REVIEW: Pawn Takes Rook by Lex Chase

Pawn Takes Rook by Lex Chase
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This story would have been a solid read were it not for some editing issues.

+ pacing
The story has a pacing issue. Usually, I criticize books for progressing too slowly for my liking, but not today. Instead, this is one of those once-in-a-blue-moon times where the story progressed too fast. It progressed like a Gatling gun, barely giving the reader a moment to digest what was happening.

I would be reading a scene, and before I knew it I was reading another scene. The transition was so seamless it's nonexistent; that's not a compliment. Many time I had to reread a scene, and sometimes I'm at lost to how much time had passed in one scene and from one scene to another. It felt like the story was giving the middle finger to the concept of time passage.

+ the writing
The writing was decent. I really liked how the prose was streamlined and how it put an emphasis on action and dialogue. However, it was a tad too much. I wanted to shout at the book to slow down, to take a moment and do some world building and character development.

+ the plot
The plot was full of action, but unfortunately it occurred at the detriment of world building. One of the questions I had was that I didn't know if this took place in the far future on Earth or if it was some alternative Earth where superhumans are have always existed.

Second to the pacing issue, I couldn't believe they let the villain escape at the end. WTF? Yeah, there was a HFN and it was nice and I liked it, but dude. It was a loose end that should not have been a loose end. It made me buzz with angriness. Talk about contrived. It strongly felt like the villain was being benched for a future book in case the author ran out of imagination.

+ the characters
The story was told in 1st person POV from Hogarth's side. I liked Hogarth. He acted like a puppy, needy, wanting to please, and rather impulsive. I found it... cute surprisingly enough because happy-go-lucky protagonists are not my cup of tea.

Rook, the love interest, on the other hand, was all right. I found his Ooo-I'm-mysterious, Ooo-I'm a torturous soul cliche and kinda annoying. He didn't annoy me as much because he didn't act like a total jerk to Hogarth as I expected.

+ the reasons I liked this book
The book had a yaoi-style and superheroes, my two weaknesses. When it comes to a book that takes advantage of my weakness, my tolerance for crap rises.

The romance was sufficiently believable; there was at least no insta-love. There was a lot of ass-kicking; sometimes I just want thoughtless violence and men in tights.

In Conclusion

I rate Pawn Takes Rook 3-stars for I liked it, a soft 3-stars. The book is good for a mindless, action-y read.

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