Review: Sin City Mystic
Sin City Mystic by Rick NewberryMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Dixie Mulholland with a doggy twist Buffy is here to save the world. Mr. Newberry is a new to me author who is outside of my norm. Usually I only read female writers. I picked up this book because the title intrigued me. It reminded me a little of the movie, Sin City and perhaps that is why this book worked out a bit well for me. Full disclosure, I did not read the prior book. It is recommended as I believe it would have helped lay the background better. Still, I had no issues getting caught up.
Because of the title, this book played in my head in black and white, like a film noir. I think that actually enhanced my experience since I did not connect with any of the characters. The characters were not bad. Dixie and Adam seem nice. They are star crossed lovers who are trying to spend every precious little time left, together. As a thanks for taking care of a "Big Bad", they are cursed to have a shortened lifespan. For those who read a lot of paranormal mixed in with scifi, this story will probably make more sense. There is less feeling and emotion from the characters. Something I tend to find women authors do better at than men. This lack of emotion makes the story feel a bit two dimensional. I can not quite put my finger on it. Characters aside, this book starts out slow.
It takes a few chapters to finally get into the book and it could be, because I'm reading the second w/o reading the first. This plot driven story feels as if the world building is more robust only because I've been watching the shows Preacher and Midnight, Texas. This story's writing style reminds me of the way the two shows are filmed. The scenes tend to jump. Also, both TV shows helped fill in missing pieces to this world as my mind naturally plugs in to enrich this lackluster world.
I liked the bones of this story. It is like a graphics novel I enjoy that is changed into a story. If the author would spend more time developing the world and adding more scenes to it, I think more readers would take to the story. Still, the audience for this book is hard for me to pinpoint. This story is not exactly a paranormal romance, regardless of the love interest and "dying" for love theme. There is a lot of paranormal to it with demons, magic and shifters. Perhaps it is because the story is told from a male's point of view that makes it harder for women readers to relate to. I tend to read both easily and yet, this book still couldn't quite keep my interest. It did help when the action picked up and the motives of players were revealed. The ending came about quickly and neatly packaged.
Overall, this book is different than the ones I usually read and I'm glad I tried it. Recommended for paranormal readers who enjoy saving the world themes.
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