Book Review: The Finding, by Nicky Charles
The Finding follows the story of Cassandra, a rich, young heiress who is struggling to suppress her inner werewolf. Having witnessed the death of her uncle as a result of a werewolf attack, she is understandably leery of the creatures and of her own repressed lycanthropy. As part of Lycan Law, a wolf pack that discovers a lone wolf can “claim” it as one of their own. Bryan, the Beta wolf of a Canadian pack, is sent to bring Cassie into the fold. What he does not expect is that his inner wolf and hers appear to be soul-mates.
This is the third book in the Law of the Lycans series, by Nicky Charles. I haven’t read the first two, but the author does a good job of giving the back story so I never felt lost. Also, she knows how to introduce a wide cast of characters and to keep a variety of storylines all moving forward. She takes great care in examining the inner struggle of Cassie and Bryan, as well as some of the secondary characters, and she excels in describing nuances of emotions. Even Cassie and Bryan as predestined soul-mates is managed with a degree of tension. You know that by the end of the book they will be together, but the author create characters who are not so sure about it.
Overall, I liked the book, and I’m interested in reading the first two books in the series. But I do have one major critique: the book needs to be trimmed. The plot sequence was fine, and the characters’ motivations made sense, but sometimes the narrative got bogged down in repetitive detail of Cassie and Bryan’s internal thoughts. Not every moment needs such precise examination. The author needs to trust that the reader is on-board. More judicious choices of which moments to examine would have helped with the pacing. Likewise, there are some redundant descriptions along the lines of:
“Kicking off his shoes and removing his shirt, [Bryan] dropped onto the bed, resting against the pillows. He sighed as his body relaxed for a moment the feel of the cool sheets and the quiet of the room before pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He’d check in with Ryne first. Folding one arm behind his head, he propped the phone between his shoulder and ear, absentmindedly scratching his chest while waiting for someone to pick up.”
Not a bad description in itself, but is it necessary to the story?
This is the third book in the Law of the Lycans series, by Nicky Charles. I haven’t read the first two, but the author does a good job of giving the back story so I never felt lost. Also, she knows how to introduce a wide cast of characters and to keep a variety of storylines all moving forward. She takes great care in examining the inner struggle of Cassie and Bryan, as well as some of the secondary characters, and she excels in describing nuances of emotions. Even Cassie and Bryan as predestined soul-mates is managed with a degree of tension. You know that by the end of the book they will be together, but the author create characters who are not so sure about it.
Overall, I liked the book, and I’m interested in reading the first two books in the series. But I do have one major critique: the book needs to be trimmed. The plot sequence was fine, and the characters’ motivations made sense, but sometimes the narrative got bogged down in repetitive detail of Cassie and Bryan’s internal thoughts. Not every moment needs such precise examination. The author needs to trust that the reader is on-board. More judicious choices of which moments to examine would have helped with the pacing. Likewise, there are some redundant descriptions along the lines of:
“Kicking off his shoes and removing his shirt, [Bryan] dropped onto the bed, resting against the pillows. He sighed as his body relaxed for a moment the feel of the cool sheets and the quiet of the room before pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He’d check in with Ryne first. Folding one arm behind his head, he propped the phone between his shoulder and ear, absentmindedly scratching his chest while waiting for someone to pick up.”
Not a bad description in itself, but is it necessary to the story?
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