The Evil Rant And Review Book

Cruel Love

Note: The only reason I've done this review ahead of others is because I've read the book for a book club. So it won't make me late for other reviews, plus it bumps a lot of people up.

Author: Zadena

Genre: Werewolf

No. of chapter read: 10

First Impression: Wow, another werewolf story centered on mates. Haven't seen that one before.

Cover: It's a dude's face. No, really, just that. It's black and white and he's staring at me with a look that makes me wonder if he's constipated. Or he's holding it in or something. And it's black and white...

Also, the inscription: Venni Vetti Vecci... it's Veni, vidi, vici in Italian. Why is it in Italian instead of Latin? Are there Italian wolves in the story? Else, it seems like really random... And I honestly wouldn't use this phrase unless you use it for war. I've seen it used to describe relationships before and it makes me nauseous.

Women are not land. You don't come, look at them and bam! they're yours. They actually have to like you too.

Cover rating: Yawn!

Blurb: Yet again, we have a story excerpt witch shows us how strong and abusive the main lead is. Honestly, it's a blurb. I want to read what the damn story is about. I actually do appreciate a small excerpt to see what the writing's like, but not instead of a blurb.

Oh, wait there actually is a blurb. It's short, but it sounds interesting. It makes me think of action and complications and a love that's difficult to obtain. It caught my eye.

Blurb rating: Stick with the short version.

Let's get it on!

Second impression: Another asshole abusive mate story. The joy! (note the sarcasm)

Actual review (drum roll please):

Language: Is actually pretty good. The word use is fine, the prose flows well and there's something slightly poetic about the whole thing. But then comes the GRAMMAR. *puts on Nazi hat*

Oh, look at all those random semi colons. And that fucked up dialogue punctuation. Really, it's this fucked up:

'Hello.', she said. Unless you're British, it's "Hello," she said. And if YOU ARE British, it's still 'Hello,' she said. There is no such thing as .', or ., or any combination that implies two punctuation marks are next to each other (so no ,., no .?, no .!). Not even ?! is an acceptable thing, though I personally believe it should.

Did I mention the random semi colons? And random italics?

Okay, to be fair, the grammar isn't really bad. It's just the punctuation that is fucked up. And it's no biggie. You know what punctuation actually does? MAKES THE STORY EASY TO READ! Yes, I used shouty capitals. While bad grammar is also really bad, bad punctuation is somehow worse. And you know why? Because correct grammar is harder to grasp than correct punctuation.

So, you've got mostly good grammar, good wording, but can't be bothered to make this a smooth read for people.

*Stomps huge LAZY on author's forehead*

Language rating: LAZY

Plot: Ah, yes, the plot. So very classic for a werewolf story. Luna from one pack finds mate in Alpha from another pack. Except, wait! there's a twist. The Alpha mate is a complete asshole. Oh, wait, that's not a twist. The Alpha mate is always an abusive asshole.

Only that this time, the heroine is a total toerag, so she actually tries to find excuses for his behavior. How pathetic she is kinda justifies the asshole behavior, though.

I mean, at some point, she mentions she's terrified of heights, you know, just to make small talk. You know what her asshole mate does? Throws her off a cliff. And she still tries to justify his actions instead of sending his nutsack into his throat.

There is a slightly interesting edge to the plot: like how Miss Pathetic loses control and claws people almost to death, or her recurring dream. Yeah, I wish there was more of that. And more freaking background on the characters.

Plot rating: Focus on the interesting stuff, not the overstuffed cliches

Characters: This is going to be deadly - tread at your own risk

Angela: is a pathetic sack of uselessness. Daddy's spoiled little princess, she's aware of all her stupid actions, but does them anyway. Is so in love with the idea of a mate that she tries to justify Raven's obviously cruel actions. At some point, while dangling off the cliff, she thinks how pathetic she is and that she should let go. She actually lets go but Raven catches her.

And you know what? If I had a background for her stupidity, I'd probably be able to sympathize with her, but as I don't, I actually wished the story had a dramatic ending with her cracking her skull on a rock.

Raven: Is such a cold douche. Why does he think that freaking traumatizing Angela is better than explaining what the hell he wants from her? Oh, look at me, I'm the brooding Alpha of the most awesome secret pack ever and no one can shove me off my high horse.

There are no positive things to say about him whatsoever. I kinda get his point, weak Angela is a liability in the cutthroat world of werewolf packs, but if you brought her with you, TEACH HER HOW TO FIT IN, don't psychologically torture her, you great big pile of horse shit. *breaths heavily*

Shaylin: is the beta of the pack. Even if she's a snarky bitch, I actually kinda liked her. She seems down to earth even if unfriendly towards Angela. She improved her behavior a little after Angela almost clawed her eyes out. She was okay.

Asshole pack: is full of assholes. Stupid assholes. I mean, they think that in order to prepare someone to resist torture, they must torture them themselves. I mean... o_0, really? So, if you want to prepare them to face death, you're gonna kill them a couple of times? Have you guys, I don't know, ever heard of meditation and stuff like that? It's supposed to help.

The cliff: requires human sacrifice in the form of characters skulls to crack.

Character rating: *throws Angela and Raven off cliff. Throws asshole pack too. Shaylin is allowed to live. She can do the pushing*

Why I stopped reading: I stopped because I actually finished reading, but if it wasn't an assignment, the cliff chapter would've stopped me because I HATE PATHETIC FEMALE LEADS. Yes, yes, character growth. But why not evolve from a monkey instead of a fucking Euglena? Or give me any reason at all to want what's best for the pathetic little girl? No? Okay then.

Grade: Fail. Like that was unexpected. The story stepped on too many of my tender toes and touched too many of my pet peeves. *pets peeves and toes*

The song above perfectly describes Raven.