Review of "Cry Wolf - The Bummer Lambs"
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- Prisallen
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Review of "Cry Wolf - The Bummer Lambs"
A recent series of wolf attacks have occurred in Blaine County, Colorado. The previous attacks were about 22 years ago when the wolves were almost completely destroyed after they slaughtered Sheriff Blanton Taylor. Now, it is up to Blanton’s son, Sheriff Rhett Taylor, Carson, who is part Comanche, and Jinjer, who has some secret extrasensory abilities, to track them and put a stop to the carnage. Although all three are police officers now, they have been friends since childhood. Each of them lost a parent at an early age, and they have been nicknamed “the Bummer Lambs.” (According to the book, page 24, “A bummer lamb is a lamb who has been rejected at birth by its mother, for one reason or another.”)
Carson, who possesses excellent investigative and tracking abilities, suspects that this is not an ordinary pack of wolves. In search of information, Rhett and Carson attend a lecture about wolves given by Professor Lacen Lowery. Rhett experiences an instant attraction to her, but Carson has the feeling she is somehow dangerous and possibly even evil. Does she have something to do with the wolf attacks, and if so, how is that possible?
Cry Wolf: The Bummer Lambs by Cheryl Warren Cooley is listed in the C/T/M/H genre, but it also incorporates paranormal elements. The author’s prose is descriptive, easy to understand, and narrated from the third-person point of view. The characters are intriguing and diverse. The imaginative plot moves rapidly with no boring areas.
However, there are areas that need work. The book moves back and forth in time without informing the reader. This makes it confusing at times. For instance, in the first chapter, a young woman angrily assaults a sheriff for almost shooting her friend while hunting in the woods. The sheriff’s name isn’t provided. In the second chapter, we are informed a sheriff has been killed by wolves while in the woods, and his son is being informed of his death. I assumed it was the same sheriff. However, it wasn’t. The first chapter had to do with Rhett, whereas the second chapter had gone back in time to when his father, Blanton Taylor, was killed.
Additionally, not everything is as developed as it could have been. Jinjer was given unusual paranormal abilities early in the book, and I thought that would play a role later. However, that didn’t happen. Also, we are notified that Lacen recognized someone in the audience in a hoodie at the lecture, which upset her. We don’t know why, and that wasn’t mentioned again. If the author decided to not develop those further, they shouldn’t have been included at all. However, I think that would be a mistake, especially concerning Jinjer’s abilities. That could add another dimension to the story.
Not wanting to provide a spoiler, I will merely say several questions are left unanswered at the conclusion of the novel as well. The story feels rushed. This is a short novel, only 101 pages, and plenty of room exists to clearly answer all of the questions by the book’s ending.
Plus, too many errors were encountered in the novel. These predominantly had to do with common names being capitalized and misused or missing quotation marks and commas. Because of that and the aforementioned problems, Cry Wolf: The Bummer Lambs achieves a rating of two out of four stars. The book possesses potential, and if the problem areas are fixed, it could definitely achieve a higher rating. Some readers who like crime dramas with paranormal features could probably still enjoy the story; therefore, it deserves better than one star. There are no profanities or sex and the violence is not very graphic; subsequently, I think it would be appropriate for readers 13 and older.
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"Cry Wolf - The Bummer Lambs"
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- Amy Luman
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- Prisallen
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It definitely has potential. I hope the problem areas get fixed soon. Thanks for stopping by!
- NetMassimo
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I think you are right. Thanks for taking the time to read my review and comment!NetMassimo wrote: ↑19 Jul 2021, 08:14 This seems like a paranormal thriller that has good potential but still needs some important editing, including proofreading, to have that potential fully developed. Thank you for your honest review!
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It was a very imaginative plot, and the book has lots of potential. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!Khushboo Barwar wrote: ↑19 Jul 2021, 21:47 The story sounds interesting and unusual, too sad that the author didn't develop certain aspects in the book. Thanks for the honest review.
- Prisallen
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Part of this would be easily fixed if the author chooses to. Thanks for taking the time to read my review and comment!kandscreeley wrote: ↑20 Jul 2021, 04:45 It sounds like this has promise, but it's not fully realized. It's too bad that there are so many unanswered questions. Thanks.
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