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winecellarlibrary 's review for:
The Chemist
by Stephenie Meyer
This review is also available on my blog: Wine Cellar Library
I hate writing negative reviews, but I do not have many positive thoughts in regards to this novel.
Of course, like everyone else, I first read this author in the Twilight Series. I actually did not think very highly of [b:Twilight|41865|Twilight (Twilight, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361039443l/41865._SY75_.jpg|3212258], but the other 3.5 books in the series were fantastic. I also read [b:The Host|1656001|The Host (The Host, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1318009171l/1656001._SY75_.jpg|3328799], and after some difficulty digesting the premise in the beginning, I absolutely loved that novel.
This is Stephenie Meyer's first attempt at writing adult fiction. She really ought to just stick to the Young Adult genre. She is amazing at writing about emotions but has never excelled at writing action scenes.
Juliana was a brilliant scientist who was recruited by an agency while still in college to work as an interrogator. Her interrogation tactics do not leave the subject maimed, but give him or her maximum pain in order to force confessions. She was dubbed "The Chemist," though she did not actually study chemistry. She was also dubbed "Oleander," which she does not approve of whatsoever.
She has been on the run for years. The agency tried to kill her, and she doesn't know why. Meyers details her intricate nightly self-protection routine. There are many numbers thrown around. She was "85 percent sure" or "90 percent certain" or could dawn her gas mask in "3 seconds" even when tired (which, by the way, is impossible...I'm in the military and it takes around 7 seconds to dawn and clear a gas mask when on high alert) or the "entire exchange took 2 seconds..." You get the point. It's exhausting, mentally. We get it. She's a bad ass. And she likes numbers. Moving on.
She receives a message from a former associate at the agency that leads to her tracking down a target and interrogating him. It's obvious from the first that he is smitten with her and that she will attach herself to him eventually. The twist that occurs next is laughably predictable. What's hilarious is that Meyer actually makes fun of herself by having Juliana say that it is as ridiculous as a Soap Opera how things turned out. Because it is... Exactly. Like. A Soap Opera.
The rest is equally as predictable. And long. Sooooooooo long. This book, as an audiobook, took well over 17 hours to "read," which is twice the average length. There is just no sensical reason why it couldn't have been truncated.
The character development leaves a lot to be desired. The dialogue is weak. The narrator was monotonous. It was difficult to pay attention. I have so much on my TBR that had this been a hard copy, I would have set it aside for much, much later.
I hate writing negative reviews, but I do not have many positive thoughts in regards to this novel.
Of course, like everyone else, I first read this author in the Twilight Series. I actually did not think very highly of [b:Twilight|41865|Twilight (Twilight, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361039443l/41865._SY75_.jpg|3212258], but the other 3.5 books in the series were fantastic. I also read [b:The Host|1656001|The Host (The Host, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1318009171l/1656001._SY75_.jpg|3328799], and after some difficulty digesting the premise in the beginning, I absolutely loved that novel.
This is Stephenie Meyer's first attempt at writing adult fiction. She really ought to just stick to the Young Adult genre. She is amazing at writing about emotions but has never excelled at writing action scenes.
Juliana was a brilliant scientist who was recruited by an agency while still in college to work as an interrogator. Her interrogation tactics do not leave the subject maimed, but give him or her maximum pain in order to force confessions. She was dubbed "The Chemist," though she did not actually study chemistry. She was also dubbed "Oleander," which she does not approve of whatsoever.
She has been on the run for years. The agency tried to kill her, and she doesn't know why. Meyers details her intricate nightly self-protection routine. There are many numbers thrown around. She was "85 percent sure" or "90 percent certain" or could dawn her gas mask in "3 seconds" even when tired (which, by the way, is impossible...I'm in the military and it takes around 7 seconds to dawn and clear a gas mask when on high alert) or the "entire exchange took 2 seconds..." You get the point. It's exhausting, mentally. We get it. She's a bad ass. And she likes numbers. Moving on.
She receives a message from a former associate at the agency that leads to her tracking down a target and interrogating him. It's obvious from the first that he is smitten with her and that she will attach herself to him eventually. The twist that occurs next is laughably predictable. What's hilarious is that Meyer actually makes fun of herself by having Juliana say that it is as ridiculous as a Soap Opera how things turned out. Because it is... Exactly. Like. A Soap Opera.
The rest is equally as predictable. And long. Sooooooooo long. This book, as an audiobook, took well over 17 hours to "read," which is twice the average length. There is just no sensical reason why it couldn't have been truncated.
The character development leaves a lot to be desired. The dialogue is weak. The narrator was monotonous. It was difficult to pay attention. I have so much on my TBR that had this been a hard copy, I would have set it aside for much, much later.