Overall rating and opinion of "Cynthia and Dan: Cyber War" by Dorothy May Mercer

Use this forum to discuss the June 2019 Book of the month, "Cynthia and Dan: Cyber War" by Dorothy May Mercer.
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gali
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Overall rating and opinion of "Cynthia and Dan: Cyber War" by Dorothy May Mercer

Post by gali »

This is a discussion topic for the June 2019 Book of the Month, Cynthia and Dan: Cyber War by Dorothy May Mercer

What is your overall opinion of the book? What do you like most about it? What do you like least? Will you recommend the book to other people? Why or why not?

Please remember to add your actual rating using the book's page on: Bookshelves.
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Post by maggi3 »

I didn't really like the book. The issue with the drones was interesting, but the love story aspect kind of ruined it for me. It was a clear case of insta-love, and I found Sky's character to be very cliche. He's another perfect, mysterious love interest who always knows exactly what Cynthia needs. I also thought the title was a bit misleading because, although Dan has a significant role in the book, it isn't about him and Cynthia, but Cynthia and Sky. It also felt a bit like the author was trying to justify cheating in certain parts, which I disliked. I liked the twist at the end, but I saw it coming. I also appreciated the addition of further information for taking Plan B One-Step at the end of the book. Overall, I would not recommend this book. It might appeal to some, but it wasn't for me.
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Post by Stephanie Elizabeth »

From what I have read of this book, I do not really like it or feel a connection to the characters. I think bringing down terrorists on it's own would be a a great storyline, but I do not like this relationship between Dan and Sky. There is something very off-putting about Sky. He quite condescending towards Cynthia. At this point, I would give the book 2 stars.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

gali wrote: 31 May 2019, 23:42 This is a discussion topic for the June 2019 Book of the Month, Cynthia and Dan: Cyber War by Dorothy May Mercer

What is your overall opinion of the book? What do you like most about it? What do you like least? Will you recommend the book to other people? Why or why not?

Please remember to add your actual rating using the book's page on: Bookshelves.
I loved the suspense and thriller in the book and how there would always appear to be some crisis in Cynthia's life. I loved the technobable and the unique interaction between Cynthia and her brother. I rated the book 4 out of 4 stars. What I liked least about the book was the appearance of enbolden subtitles in the course of every chapter.
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Post by Adair »

This story, derived from current day news items, in terms of online influencing of others whether they be individuals or institutions, was well written with sharp dialogue and logical characters. The protagonists needed to navigate a rapidly changing context of needing to know enough about vague online attacks, until they were on the brink of happening. It consisted of expertly woven story threads with an enjoyable climax. I would recommend this story for those who enjoy a real time approach to fiction where issues that society is grappling with are being dealt with by the characters. I did not enjoy reading so much about the romance since, other than moving story lines along, most fictional romances, to me, are contrived and detract from various genre story realities. I would only recommend this book to others to the extent that their reading selections fit with my own rating preferences since its hard to predict how strongly different readers will rate the topics of cyber warfare and romance.
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Post by heatherashley7 »

My overall opinion is very poor, I felt the flow of the book was choppy at best with two competing plot lines. I enjoyed the cyber war part of the book and found it interesting, but hard to follow. Cynthia's love life was poorly written and thrown in I think to give it more of an appeal, which it lacked.

The development of the characters were another issue for me as they were thoughtless. Sky was unbelievable at best, as he was supposed to be a major in the armed forces but reduced to nothing more than a stalker, and love sick schoolboy. These characteristics truly turned me off from the character. Dan was only introduced in a negative and stalking light with no clear ending which disturbed me as well. The author attempted to make Cynthia this independent woman, but at the same time ditzy and clueless.

If it weren't for the adult themes I would possibly recommend this for a teenager, but I would not recommend it to another adult.
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Post by Bernilla »

I did not really like the book, although I enjoyed the cyber war part of the book, I recommend it to adult.
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Post by Brendan Donaghy »

I read the sample and felt no desire to read any more. For me, this felt like a book aimed at teenagers. I understand from reading other comments that the book contains content more suitable for adults in places. That being the case, it sounds as if the author hasn't really worked out the target audience for this book.
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Post by brown09 »

So far into the book (10 chapters), I don't really like it. Sky seems too perfect to be interesting, and every character comes off kind of cheesy to me. Cynthia also doesn't seem to have much common sense as she meets Sky. I doubt meeting the man would have turned out so smooth if this actually took place in Washington D.C. I felt as if I were reading a "So-Bad-It's-Good" book, but without much of the good.
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Post by siusantos »

I am giving Cynthia and Dan: Cyber War a rating of 2 out of 2 stars because of the sudden change in scene which I find very confusing. And I find the love story between Sky and Cynthia unoriginal. Its so Fifty Shade-ish. Lastly, there were some grammar issues that needs to be dealt with.
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Post by Clorinda Donovan »

The story is good but somehow the love story is an extra and unnecessary. I do not like the book cover. Not only is it misleading it is also unappealing. I do not understand how this book became book of the month.
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Post by Artizi »

I read the sample pages and really I don't think I'd be too keen on reading the remainder of the book. It's a shame since I felt it had so much promise.
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Post by marimac »

I was not engaged while reading this book. I liked the Cynthia character, as well as the cyber war plotline with the cyber-nerds. I did not care for the Sky character, he didn't seem fully developed, not at all like an Air Force Major. I think the title of the book is wrong. It could have been 'Cynthia and the cyber-nerds' or Maybe 'Cynthia and Sky'. I didn't think Dan was significant to be in the title.
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Post by erinrb13 »

I wasn't a huge fan of this book. I thought the characters all had very similar personalities and the dialogue seemed unrealistic. I did like the idea of the cyber war against terrorists, but I found there to be very little conflict with that part of the story.
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Post by cpru68 »

This sounds horrible, but I gave it a two out of four stars. I just wasn’t intrigued by it. I liked the cyberwar aspect of it, but Cynthia seemed so flakey to me. It was a bit predictable as well. I just didn’t find it to be my cup of tea.
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