Reading a Thousand Lives

Thanks to Netgalley for sending me a copy!A plus for a lot of people (however I can take it or leave it) is there is definitely a lot of excitement and action in this book. As a person who really enjoys character moved plots, it's a bit of a let down that there wasn't more character development, everyone is just a shell or a stereotype. Anthony, for example, plays a big role in this novel, but we're never shown anything but the stereotype of an abusive husband who's nothing but that. Does he care about his daughter? Is he doing it just piss Sharon off? It would have been interesting to delve into Anthony's motives more than "he did it just because he's a bad person!". They can be bad people, but they should have motivation for the things they do (even if its not a particularly good one) and more qualities besides being a bad person.Sharon is okay. I like that she's not exactly helpless, yet she does come across a lot of situations needing of saving, a bit hard-headed. But she's definitely not a heroine I'd classify as "too-stupid-to-live" because I understand where she's coming from. The constant danger in which she puts herself is merely a consequence of the situation she's in (her daughter being kidnapped across a wild expanse of land occupied by religious nuts and convicts. Could get a bit dangerous even for the cautious).Also I love Fred! I think that was a really neat addition to the story, and I wasn't expecting it even after she saved him from the river of debris. Really, it was cute! As for the animals, being a biology nut there was a few things that bothered me, like bats taking over for mice and other rodents in the Exchange, when bats are more closely related to humans, in fact, are the closest related to humans other than the primates. They aren't rodents. I find it unlikely they would just....take on rodent behavior. It seems unlikely. But yes, I would go for the description that it's mostly a glorified romance (nothing wrong with that!) but it's definitely not what I expected. I was expecting something a little more hard scifi to go into my speculative fiction challenge, but this doesn't qualify. Oh well. Overall it's a decent read, good way to pass the time, just don't be overly expecting of it. I thought it would have been more interesting had it ended the other way, as well.