A. Jacob Sweeny

I jumped at the chance to review Pulse of Heroes as soon as I read the bit in A. Jacob Sweeny's bio about "immersion in world myths and her archaeological fieldwork." That experience defintely shows. For me, the novel was definitely strongest when exploring the history of her immortals, transporting the reader backwards through time and across the world.

The sheer detail sometimes bordered on overwhelming, but I loved being immersed in the history of places like Russia, Egypt, and even Transylvania. The descriptions were extraordinary vivid, and as clear to the mind's eye as Sweeny's love for the material. What's more, the sense of danger was palatable, as was the extremity of pain that seemed to haunt her characters - both in living and reliving the past.

Unfortunately, while I enjoyed the plotting and loved the history, I had a problem connecting with any of the characters. Michelle came across as desperate and immature, almost as if she were attempting to live the cliche of a paranormal romance heroine. I wanted to like her, but as much as I kept reminding myself that she was a teenage girl, the way she seemed to throw herself at the men in her life, and the way she overlooked cruelties that bordered on abuse, made it hard.

As for the men, I liked them as historical characters, as warriors who had lived through history and had a hand in shaping the parts of the world they touched, but as romantic partners . . . I'd have kicked half of them to the curb, and put a restraining order against the others. Michelle does redeem herself somewhat in the latter half of the book but, by that point, she simply had left me with too much baggage to overcome.

The language of the book is beautiful, and the descriptions of sceney and action were fantastic. Sweeny paints a vivid picture, and really excels at talking you through it. The frequent (and abrupt) changes in POV were an issue for me, and were enough of a distraction to make me take a pause to collect my thoughts.

Overall, probably not a series I'd be interested in pursuing, but one that I suspect has strong appeal for a younger audience.… (meer)