REVIEW: McKenzie

McKenzie by Penny Zeller
My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I wanted to like this book because I usually do love marriage of convenience stories, but quite honestly there was not much I found to like. But let's start with the positive, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED:
~ Asa: He was the only character that had any spark of personality or life. His witty lines were easily the best dialogue in the book.
~ The story concept of a mail order bride: I've always been a sucker for these stories, I guess it's the romantic in me.
~ While there is certainly a strong focus on God, His plan, and Biblical verses, Zeller has managed to convey this without preaching. This, in my mind, is probably her greatest accomplishment with this story.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
~ The vast majority of the characters. I found McKenzie to be absolutely detestable and her transformation didn't sway my opinion much at all. It was just too late at that point and more than anything I just wanted to roll my eyes. I really wanted to like Zach more, but he was just rather dull and uninteresting. The supporting characters were really much more likeable and lifelike than the two main characters were.
~ The writing. The dialogues were so forced and lifeless. I couldn't imagine hearing most of the conversations taking place, with the exception of Asa's lines. He had spark and wit, to be sure.
~ The interludes of McKenzie's daydreams. They simply didn't add anything to the story for me.

To be honest, I found myself skimming much of this book just to get to the parts where the story was being advanced. Clearly, I am in the minority as most rate this book pretty highly, so you can take my review with a grain of salt and I won't be offended. :-)

*This review was originally posted on Goodreads. View all my reviews