gossamer_lens's Reviews (1.48k)

The first half was pretty comparable to the first book but with a bit more going on which I liked. But there was a really strange plotline that never really got addressed properly and felt very odd to me. That combined with the ending not feeling super satisfying... it is an okay book. 3 stars for me means it was "meh". I go through it quickly and found it pleasant enough but I really won't be pausing to think on it too long. 

I added the third book to my want to read... but when it comes out this summer I will have to evaluate if I really care to read the third.

This is the first mystery/thriller book I've ever truly enjoyed. Hawkins presented the past and current in very well-timed bursts. I really am not sure what to say other than the way everything was written really lent itself to the main themes, points, and plot beats that Hawkins was hitting. I would give this a 5 star if I just had felt a little more... personal resonance with any of the characters and/or the mental health portions had felt more relatable. I guess I just see some things as being a little overdone for the sake of the plot. Which is fine, but I just didn't feel like it was real enough at points for me to truly connect with it. But overall it was very enjoyable and a solid 4.25 for me!

I believe this to be Ryan La Sala's debut novel and it was an honestly refreshing, enjoyable, and relevant work. A clear amount of effort was put into considering the narrative, characters, and messages of the book and building up continuity between them. They all balanced each other out quite well and worked to build each other up and make meaningful messages for the reader to pick up on in a way that wasn't ever a hit across the head. 

I would give this a 5 star, but I think it is a 4.5 as there were just too many parts that felt a bit stilted and I think La Sala can do better next time. Some of the dialogue, introductions for characters, and world-building items felt a little awkwardly paced or presented. Also some of the world-building just really lost me a bit. Which was fine, but when it came to certain actions sequences I felt a little lost in the sauce instead of being caught up in the thrill of the action. I honestly really enjoyed a lot of the prose though and thought it a very solid book overall, so I am going to keep my eye out for more of La Sala's work.

This book was about 3.5-stars read until the 75% mark for me. This was a book that I read with someone and that made the experience all the more enjoyable. The story was promising, the characters ranged from okay to interesting and while there were some odd choices made... it was generally fun. My biggest critic of the first 75% of the book was that Ford could have definitely used another round of editing. At the 75% mark, some things went down and it felt like things really started shooting a bit wildly from the hip. Like some things were still interesting, but it felt a bit chaotic and a bit rushed. I didn't dislike it, but it made me feel like a 3.5 was a bit generous and so here we are. But I'm defs reading the next book as I'm interested to see where things go.

This book is notable in that it is getting a 2.75 because it is aggressively okay. The main character is bland, boring, but not annoying or horrible. The plot has some okay ideas but is invariably padded and bloated. The relationships have a glimmer of making sense while all being very "eh". And the world-building... there is certainly some sort of world being built, but it makes no real sense and is firmly just this background to make certain things feel okay while never making them quite make sense or feel gripping. 

The best praise I have for this book is it was not egregiously bad like the first one was.

The characters and writing style seem overall fine and engaging. However, the overt and unneeded tones of racism are completely off-putting to me. I believe it is supposed to make the tone of the book more "gritty" and "real". But honestly, I don't think a book with a synopsis like this one has needs to feel more gritty and real by heaping racism into everything. Also, I am not entirely convinced that all the racism is intentional. Park is Asian American and certain inner monologues, like going on about his mom's accent and how she cannot get past it but that he thinks she keeps it for his white father... reads super weirdly to me. I could respect it if this book was written by someone writing about their lived experience. But from a white woman, it just reads very weirdly and is unnecessary, IMO. That is not to mention the blatant and over-the-top fat phobia. There was a good bit just dedicated to how Elanor is way fat compared to her mom, and if only she wasn't fat. And again, if this was just the characters' viewpoint and meant to build something... I would get it. But the narrator, all the other characters, and Elanor just keep harping on it. It isn't a description. It isn't a character trait. It is just a whole lot of "eww fat" peppered all over by everyone. 

I just cannot read a whole book with the above issues that seem to be constant background noise and not really something to deconstruct or think about.