Book Review: Breach of Peace

TL;DR

I had pretty low expectations going into this novella, given that it was self published by a YouTube personality. The book beat those expectations, but not by a lot. There is some very engaging world building and decent plotting, however it could have used another round of editing or two. The book did put Daniel Greene on my radar and I hope he can keep developing as an author, as there is clearly a lot of potential on display.

Premise

Three inspectors investigate the brutal murder of a noble family. They uncover a lot more than expected.

Thoughts

Breach of Peace was pretty enjoyable, but clearly was a debut. The book introduces an interesting setting with a serviceable cast of characters, but doesn’t go much beyond that. Greene shows a lot of potential, but he needs to hone his craft. Another round of editing may have elevated this book to a better debut.

Plot

The plot was interesting enough. A fairly classic mystery plot that unveils some of the fantasy elements as we progress. I don’t have any issues with the plot itself but the pacing felt underdeveloped. The opening felt quite extended, where we kept seeing gory scenes repeatedly that didn’t add much more for me, followed by an ending that moved a bit too quickly.

Characters

I found myself pulled in by the character dynamics early in the story, but they seemed to lose their uniqueness over the course of the novella. Developing three characters in such a short work is a challenge, one that wasn’t fully pulled off here. It seemed Greene’s goals were to show the world and the types of characters it creates, which I did think he accomplished, however, it did leave them feeling a bit flat.

Worldbuilding

This is really where the novella shines. Greene does establish some interesting ideas and a dystopian world that leaves you wondering what is around the next corner. The establishment of it is often done well, letting you infer world details from the character’s beliefs. There are occasional info dumps, which might have been ironed out with a little more work.

Conclusion

As a debut, particularly as one that is self published by an online personality, this was a lot better than I expected. I likely would not have picked it up if my little brother had not loaned it to me, but Greene clearly has some potential. This novella does leave a lot to be desired. I am curious for anyone who has read the sequel: Did it improve on this debut?