Review: Marysvale

Book Details

Title: Marysvale
Author: Jared Southwick
Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 387
Publishing Info: Brigham Distributing, October 5, 2010

My Review
Why I read it: received review copy from the author
The Plot: We start out with our main character, John Casey, escaping from a small town.  He is chased by the Brean, which are big, darkish monstery things (we never find out what they are or where they come from).  He manages to get to a house on the outskirts of Marysvale.  From there he travels with a couple of sisters into Marysvale.  He starts to remember things from his childhood that he had forgotten.  Things he had seen.  And also, Marysvale is not a very good place, and once you're there it's hard to get out.  This story felt a lot like hearing a story someone was telling me, rather than being immersed in a story. 
The Characters: The good people in the story were suitably likable, and the villains seemed awful enough, but I just didn't really connect with anyone in the story. 
The Setting: It's hard to really get a feel for the setting.  Marysvale was an interesting enough place, but we really only got to hear about it from John (because the story is told in first person), and he's just arriving there.  The setting feels pretty bleak, with the monsterish Brean everywhere, so it's not some place I'd want to visit anytime soon.
Who Should Read This? Those who like their fantasy a little more mysterious.
Final Thoughts: While I didn't love this story, there were some very tense and exciting moments.  I'm not sure if I'll read the next book in the series or not.
Grade: C
Cover Thoughts: I think the cover is fairly generic, and I'm not sure exactly how it relates to the story, but it could be worse.  :)