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Xan's Reviews > The Face of Deception
The Face of Deception (Eve Duncan, #1)
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I very much wanted to give this book 4 stars...but was barely able to give it 3. The storyline was very good, and got me through the book. Eve is hired to put a face on a skull, and the revelations throughout the book keep the surprises and suspense going up until the end. I'd give the storyline a 4, easily.
However, this is the 3rd "Eve Duncan" book I've read, and I have to give the characters a 1...at best. I want to like Eve, but she is unbelievably annoying. Perhaps it's Johansen's experience with writing romance novels (which I hate, btw), but for the main character of a series of books, whose basically supposed to be the hero, she comes off constantly as pathetic and weak, and always needing a man to come in and take care of her. And her responses to people are more like those of a child, pushing people away and doing the exact opposite of what they ask her, just to spite them, even if it's not the action that makes sense.
Finally, every character in the book is CONSTANTLY telling everyone else they need to get away and uninvolved, because it's not safe...and no one ever listens. They won't get uninvolved when told by someone else, yet they get frustrated and annoyed when others they ask do exactly the same thing...and this is an ongoing theme throughout the books. It's like reading about a bunch of children in adult bodies and dangerous adult situations. It's amazing any of them survives, since they're constantly sabotaging themselves. I found myself consistently wanting to reach into the books and strangle them all, they're that annoying. Only the storyline got me through, and I find myself conflicted. Johansen comes up with great stories and ongoing suspense, so I'd love to read the rest of the books in the series...yet I'm not sure I can take the constant whining from all the characters without actually being able to strangle them, or at least smack the and yell at them to GROW UP and grow a pair.
All the complaining about the characters aside, I will say that the story itself made this book worth reading.
However, this is the 3rd "Eve Duncan" book I've read, and I have to give the characters a 1...at best. I want to like Eve, but she is unbelievably annoying. Perhaps it's Johansen's experience with writing romance novels (which I hate, btw), but for the main character of a series of books, whose basically supposed to be the hero, she comes off constantly as pathetic and weak, and always needing a man to come in and take care of her. And her responses to people are more like those of a child, pushing people away and doing the exact opposite of what they ask her, just to spite them, even if it's not the action that makes sense.
Finally, every character in the book is CONSTANTLY telling everyone else they need to get away and uninvolved, because it's not safe...and no one ever listens. They won't get uninvolved when told by someone else, yet they get frustrated and annoyed when others they ask do exactly the same thing...and this is an ongoing theme throughout the books. It's like reading about a bunch of children in adult bodies and dangerous adult situations. It's amazing any of them survives, since they're constantly sabotaging themselves. I found myself consistently wanting to reach into the books and strangle them all, they're that annoying. Only the storyline got me through, and I find myself conflicted. Johansen comes up with great stories and ongoing suspense, so I'd love to read the rest of the books in the series...yet I'm not sure I can take the constant whining from all the characters without actually being able to strangle them, or at least smack the and yell at them to GROW UP and grow a pair.
All the complaining about the characters aside, I will say that the story itself made this book worth reading.
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Reading Progress
December 28, 2013
– Shelved
January 31, 2014
–
Started Reading
February 5, 2014
–
Finished Reading
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R.J.
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rated it 3 stars
Aug 01, 2014 06:11PM
I thought the same thing. Excellent story, but annoying characters. All full of themselves like they are the only one(s) that can safely handle the situation. Very annoying, but the storyline kept me going.
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Absolutely agree. Good review! I like her stories but her characters are exasperating. I also find that her writing pulls me out of the stories at times. Like when she suddenly puts an existential conversation in the middle of a chase or when they're running for their lives and they stop everything and start talking about how Eve felt as a child. It's so incongruous. So you're trying to escape a killer and you stop to chat about your childhood issues. It's almost comical.
