Official Review: Fear Itself by Duffy Prendergast
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CatGitane
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Official Review: Fear Itself by Duffy Prendergast
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Fear Itself" by Duffy Prendergast.]
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I chose to read Fear Itself by Duffy Prendergast because of two criteria (and I’ll be very frank about this):
Let’s begin with the good points! First of all, the story in itself is very mysterious and different. You don’t even need to wait through the first 50 pages until you get interested for it grabs you right at the start and pushes you directly into the story – and personally, this is already a winning point! The events unfold in sometimes unexpected ways, in others quite emotional, but it always makes sure you share the characters’ states of mind and feelings, mostly Matthew’s, as fear, doubt, stress and love fill you. It keeps the suspense and you can’t help getting attached to the character. Speaking of which, the way the author describes them gives the illusion they’re real and you’re in their head. It’s fantastic and humane! It’s very realistic and touching, all the subtle variations that take place make it for one of the best depictions of characters I have ever read! And if there’s one thing that’s very important to me in reading, it’s the bond I have with the characters. Let me tell you that Mr. Prendergast blew my mind in that area. Now about the technical stuff! As soon as my hands were on this book, I loved its size. For a 425-page book, I had expected the big format type, but surprise! it’s the size of a pocket edition, and it’s lovely! Less heavy and much friendlier to take around with you. Also, the cover is striking! The black-and-white tones make it eerie, giving you a sense of the book already, as if you’re always walking on eggshells, uncertain of the real solution… but you know it’s out there, staring at you coldly, just like those blue eyes hidden at the top that can make you shiver. Something from the darkness is watching you, be careful with your every move… Plus, it does fit with the main character’s phobia of the monsters lurking in the dark, subtly mixing in with the story’s mystery – very cleverly too… Moreover, the font is in a wonderfully-chosen size. Usually, it’s what I consider to be small and annoying, but not with this one. The author seemed to have decided to compromise the book size and the font, making the latter big enough so your eyes are comfortable reading and never tire. Bonus point! The paragraphs, spaces, everything relating to typography is respected to make it a good experience. The book is professionally done, with a good presentation and information about its publisher, its author, and itself. The pages are numbered, with the book title on top of all of them. The back cover is very good also, offering a short bio of the author, the name of the publisher, the summary and the bar code along with the price and sections (Fiction, Thriller, Crime), all of them blending well for the eye with the aspects of it.
The bad points are another matter… They break my heart. The biggest one and hardest to put aside for the reading is the grammar. It’s horrifying. It almost discouraged me from continuing… Actually, it had! After 30 pages, I normally would have put it back on the shelf, wanting nothing to do with it anymore, but since I gave my word to do this review… I forced myself to keep on. And I think it’s the saddest thing because his writing style is amazing, lovely, like a river flowing naturally, the words he chooses and how he makes you feel the story! But it can’t compete with how infuriating and ugly the mistakes are. I couldn’t believe it when I learned the author has a BA in English…! Because it doesn’t show. Right in the summary, I had noticed that after the first sentence, there’s a comma, and a space under, there’s a capital letter. I had cringed, but told myself it was probably only for ‘show’ then… Little did I know it was going to be like this and even worse throughout the whole book. Easy mistakes such as possessive for the verb to be or a location, and completely wrong tense, typos and repetitions like ’he was going he to’. However, the most heart-breaking part of this is the spelling… It’s aweful. Dreddful. And these are only a few examples. Imagine in a page, there’s at least 3 of those, and it’s a minimum! He also uses hyphens when there’s no need, which I count as spelling mistakes, such as ‘paper-cups’. Oh, and the ‘to’ and ‘too’ seem to take up the other’s work shift a lot as well as capital letters appear in the middle of the sentence with no real purpose!
I respectfully recommend to the author that the next time he writes a book, his manuscript undergoes an editing session by a professional. I know it costs a lot, but it’ll be rewarding in the end, because he has such a fantastic book, which is ruined by the grammar (like I said, I would have put it down quickly due to that fact – and I know I’m not the only one). If possible, I also suggest he stop publishing for a while, taking time and money to edit his book, then publish the new edition again! It would be great and quite improved. The story is really worth saving.
