Reader's Discretion Advised

Eh... 2.5?It wasn't...bad, I suppose, but it was.The individual parts weren't bad, but overall plot seemed to...ignore reality. There were parts that seemed way too idealized and parts that just flat out didn't make sense given the context.I get the feeling that Blackwell couldn't quite decide whether or not to make Dante a sociopath. It actually kind of reminded me of The Slayer's Apprentice at times, but in a trying-to-be-not-so-extreme sort of way.The part towards the end...that seemed weirdly familiar too. Actually, the entire thing reminds me of a melange of different books, but not executed as well, I guess. The main problem is Dante. He's a mess of contradictions and idealizations. He's sort of an anti-hero, but is also a Melting Ice Queen (hey, look; I'm speaking in tropinese). There's just...so much inconsistent with him. The ex-cop I could handle, but then the weirdness with the past abuse...he just acted a lot like Phoenix did in Slayer's. I really couldn't believe that Zack couldn't believe he'd be chosen. Seriously =_=Oh, no. Wait. I got it now. That's what was nagging at me. Dante reminds me of an Edward figure. As in, Edward-of-Twilight. The pseudo-mystique that's just melodramatic and weird. The inconsistent characterization. The really random "soft underbelly," as Claire put it, that didn't quite mesh with the rest of his "characterization."I guess the main problem is I don't read these things for the sex. I suppose if I did, I might hold this in a higher regard...The last moment just...cemented that for me. It was the melodramatic Melting Ice Queen trope used all the wrong ways. Sheesh. I think the way Blackwell characterized - or rather, didn't - Dante ended up ruining the book.