned upside down. Suddenly she has martial arts experience, the ability to analyze every little detail of a given situation, and the capability to speak Russian. There is also a voice in her head gearing her towards the "Mission."

Michael Pennington is a talented author and proves it with Zhena. I was utterly engrossed from page one. I stayed up way too late trying to finish this book. I liked the main character, Susan. She is incredibly capable and intelligent without seeming to have super powers or the ability to suddenly overcome a situation no other human could. The book is fast paced with twists and turns. If you enjoy spy thrillers or suspense novels, I think you will enjoy this book.

My main criticism: I will agree with another reviewer that mentioned the formatting or editing. It desperately needs an editor or proof-reader or someone to go through and make some corrections. If you can get past this, read the book. If you can't, hold off because it might decrease your enjoyment of an otherwise spectacular book.

I did feel that Susan's story ended a tad abruptly but all loose ends were tied up so I'm not upset by this. I thoroughly enjoyed the last chapter. I didn't fully see the ending coming - it was a subtle twist. I will definitely read more from this author when he writes another one. No doubt about that.

The description sounded intriguing, unfortunately the actual book did not measure up to my expectations. There were numerous errors in the book, typos, extra words or repeated words that made no sense, partial sentences, etc. This example is found at the end of the book, typed exactly as it appears: "Sometimes he wondered if the people he worked for realized the sort of things he Naturally, he had an extremely was learning. high security clearance."
There were many other examples of similar errors; I stopped counting at five, there were many more.

I had to force myself to continue reading, hoping it would get better, or at least answer some questions. It didn't. I was left with more questions than answers. There was plenty of action, although the dialoque especially seemed stilted at times. The plot was good, but the book could have been much better.

Zhena is great entertainment. It has an intriguing premise that promises a sequel. Best of all, Zhena is unpredictable. The author holds your interest to the very end. It is a mystery, spy story, and action tale in one. The characters are well developed and real. You will root for the good guys. Zhena is a complete story, but leaves a few questions not completely resolved. If there is a sequel, I want it.