Review: Compulsion

Compulsion
Author: Martina Boone
Publication Date: October 28th 2014         
Publisher: Simon Pulse
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Three plantations. Two wishes. One ancient curse.

All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lives with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt’s South Carolina plantation instead--a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn’t what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.

Hmmm, I had high hopes for Compulsion, three  families, magic, gifts, a curse. A line that goes back, a story that no one really knows but assume to. Dejá vu, anyone? Compulsion is a story that's already been told, in a manner that isn't anything new, but I was expecting and hoping it would have a twist, something that sets it apart from its preceders. Unfortunately, there wasn't.

I'm going to say it. Compulsion is boring. For most of it, all the scenes you get are Barrie going with Eight somewhere, Barrie coming back from somewhere with Eight. Barrie and Eight fighting, Barrie fighting her compulsion to explore a wing of the Watson Manor. Barrie hating her mother,  Barrie missing Mark, Barrie this, Barrie that, but Barrie doesn't appreciate what she  has and just complains about her poor life. You can probably  tell I don't like Barrie. You're correct! I get we're supposed to feel sorry for her,  or at least like her on some level, even. Firstly, it's written in third person, so we have that automatic barrier that's put up between you and the character, sometimes it works in terms to better the story, but in Compulsion it just didn't work for me, and isn't the point of third person to give you a wider view of what's going on outside of the characters? We're stuck with Barrie, unfortunately , and it all just comes across too try hard.

The story and plot was minimal, it took a long time to even work into the story, and the whole compulsion to find things that are lost, does work into it as it should but, it kind of played a backburner to let a relationship fly, a relationship I didn't even get to be honest. The plot did reveal itself towards the end in a few chapters, resolved and everyone's happy go lucky. There's a part that's supposed to be really dangerous, that's supposed to be intense, but you just got nothing. There was no intensity, I didn't care if the characters died or not. There's also a plot hole with Eight, as in, it completely skipped an explanation. Okay, you can find it yourself, but when he's stuck one place and then suddenly shows up somewhere,  a mention on how would've been nice.

 And then there's the reason behind what happened. And it's flimsy, you guys. It's actually one of the worst I've come across in a while. You don't see it coming, and not in a good way either. It was completely random and didn't even add up, you didn't expect it because there was no connection to it whatsoever. Nada.

Romance, there's romance! That I didn't quite get either, it kind of just got all smashed together all of a sudden, there was no chemistry, and really, don't see what they see in each other, he's an overprotective ass using his gift to figure out what Barrie wants, and uses it. Then Barrie's so hot and cold, all puffy because he's trying to help her, because God, she can help herself, when she's not acting like Bella, that is. Yeah, I went there.

Compulsion is a story about family feuds, gift traits, secrets and romance, I got charmed by the southern charm in Compulsion, but unfortunately, nothing else.

Rating: 2/5