I had to give up on this after about 75 pages. The premise was good but the writing wasn't interesting enough to hold my interest, and the plot jumped around from person to person, mixed in with student's personal blurbs. Just didn't feel like I was enjoying it, and I didn't even care to find out who was the killer.

This book is the first in a series, Halls of Ivy, and centres around campus life.

I've never read a fiction book written quite like this one. Opening with a prologue the Author compels the reader to continue reading to discover how we came to this point, and in that respect it is well written and, at the same time, very deceptive as it promises more than it actually delivers.

It is composed of, what can only be described as biographies and transcripts of interviews the main female lead conducts with numerous college students; a third person narrative from the lead character and various students, all combining to make it seem more like reading a dissertation with a plot woven in, rather than an actual novel. Because of the way it is written, it did not have any deep character development, although the Author took steps to start placing the foundations of a back story and interesting character traits for the female lead, in preparation for future books in this series that she might appear in. One flaw the reader soon discovers about the lead is their way of narrating events, she does it in a very disconnected, concise and clinical way, almost as if she is continually giving evidence throughout this books pages. As to the rest of the characters, there are lots of them as can be expected in a campus life book, they all have generally small parts in the telling of the story and this leads to the reader not being able to really connect with any of them although, as in real life, there are some we like and some we just can't warm to.

Location descriptions for Florida are very good, even down to the general complaint about the weather, but apart from that there was nothing in this book that really made it stand out in my mind and made me feel as if I were there observing the storyline unfold.

The idea behind this novel is very good, and taking place as it does on campus, it provides the Author with plenty of material for upcoming books in this series. This is a great little mystery book and fits very comfortably in that genre, so I am recommending it to those who are lovers of a good mystery and like to figure things out.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/review-halls-of-ivy-halls-of-ivy...



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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This book is the second book in a series of four, Halls of Ivy, and continues following the students and faculty the reader was introduced to in the first novel, Halls of Ivy. This book does not have to be read as part of the series, as the Author thoughtfully included the biographies of all the characters from the first book, making it a good stand-alone read. However, to truly grasp all the nuances it would be advised to read book one first.

As in the first book, the Author has continued telling the events taking place biographies and transcripts of interviews the main female lead conducts with numerous college students this provides a good continuation from the first novel, and makes the reader feel at ease and familiar with the characters, although there are a few revelations that appear regarding them. Again there is not any really deep character developments, but the foundations of the back story and interesting character traits for the female lead, that were laid in book one are continued in this instalment of the series.

This book follows the students we met in book one as they advance into their second year of university and, as there are two more novels to come we can be sure that we will be seeing them again as the reader follows them through to the end of their studies. In this novel, the Author has included several sub plots that provide enough twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes, and also give us an insight into the fact that academia may not be the peaceful vocation some imagine it to be.

I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I did the first in the series, and was pleased to see that the Author’s writing style had developed considerably; I would recommend this book to lovers of the mystery genre, and those looking for a good but thoughtfully written read.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2013/10/03/review-halls-of-ivy-pathfinder-halls-of-iv...




This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
( )

This book is the first in a series, Halls of Ivy, and centres around campus life.

I've never read a fiction book written quite like this one. Opening with a prologue the Author compels the reader to continue reading to discover how we came to this point, and in that respect it is well written and, at the same time, very deceptive as it promises more than it actually delivers.

It is composed of, what can only be described as biographies and transcripts of interviews the main female lead conducts with numerous college students; a third person narrative from the lead character and various students, all combining to make it seem more like reading a dissertation with a plot woven in, rather than an actual novel. Because of the way it is written, it did not have any deep character development, although the Author took steps to start placing the foundations of a back story and interesting character traits for the female lead, in preparation for future books in this series that she might appear in. One flaw the reader soon discovers about the lead is their way of narrating events, she does it in a very disconnected, concise and clinical way, almost as if she is continually giving evidence throughout this books pages. As to the rest of the characters, there are lots of them as can be expected in a campus life book, they all have generally small parts in the telling of the story and this leads to the reader not being able to really connect with any of them although, as in real life, there are some we like and some we just can't warm to.

Location descriptions for Florida are very good, even down to the general complaint about the weather, but apart from that there was nothing in this book that really made it stand out in my mind and made me feel as if I were there observing the storyline unfold.

The idea behind this novel is very good, and taking place as it does on campus, it provides the Author with plenty of material for upcoming books in this series. This is a great little mystery book and fits very comfortably in that genre, so I am recommending it to those who are lovers of a good mystery and like to figure things out.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/review-halls-of-ivy-halls-of-ivy...



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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I received this book free on Library Thing's website for my honest review.

Though I found this book to be a good read, I think it is a little out of my age range. This book would be better suited for someone who is currently in college or has been apart of the college atmosphere.

The story is, however, riveting in its continual movement towards the end, and the culprit. (whom I was caught off guard about)I did however find that the constant change of voices telling the story and the number of students to keep track of a little distracting.

All in all a good plot, good characters, and a must read for college students who like a mystery. ( )