Reviewed by Amanda on
Long before I got into book blogging--probably even as early as high school--I was a huge Jayne Ann Krentz fan. Huge fan like I trolled library shelves looking for any new Jayne Ann Krentz or Amanda Quick book I could find. (And by new, I mean anything I hadn't read yet.) I avoided her Jayne Castle books because I didn't do paranormal. (Ha. I was so funny back then, wasn't I?)
Amaryllis would have likely been a good transition to paranormal for me if I had ever picked it up. It's true that it's set in St. Helen's, a world cut off from earth. But St. Helen's is basically the Pacific Northwest--where many Jayne Ann Krentz books are set--with a few differences: coff-tea, jelly-ice, and some random other things that I don't even remember anymore. The world made me realize how masterful other authors are with their world building. St. Helen's failed to live up to my expectations in that regard.
The characters, on the other hand, were fun. They were very Jayne Ann Krentz--almost formulaic--but I like her characters (obviously, since she was my favorite author at one point) so it worked. It's been a while since I've read her books, but I was still able to predict, quite easily, certain points in Amaryllis and Lucas's relationship. The predictability didn't bother me--I was reading for the pleasure of it--so it was easy to sit back and watch it unfold.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 27 May, 2013: Finished reading
- 27 May, 2013: Reviewed