The Finisher Review

Title: The Finisher
Author: David Baldacci
Series: Vega Jane #1
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication Date: 27 February 2015
Source: Pan Macmillan South Africa
Format: Paperback
Pages: 506
Rating: 1.5 Stars
Reading Timeline: 11 September 2017 - 15 September 2017

DNF at page 82

Goodreads Synopsis:

Enter a village imprisoned by its fear of the unknown. Where curiosity is discouraged, and no one has ever left - or wanted to. Until now.

The a mysterious bequest turns one teenage girl's life upside down. A curious map and a ring which connect Vega to another time lead her to discover an unknown world beyond the perimeter walls. A world filled with possibilities, and creatures beyond her imagining. But before Vega can experience it, she will be forced to fight for her freedom. And unravelling the truth go that exists beyond the confines of her village may cost Vega her life...

Book Review:

Pre-reading Thoughts:

When I first heard of this series, I mistook the second book to be the first one. But I am kind of excited that there are two books in the series. Both sound like an epic adventure and this will be my first ever David Baldacci book!

Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for providing me with a copy of this book! Just a small disclaimer for those reading this review. I have received this book in exchange for an honest review. Please note that this does not affect my opinion in any way. All thoughts are my own.

Writing Thoughts:

I was expecting something a lot different. I was expecting writing that would showcase years and years of development and a flow of words that would make me fly through this book. I was so disappointed by what I got.

I opened the first page of this book and looked as if this was a first time author. There were a whole lot of statement sentences and a lot of words that just lead to no where. Repetition was a constant occurrence and the replacement of mundane words was pointless and did not add to the story. In fact they took away from the experience because even though you know what the word is supposed to represent, you can't help but think why didn't the author just use the already existing words. It was tiring for my brain to constantly take the new diction suppled by the author and compare it to the diction that exists in our world. The dialogue was also extremely awkward.

Plot Thoughts:

This book had the traditional plot of a fantasy book but it was clear to see that YA fantasy was a new endeavour for this author. The plot was super slow and even when there was something happening, it was just a repetition of what had just happened.

Character Thoughts:

I haven't read enough to comment on the characters.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I was greatly disappointed by this book. It was clear to see that despite being a well-known author and an author who has written multiple books, Baldacci does not know how to write books for teenagers. His writing was odd and unnatural and by inserting random words where they weren't necessary was another nail in the coffin. The plot was based on a traditional fantasy plot but was super slow and full of repetitions. I don't know if it was because I had such high expectations for this book that I was so disappointed and put off by the author. I really don't know what it was at the end of the day but I really had hoped for more.

Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

Yours in Reading,

Melleny