Search - Heir of Autumn

This book is pretty standard fantasy; there are some interesting bits, but no plot twists or surprises. Very predictable, all told. That alone wouldn't necessarily make it a bad read, but it IS a bad read. Here's why:

1. Atrocious dialog. 15-year-olds talk like scholarly 40-year-olds. Pretty much everyone talks like everyone else, regardless of age, gender, or "nationality". The authors also used far too many words and phrases from today's vernacular -- and that really kills the suspension of disbelief.
2. No depth to any of the characters. The attempt is made, but it's weak and ineffectual.
3. The authors are brutally ham-fisted with the emotions they try to evoke throughout the book. No concept of subtlety whatsoever.
4. The authors are way too focused on sex (almost always referred to with the "f" word in the book). Lots of sex is fine if it is central to or adds something to the story. None of this did. At all. It was distracting and, frankly, distasteful. They almost did something reasonably interesting with sex and the magic of the Zelani, but they never really went anywhere with it.
5. Events happen and characters "grow" or "evolve" at a stunningly unrealistic pace.

I will say that the first few pages were promising. The mystery and the chilling horror just barely hinted at was a powerful hook. Too bad the rest of the book was so awful.

Bottom line, it was entertaining enough for me to read the entire book, but I have no desire to finish the trilogy or read anything else by these authors.