Runes by Ednah Walters Series: Runes #1
Published by Firetrail Publishing on June 8th 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 245
Format: ebook
Goodreads
Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.
Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.
Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only are she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life
Runes by Ednah Walters is part of the Spark bundle, which focuses on paranormal romances. This book fits the themes of the other books perfectly. It has a good mix of paranormal elements mixed with the everyday troubles of a teenage girl.
There’s one thing that I did like about the story and that was the supernatural element. I won’t spoil what it is since it’ll take away some of the mystery, but it’s new to me. Especially how Ednah used it in her story. This also was the only thing that I liked about it. Other parts of the story seemed far fetched and didn’t make too much sense.
I wasn’t impressed with the writing. It feels like Runes is of a lesser quality than the other books which is a shame. I did finish the book though, it’s not entirely unreadable. It’s filled with cliches and it’s very predictable once the secret is revealed. It’s not like I hate books filled with cliches, but if the wrong cliches or tropes are used together it’ll make a mess instead of something harmonious.
The one thing I disliked most about the book was the ending. It’s a cheap trick and, in my eyes, totally unnecessary. I think the story method she uses is taking away a stronger ending. Maybe she chose this because of the sequel, but it’s not something that invites me to read it.
I rated Runes 1,5 stars, which is the lowest yet. Maybe this book wasn’t for me. The quality was much lower than the other books in the bundle and the ending uses a mechanic that most writers are told to avoid. I had hoped it would be at least three stars, but the more I read, the lower the score became. I probably won’t pick up another book by Ednah Walters again.
