Talisman (The Talisman #1) by Tam DeRudder Jackson – Review by Angela Hayes

Talisman by Tam DeRudder Jackson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 Stars

Talisman is the first book in The Talisman series by Tam DeRudder Jackson. This is the first book that I have read of Ms. DeRudder Jackson’s, so I was intrigued to see what I would find between her covers as I love anything paranormal– so this book had my attention before I’d even opened the cover.
It starts off really well, so I was anticipating a fantastic story. But unfortunately, while the promise is there, it just doesn’t reach its full potential (for me). I couldn’t connect with the characters, or their story and I wasn’t invested in them at all- so that frustrated me no end. I felt the characters needed more development, with attention to their connection, chemistry, and personalities.
With paranormal elements, romance, adventure, danger, intrigue, prophecy, magic, the talisman, Celtic mythology, warriors, good vs evil, history, and so much more— this story should have been a captivating read. But even though there are warriors and battles, adventure and more- the story lacks on the action and adventure side. I felt the author missed the opportunity to take this story to the next level by not creating more dramatic moments, developing more action in keeping with the whole warrior/good vs evil aspect of the storyline, as well as not amping up the tension enough – because if she had, that would have made this an incredibly addictive read, and set the whole series off to a stellar start.
Also, there was a lot of info dumps, added details, and threads that didn’t lead anywhere or add to the overall story. So that was distracting, and quite frustrating. There is such a lot of dialogue too, so much so that I felt the story got ‘bogged down’ by it all.
Like I said, the potential is there, so I am hoping that the issues with this book will be resolved in the next instalment/s.
Happy reading!

Thank you, Tam DeRudder Jackson!

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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