The Alphabet Book Challenge: "C"

 The "C" Books

Book one:  "Deep Down" by Deborah Coates

Initially, I wasn't going to read any "series" books, but I was unaware this was part of a series until I started reading it. Too late, I was sucked in to the supernatural war between good and evil. I also really liked the black "harbingers of death"  dogs that are summoned when a person is about to die. The main character, Hallie, is being stalked by a reaper. She must face her fears and travel into Death's realm to save the people she loves and restore balance to the world.  After dying for a short time during her service in Iraqi. Hallie gained the ability to see ghosts and other supernatural beings. (This was where I figured out I was in book two.) I found the story idea new and fresh. Hallie was a great, complicated character. I loved her inner conflict and her ability to figure things out. My favorite was the death dog that chose to follow her and help her on the journey. 

The book was good. I give it four stars. My only issue was not knowing it was part of a series. Things that were alluded to in the second book apparently happened in the first book. While this didn't distract from the writing, it did give me a pause to wonder what had happened.

Book two: "How to be Human" by Paula Cocozza 

This is a debut novel. The main character, Mary, recently broke up with her partner Mark. She returns from her dull, drab job and finds a beautiful fox lounging in her backyard. He catches her watching and winks at her. She soon becomes convinced that they have a special bond. The fox brings her little gifts, like a single glove or an egg. 

Mary lives in a connecting townhouse with a young married couple with a newborn baby. The wife is going through postpartum depression. The husband is trying to help her. Neither of them is happy about having a fox in the neighborhood. Mary does her best to keep her relationship with the fox a secret. Then she runs into her ex. He moves back in and starts to care for her, telling her what she can and can't do. He hires a man to hunt the fox down. Mary kicks the ex out and lures the fox inside to keep it safe. Mary goes slightly crazy. The fox finally gets free, and she wakes up from her crazy spell. 

By the time I got to the end of the book, I had no idea what I had read. Was it novel about growth? I think it was supposed to be, but it seemed to be more of a novel about how a lonely person could go crazy with a lack of confidence. I didn't care for the main character. She was boring and wishy-washy. If the fox was supposed to teach her strength, it didn't show. Or it was so lightly alluded to that it didn't tie in. This book was an example of the need to make the overall message of a story clearer. I give it two and a half stars, mainly for the fox.




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