Today I’m reviewing the PNR novel Irony of Time by M.L. Crum.
It involves a young woman, traumatized throughout her life by a tragedy she
believes she caused, and the immortal, supernatural creature who inadvertently
gives her a chance to go back and fix it.
I did not finish this book. I made it as far as Chapter
Eleven before my drive faltered. I feel like the story had potential…but I just
couldn’t go any further.
I give this book a 2/5. Here is my breakdown.
Characters: 2.5/5. Meh. I felt no real attachment to any of
the characters. There wasn’t any defining conflict or development that really
made either of them stand out. The protagonist had a clear-cut desire, but I
didn’t feel any growth from her, and the male love interest was boring and
single-minded. His investigations did nothing for me, his desire to find her
and get her back seemed without real energy or impetus.
Plot/Storyline: 3/5. This could have been very good. The
idea of someone accidentally slipping back in time and deciding to make their
old choices anew, to avert catastrophe, is a classic but not-yet-overdone storyline.
What kept it from being interesting was the lack of conflict. I think that the
author was trying to build up suspense…but it was just a long time without
anything really HAPPENING.
Flow: 2/5. Slow. Dragging. Plodding. I forced myself to get
as far as I did because the use of language and imagery was fairly good, but
the pacing…ugh. I just wasn’t hooked, wasn’t intrigued...was bored, frankly.
Grammar/Spelling: 3/5. Noticeable, but forgiveable,
grammatical and spelling errors.
Overall: 2.0/5. This was not the book for me. It had a slow
build and the characters were nebulous and poorly defined. I hope the author
keeps at it; there was nothing unforgiveable or horrendous about this book. It
was just…meh.
You can find a copy of it here: <
