Valens Remembered by Sherrel Lee
I have a rule when it comes to reading books; if the book doesn't hook me by page 40 I stop. With this book I wasn't given the chance to drop it because this book is about forty pages long. This book has some potential, but it wasn't explored, leaving the book underdeveloped. If it was meant to be a short story there was too much going on, if it was meant to be a fully developed novel it needed at least 200 more pages to delve into the numerous plot details that were started, but never continued.
As soon as you crack open this book you are plunged head first into a funeral. To be specific, Larinda's adoptive parents. Now, along with a surprisingly short grieving process she must take control of her parents company, Legacy. From the get-go seemingly crucial pieces of information are withheld, including Larinda's age and what type of company Legacy is. Without such clarification of these details the reader will find themselves groping for a foothold. The puzzlement is expanded when it is casually revealed that everyone at this "company" are Valens. The Valens are sworn to protect humankind with their shape shifting abilities, but appear to spend very little time in doing so. Every Valen is born with the the destiny of one day shifting into a specific legendary creature such as a gryphon or a centaur. The animal that Larinda is to become is a unicorn. Her change is anticlimactic and is quickly over shadowed by the threat of assassins and the discovery of a long lost sister.
This premise that started off promising quickly turned into disappointment. A rushed and shallow story leaving me wishing I could wave a magic wand and fix these fatal flaws. "Poof!" Character development to give shape to the bland, skeletal characters. "Poof!" The book would quadruple in size! "Poof!" A story worth reading will appear.
