This reviewer was sent an advanced reader copy (ARC) of "Satan's Son", in exchange for an honest review. Inside the front cover there was a disclaimer concerning errors that might be found in the book, stating they would be fixed before publication. What many may not understand, however, is that an ARC source file should be clean, neat, and error-free, according to Carla King (March 1, 2016). Obviously, this reader found many spelling, grammar and punctuation errors but is not dinging the writer on those issues, rather for the lack of transitions. Transitions are those sentences or words used to move the reader from one thought or scene, to another. Most of "Satan's Son" seemed to be written in a stream of conscious or thought style, of protagonist Addison, which can be an extremely powerful and useful tool in the writer's hand. Addison's teenaged scattered and ditzy line of thinking made a powerful impact at the beginning of the book when she awoke, unsure of where she was or what had happened. However, used continually in the book made it a long and confusing read, especially with the formatting issues where one paragraph ran into another, and the lack of transitions never alerting the reader that we are moving on. Dialogue was stilted and not believable for the most part, and often just repeated what Addison had been thinking. The entire tale was told mainly by Addison, but occasionally Ethan, Satan's son, gave his views. Again, this made for a tedious read because the reader is being told the tale, and not shown. This reader prefers not to give spoilers, so without mentioning incidents will simply state that instead of Addison continually thinking along the lines of "Huh? What?" she might be shown with a furrowed brow, scratching her head, shaking her head slowly, or chewing on her lip, etc. While writer Elise did not use the multiple point of view tactic previously used in her "Reaper's Claim" story, she still tends to tell a story instead of showing it. Had this reader realized the writer of "Satan's Son" was also the writer of "Reaper's Claim", she likely would have turned down the request for review as she truly does not wish to be so critical and seem so harsh towards a fellow writer. Especially since many of the items that turned her against "Reaper's Claim" and were pointed out in that review, remained present in the current work reviewed. Only the gratuitious cursing and use of multiple points of view changed, Elise still tells a story instead of shows it. Simone Elise had an interesting idea with some unusual twists in the world she was creating; unfortunately, this reader felt she failed to deliver. This story is about young adults and in some respect, might be considered a coming of age romance story that would likely be of interest to teens or very young adults. There is no explicit sex or gratuitious cursing in this tale; curse words were used for impact and were well placed, when used. And once again this reader finds herself in the position of seeming extremely harsh in her views, yet this critique is actually offered from one peer to another in the hopes of bouncing ideas from one to another and perhaps even picking up a new trick or two. This reader will therefore not "not" give a recommendation, but also cannot give one for "Satan's Son" in good consciousness, as it stands. ** Review posted to Amazon reviews at a later date, on May 9, 2017, and Goodreads on the same date. **
