Two Star Review: The Collective Protocol by Brian Park
Kindle Unlimited Copy
Category: Paranormal, Thriller
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Synopsis:
Paige Watkins is a telepath who can control the minds of those around her. When a cabal of devious Canadian politicians learns of her abilities, The Collective Protocol is born. Its mission is to destabilize their troublesome southern neighbor and erstwhile partner while increasing international Canadian influence and expanding their national borders. The telepath’s gifts are magnified using cutting edge technology, allowing her to inflict heavy damage upon the country of her birth as she orchestrates widespread wildlife attacks, uprisings among the homeless and succeeds in turning Americans against the police, who seem possessed by demons as they strike out against law-abiding citizens. Several of the incidents seem to swirl around Washington, D.C. native Reagan Lockhart, causing the lead investigator from the FBI’s Unorthodox Crimes department to conclude that she’s somehow involved. The girl is thrust into the middle of an international scheme to systematically destroy the U.S. where she must ultimately face Paige in a battle of ferocious energies.
Review by Sara: Let me start off by saying that the premise behind the book and the overall story was interesting. Canada decides to wipe out the US via their secret weapon AKA Telepathy Paige Watkins and some devastating technology. It's up to her twin sister Reagan Lockhart and a select few to stop her. I never was able to get fully engaged in the story. Due partially to the fact that it is extremely over-descriptive and the author hasn't grasped the concept on noun vs pro-noun placement in a paragraph. I was also given more detail on Paige and her motivations to commit these horrible atrocities on the US than I was on or hero Reagan. What I was given on Reagan was superficial at best she never developed any depth for me and I never connected with her as a character. I personally need the story to engage me on an emotional level and this story never did. Millions of people died and I couldn't feel the devastation because Reagan didn't show any. Nor did any of the secondary characters. Reagan hardly portrayed any emotion at her own personal "devastating" loss. Again decent concept bad execution. As a reader I wouldn't have made it past the first few paragraphs if I got a free sample, if I even got past the overly-descriptive synopsis for this book. As a reviewer I pushed on. The book doesn't pick up until about 38% but the problems don't go away.