No wonder teenagers hate reading...

I always aim to find some positive say in reviews and show respect to the author for getting published in a very competitive and low paying industry.
But this story is dreadful.
For story that contains murder-mystery, hidden underground lairs, bombs, guns...etc, I can't get my around why it's so dull. The characters are one-dimensional, with dialogue that evokes no emotion or empathy, that are only memorable due to that fact this is retelling of Oliver Twist, and therefore, the reader is already familiar with their banes, traits and motivations. These characters find themselves in what appear to be dangerous situations, yet I never felt they ever in any actual peril or were emotionally affected by what was happening. The narrative is really at odds with the plot.
I genuinely wanted to like this book, and I appreciate that it must of stuck enough of a chord with readers for the series to continue in a further two novels, but is this it? The Haven has all the right ingredients for a rollicking, action-packed urban thriller, but it sure doesn't know how to cook them. What we have instead is a slow, limp, wet-fart of story that relies heavily on its source material to even make it passed the finish line.
Imagine a child that has been uninspired by books, felt guilty every World Book Day and then had an adult give them this? They'd be turned off reading for life, accepting modern culture's trend of mediocrity and boredom.
A shame really, when there's so many good writers around doing a superior job.

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