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inkandplasma 's review for:
The Rules
by Tracy Darnton
Rating: 2.5 stars
Full review: https://inkandplasma.wordpress.com/2020/07/13/the-rules-by-tracy-darnton-review/
Thanks to Stripes Publishing for the review copy of this book, it hasn't affected my honest review.
This book was coasting at a steady 2.5 stars for me for most of it, to be honest, but for some reason I just couldn't put it down. I bumped it up to a 3 stars on Goodreads for the ending though, which I really liked. I liked the premise of the book and I've always enjoyed books with a split timeline, in this case split between the current timeline where Amber is on the run from her father and the past where she is trying to escape him. It kept me reading, because there were little hints dropped throughout of stress-tests and Amber's other secrets, and I was keen to find out exactly how they unravelled. I wasn't totally blown away by the secrets that were revealed. I guess I kind of expected something more intense or for it to be covered in a more detailed memory section, but that might be my own preference for dark and horrible books showing through!
The plot was interesting, with Amber's estranged father finally finding her after she'd run away to safety with her mother, a well-intended but ultimately unhelpful attempt by local foster services to reconnect them - with no idea of the truth about her father. I actually really enjoyed the 'prepper' aspects of this book, because I love watching tv shows about preppers and while I'm not an expert it felt like Tracy Darnton put in the research on this book. It was also easy to see how Amber's father fell from regular prepper to a little too far. It was especially on the nose in the current climate!
I think my only real issue was a problem with connecting to the characters. I liked Amber just fine, but felt like she was constantly going against her own rules and thought processes. For someone who 'trusts no one', she sure did trust a lot of people! And Josh was kind of, the worst? He tricked her into going to see the father she was running away from. Which like, don't do that? But I concede that it probably would have been much less interesting if Amber had been sprinting around completely alone in the Brecon Beacons for the entire book or something. And I'm glad that it wasn't a romance between Amber and Josh. The ending was excellent, and the kind of resolution I was hoping for for Amber, with twists that I didn't predict. So overall, a shaky three stars for a fairly quick read.
Full review: https://inkandplasma.wordpress.com/2020/07/13/the-rules-by-tracy-darnton-review/
Thanks to Stripes Publishing for the review copy of this book, it hasn't affected my honest review.
This book was coasting at a steady 2.5 stars for me for most of it, to be honest, but for some reason I just couldn't put it down. I bumped it up to a 3 stars on Goodreads for the ending though, which I really liked. I liked the premise of the book and I've always enjoyed books with a split timeline, in this case split between the current timeline where Amber is on the run from her father and the past where she is trying to escape him. It kept me reading, because there were little hints dropped throughout of stress-tests and Amber's other secrets, and I was keen to find out exactly how they unravelled. I wasn't totally blown away by the secrets that were revealed. I guess I kind of expected something more intense or for it to be covered in a more detailed memory section, but that might be my own preference for dark and horrible books showing through!
The plot was interesting, with Amber's estranged father finally finding her after she'd run away to safety with her mother, a well-intended but ultimately unhelpful attempt by local foster services to reconnect them - with no idea of the truth about her father. I actually really enjoyed the 'prepper' aspects of this book, because I love watching tv shows about preppers and while I'm not an expert it felt like Tracy Darnton put in the research on this book. It was also easy to see how Amber's father fell from regular prepper to a little too far. It was especially on the nose in the current climate!
I think my only real issue was a problem with connecting to the characters. I liked Amber just fine, but felt like she was constantly going against her own rules and thought processes. For someone who 'trusts no one', she sure did trust a lot of people! And Josh was kind of, the worst? He tricked her into going to see the father she was running away from. Which like, don't do that? But I concede that it probably would have been much less interesting if Amber had been sprinting around completely alone in the Brecon Beacons for the entire book or something. And I'm glad that it wasn't a romance between Amber and Josh. The ending was excellent, and the kind of resolution I was hoping for for Amber, with twists that I didn't predict. So overall, a shaky three stars for a fairly quick read.