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aaronj21 's review for:
The Book of Love
by Kelly Link
Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Please note, this books was a DNF for me at 15%, I think I read enough to offer helpful feedback but I did not finish the novel so feel free to take this review with a grain of salt.
I’d been eager to read something by Kelly Link for a while. Several people have recommended her to me and I had heard such good things about her writing. So when I saw this new novel on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to read it. Ultimately I was frustrated and disappointed by this book, I don’t know if that has more to do with the book or with me.
First a synopsis.
Four teens come back from the dead one night in their music teacher’s classroom. If they want to stay in the land of the living, and they certainly do, they’ll need to complete three tasks. The magic, all the while the sinister entity who presides over the underworld shadows their steps, eager to reclaim their souls once more.
On paper this novel has absolutely everything going for it. In practice I found it impossible to break into. The premise is so arresting and intriguing but I found the prose to be actively working against the book. Monotonous details and emotions are given pride of place and the magic and mystery of what’s happening to these teens gets glossed over in a perfunctory way. Maybe that is this author’s writing style but I found it did a disservice to the story which I really did want to learn more about. The writing, while beautifully rendered, doesn’t seem to go anywhere from what I could tell.
I wanted to know more about these characters but even after reading several chapters they still seemed like ciphers to me. I got surface level details, thoughts, and memories only. I could paint a picture of each character’s houses, but I knew nothing about them beyond that they were dead and then alive and wanted to stay that way.
Maybe this book will be a hit with other readers. Maybe I did not give it enough time although I did try my best and made it to 15% without ever really being drawn in, despite really wanting to be. I’m still excited to read Kelly Link’s shorter fiction some day and maybe I’ll even pick this one up again, however this time I simply was not able to connect with this book.
I’d been eager to read something by Kelly Link for a while. Several people have recommended her to me and I had heard such good things about her writing. So when I saw this new novel on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to read it. Ultimately I was frustrated and disappointed by this book, I don’t know if that has more to do with the book or with me.
First a synopsis.
Four teens come back from the dead one night in their music teacher’s classroom. If they want to stay in the land of the living, and they certainly do, they’ll need to complete three tasks. The magic, all the while the sinister entity who presides over the underworld shadows their steps, eager to reclaim their souls once more.
On paper this novel has absolutely everything going for it. In practice I found it impossible to break into. The premise is so arresting and intriguing but I found the prose to be actively working against the book. Monotonous details and emotions are given pride of place and the magic and mystery of what’s happening to these teens gets glossed over in a perfunctory way. Maybe that is this author’s writing style but I found it did a disservice to the story which I really did want to learn more about. The writing, while beautifully rendered, doesn’t seem to go anywhere from what I could tell.
I wanted to know more about these characters but even after reading several chapters they still seemed like ciphers to me. I got surface level details, thoughts, and memories only. I could paint a picture of each character’s houses, but I knew nothing about them beyond that they were dead and then alive and wanted to stay that way.
Maybe this book will be a hit with other readers. Maybe I did not give it enough time although I did try my best and made it to 15% without ever really being drawn in, despite really wanting to be. I’m still excited to read Kelly Link’s shorter fiction some day and maybe I’ll even pick this one up again, however this time I simply was not able to connect with this book.