Mystery / Thriller
Plot: Schonwalder’s moderately-paced plot centers around several disjointed events, settings, and time periods that come together via the perspective of the main character, Sepp.
Prose: The prose here repetitive, and meticulous detail is paid to events and scenes that at times feel unimportant to the storyline.
Originality: Schonwalder’s story is an original and fascinating work that charts the life of Sepp and how he relates to the sociopolitical climate of the world around him.
Character Development: The characters here often feel more like types than fully formed people, and some of that relates to a reliance on traditional gender roles. The female characters could be more vivid in their characterization.
Plot: This book has the potential to be an interesting family history, but the plotting and prose are often confusing. And this makes it hard for readers to fully engage with the text.
Prose: Readers will find Sofay's voice hard to follow and confusing at times. This issue is exacerbated by grammatical errors.
Originality: While the premise is promising, the execution falters. What could be an original tale is undercut by plotting and prose issues.
Character Development: Although it is sometimes difficult to get a picture of what the characters look like, Morton does make several of them stand out. Character development is the strongest element of the book.
Plot: The novel suffers from plotting issues. As is, the storyline feels choppy and thin. Attempts at cliffhangers are often unsuccessfully executed.
Prose: The prose is uneven, and does little to describe the book's setting or characters. Readers will wish to see the setting fleshed out and the pacing of scenes slowed down.
Originality: The novel makes use of tropes that will be familiar to readers of the genre. As a result, the book will have difficulty standing out in a crowded market.
Character Development: Hayden's characters are more like archetypes than individuals. Additionally, they remain stagnant throughout the novel, never really changing or growing.