I have decided to give ‘’Fear Itself’’ a 3 out of 4 (good) rating. It might seem surprising, but it’s really not. The story is fantastic, and the way the characters are written to be believable and to make them grow on you is wonderful, worthy of the attention. His writing style is one of the best I’ve come across, and it’s a big compliment seeing as I’m a bookworm since I can read. I would have gladly rated it a 4 (excellent), if only it weren’t for the terrible mistakes… For this, it ‘should’ have received 2 (okay), but seriously, the plot and emotions it produces in you deserve better, hence my rating. I am genuinely saddened by the grammar and the fact it prohibited me from giving the story what it should. But still, it was a pleasure reading it, one that kept me up at night on more than one occasion, I must say. Thus, I recommend it as a very interesting Crime/Thriller book!
N.B.: I hope Prendergast keeps on writing. I’ll be on the lookout for his other works – carefully edited this time, please.
***
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- 1- Finally there was someone offering a traditional book (paper format) for review instead of an e-book, which is not my favorite type of reading (it’s good to have a few different options once in a while, and let’s mention it played a big role in my decision).
2- The concept of a child being the possible murderer of the women in her father’s life, and this out of jealousy, is curious, intriguing and fresh (rarely used as a thematic).
I kept it intact, which is important later.Children will be the death of you, especially if they spike your wine with antifreeze.
That is what Mathew Derrick suspects his precious young Sarah did to her mother so that she could have daddy all to herself. But the police think that he killed his wife after discovering that his daughter was the product of an extra-marital affair. Rather than face the wrath of the law he takes little Sarah and runs. Although he manages to elude the law, he can t escape Sarah s unquenchable wrath for the women in his life.
Could this adorable and seemingly innocent child really be a murderess? And if not, who is killing the loves of his life, and why?'
Let’s begin with the good points! First of all, the story in itself is very mysterious and different. You don’t even need to wait through the first 50 pages until you get interested for it grabs you right at the start and pushes you directly into the story – and personally, this is already a winning point! The events unfold in sometimes unexpected ways, in others quite emotional, but it always makes sure you share the characters’ states of mind and feelings, mostly Matthew’s, as fear, doubt, stress and love fill you. It keeps the suspense and you can’t help getting attached to the character. Speaking of which, the way the author describes them gives the illusion they’re real and you’re in their head. It’s fantastic and humane! It’s very realistic and touching, all the subtle variations that take place make it for one of the best depictions of characters I have ever read! And if there’s one thing that’s very important to me in reading, it’s the bond I have with the characters. Let me tell you that Mr. Prendergast blew my mind in that area. Now about the technical stuff! As soon as my hands were on this book, I loved its size. For a 425-page book, I had expected the big format type, but surprise! it’s the size of a pocket edition, and it’s lovely! Less heavy and much friendlier to take around with you. Also, the cover is striking! The black-and-white tones make it eerie, giving you a sense of the book already, as if you’re always walking on eggshells, uncertain of the real solution… but you know it’s out there, staring at you coldly, just like those blue eyes hidden at the top that can make you shiver. Something from the darkness is watching you, be careful with your every move… Plus, it does fit with the main character’s phobia of the monsters lurking in the dark, subtly mixing in with the story’s mystery – very cleverly too… Moreover, the font is in a wonderfully-chosen size. Usually, it’s what I consider to be small and annoying, but not with this one. The author seemed to have decided to compromise the book size and the font, making the latter big enough so your eyes are comfortable reading and never tire. Bonus point! The paragraphs, spaces, everything relating to typography is respected to make it a good experience. The book is professionally done, with a good presentation and information about its publisher, its author, and itself. The pages are numbered, with the book title on top of all of them. The back cover is very good also, offering a short bio of the author, the name of the publisher, the summary and the bar code along with the price and sections (Fiction, Thriller, Crime), all of them blending well for the eye with the aspects of it.
