Originally published in http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/528758074
What do you get when you have highlanders, lairds, clans, plaids, and shamans IN IRELAND? Well, you get Celtic Storms, of course!
I've never read this author, and never will again, but it is obvious that she mixed up Scotland with Ireland, BIG TIME. Advice to the writer: whenever you write a story about some point in history, make sure the historical aspects pertain to a particular culture/country. You wouldn't for example, write about how the Nazis during WWII were based in China right? Come to think of it, perhaps you would! Hmmm... hope I haven't given the author any new book ideas! (shudder)
Anyway, besides the fact that she made the Irish act Scottish, the story itself is a total mess. Dozens and dozens of characters that constantly walk in and out of 'stage'; chapter after chapter of dull description of the 'duties' of those characters and where they perform those duties; absolutely no character development of, well, anyone; by the time I read 52% of the book, the main characters haven't met yet. I'll repeat that: The main characters, that is, THE PURPORTED HERO AND HEROINE HAVEN'T MET YET HALFWAY THROUGH THE BOOK.
I actually got to the point in which I was asking myself: "Will I finish the book? Is it worth my precious time?" I admit though that I was curious as to how the heck the author was gonna make the characters 'fall in love' instantly (taking into consideration that she only had about a quarter of the book left for falling in love, then another quarter for beating the bad guy) when the heroine - an immature teenager (she's 17, but then magically turns 19) who supposedly acts and has the maturity of a 40 year old, even though she keeps demanding answers 'a la 21st century valley girl' from all her relatives the minute they arrived from a journey, no matter how tired they were:
"I WILL see her Minea; just you try and stop me!"
Darina continuously kept refusing to marry the hero (before he arrived), however she was extremely excited to meet him and actually decided to sneak up on him when he was bathing! Is this the conduct of a mature woman not interested in marrying? Is this the conduct of a 40 year old? I don't think so.
Let's not forget that the hero, Patrick, who is a man in his late twenties with insecurity issues (stutters), not to mention nightmares every night from a past horrific experience... but of course, a total hunk! We are explained/shown in a matter of fact way that he has telepathy and has a unique connection with his bride to be. And his bride-to-be wasn't shocked or anything that her future husband was communicating to her in an unconventional manner. She simply told him to 'get out of her head.'
Did I mention the 'bad guy (gal)' is a self professed witch who sacrifices children and uses sex in order to gain world power? Yup. And nope, I'm not making this up, REALLY.
The 'best' feature of the story? Even though I had decided to finish it just to see how it ended, it didn't. Yes, IT didn't... the story, that is. Cliffhanger ending!
Hanging DOES seem extremely attractive right now.
Celtic Storms
Reviewed by Romina on Mar 10 2013
Rating:
Reviewed by Romina on Mar 10 2013
Rating:
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