Saturday, June 28, 2014

The Eighth Day

by Dianne K. Salerni
(April 22nd, 2014, HarperCollins)



Book Description: Life hasnt been kind to Jaxson Aubrey. His father has passed way in a car accident, leaving him an orphan and in the questionable care of 18 year-old Reilly Pendare. His life becomes more complicated when, on the Wednesday after his thirteenth birthday, he wakes up to find a world without people. He later discovers that he is a Transitioner and can access an extra day (Grunsday) of the week. Reilly also turns out to be a Transitioner, and the person who can answer Jaxs questions both about himself and the mysterious girl next door who in only lives in the eighth day.

Pros:

The premise is very intriguing and the inclusion of Arthurian myth made it very fresh and compelling. The writing style helped as well as it was simple, but fluid and funny enough to appeal to the intended audience.

I thought both Riley and Tegan were very interesting characters and would have liked to see more of them here. Hopefully, we'll learn more about them in future books. 

Cons:

For me, there were three main problems in this book. One was Jaxs frequently stupid decision-making and inability to both convey and understand simple pieces of information. It was really frustrating, because it made it seem like the author didnt think the reader deserved a more competent protagonist. It also undermined the goodwill Jax gained at the beginning of the book.

The second problem was Jaxs relationship with Evangeline. His near-obsessive devotion to her felt both creepy and unjustified, especially considering that other vassals (people in a similar position to Jax) didnt seem as pathetic.

The last was Evangelines importance. It was a bit shoehorned and felt exaggerated, mainly because she was a rather bland character. She was often ineffective and was more a plot ploy than a real character.

Verdict: Despite its failings, The Eighth Day is still a fun, light, fast-paced read best suited for younger audiences and those who wont be too bothered by contrived and somewhat lazy storytelling.

Rating: (6.5/10)

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2 comments:

  1. Love the cover on this one. Sounds like it's still a good one to keep on my TBR list. Thanks for the helpful list of "Cons" and welcome to MMGM.

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    1. You're right, it's still a good book. But we can only give our full and honest opinion. We hope this review was helpful. Thanks for commenting!

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