Reader's Discretion Advised

O_o check out the cover dude's deformed arm...*sigh. How sad. The single arm he DOES have is deformed...Post-Read EtA:Godawful cover. Just godawful.Hmm...3.5?Aside from the cover, it was actually quite good. The paranormal element was really quite random and, in my opinion, not quite fully capitalized on.I'd liked for there to have been some element about how exactly that weird artifact worked/where exactly it came from, maybe even actually bring it back into play somehow. It would have made the added mind-reading a lot less random, I think, because as is, the paranormal element doesn't really weave itself into the story. It's like there's a Pre-Telepath era and a After-Telepath era.The characterization was actually a lot better than I expected. The investigation and "mystery" element wasn't bad, I guess.I'm a little annoyed that the original plot thread wasn't quite addressed fully. It's like a Discovery Channel show, actually: they ask one question, then go to investigate, which leads them to another question, and another and another, and finally by the end, they don't actually answer any of the questions and you're staring perplexedly at the "expert" who is speaking on some other tangent while the credits roll.I guess in this one, they at least answer one mystery thing?While the writing itself isn't bad, it's a little weird how the plot and the romantic development seem quite separate. Each is in its own neat little box...