I wasn’t really sure what I expected when I started reading The Scorpions Strike by C. L. Talmadge. The first book was an interesting read but it didn’t capture my attention and I didn’t read the second book of the series. While I can say that I didn’t hate The Scorpions Strike, it just couldn’t hold my attention.
Helen Andros and her newly reconciled father endure proscription and savage punishment by the Temple of Kronos. Helen learns basic energy manipulation from the Mist-Weaver and first uses her green stone for healing. A treacherous ally plots her father’s assassination.
Like I said before, I didn’t read Fallout, book two of the Green Stone of Healing series, before reading The Scorpions Strike, which may have been why I was so confused at first. However, Talmadge spent so much time going over what previously happened in minute detail, it kept the plot from moving forward at times.
Another thing that really kept the plot from moving was Helen. Although Helen was a smart, strong heroine, she really lacked the ability to make her own decisions or to even form a goal and pursue it. She relied heavily on her father and close friends to help her make decisions. That being said, most of the action in The Scorpions Strike was internal – Helen silently debating with herself over whose plan of action she should follow.
The point of view jumped around a lot which was really annoying. For example, in one scene with Helen and her father, one paragraph would be from Helen’s pov while the next paragraph would be from her father’s pov and it kept jumping back and forth throughout the entire scene. Occasionally, a third person would get a paragraph with their thoughts on the father/daughter duo. I felt that that was completely unnecessary and didn’t contribute to the story at all.
The Scorpions Strike should have been intriguing what with all the politics, family drama, magic and assassination plots; yet none of that managed to capture my interest. So while this series is not for me, I’m sure there are readers out there who would enjoy it.
Read Order:
The Vision
Fallout
The Scorpions Strike
Outcast
Also reviewed by: Bibliophile Stalker, Long and Short Reviews, SciFi Guy.ca, Bitten by Books, Uncommon Review
