Flow of the Book and Development of Characters

Use this forum to discuss the June 2019 Book of the month, "Cynthia and Dan: Cyber War" by Dorothy May Mercer.
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Re: Flow of the Book and Development of Characters

Post by DC Brown »

briellejee wrote: 05 Jun 2019, 11:09
DC Brown wrote: 05 Jun 2019, 10:27
briellejee wrote: 03 Jun 2019, 22:49 I wish I could say it improves, but I don't think so. Up until the very end, I still didn't develop any attachment to the characters, and Skys personality is inconsistent that I hated it.
So glad to see you say that. I didn't like most of the characters. In fact, I thought the computer nerds and Glenn were the only characters that weren't all of the place, personality-wise.
True! Glenn, compared to Cynthia, was more likable and fit well to the story. Cynthia was like that character who loves to get everybody's attention that she became annoying.
Maybe Cynthia belongs in a different book!! Hahahaha
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Post by AntonelaMaria »

I am at 35 % of the book and I have to ask what character development and what flow of the story. Must be hiding somewhere because I don't see it or is it too early for me to judge it. I don't get the author and the choice she made when writing these characters. They seem like they are not completely and clearly mapped up before writing Also, I can't figure out how old Cynthia is? She reads like a high schooler. Sky is very contradictory I keep waiting for him to reveal that he is some kind of spy.
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Post by Jlprince26 »

heatherashley7 wrote: 01 Jun 2019, 17:08Speaking of the plots I felt there were two major plots competing for attention, the actual Cyber War and then Cynthia's love life. Although the author attempted to intertwine them, it was poorly done.
I agree, I honestly feel like Cynthia's love life is more in control of the book, than the actual Cyber War. To me her love life is more interesting than the Cyber War and I am terribly disappointed in the book. I am not a romance reader and I feel like I am being shoved into one and it happens to be the more interesting part of the book.
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Post by DC Brown »

cpru68 wrote: 03 Jun 2019, 02:01 I was disappointed with the entire story. I kept waiting for it to get better and it never did. I don’t read a lot of fiction, but I went ahead and read this one for the discussion of it. I couldn’t wait until I got to the end. The story and characters seemed fake to me throughout. It just wasn’t for me.
I felt exactly the same. I had to force myself to read beyond the second chapter. The behavior of the characters, was unrealistic, as you said. Who seduces someone and then goes to confession? What security professional goes to lunch and bed with a total stranger?
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Post by DC Brown »

AntonelaMaria wrote: 06 Jun 2019, 11:20 I am at 35 % of the book and I have to ask what character development and what flow of the story. Must be hiding somewhere because I don't see it or is it too early for me to judge it. I don't get the author and the choice she made when writing these characters. They seem like they are not completely and clearly mapped up before writing Also, I can't figure out how old Cynthia is? She reads like a high schooler. Sky is very contradictory I keep waiting for him to reveal that he is some kind of spy.
I hope this isn't a spoiler, but it doesn't get any better. Cynthia, a security professional, going to lunch and then bed with a total stranger? Sky, a manipulative man at the least, goes to confession for just one sin?
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Post by AntonelaMaria »

DC Brown wrote: 06 Jun 2019, 22:22
AntonelaMaria wrote: 06 Jun 2019, 11:20 I am at 35 % of the book and I have to ask what character development and what flow of the story. Must be hiding somewhere because I don't see it or is it too early for me to judge it. I don't get the author and the choice she made when writing these characters. They seem like they are not completely and clearly mapped up before writing Also, I can't figure out how old Cynthia is? She reads like a high schooler. Sky is very contradictory I keep waiting for him to reveal that he is some kind of spy.
I hope this isn't a spoiler, but it doesn't get any better. Cynthia, a security professional, going to lunch and then bed with a total stranger? Sky, a manipulative man at the least, goes to confession for just one sin?
Just finished it and yeah you are right. Btw I don't get confession part either?!
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Post by KCWolf »

AntonelaMaria wrote: 06 Jun 2019, 11:20 I am at 35 % of the book and I have to ask what character development and what flow of the story. Must be hiding somewhere because I don't see it or is it too early for me to judge it. I don't get the author and the choice she made when writing these characters. They seem like they are not completely and clearly mapped up before writing Also, I can't figure out how old Cynthia is? She reads like a high schooler. Sky is very contradictory I keep waiting for him to reveal that he is some kind of spy.
Exactly, I'm not even that far through the book and I'm ready to give up on it.

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Post by AntonelaMaria »

KCWolf wrote: 09 Jun 2019, 16:33
AntonelaMaria wrote: 06 Jun 2019, 11:20 I am at 35 % of the book and I have to ask what character development and what flow of the story. Must be hiding somewhere because I don't see it or is it too early for me to judge it. I don't get the author and the choice she made when writing these characters. They seem like they are not completely and clearly mapped up before writing Also, I can't figure out how old Cynthia is? She reads like a high schooler. Sky is very contradictory I keep waiting for him to reveal that he is some kind of spy.
Exactly, I'm not even that far through the book and I'm ready to give up on it.

