Review of Loss Fuels a Life

[Abril Zacca]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Loss Fuels a Life" by S James Wegg.]

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2 out of 5 stars

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Loss Fuels a Life tells the story of Ivan Dorn, a reviewer for Global Arts Review who’s facing off against another writer for the principal critic position. While he’s attending a concert out of town, he maintains a conversation with his best friend, Rye, about an encounter he’s having with an older man who pays for his apartment and bills in exchange for sexual favours. Ivan begins to worry when Rye doesn’t answer his calls for a few days, and when he goes to his apartment to check on him, Ivan finds him naked in bed with a laundry bag around his head. The police rule this out as a suicide, but since Ivan is not convinced, he looks at the surveillance footage of the night Rye had been texting with him, and there it is demonstrated that it was indeed a murder, and the only clue to the suspect is a butterfly tattoo on the shoulder. Ivan is determined to find his friend's killer and, at the same time, unravel the confusing feelings he felt for him.

Throughout the story, we follow other characters’ perspectives, mostly former associates of Rye, who was implicated in the adult film industry and had various contacts with whom he maintained sexual connections. Ivan quickly learns about all of Rye’s links and begins getting involved himself for the sake of finding Rye’s killer. We also follow the story of Ivan’s competition, David, and how everything is more connected than he thinks.

Although the book is listed as C/T/M/H, it felt like the mystery itself was the least important part of the story. Most of the book is about these characters having sex and, many times, using sex to get something they want or to manipulate another character. By the end, the resolution of the crime itself is very unsatisfying since the reason for Rye’s murder isn’t even explained. Another thing I disliked about this book was the fact that it was difficult to know who was narrating in the first few chapters, which made the story confusing.

On a positive note, the beginning and ending of the book, which were more centred around the actual mystery, were entertaining to read, even though, as I said before, the resolution of the crime was deeply unsatisfying. I also enjoyed Ivan’s self-discovery journey and his path to finally accepting the feelings he had for his best friend.

Considering that the mystery was the least developed part of the story, the narration was confusing, and there was an unreasonable amount of sex scenes that didn’t add anything to the story, I give Loss Fuels a Life by S. James Wegg 2 out of 5 stars. The book was exceptionally well edited; I found no errors, and I enjoyed some aspects of it, but the negatives stated before were too significant for me to ignore and give the book a higher rating. I recommend this book to those looking for a story that includes a self-discovery journey, considering that the amount of sex scenes isn't a problem for you.

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Loss Fuels a Life
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[Nneka Bridget]

Loss Fuels a Life sounds like a unique mix of mystery and self-discovery, though it seems the story leans more heavily on character exploration than solving the crime. Ivan’s journey sounds complex, especially with his relationships and emotional struggles, though the underdeveloped mystery might make it less satisfying for readers seeking a strong crime focus.

[NetMassimo]

The impression is that this novel is like a porn, with the plot being an excuse for people to have sex. Maybe, selling it as an erotic novel instead of a thriller might help. Thank you for your honest review!

[Amy Luman]

I’m glad you reviewed this book and kept me from wasting my time. I think that the mystery involved would have made a good story, but is sounds like it is just an excuse to publish a book about sex. Thanks!