Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

A friend got me this book and told me to read it on a few conditions. I was not allowed to read the synopsis on the back or any online reviews. When I asked if he could give me anything about what I was getting myself into he smirked and said, "Shayne Silvers is a man of mystery and power, whose power is exceeded only by his mystery. In other words, a storyteller." Jeeeeezus. So the usual warning, this review will be long and container spoilers. The plot is that Callie Penrose is a wizard being trained by her mentor Roland. Roland works for the Vatican killing monsters, acquiring dangerous artifacts, preventing doomsday that sort of thing. We are introduced to this pair as they team up on Callie's first real mission which is locating three pieces to the spear of Longinus before they fall into the hands of evildoers. One thing I noticed right away is the writing isn't very good. Shayne Silvers has a habit of making Callie's inner monologue repeat/reiterate things to the reader. In it's least offensive form it looks like this: pg 8 - "I wanted to run. To just sit there. To do something. To do nothing. I didn't know what to do." This type of laundry listing appears regularly in various degrees throughout the book, which destroys the flow and makes it a chore to read. Silvers also enjoys contradicting himself. A prime example occurs on page 49 as Callie describes herself: "My black dress clung to me like oil had been poured down my shoulders. Falling into place as the contours of my body dictated. Not indecent, but leaving little to the imagination." When clothing leaves little to the imagination, that's the definition of indecent. This also brings up another point, which is the author has no idea how to write a female character. Callie describes herself as a thirty-something male private eye would describe a high-class escort, but that's the least of her problems. Silvers seems to think a believable female character is a bipolar nut job. Callie is easily offended, quick to anger, slow to forgive, petulant, jealous, and has random emotional changes from chapter to chapter. She will talk about how experienced and professional she is one minute only to devolve into insecurity and self-loathing the next. She has PTSD. Not from a vampire attack that occurred when she was a teenager but from, I kid you not, her mother abandoning her as a baby. The trauma of not feeling worthy of her mother's love causes her to freeze in the face of werewolves and vampires because you know that makes total sense. Callie's radical mood swings aren't limited to how she views herself but also in her feelings toward male characters. For instance, at the beginning of the book, she has an intense reverence for Roland. Referring to him at one point as her "titan of a mentor." By the end of the book, it's clear Roland's role is as the punchline for jokes spearheaded by Nate Temple or Callie. In another instance, Callie meets a man named Johnathan at a bar, they go on a single date, and she seems to think the world of him. She then meets him again by chance at a grocery store and become furiously jealous seeing him chat up the female cashier and acts like a spoiled brat when he approaches her. He's not your boyfriend after one date! The grocery store chapter ends with her getting into the sports car of the incredibly wealthy Nate Temple who mistakes Johnathan for a bagger, acts like a jerk, and dismissively tips him as he takes the groceries. Johnathan would be way more justified in any anger he had towards Callie for how she let Nate treat him than Callie is for her jealousy watching Johnathan have a pleasant conversation with another woman. As Callie watches Johnathan angrily drive off on his motorcycle she points out to the reader that his motorcycle is a Ducati and that owning a Ducati means that he "has serious money." I have no idea why the author thought this was relevant information unless he wanted the reader to view Callie as a shallow gold digger. I should point that I have not read a single Nate Temple book, and then I learned to my horror that Unchained is a crossover. The minute Nate Temple shows up Callie starts playing the sidekick in her own book. It becomes abundantly clear at this point that Silvers is using Unchained to advertise for his other series. Nate Temple is by far the most egregious example of a Mary-Sue I've ever come across in a published work. I have expressed similar opinions toward Harry Dresden in my reviews of the Dresden Files, but Dresden has got nothing on Nate. Nate is a handsome, powerful, billionaire playboy wizard who inherited his wealth from his parents. He's an arrogant jerk, but all the women want him, and all the men want to be him. Any time a character shows disdain toward Nate, it's very clear that they are just totes jealous of how awesome he is. You will find all members of "Team Callie" talking about Nate when he's not around as he quickly cements himself as the center of their world and intricate to the book's plot. The author benches Roland by having him decline Nate's offer to heal an injury he suffered early in the book. This way Callie can spend her time with a young, wealthy hunk of a wizard instead of the doddering grandpa. I hope you like contrived romances. Nate's presence creates friction between Callie and Roland causing her to distrust Roland; a man she's known for ten years while blindly believing in Nate who she just met yesterday. Her friend Claire who was a shy wallflower gains more confidence and starts flirting with men merely from being around the unshakable bravado of the great Nate Temple. Even Callie's adoptive father who hates Nate at the beginning is singing the praises of "Master Temple" by the end. Nate offers on multiple occasions to call in his crew to aid "Team Callie" in the quest for the spear. Callie refuses and puffs out her chest while going on a tirade about this being "her city" and sharing her reasoning that if she doesn't make herself appear as a threat to the supernatural community, every monster in the city will be gunning for her after Nate leaves. The problem is Nate's people are hilariously overpowered. Meaning the story would be over in two chapters if Callie accepted their help. But spouting off faux feminist slogans rather than getting help from a man makes Callie look like she cares more about her reputation than the safety of the world. This completely removes any tension the reader might have regarding the protagonist's chances of success and makes it plain as day that the good guys are going to win. Boring. Silvers makes sure his golden boy is the picture of professionalism next to Callie, as there are moments I wonder if she can tie her shoes properly. I understand she's supposed to be the noob while Nate is the veteran, but she's been training for ten years. The kinds of blunders she makes should have gotten her killed within the first few chapters. The Nate/Callie combo is a terrible team-up with Callie only being around to make Nate look good, and become infatuated with him. Good team-ups are characters who complement each other in either personality or ability. Deadpool and Wolverine (buffoon and straight man) Batman and Superman (brains and brawn). Each character brings something to the table, and it's exciting and enjoyable watching them interact with each other. Nate Temple brings everything to the table while Callie only brings her baggage and neurosis. Nate's got more money and connections. He's got more skill than both the protagonist and her mentor. He does the mission recon without her. He protects her friends and family. He provides transportation via shadow-walking. He relishes battle, and tangles with were-creatures while she stands there wetting herself because her mommy never loved her. It's nauseating how much the author is in love with this douchebag wizard. Silvers spends the end of the book severely backpedaling trying to make up for the damage he's done to Callie's character. So she predictably gains a butt load of confidence (thanks to Nate) and has a PTSD breakthrough from 10 minutes of meditating in her car. She then acquires a massive amount of magical ability, learns about her past and destiny, and single-handedly defeats the "big bad" thanks to Nate conveniently having to leave to take care something in St. Louis. All of which takes place in the last fifty to sixty pages of the book. Unchained is an urban fantasy novel suffering from below average writing, a badly written unrealistic main character, and Nate Temple. Temple's presence not only steals the spotlight from Callie but makes the book after his introduction feel like I'm reading a Nate Temple fanfiction. Callie Penrose needs a massive overhaul just to become a decent character and I will not be reading book 2 to find out if that happens.