WILDCAT: A Novel of the West by Stephen L. Brooks
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Book: **
Performance: **
A Simple Western
How many times do I need to be reminded that Kat’s pa wanted a boy? I didn’t care for it the first time and it got old fast. I didn’t particularly enjoy the “folksy” language either (doesn’t really add as much authenticity as might otherwise be expected when narrator struggles to differentiate the character voices) … and there is a LOT of dialog to wade through. All of that said … as far as Westerns go, this is pretty average … all the expected elements are there within a straight up, wholesome western plot that would be at home in a Zane Grey novel (although not quite the same quality). The drama can be down right silly and over the top at times. There are a few production quality issues as well … such as an odd skip just prior to chapter 9 (that’s worth subtracting a point on its own).
I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#Wildcat #FreeAudiobkFacebkGrp
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My Ratings Explained ...
- [ ***** ] Amazing Read - Perfect story, exciting, engrossing, well developed complex characters, solid plot with few to no holes, descriptive environments and place settings, great mystery elements, realistic dialogue, believable reactions and behaviors; a favorite that I can re-read many times.
- [ **** ] Great Read - Highly entertaining and enjoyable, exciting storyline, well developed characters and settings, a few discrepancies but nothing that can’t be overlooked. Some aspect of the story was new/refreshing to me and/or intriguing. Recommended for everyone.
- [ *** ] Good Read - Solid story with a 'good' ending, or has some other redeeming feature. Limited character development and/or over reliance on tropes. Noticeable discrepancies in world building and/or dialog/behavior that were distracting. I connected enough with the characters/world to read the entire series. Most of the books I read for fun are here. Recommended for fans of the genre.
- [ ** ] Okay Read - Suitable for a brief, afternoon escape … flat or shallow characters with little to no development. Over the top character dialog and/or behavior. Poor world building with significant issues and/or mistakes indicating poor research. Excessive use of trivial detail, info dumps and/or pontification. Any issues with the story/characters are offset by some other aspect that I enjoyed. Not very memorable. May only appeal to a niche group of readers. Recommended for some (YMMV).
- [ * ] Bad Read - Awkward and/or confusing writing style. Poor world building and/or unbelievable (or unlikeable) characters. Victimization, gaslighting, blatant abuse, unnecessary violence, child endangerment, or any other highly objectionable behaviors by Main characters. I didn't connect with the story at all; significant aspects of this story irritated me enough that I struggled to finished it. Series was abandoned. Not recommended.
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