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ninetalevixen 's review for:
Time's Fool
by Alys Earl
(I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
3.5 stars.
This hooked me from the start, with the opening scene where Steven is being obnoxious and philosophical. College students having pretentious but passionate debates about their area of study? Sign me up. (And it's a recurring theme throughout the novel, which I found delightful!) There's geeking out and bullshitting your way out of the corner you've talked yourself into, and genuine contemplation on the nature of life and love and what have you.
The second great strength of this was the interpersonal relationships which made the aforementioned arguments enjoyable and made the plot in general work. I love the mix of banter and tender moments between Steven, Sophia, and Lucy — even the romantic entanglements worked for me, for the most part — a bond which not even Julian or John could derail. I also loved how matter-of-factly character's non-heterosexuality is presented, and that it generally subverts stereotypes and tropes. (There's potential issues with the fact that; though it's relevant to the plot, I do think it could have been pretty easily avoided.)
The writing itself was terrific. Enough details to picture the scene, but not so many that it bogged down the action; and each of the POV characters was distinct. The narrative didn't hinge on big reveals and instead was upfront about what was going on, which was refreshing since I've guessed all the twists I've come across lately and been underwhelmed by the subsequent lack of tension. I did cringe a little at the sexual parts (nothing overtly explicit, but flirting with the boundary of PG-13), but I'm not sure there would've been a non-cringey way to convey the scenes that Earl did.
What didn't work so well for me was the ending. It seemed a little abrupt, especially the fairly cliched ending wherein, and that was pretty disappointing considering all the great buildup.
All in all, this is a fascinating modern homage to Dracula, Frankenstein, and other scifi/paranormal classics, well-told with charismatic characters and an exciting plot.
3.5 stars.
This hooked me from the start, with the opening scene where Steven is being obnoxious and philosophical. College students having pretentious but passionate debates about their area of study? Sign me up. (And it's a recurring theme throughout the novel, which I found delightful!) There's geeking out and bullshitting your way out of the corner you've talked yourself into, and genuine contemplation on the nature of life and love and what have you.
The second great strength of this was the interpersonal relationships which made the aforementioned arguments enjoyable and made the plot in general work. I love the mix of banter and tender moments between Steven, Sophia, and Lucy — even the romantic entanglements worked for me, for the most part — a bond which not even Julian or John could derail. I also loved how matter-of-factly character's non-heterosexuality is presented, and that it generally subverts stereotypes and tropes. (There's potential issues with the fact that
Spoiler
the only multi-gender attracted character is the literal monsterThe writing itself was terrific. Enough details to picture the scene, but not so many that it bogged down the action; and each of the POV characters was distinct. The narrative didn't hinge on big reveals and instead was upfront about what was going on, which was refreshing since I've guessed all the twists I've come across lately and been underwhelmed by the subsequent lack of tension. I did cringe a little at the sexual parts (nothing overtly explicit, but flirting with the boundary of PG-13), but I'm not sure there would've been a non-cringey way to convey the scenes that Earl did.
What didn't work so well for me was the ending. It seemed a little abrupt, especially the fairly cliched ending wherein
Spoiler
Lucy ends up giving in to Julian, and Steven and John predictably fail to find her because they don't search in the freaking houseAll in all, this is a fascinating modern homage to Dracula, Frankenstein, and other scifi/paranormal classics, well-told with charismatic characters and an exciting plot.