Life is too short to waste time on a book you don't enjoy.
Smart choice I am clearly not a fan but I did finish it. I was hoping things will be better. I did audio version so I think that helped me to finish it.
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Post by Verna Coy »

Yes, I was disappointed as well. I felt the flow in the book was disjointed. It switched to characters that were secondary a lot and didn't spend enough time on main characters (like Dan). Dan didn't show up that much at all, and his name is part of the title of the book!
Sky's character seems not only short on development, but it also seemed to be two different men. Almost like he was deliberately changing how he acted to throw people off. It was creepy.
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Post by Wambui-nj »

I totally agree with you, the plot is more confusing as you continue reading. I somehow could not even relate with the characters.
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heatherashley7 wrote: 01 Jun 2019, 10:14 Admittedly I am only on Chapter 6, but is anyone else having a hard time with the flow of the book and the development of characters? So far I feel as if the author is jumping around in the plot. She is not providing enough back story or detail to really make me vested in the outcome. The character of Sky is very disappointing to say the least. One minute he sounds like a proper english gentleman, the next just your average guy looking to sleep with someone. Am I the only one who feels like this?

Hopefully this book will get better! :?
It really doesn't, in my opinion, but some people like it. It was very disjointed and too much time was spent on extraneous things, so the characters were more like plot pieces than actual people.
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Post by Erin Dydek »

heatherashley7 wrote: 01 Jun 2019, 17:08 Well I have finished the book and I was disappointed as a whole. I felt this book did not flow at all, it was very choppy with the transitions. At one point it seemed to skip days at a time for one plot but then reverse it self for the second plot.

Speaking of the plots I felt there were two major plots competing for attention, the actual Cyber War and then Cynthia's love life. Although the author attempted to intertwine them, it was poorly done.

You guys might be right about needing to read the rest of the series for the development of the characters, but in this book there was no development in my opinion.

At times I was unsure if the setting took place in England, with the "darling", "dear", and "dearie", or America since it was based around Washington, D.C. It also bothered me how one minute Sky was the perfect gentleman and than the next was more like a childish teenager. Example, calling himself "sugar daddy", and then upon meeting again in Glenn's office rushing to her and kissing her hands. I'm not sure about you but that does not scream manly, much less someone of high importance in the military.

Overall this book seemed like a good read for a teenager, minus the whole pregnancy and miscarriage.

What are your thoughts on Sky's multiple characteristics?
I share the same opinion of Sky that you did. I had a hard time believing that someone as aloof and childish could turn out to be a highly intelligent military officer who is so important that he conducts most of his work off the grid. I feel like most military characters in secret ops positions are more serious and don't act irrationally because they are trying not to bring attention to themselves. They have to lay low to conceal their identity, and here you have Sky running around trying to woo the woman he just met. He insists that it was love at first sight, but even that shows his lack of maturity because that sort of devotion comes across as immature to me.
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Post by Nisha Ward »

Everydayadventure15 wrote: 19 Jun 2019, 11:14
heatherashley7 wrote: 01 Jun 2019, 17:08 Well I have finished the book and I was disappointed as a whole. I felt this book did not flow at all, it was very choppy with the transitions. At one point it seemed to skip days at a time for one plot but then reverse it self for the second plot.

Speaking of the plots I felt there were two major plots competing for attention, the actual Cyber War and then Cynthia's love life. Although the author attempted to intertwine them, it was poorly done.

You guys might be right about needing to read the rest of the series for the development of the characters, but in this book there was no development in my opinion.

At times I was unsure if the setting took place in England, with the "darling", "dear", and "dearie", or America since it was based around Washington, D.C. It also bothered me how one minute Sky was the perfect gentleman and than the next was more like a childish teenager. Example, calling himself "sugar daddy", and then upon meeting again in Glenn's office rushing to her and kissing her hands. I'm not sure about you but that does not scream manly, much less someone of high importance in the military.

Overall this book seemed like a good read for a teenager, minus the whole pregnancy and miscarriage.

What are your thoughts on Sky's multiple characteristics?
I share the same opinion of Sky that you did. I had a hard time believing that someone as aloof and childish could turn out to be a highly intelligent military officer who is so important that he conducts most of his work off the grid. I feel like most military characters in secret ops positions are more serious and don't act irrationally because they are trying not to bring attention to themselves. They have to lay low to conceal their identity, and here you have Sky running around trying to woo the woman he just met. He insists that it was love at first sight, but even that shows his lack of maturity because that sort of devotion comes across as immature to me.
Not just that but the author is inconsistent about who he actually is and why the need for secrecy. It's never explained why he hid his profession from her since he could use teaching as a cover story and the whole thing about Garth not being the one to bring him in seemed contrived to produce the reveal that the Major was Sky, which wasn't really much of a reveal.
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Post by Chelsey Coles »

maggi3 wrote: 01 Jun 2019, 12:38 I agree. This book is part of a series, so maybe there’s more back story in the previous books, but I was also disappointed when I read it. You’ll understand Sky more at the end. I still didn’t connect with his character, but maybe you will.
I hope there is more backstory in the other books, because if not.... :eusa-shifty:
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Post by mmm17 »

You are not alone! I also felt that the book's flow wasn't ideal. Also, the characters could have been better developed. They are a bit shallow and inconsistent - especially Sky.
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