Fellow author Abigail Boyd and I have agreed to beta read each other’s books. The paranormal content in Uncertainty, book two in the Gravity series, has grown increasingly occultic. Extreme behavior (I won’t give away details for the sake of suspense) is reserved for the criminal element within the story and gives the book a strong sense of danger; nevertheless, some scenes went beyond my comfort zone.
Yet I can’t help but be impressed with Abigail’s writing style. Despite my qualms, the story is extremely absorbing. She especially has a knack for imagery—she always chooses just the right words and often makes me laugh with the description—and for effortless dialogue. In short, this is prose Every Joe will pick up and relate to. And she makes it look easy. Case in point:
“Her voice was several octaves higher than usual, her green eyes ballooning like a cartoon mouse begging a cat not to kill it.”
Then there was the lady with so much plastic surgery “they could have bounced a quarter off her face.”
And my favorite, the “huge assault strollers in the mall.” See what I mean? Abbey’s writing sparkles with humor and personality.
Now for the plot. Ariel, who uncovered the murder of her best friend, Jenna, in book one, is now being visited by her friend’s ghost, who is trapped in “Limbo.” But Jenna doesn’t know she’s dead, so she can’t remember details of the murder. Using her psychic abilities and the few clues she’s given, Ariel begins to uncover a plot that stretches far beyond the man who was jailed for the crime. It seems to reach into the wealthiest families in town, including that of Henry, her on-again, off-again boyfriend. Uncertainty, while concluding satisfactory, definitely leaves a lot of material for book three.
So, setting my content preferences aside, I am rating this one based solely on how much I enjoyed Abbey's style and story-telling ability.