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my only problem was that I was disappointed that it was abridged--did not see that written anywhere
As the demon grows stronger with each passing day, the participants are gathering their strengh for the final showdown between good and evil. With her clever twists and turns, Nora Roberts gives us another round into the dark side. Tamera Lawrence, author of THE POND Highly Recommended. Demon 'Lazarus Twisse' keeps the players hopping as it does everthing in its power to destory them, including using the image of a boy to antagonize the team. With bleeding walls, dogs that attack and children who climb on windows to laugh with grotesque glee, this novel has delightful bumps and vivid scenes.
When they finish their work in the Hollow, they'll be long gone, off in separate directions. The demon is stronger than ever, and his mischief starts well before July 7 this time. At first, Cybil and Gage determine to ignore each other, but when their psychic powers cause them to work together, the attraction becomes stronger. I could have bought the whole "power of love and friendship will conquer all" concept had it battled a different enemy. The Sign of Seven trilogy draws to a close as the last of the three couples, Cybil and Gage, become a couple.
I liked the other characters, but the rest of it felt like Nora concocted it after a severe head injury. What's so scary about raining blood that sizzles on the ground if it's not accompanied by violence and, oh yeah, some bodies. I've seen scarier tricks than he pulled in Halloween haunted houses. They don't instantly fall head over heels, but it's so obvious they're made for each other, it doesn't take long.While Cybil and Gage wrestle with their feelings and each other, they and their friends continue working toward destroying the impish demon that plagues Hawkins Hollow every seven years for seven days beginning on July 7.
They know this is the big one, the final Seven, when Hawkins Hollow will either be saved or destroyed. Both were charmed by their good friends, Cal and Quinn then Fox and Layla, falling in love and planning to settle down in Hawkins Hollow, but both were equally sure they didn't share that destiny. We had demons, ghosts, ESP, and a character who covers all her bases by praying in every religion. Battling a demon requires help either from God, if your beliefs swing that way, or from witchcraft, if it's another. Like a mixed metaphor, the religious androgyny within it was grating. While the other books were offensive to Christians, this one democratically disregarded pagans, as well.
Honestly, if the demon had simply been a ghost, I could have bought in, but this was a mixed bag of everything that hit me the wrong way.With no intention of being insulting, I think this story would make a decent animated series. However, it is still woefully far below the usual Nora Roberts standard.
As for a story I can believe in on any level, it missed the mark by a mile. We've come to expect far better from her.
Take out the sex and aim it at tweens, and I think it could be a hit because kids wouldn't mind its multiple supernatural elements and might be frightened by the demon's antics. Sure, they're attracted to each other, but both enjoy a no strings lifestyle, and both have jobs that take them around the world.
This story ignored both concepts and threw a whole bunch of other stuff in to cloud the water. Though Cybil and Gage's story was interesting and less unoriginal than the others, it still could not overcome being mired in silliness.
They also go through some scary experiences together that cause them to admire one another on other levels, and before long, they've gone to bed. They also learn that there may be a very large sacrifice to pay in order to win their fight, and it could leave Cybil devastated and Gage dead.I have to say that the quality of the third book in this trilogy far outstrips that of the first two.
The three books would have probably been better in one book. I did not finish it - the details of the characters' conversations were endless and I finally had to give up. Where is the passion of the in Death series. I normally love Nora Roberts' books. I thought the first two were O.K., but this third one was just too boring.
I was also disappointed in the romance - the previous book had some chemistry and sizzle, but I didn't really care enough about either character to get involved in the story. *Something* to add a little difficulty and suspense. But no. I've been liking the direction Nora has been heading toward more romantic suspense and less romance, but this book was just a chore to finish. I'll be getting her trilogies from the library from now on. What if one of them didn't want kids. The six heroes did very little except talk until the final climax, there was no real sense of danger, no real threat - and the fact that all three women ended up getting pregnant was just *annoying*. What if one of them had a deadly disease she was afraid to pass on.
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