The formula need not go on I have always adored Iris Joahnsens' books...at least the mysteries she began to write as she moved away somewhat from romance. However I have become increasingly disappointed. When Authors who write for money find a formula that works, they stick with it. But the successful ones don't glue their backsides to it. The strong women in earlier books have always been the sort of distrusting, in your face sort. The men are usually former military special forces...her favourite, the navey seals. I like handsome, manly men. I tend to be an attractive independant woman myself. But Pandora's Daughter is the most irritating charactor yet. Does nothing but prove she does not know how to communicate. argues for pages upon pages. Not coherent arguements. "I don't have to" "I won't" "I'm not" and 'you can't make me' over and over. I couldn't finish it. Iknew the ending by the third of the way through. Unfortunately the last few books have been all too transparent, with the outline showing through the dialogue and action hanging from it. I don't remember giving a book a 2, but that was actually more than it deserved.
Pandora's Daughter I usually like the suspense books of Iris Johansen, this one is rather boring and in fact unsatsfactory. too slow, the whole thing is very silly.
PistooThis Story Could Have Been Told About Half The Space We listened to this book on CD during a recent trip. It is 11 hours long and should have been about 6. A decent premise for a novel but the author must have been paid by the word. Diarrhea of the penTerrible "Stalemate", one of Iris Johansen's Eve Duncan series, wasn't very good. "Pandora's Daughter" feels as though Johansen was trying to redeem herself by rewriting it--only "Pandora's Daughter" is worse. Megan Blair is no Eve Duncan; neither Neal Grady nor Jed Hartley is a Galen. Worse, the plot is full of holes in the few places where it doesn't feel contrived.
Some of the characters have supernatural powers and it's no spoiler to say that the book's villain, Molino, is out to kill the "freaks". The progression of the plot hinges on maintaining a stalemate where neither Molino nor Blair can afford to act against the other. However, there are many obvious places where Molino could simply have been disposed of. The contortions Johansen goes through to give the appearance that neither has the advantage simply don't ring true.
Yes, I saw the story through to the end, but for all the wrong reasons--to see how much schmaltz Johansen could pile on and how much more predictable the plot could get. It was only in that regard that I was not disappointed. (An unfortunate "spoiler": At any point in the plot, try to come up with the most hackneyed way of advancing the plot and resolving conflicts and issues. Yes, that's what happens.)
I generally enjoy Johansen's books. She's the reason I read Pandora's Box. However, I've no intention of reading any sequel involving any of the characters introduced there.
a very compelling story Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
After her mother was murdered when she was 15, Megan Blair went to live with her uncle, and has almost completely silenced the voices she heard in her head as a young girl. What Megan doesn't understand is that she is a Listener, able to hear the voices of people who have died. Until someone tries to kill her...
Neal Grady has been protecting Megan ever since the fateful night her mother was killed. He has used his own psychic abilities to relieve the burden of the horrors Megan's gift brings her. But now he has returned. It appears Molino, the man who killed Megan's mother in a fit of vengeance and rage, has found Megan and will do anything to kill her too. Neal will do anything to protect Megan from such evil.
Molino wants the Ledger, a book that holds all the secrets to the psychically talented family Megan is believed to be descended from and he intends to use it to kill off all the "freaks." linked through the family. Megan's mother killed Molino's son with her gifts, convincing Molino she is a Pandora, the most dangerous of all psychic talents.
Pandora's Daughter is a very compelling story. Action is non-stop in this fast paced thriller. The suspense is skillfully done, keeping me on the edge of my seat eager to see what would happen next. I actually found myself wanting to stay in the car and drive even more so I could continue on the roller coaster ride of emotions. I was kept guessing as to what Molino would do next in his quest for vengeance against Megan.
I loved the addition of the variety of psychic gifts to the story and the accompanying explanations of the levels of abilities. Experiencing Megan's abilities alongside of her and the emotions resulting from them, added a sense of urgency to the story and added tension to the story
I was more impressed with the thriller side of the story than I was the romance. Maybe it was the age difference between Megan and Neal, but I could not see them as a couple, no matter how hard I tried, even while I knew they were going to end up together in the end.
I had the abridged version of the audio and I think I would have enjoyed the unabridged version a little bit more. There seemed to be a lot of scene jumping that would have been much more smoothly done in the unabridged version with better transitions. Jennifer Van Dyck does a wonderful job performing the novel, her voice adding nuances to the characters that made them that much more fascinating.
