Instruct: Classify a given review into positive or negative sentiment.
Query: A slow and unfocused read

The local library had this book because it is by a local author; my wife gave me a copy to take on a business trip. I found Borrowed Tides a slow and unfocused read and if I hadn't been stuck in backwoods North Carolina for a couple days I probably wouldn't have finished it.The characters were not very well developed for the most part -- especially the "kid" with strange power -- and it looks like one character got killed off more for the convenience of the author ( who couldn't figure out what to do next) than for the needs of the plot.Worse, the ideas seemed borrowed from a lot of new age sources but they were strewn about right and left and they didn't quite connect. ... In fact the ending was the biggest disappointment -- it is definitely a cheat -- almost as bad as one of those "it was all a dream" things.They tell me the writer is a college professor; perhaps that's why the book is as dry as it is. Fun the book isn't. RH, NY