Street

Street by Ryan A. Span
 

Summary: Gina is a telepath for hire. She gets her "third eye" from a drug called Spice that causes the user to feel emotions of those around them and see into the pasts of the others. She gets entangled up with the mysterious Bomber and a man, Gabriel, who seems to have a connection to the main character. Gina is dragged into an even seedier world than she's used to and everyone wants to use her for her brain. For most girls this wouldn't be a problem, but in Gina's case, it is a matter of life or death.

Likes: This story was like watching a high thrills action movie without all the cheesy fight dialogue and overblown fight sequences. There were twists and turns, but none of these felt artificial or thrown in just for effect. Gina is a likable character. She's strong, tough, and capable of taking care of herself. She still has a feminine quality that doesn't seemed overly forced. I'm interested in reading what's happening to the characters, not just as far as plot is concerned, but the author has given me a reason to care about them. It's not just about the plot for me, but the characters as well. Stories of this genre don't really appeal to me because they forget a lot of the characterization. Even though there are a lot of questions about the characters, the story doesn't dump enough on readers nor does it hold back. Characters are shown through actions which is appreciated in an otherwise "plot" driven story. The characters drive the plot, not the other way around.

Dislikes: The writing is a little indulgent at times. Sometimes the metaphors are a little clunky and it breaks the narrative a bit, especially in something that is so driven by characters and plots. Sometimes characters are referred to by race which gets a little irritating, but then again we aren't with these characters for very long. Sometimes I don't really care about what ethnicity someone is, it doesn't really seem important and it happens so often that I feel the need to address it. Gina is a little skittish and it's understandable, but it gets a little exhausting at points.

Overall: A most interesting read. The characters are entertaining and easy to care about. The story isn't totally reliant on its plot, but lets the characters take action. None of these characters are passive as things happen to them. We learn what they learn and they take us on a wild ride filled with twists and turns.