So, you read a novel and there's something about the story that pops you out of that willing state of disbelief and leaves you thinking: I just don't buy it.

Most folks whom I've talked to who read Broken Angels had something about the story that didn't work for them. Weirdly--what didn't work was different for everybody. Which sends a first-time novelist into a tizzy. How the hell can you make everyone happy if everyone isn't happy about the same thing?

Some examples of what didn't work for folks:

1) Kris's transformation at the end of the book
2) Her hijacking of the airplane
3) That she'd care enough about her mother to look for her killer
4) Her snowshoe trek across the pass
5) My use of Annie & Ringer as the "perfect" couple (God forbid)
6) The holes in the leaves as a clue

The list goes on.

But over time--four aspects of the novel have emerged from comments left on Amazon and GoodReads that haven't worked for most of my one- or two-star reviewers. These are:

1) Too much description--particularly about Alaska and the weather
2) Too much violence
3) The ending
4) Kris--the protagonist--isn't very likable (or not likable enough)

I'm going to talk about each of these in my next several blog posts--any thoughts or comments from folks who have read the book would be much appreciated.