Amazon.com.au:Customer reviews: BREACH OF PEACE

Top positive review

Be pulled into a world through dark, yet captivating writing.

Reviewed in Australia on 31 March 2021

Daniel Greene pulls you into his world by weaving plot and characters with his dark, yet captivating writing.

I must admit I am not a fan of horror or reading grizzly details of terrible murders, but I both read and skimmed these parts, without any loss of the storyline. These detailed descriptions, which I was warned about, were the only things I did not like about this book, although I am sure there are many out there that appreciate them.

What I did appreciate is, that I came to care about these characters in such a short time, which takes some brilliant writing skills. Also, I had a bit of a giggle at Greene’s take on the character releasing the breath they didn’t know they were holding -
<i>“Khlid realized she was taking a drag from a cigarette she did not remember lighting.”</i>

This short book was a real page-turner. I would recommend this book and I look forward to reading the series to come.

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Senda

OK for a first effort

Reviewed in Australia on 2 August 2021

This feels like a first act and not a complete story. There isn't much by way of resolution and it would be nice to know a little bit more about a literal God showing up in the world.

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From Australia

Senda

OK for a first effort

Reviewed in Australia on 2 August 2021

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This feels like a first act and not a complete story. There isn't much by way of resolution and it would be nice to know a little bit more about a literal God showing up in the world.

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SloshyDolphin

Daniel is a lovely guy but.....

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 April 2021

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I have watched Daniel's YouTube Channel for years he is a great guy and if you love fantasy you should check it out that said i am sorry this really was not very good. There is a story in there but the story does not know what it wants to be. Smashing Sherlock Holmes with Steam Punk and Dresden files. The writing style is painful at times and needed more editing. There are thousands of fan boys who love it but take that with a pinch of salt. I hope he keeps writing i think there is potential. This is not just because it is a novella i love novella and writting a good one is knowing what to leave out as well as what to put in.

29 people found this helpful

Veradon

Flawed, but shows promise

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 November 2021

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For a first outing, this novella is more of a proof of concept than a complete story. More than anything, it acts as a prologue to the story proper, but even then it has its flaws.

First of all, the first chapter should have gotten a another pass or even a rewrite. Some of the prose was so strained that I thought it was meant to be a pastiche of gumshoe noir writing, but every chapter after that the prose is far more natural, so I can only assume it was just the author finding their feet with the narrative. Apart from that first chapter, the prose was utilitarian but strong throughout.

The characters I liked. In the short time I had with them, I feel like I really got to know particularly Khlid and Chapman. Samuel, less so. But that in a hundred pages I liked the characters as much as I did is impressive.

The story itself is good too, a police investigation cascades to reveal a truth that some would rather have buried. It could even be very good. The real problem is the pacing; the entire story is so breakneck in its telling as to be a detriment. There is no breathing room, all the events just come one after the other with little to no time to process what just happened before the next thing happens.

I hope the author improves, he does seem to understand characters and good plot beats which carry the reader, and I can see the path to improvement easily. But with this outing, I can only give it two stars; not bad, but it is very much an 'okay' book.

2 people found this helpful

Tetleynick

Prologue

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2021

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It is quite hard to review this book without spoilers.
I have read that this is supposed to be the first in a trilogy. Well if this is correct, this very short book is a prologue for the next two.
The writing is sharp but the characters are two dimensional. No background or history to any of them.
I liked the premise and hopefully the stage is now set so I will read the next instalment.

3 people found this helpful

Carl m

A shame

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 October 2021

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I have been watching Daniel's videos for a couple of years now and was so excited when I learned that he had written his own book. I pre-ordered it in a show of support and then when I actually got my hands on it, I couldn't get past the first chapter. I assumed that because of the high standard Daniel has for other authors, he would live up to that level. But I feel like if this book landed in his lap from another author he would rip it to shreds.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Too short for proper world-building or character development

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 October 2021

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Too short to get attached to the characters, who stay rather flat. The world-building with its theocracy and creatures is interesting but not given enough space to develop.
Overall I enjoyed the novella, rounding down to 3 stars because it is quite overpriced for what you’re getting.

aaron johns

Good tease of things to come

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 April 2021

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Breach of Peace is a solid introduction to the world Daniel Greene is creating. For me the only downside to this novella is that it was a novella and not a full book. I didn’t feel cheated in anyway, I just would have liked more. Still, I would recommend this novella if you’re a fan of Daniel or if you’re interested in the world he is creating.

