Kiss Me, Love Me, Kill Me
By Ashlee North
*** Good read but confusing with POV changes
Summers spent at amusement parks are apart of traditions for many. The same can be said about Wunderland and its competitor down the road, Funtasia. One might imagine that being the owner of such a place might make you the happiest person on Earth; or it could make you the most envious, greedy, and malicious killer around. Kiss Me, Love Me, Kill Me by Ashlee North tells the tale of two such owners and how such turmoil can lead to the demise of one of them when madness takes over!
Although at the beginning of the book you assume that the book is going to be about the development of a new summer love between Skye and Marco. One might also assume that the love life of Skye's sister, Shontelle Rigby, may also play a part in the book. It definitely is not completely made clear that the book will revolve around the murder of Wunderland's owner, whose body was found by Skye, Marco, and Shontelle - who is also an off-duty police detective and more involved in this murder investigation than she could ever imagine.
Shontelle, or Shon, as a character is fairly well developed. Her part in the storyline works well, especially in regards to her conflicted choice of who to date, Joshua or Roger. This plays into the plot quite well and really begins to become the center of a murder investigation. Who'd a thought picking a date might be decided by that of a murder investigation.
Although I found the story line intriguing at times, what I had serious problems with was the writing style and some particulars about writing fiction in general. As much as I hate to say it since I did enjoy the book, I found the writing a bit sophomoric. In addition, the inconsistent changes in POV caused some confusion.
It is obvious that the protagonist of North's book is Shonetelle, or Shon. With that, one might expect the entire story to either be told in 1st person from her point of view, in 3rd person from an unknown narrator, or in 1st person entirely in Skye's POV - the way the book begins. However, what we find with Kiss Me, Love Me, Kill Me is that very small portions are told in 1st person from Skye's POV, whereas all the others portions of the book are told in 3rd person by an unknown narrator.
It all becomes quite confusing because the 1st persons sections with Skye's POV are almost irrelevant to the story. I'm honestly not sure why the budding romance between Skye and Marco is relevant at all. Perhaps if in 3rd person with a multiple viewpoint we could have learned the same without the switch in POV muddying the waters.
In all I'd say Kiss Me, Love Me, Kill Me was an okay read. The tug-of-war between love and murder made for an interesting story. I wouldn't give this book my highest rating, but I also wouldn't tell my readers that it's not worth reading. A good whodunit is never a waste of time. Enjoy!
By Ashlee North
*** Good read but confusing with POV changes
Summers spent at amusement parks are apart of traditions for many. The same can be said about Wunderland and its competitor down the road, Funtasia. One might imagine that being the owner of such a place might make you the happiest person on Earth; or it could make you the most envious, greedy, and malicious killer around. Kiss Me, Love Me, Kill Me by Ashlee North tells the tale of two such owners and how such turmoil can lead to the demise of one of them when madness takes over!
Although at the beginning of the book you assume that the book is going to be about the development of a new summer love between Skye and Marco. One might also assume that the love life of Skye's sister, Shontelle Rigby, may also play a part in the book. It definitely is not completely made clear that the book will revolve around the murder of Wunderland's owner, whose body was found by Skye, Marco, and Shontelle - who is also an off-duty police detective and more involved in this murder investigation than she could ever imagine.
Shontelle, or Shon, as a character is fairly well developed. Her part in the storyline works well, especially in regards to her conflicted choice of who to date, Joshua or Roger. This plays into the plot quite well and really begins to become the center of a murder investigation. Who'd a thought picking a date might be decided by that of a murder investigation.
Although I found the story line intriguing at times, what I had serious problems with was the writing style and some particulars about writing fiction in general. As much as I hate to say it since I did enjoy the book, I found the writing a bit sophomoric. In addition, the inconsistent changes in POV caused some confusion.
It is obvious that the protagonist of North's book is Shonetelle, or Shon. With that, one might expect the entire story to either be told in 1st person from her point of view, in 3rd person from an unknown narrator, or in 1st person entirely in Skye's POV - the way the book begins. However, what we find with Kiss Me, Love Me, Kill Me is that very small portions are told in 1st person from Skye's POV, whereas all the others portions of the book are told in 3rd person by an unknown narrator.
It all becomes quite confusing because the 1st persons sections with Skye's POV are almost irrelevant to the story. I'm honestly not sure why the budding romance between Skye and Marco is relevant at all. Perhaps if in 3rd person with a multiple viewpoint we could have learned the same without the switch in POV muddying the waters.
In all I'd say Kiss Me, Love Me, Kill Me was an okay read. The tug-of-war between love and murder made for an interesting story. I wouldn't give this book my highest rating, but I also wouldn't tell my readers that it's not worth reading. A good whodunit is never a waste of time. Enjoy!