Noah's boy - BookWyrm

293 pages

English language

Published Jan. 4, 2013 by Baen Publishing Enterprises.

ISBN:: 978-1-4516-3904-9
OCLC Number:: 830681417

(2 reviews)

Rafiel Trall must solve a series of crimes if he his going to stop his dragon-shifter friend Tom Ormson from becoming a creature of imaginable mass destruction.

2 editions

Wetdryvac reviewed Noah's boy by Sarah A. Hoyt (Shifters series)

Review of "Noah's boy" on 'Goodreads'

1 star

Look, the writing is solid, most of the plot is solid, the world building is excellent. But, as with the previous three books by this author that I've read, plot advancement relies on outright character stupidity. On not learning from past mistakes to the point where it burns.

This isn't lazy writing. The plot, insofar as one accepts that people can somehow possibly be this stupid, works. It just... won't stop relying on the leads being unspeakably, unforgivably incapable of basic learning.

First time in a long time where I'm just done with an author who otherwise writes very well indeed.

Eoghann Mill Irving reviewed Noah's boy by Sarah A. Hoyt (Shifters series)

Review of "Noah's boy" on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Although the cover doesn't make it clear this is the third book in a series about shape shifters and as always with series it's probably better to start at the beginning. In this case however, I didn't. And the author provides sufficient recap at various points during the story to keep everything making sense.

Urban fantasy is an increasingly crowded market and it's not easy to carve out your own niche. In this case Sarah A. Hoyt expands well beyond the traditional werewolves and offers us panthers, lions, alligators and dragons. Which is certainly refreshing.

Unfortunately the plot (which seems interesting enough) of this novel takes a back seat to endless discussions of why things are happening and how it all works.

This is problematic, partly because it just slows things down, but also because it's actively drawing attention to all the improbabilities inherent in this set up. I really …

Although the cover doesn't make it clear this is the third book in a series about shape shifters and as always with series it's probably better to start at the beginning. In this case however, I didn't. And the author provides sufficient recap at various points during the story to keep everything making sense.

Urban fantasy is an increasingly crowded market and it's not easy to carve out your own niche. In this case Sarah A. Hoyt expands well beyond the traditional werewolves and offers us panthers, lions, alligators and dragons. Which is certainly refreshing.

Unfortunately the plot (which seems interesting enough) of this novel takes a back seat to endless discussions of why things are happening and how it all works.

This is problematic, partly because it just slows things down, but also because it's actively drawing attention to all the improbabilities inherent in this set up. I really isn't credible that the number of shape changing creatures in this book could possibly have gone undetected for hundreds of years, so don't mention it and then fail to give a credible explanation.

Likewise it's really not a good idea to try and introduce science as an explanation for how shape changing works if you can't address it in a believable fashion. Which you can't because there's a basic problem of mass and energy.

And that leads into my biggest problem with the book. The writing is awkward and stilted at times. Sometimes the authors voice and opinions seem to show through (on political or social issues)and we get a couple of paragraphs of the "characters" opinion on them that just don't actually seem relevant to what's happening. At other times we just get odd statements like one character noting another's "voice made him a man."

Similarly while the core relationship between Tom and Kyrie seems pretty solid and credible the newer one between Rafiel and a new character just feels forced and happening far too fast. They don't show any real chemistry in their interactions.

So it's an entertaining enough plot that's in need of some heavy editing and probably one more draft. Not horrible but not really recommended either.

Subjects

Fiction
Friendship
Dragons