Amazon Customer

nice read I wanted more

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 July 2021

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irs a novela so you will be done in a day

Toniahe

Short, but intrieguing enough!

Reviewed in Germany on 29 April 2021

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(3.5)

This is a very short read (134 pages), and I had a blast going through this (I finished it all in one afternoon, almost at a stretch)!

Due to its brevity I don't have all that much to say about the story itself: I liked the premise fine, as well as the unexpectedly gripping murder mystery and really relatable characters (I especially loved the description of Khlid and Samuel's relationship, but also felt strongly for Chapman).

Starting slow(er) but gaining pace somewhere around the half-time mark, the ending was intensely eventful and left me craving for more - I do have a lot of questions now, and am very curious about the next novels in this universe and how things will continue!

The only issues I had with this book were some minor logical inconsistencies (especially towards the beginning), as well as the writing style in general. While the writing is quite good for the most part, both descriptions and some dialogue felt a bit cumbersome to me at times. In my mind, the story-telling needs to become somewhat more refined to make for a smoother reading. But I know that this is the author's first published novel, so I have high hopes yet that his writing will improve in the course of his next few books.

2 people found this helpful

Gabriele

Lights and shadows

Reviewed in Italy on 2 April 2021

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Breach of Peace, the first work of entertainer and reviewer Daniel Greene, is an industrial fantasy thriller focused on the investigation into the murder of a noble family. The novella, a first work by a very young author, has lights and shadows.
Let's start with the good stuff: the tone is solid and has a strong character. This means that, in the first part of the novel, we can forgive the prose tending to the "tell" rather than the "show", since it is supported by a strong authorial voice: in this the main influences come from Jim Butcher and especially Stephen King, an author who supports his omniscient "tell" with the greatness of his tone. The characters have a strong characterization and the dialogues are really well written, and it is no small feat when it comes to a first work by a young author.
The choice of a nineteenth-century-like industrial setting is to be rewarded, it gives a totally different flavor to a fantasy story - BUT - unfortunately it is not supported by descriptions of clothing and environment, which in a fantasy whose purpose is to catapult the reader into a secondary world should be fundamental. I would have liked to know more about the city, to have even sketched out the description of the buildings, of the sky or why not, of the industrial chimneys - not necessarily detailed descriptions, but a minimum to immerse myself in the atmosphere of a new world - would have helped the story.
Moving on to the defects of the work: the prose. The novel finds its biggest problem in a narrative too much based on the "tell": it never seems to really live the situations, to be immersed in the scene with the characters, because the feeling is always of having someone who is telling you a story, and this keeps the reader from actually experiencing it. When Greene will one day master the "show" his stories will benefit enormously and level up.
Another defect is the narrative construction: the story seems almost a three-act opera in which the second act is absent. It doesn't seem built to be a novella, it looks like a maimed novel: the first act is very good, but after the hook (the pub), that is the point where the introduction ends and you should move on to the development of the story, we immediately find ourselves in the third act. The preparations for the final mission begin and I found myself saying "Hey, wait, I'm interested but not fully involved yet! I need some development after the hook!". The second half of the story (what I call the third act) is the weaker, I experienced it as a rush, as if it belonged to a longer story but cut and glued too soon.
Considering that the merits of the novel are very good and the faults are ... well, faults, I think there is a lot of room for improvement for Daniel Greene.
If Daniel becomes a great author in the next few years, and he has the chances to become one, he'll probably hate Breach of Peace when he looks back.
In the meantime, don't give up, and work hard.

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