The bad points are another matter… They break my heart. The biggest one and hardest to put aside for the reading is the grammar. It’s horrifying. It almost discouraged me from continuing… Actually, it had! After 30 pages, I normally would have put it back on the shelf, wanting nothing to do with it anymore, but since I gave my word to do this review… I forced myself to keep on. And I think it’s the saddest thing because his writing style is amazing, lovely, like a river flowing naturally, the words he chooses and how he makes you feel the story! But it can’t compete with how infuriating and ugly the mistakes are. I couldn’t believe it when I learned the author has a BA in English…! Because it doesn’t show. Right in the summary, I had noticed that after the first sentence, there’s a comma, and a space under, there’s a capital letter. I had cringed, but told myself it was probably only for ‘show’ then… Little did I know it was going to be like this and even worse throughout the whole book. Easy mistakes such as possessive for the verb to be or a location, and completely wrong tense, typos and repetitions like ’he was going he to’. However, the most heart-breaking part of this is the spelling… It’s aweful. Dreddful. And these are only a few examples. Imagine in a page, there’s at least 3 of those, and it’s a minimum! He also uses hyphens when there’s no need, which I count as spelling mistakes, such as ‘paper-cups’. Oh, and the ‘to’ and ‘too’ seem to take up the other’s work shift a lot as well as capital letters appear in the middle of the sentence with no real purpose!
I respectfully recommend to the author that the next time he writes a book, his manuscript undergoes an editing session by a professional. I know it costs a lot, but it’ll be rewarding in the end, because he has such a fantastic book, which is ruined by the grammar (like I said, I would have put it down quickly due to that fact – and I know I’m not the only one). If possible, I also suggest he stop publishing for a while, taking time and money to edit his book, then publish the new edition again! It would be great and quite improved. The story is really worth saving.
I have decided to give ‘’Fear Itself’’ a 3 out of 4 (good) rating. It might seem surprising, but it’s really not. The story is fantastic, and the way the characters are written to be believable and to make them grow on you is wonderful, worthy of the attention. His writing style is one of the best I’ve come across, and it’s a big compliment seeing as I’m a bookworm since I can read. I would have gladly rated it a 4 (excellent), if only it weren’t for the terrible mistakes… For this, it ‘should’ have received 2 (okay), but seriously, the plot and emotions it produces in you deserve better, hence my rating. I am genuinely saddened by the grammar and the fact it prohibited me from giving the story what it should. But still, it was a pleasure reading it, one that kept me up at night on more than one occasion, I must say. Thus, I recommend it as a very interesting Crime/Thriller book!
N.B.: I hope Prendergast keeps on writing. I’ll be on the lookout for his other works – carefully edited this time, please.
***
Buy "Fear Itself" on Amazon
Buy "Fear Itself" on Barnes and Noble
Latest Review: "Witches" by Mark Taylor
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duffywriter
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- Joined: 13 Apr 2014, 07:30
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Thank you for the somewhat positive review. You are correct about the grammar; Tate was in the process of correcting these errors even as you read the book. I was horrified to find the book so poorly edited myself when I received the first sample copies. But given that the book had already been released and the clock was ticking, I sent the book to reviewers as it was. I didn't see that I had much choice. But the criticism is legitimate. Fortunately the errors in the book have been corrected, but I see now that the damage is done. Not likely that anyone will read my book based on your review, given the time you spent on this portion of the books characteristics.
Not to make excuses, but when I was contacted about publishing this book (a "no cost" contract which is why I was willing to move forward) I had rewritten the book several times, but not edited, the book. They approached me as my day job was heating up (I'm an electrical contractor by day) and I didn't have time to pay close attention to their work. Lesson learned. My hard work was undone for me. Such is life.
Not to make excuses, but when I was contacted about publishing this book (a "no cost" contract which is why I was willing to move forward) I had rewritten the book several times, but not edited, the book. They approached me as my day job was heating up (I'm an electrical contractor by day) and I didn't have time to pay close attention to their work. Lesson learned. My hard work was undone for me. Such is life.
