Carpe Demon by Julie KennerMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Concession Stand: Nacho Chips with Cheese
Unfortunately, this book did not live up to it's dust jacket - or it's potential. The concept was amusing and the synopsis drew me in, but the rampant product placement and overall juvenile writing really detracted from the story. The "twist" at the end was so painfully obvious that I found myself actually hoping that it was a red herring. The stay-at-home mom's life might be what television thinks things are like, but having been a stay-at-home mom I can tell you that most of what I saw in these pages was pure drivel. There was also the problem of continuity - the author would tell you that the main character was doing something and then seem to forget about it a few paragraphs later. In one scene Kate (the main character) is rifling through boxes filled with odds-and-ends at what would be break-neck speed if she were doing it in real life and then it's almost as if some pages get lost because she's then leaving the area. What, did she just dump all the boxes out on the floor and leave them that way? No, of course she put them back exactly where they were because a few pages later she's back there and in them again. It's just not believable.
And, honestly, I don't give a rat's red ass that she shops at Wal-mart, buys swiffers (both a wet and dry version!) or has a 7-11 on her corner. But the way the author was shoving these things down our throats you would think that they had some serious plot significance - or that she was being paid by the name-drop. One of the two.
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