Review by Mollylovesliteracy -- Solaris Seethes (Solaris...
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Mollylovesliteracy
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Review by Mollylovesliteracy -- Solaris Seethes (Solaris...
[Following is a volunteer review of "Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)" by Janet McNulty.]
After her planet is destroyed, Rynah, one of the first characters we're introduced to in this space adventure, is left vengeful and ready to take down the one responsible. However, her mission changes from revenge to rescue when she realizes that the universe is in danger of her home planet's same fate. As with most colossal missions, she is going to need some help. By the guidance of a prophecy, this help comes in the form of humans from the planet Earth. There is certainly no shortage of characters in book one of this saga. The title of the book comes from the name of the outspoken, personality-infused spaceship our characters use for their journey. Although the novel has an enticing and promising blurb, the actual product failed to meet the golden rules that make for a successful story.
Of course, action-packed novels are supposed to be just that, action-packed. However, Solaris Seethes is packed so full of action that it leaves hardly any room for character development and story reflection. The surplus of characters doesn't help this problem. Instead of diving deep into the thoughts and feelings of a manageable number of characters, we get redundant and repetitive single-trait characters. For example, one character, Brie, is explicitly characterized as nonconfrontational multiple times throughout the novel. Then, just in case the audience still hasn't caught onto Brie's leading attribute, the character describes herself as conflict-averse throughout her dialogue.
The book truly makes you realize the value of reflective and "slower" scenes. The lack of these parts keeps the reader an arm's length away from the characters and the story. Sometimes, we get lucky and gain snippets of information about the characters' backgrounds. Most of the time, though, we are left feeling unattached to them and in the dark. However, this is not to say that I didn't enjoy some of the action scenes. Some scenes were engaging and creative and for readers who prefer straight action without having to contemplate and think too much about other story elements, this may be the perfect read for them. Because some select scenes had me flipping the pages faster, I'd say that the author's way of writing these scenes is what I like most about the book.
The most infuriating part of Solaris Seethes, even more so than how destructively fast-paced the book is, is how riddled the story is with inconsistencies and plotholes. For one, it is impossible to stay grounded in time. Sometimes, a particular event in the book happened a few days ago, and then a page later that same event was this morning. Second, characters will randomly break their single-dominant trait with none of the groundwork needed for such character development and no explanation for their actions after the fact. Third, the plotholes were beyond distracting to the narrative. When the author did try to fill a few of the many holes, it was always done flippantly and rarely helped the reader suspend their disbelief. Because of this, it was impossible to give the book 3 stars.
Solaris Seethes (book one in the Solaris Saga) by Janet McNulty gets a 2 out of 4 stars given it was almost a chore to read. I gave the book 2 stars instead of 1 because I could potentially recommend the book to younger ages, perhaps kids in late elementary school or early middle school. My recommendation is based on the fact that these readers are less likely to be bothered by the plotholes and inconsistencies. However, scattered profanity and some suggestive remarks about women, including lines like, “a worthy commodity in my bed-chamber”, prevent me from confidently recommending it to younger readers. It is also worth mentioning that the grammatical errors throughout the story can sometimes be distracting.
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Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
After her planet is destroyed, Rynah, one of the first characters we're introduced to in this space adventure, is left vengeful and ready to take down the one responsible. However, her mission changes from revenge to rescue when she realizes that the universe is in danger of her home planet's same fate. As with most colossal missions, she is going to need some help. By the guidance of a prophecy, this help comes in the form of humans from the planet Earth. There is certainly no shortage of characters in book one of this saga. The title of the book comes from the name of the outspoken, personality-infused spaceship our characters use for their journey. Although the novel has an enticing and promising blurb, the actual product failed to meet the golden rules that make for a successful story.
Of course, action-packed novels are supposed to be just that, action-packed. However, Solaris Seethes is packed so full of action that it leaves hardly any room for character development and story reflection. The surplus of characters doesn't help this problem. Instead of diving deep into the thoughts and feelings of a manageable number of characters, we get redundant and repetitive single-trait characters. For example, one character, Brie, is explicitly characterized as nonconfrontational multiple times throughout the novel. Then, just in case the audience still hasn't caught onto Brie's leading attribute, the character describes herself as conflict-averse throughout her dialogue.
The book truly makes you realize the value of reflective and "slower" scenes. The lack of these parts keeps the reader an arm's length away from the characters and the story. Sometimes, we get lucky and gain snippets of information about the characters' backgrounds. Most of the time, though, we are left feeling unattached to them and in the dark. However, this is not to say that I didn't enjoy some of the action scenes. Some scenes were engaging and creative and for readers who prefer straight action without having to contemplate and think too much about other story elements, this may be the perfect read for them. Because some select scenes had me flipping the pages faster, I'd say that the author's way of writing these scenes is what I like most about the book.
The most infuriating part of Solaris Seethes, even more so than how destructively fast-paced the book is, is how riddled the story is with inconsistencies and plotholes. For one, it is impossible to stay grounded in time. Sometimes, a particular event in the book happened a few days ago, and then a page later that same event was this morning. Second, characters will randomly break their single-dominant trait with none of the groundwork needed for such character development and no explanation for their actions after the fact. Third, the plotholes were beyond distracting to the narrative. When the author did try to fill a few of the many holes, it was always done flippantly and rarely helped the reader suspend their disbelief. Because of this, it was impossible to give the book 3 stars.
Solaris Seethes (book one in the Solaris Saga) by Janet McNulty gets a 2 out of 4 stars given it was almost a chore to read. I gave the book 2 stars instead of 1 because I could potentially recommend the book to younger ages, perhaps kids in late elementary school or early middle school. My recommendation is based on the fact that these readers are less likely to be bothered by the plotholes and inconsistencies. However, scattered profanity and some suggestive remarks about women, including lines like, “a worthy commodity in my bed-chamber”, prevent me from confidently recommending it to younger readers. It is also worth mentioning that the grammatical errors throughout the story can sometimes be distracting.
******
Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Guardian of Deceit by William H. Coles
