I wish I understood the hype of these books. This one, once again, is poorly written to the extreme. Human beings are growling all over the place, every single sentence is filled with needless adverbs, and the dialogue is self-indulgent, often dragging on with no other purpose than to dazzle the reader with how "witty" the author is. The plot itself takes chapters upon chapters to get anywhere at all, and when it does, it's straight out of a bad horror movie. Which makes sense, considering the first book was the most predictable murder "mystery" I've ever read. The villains are one-dimensional throwaways and it's difficult to invest in anyone else. Injuries happen and then appear to be completely forgotten about. Zane had a broken nose, and yet he and Ty were nuzzling noses about six times directly after the thing was set. Of course, this book had the same pattern as the first with sex happening following horrible bodily harm, so maybe that's just a fetish for this particular writer. Bottom line: it needs an editor. Badly. Phrases are overused (if one more person nods, shakes their head, or smiles, I swear...) and the whole thing is a slow, plodding mess that seems more like a meandering fanfiction than a novel with any real structure or pacing. I was hoping this may have been an improvement from the first book, but it's just as bad, if not worse. The follow up of Ty and Zane's story isn't as case oriented as the first one. A lot of the sexual tension has been resolved which gives space to the psychological and emotional growing of them. I must say that my whole image of Ty just obliterated and that I have discovered traits of his personality I never would have guessed he had. I really hope that next book will give us more insight on Zane's rooted fears and past. (also that one scene in the woods was damn hot)
What do You think about Sticks & Stones (2010)?
Love love love Ty and Zane with the Grady's.
—Emmie
