Wow... just WOW! after reading Love Edy, I knew for a fact that I would enjoy Crimson Footprints, I was not disappointed. I loved Deena's growth! It may have taken time and some pushing from Tak, but she got there. There were some things left unanswered, like Lizie's situation... but I will be reading part 2 soon to find out what happens. I would definitely recommend this book! I love the way this author writes! Everything is so VIVID! I absolutely love it, definitely a breath of fresh air from everything else I've been reading. Ok Im going to admit that I didnt have high hopes for this book and after reading it I was surprised to find that I enjoyed it. That being said... I do have some issues with it (hence the rating) that I just couldnt ignore.Warning: Possible Out of Context SpoilersFirst things first: Who edited this book? Because they should NOT be allowed to edit another book from now till the end of time. It wasnt just the typos that got to me (a few I can understand, but towards the end they were EVERYWHERE!), it was the paragraph formatting as well. There were unnecessary page breaks, grammatical errors and poor punctuation throughout the entire story (worst towards the end) and it got to the point where it upset the flow of the story.Secondly: The time gaps/leaps. Some of the dialog and writing suggested time leaps that made no sense and left me feeling like "Wait what? When did that happen?". I understand that the book is broken up into parts, but most of the time leaps were not within the sections of the book, rather, they were smack dab in the middle of them. For example... In part one Deena and Tak meet, and start hanging out eventually and then not too long after that (a handful of chapters later) she mentions that "When they met last year...". What? What do you mean "last year"? Didnt you just meet him not too long ago and start hanging out? Third: Viewpoint changes: The book skips from Deena and Tak to other characters with little or NO explanation, exploring their backgrounds and current situations without preface. Again, this disrupted the flow of the story. One minute you're with Tak and Deena , the next, you're with her idiot little sister. It left me wondering "Why the heck is she exploring the sisters story for no real reason?". This didnt make ANY sense to me UNTIL the very end of the book. No not the last chapter, the end of the book when Amazon throws up that little "Readers who bought this book also enjoyed...." page. Thats when I realized (after exploring the details of the next book)that the focus would shift more to her (So THATS why she was shoving the sisters story down our throat!).Also, Deena made for a hard character to like. I understand that she was supposed to start off a weak pushover and slowly come into her own... but she read more like a battered woman than a girl who was quiet, reserved, and lacking confidence. Really? You're going to quit your road trip with this amazing guy to take money to Mr. So and So at the liquor store for your verbally abusive grandmother? Really? That progression was almost way to long for my tastes. I found myself saying "Just leave her alone Tak, shes clearly content to be a victim all her life". That being said... it was refreshing to see a role reversal for once.... where the GUY wanted to proclaim their relationship whilst the girl wanted to keep it secret. Umm... cant we talk about the unrealisticness of her little sister? Not her sexual encounters, but the things that happened surrounding them. Your brother shoots up Snows car NOT because he RAPED you but because you were only 11 at the time? Really? You get gang raped at a party (the flock of JUST DUDES didnt make you even a little suspect?) and that only makes you more determined to prositute yourself BETTER? Really? Despite all the crazy parts to this book, my interest remained peaked throughout and I DID finish it (Unlike Pepper Pace's "Juicy" were I made it MAYBE 100 pages before I chucked my kindle in sheer disgust) and MAYBE the other two books will be better than the first
What do You think about Crimson Footprints (2011)?
Great story! I couldn't put it down last night! Going straight for part 2! Well done Shewanda!
—roisin
