Review of Beating Death: Witch Hunters
Posted: 03 Apr 2025, 13:30
[Following is a volunteer review of "Beating Death: Witch Hunters" by Sean O'Banion.]
Robert O'Banion, a man born with the power of flight, is in a loving relationship with three of the most powerful witches alive, has his own company, and is settling into his house. His world is shaken once again by the re-emergence of Scratch, aka The Devil, and the stirring of two murderous, psychic vampires feeding off their tortured victims. The pair of vampires have their eyes set on the trio of witches, leading Robert to revelations about himself as he protects those he holds dear.
I rate this book as a 3 out of 5 because of the listed negatives below. I firmly believe the plot overshadows the negatives, but not enough to give it a higher score. I was intrigued and compelled to finish this book because of its well-devised plot despite its downfalls.
Here are some of the neutral aspects of the book: The warning page is hilarious and a reality check to keep expectations sensible. This book has a Southern dialect; I don't think it's an issue. Especially for certain characters, because dialogue-related, it makes perfect sense. Some readers may feel discouraged from reading because of this. It has some military jargon. The sexual content, to me, was tame, but this book should be marketed to 18 and older.
What I loved about the book was the use of the red font on the first word of every chapter because it enhanced the digital format. The plot is solid and could easily be made into a film or TV series with a few adjustments. Where it falters is the poorly written sections. The book is divided into three parts. The first part is a rushed, compacted summary of events from the previous book that did not enhance this book's experience. It almost derailed the plot entirely. The second part was better written and enjoyable enough with present events. The third part lost momentum and felt incomplete with how it was concluded. Finishing the third part of the book left some further explanations to be desired, as some rushed parts left me unsatisfied and needed more expansion of details, plot points, character perspectives, etc., to add to the built suspense. Other areas felt too slow because there were constant recaps of previous events I had just read.
Things that could use improvement: character development, setting descriptors, narration, less profanity, and humor.
The characters themselves felt very empty. The protagonists did nothing that enticed a strong response in either direction. In a way, they remained like strangers to me. None of the characters had a true amount of depth to them. The antagonists were characterized through action well enough to understand their motives. Two side characters stole the show with how much more relatable they were written as.I would have loved to have read more thorough descriptions of the settings the characters were in. These scenes were lacking, and I found it difficult to connect with the story because of this.
Overall, first-person narration is fantastic for allowing the reader to immerse themselves in the story but could use some cleanup to make the plot flow more like an informative conversation rather than the story explained by an uncle who is easily forgetful and boisterous about his self-importance when he drinks too much at family reunions. The third-person point of view helped supplement the narration of the main protagonist.
As an adult novel, there was no surprise that profanity was used. Sean O'Banion forewarned that "this book has lots of strong language." Almost every single page had some use of profanity, and that was distasteful. What could have been used as a plot device to ingrain the main protagonist's personality was simply like shooting fish in a barrel. Encountering a well-placed piece of profanity was stolen joy because of overuse throughout the book.
Whatever small amount of humor comes into play with the story is snarky and out of place. Assuming that the author wished to use the jokes to lighten the mood, which was not an accomplished mission.
In conclusion, the mystery, suspense, and supernatural aspects were decent and enjoyable. The rest needs to be corrected. In those regards, I wish the book had not ended where it did and how it did. I agree with the author's sentiments about wanting to expand in further detail with a different book because this one did not cut it.
******
Beating Death: Witch Hunters
View: on Bookshelves
Robert O'Banion, a man born with the power of flight, is in a loving relationship with three of the most powerful witches alive, has his own company, and is settling into his house. His world is shaken once again by the re-emergence of Scratch, aka The Devil, and the stirring of two murderous, psychic vampires feeding off their tortured victims. The pair of vampires have their eyes set on the trio of witches, leading Robert to revelations about himself as he protects those he holds dear.
I rate this book as a 3 out of 5 because of the listed negatives below. I firmly believe the plot overshadows the negatives, but not enough to give it a higher score. I was intrigued and compelled to finish this book because of its well-devised plot despite its downfalls.
Here are some of the neutral aspects of the book: The warning page is hilarious and a reality check to keep expectations sensible. This book has a Southern dialect; I don't think it's an issue. Especially for certain characters, because dialogue-related, it makes perfect sense. Some readers may feel discouraged from reading because of this. It has some military jargon. The sexual content, to me, was tame, but this book should be marketed to 18 and older.
What I loved about the book was the use of the red font on the first word of every chapter because it enhanced the digital format. The plot is solid and could easily be made into a film or TV series with a few adjustments. Where it falters is the poorly written sections. The book is divided into three parts. The first part is a rushed, compacted summary of events from the previous book that did not enhance this book's experience. It almost derailed the plot entirely. The second part was better written and enjoyable enough with present events. The third part lost momentum and felt incomplete with how it was concluded. Finishing the third part of the book left some further explanations to be desired, as some rushed parts left me unsatisfied and needed more expansion of details, plot points, character perspectives, etc., to add to the built suspense. Other areas felt too slow because there were constant recaps of previous events I had just read.
Things that could use improvement: character development, setting descriptors, narration, less profanity, and humor.
The characters themselves felt very empty. The protagonists did nothing that enticed a strong response in either direction. In a way, they remained like strangers to me. None of the characters had a true amount of depth to them. The antagonists were characterized through action well enough to understand their motives. Two side characters stole the show with how much more relatable they were written as.I would have loved to have read more thorough descriptions of the settings the characters were in. These scenes were lacking, and I found it difficult to connect with the story because of this.
Overall, first-person narration is fantastic for allowing the reader to immerse themselves in the story but could use some cleanup to make the plot flow more like an informative conversation rather than the story explained by an uncle who is easily forgetful and boisterous about his self-importance when he drinks too much at family reunions. The third-person point of view helped supplement the narration of the main protagonist.
As an adult novel, there was no surprise that profanity was used. Sean O'Banion forewarned that "this book has lots of strong language." Almost every single page had some use of profanity, and that was distasteful. What could have been used as a plot device to ingrain the main protagonist's personality was simply like shooting fish in a barrel. Encountering a well-placed piece of profanity was stolen joy because of overuse throughout the book.
Whatever small amount of humor comes into play with the story is snarky and out of place. Assuming that the author wished to use the jokes to lighten the mood, which was not an accomplished mission.
In conclusion, the mystery, suspense, and supernatural aspects were decent and enjoyable. The rest needs to be corrected. In those regards, I wish the book had not ended where it did and how it did. I agree with the author's sentiments about wanting to expand in further detail with a different book because this one did not cut it.
******
Beating Death: Witch Hunters
View: on Bookshelves