Francine Pascal is a good writer. She has the ability to keep the readers very interested, and this series is a great example of that. But she depends too much on action and drama and spends too little time actually dealing with the characters reactions to these events well. Because of this her characters seem too contrived and their emotions all seem obvious and unreal.
I believe that a good story must be believable. Even when you write about issues that are physically impossible (like not having a fear gene) your character and the rest of her predicaments must be within the realm of reality. I find the fearless series to be more and more unbelievable. Gaia is your stereotypical outcast, she is very defensive and therefore has little to no friends, and dresses badly which of course means everyone shuns her. But after this has been made clear Pascal makes sure to show us another, contradictory side of Gaia, the one that every single male is obsessed with. Ed Fargo, her best friend is, of course, obsessed with her. Then Sam, a guy who is dating the most popular girl in school is obsessed with her. And then there is heather, who is insanely jealous of this supposed outcast because of how "she doesn't even try" and manages to be beautiful. Sounds too good to be true? well that's because it is. If you are going to make your character one of those luminous people that everyone is drawn to (and that is what Francine Pascal is trying with Gaia) then your readers need to understand the appeal. They need to see that despite the sweatpants and nasty scowl, she is somehow undeniably lovable. The readers need to love her too and be able to see how just about everyone who knows her has fallen in love with her. Pascal does a good job showing everyone else mooning over her, but the reader can't always see why. An neither can I. I can't seem to find this quality in the character that Pascal has created in these books that makes her so wonderful. I can't see any undercurrent of kindness or optimism. She gets defensive and jealous easily over popular girls in her school (heather) but lacks any interesating personal qualities or maturity that might bring her to overcome these flaws. Gaia has superhuman strength and fighting talents, but her personality is very normal. Nothing about her own person is surprising or interesting except for her overcomplicated and dramatic past. I guess this is why I find it hard to fall in love with Gaia Moore.
good story, but not the most convincingly fanatastic character.
