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typedtruths's Reviews (1.8k)
The Forbidden Orchid was a well-written story with a rich, realistic and incredibly detailed historical setting, but it failed to grab my attention. The plotline was not unenjoyable by any stretch of the imagination but it certainly lacked that special something needed to make it truly shine. I just… I didn’t get anything from it. It was one of those rare books that was so easy to fly through but if I had put it down and somehow, accidently, forgot to ever pick it up again, I wouldn’t have spared a second thought wondering what would happen next. I didn’t feel particularly connected to the characters or the story so I wouldn’t have particularly cared whether Eloise wandered the Chinese wilderness forevermore. Waller just failed to hit that sweet spot between enjoyable and enthralling, between merely entertaining and actually engaging.
With the being said, the detail and accuracy of the historical setting were so flipping well done that it did make we want to keep reading. It was - by far - my favourite aspect of the book. I have read a lot of historical fiction set in this same time period and while some of those stories have managed to capture the Victorian culture of the time, I don’t think I have ever been so impressed with the richness of that portrayal. Everything from the dialogue to the characters’ mannerisms and the setting itself was perfect, even Eloise’s internal monologue was distinctively Victorian. It even mentioned how women dealt with their periods and the lack of birth control in this time (!!) which is something too many books gloss over. I appreciated the incorporation of the era’s sexism, homophobia and racism, even if that sort of language and thinking was difficult to read at times its erasure would be inaccurate. I also just simply enjoyed seeing how the characters - all of different ethnicities and backgrounds - navigated the language barriers and the clash of their cultures and customs. The exploration of the science vs religion debate in this era was also cleverly incorporated; understanding how Eloise balanced her faith (which was not written in an overpowering or preachy way, thank goodness; it was just accurate to the times) with her interest in science was oddly fascinating, especially with Darwin’s recent scientific revelations/theories. Waller definitely has a knack for historical fiction.
The reason I struggled to enjoy this book as a whole was the plotline. It was so unmotivated! The pacing itself was quite slow, which I did not expect with this premise, and the dense beginning didn’t really help, but even the expedition itself - which should have been exciting - was quite dull. It lacked a sense of urgency that was much needed. I didn’t feel like that Waller managed to quite capture Eloise’s desperation or the pressure she had on her shoulders to succeed with their expedition. There needed to be something really driving the plotline along and there was nothing that did that. It was unnecessarily boring and I just could not shake that… stillness, that not quite vibe of the story. The ending was also a little rushed.
Eloise was a steadfast, headstrong protagonist who was admirably loyal and hardworking. She was a little naive at times but I felt that was completely appropriate given the historical setting and her gender if a little frustrating. I found Alex sweet but lacking personality and the other secondary characters were just too meh for me to even remember their names. I just… I don’t know. I didn’t really connect to any of the characters. They weren’t bad or unlikeable characters, just ultimately forgettable, and the romance was incredibly wishy washy. Maybe it was just Alex’s lack of personality but I didn’t think his and Eloise’s relationship was anything other than bland. They had no chemistry, whatsoever, and it was rushed and awkward.
I do need to say that I absolutely loved that there was a bibliography at the end of the book. Honestly, I wish that all books had to do this because I know when I write, I do a shit ton of research on everything from the cultural quirks of my characters to what year the toilet was invented in, from the plotline of Downton Abbey to the medical symptoms of radiation poisoning and the science of supernovas. I loved knowing how much the author read about the era: the Opium Wars, Chinese culture/language and even the Orchid Fever! It was good to know that they put the effort into making their story as believable and authentic as possible.
Overall?
The Forbidden Orchid was a well-written story and I had to admire Waller for her historical setting. It was so, so well done. However, I struggled with the plodding plotline and how dull the expedition turned out to be. I desperately wanted more urgency from the story or at least a faster pacing. Eloise was a decent protagonist but the cast, as a whole, was pretty meh and unmemorable. I was especially disappointed by the romance, which was a flop. I do want to read more of Waller’s stories because I think I her writing has so much potential. I just wanted more from this particular book.
With the being said, the detail and accuracy of the historical setting were so flipping well done that it did make we want to keep reading. It was - by far - my favourite aspect of the book. I have read a lot of historical fiction set in this same time period and while some of those stories have managed to capture the Victorian culture of the time, I don’t think I have ever been so impressed with the richness of that portrayal. Everything from the dialogue to the characters’ mannerisms and the setting itself was perfect, even Eloise’s internal monologue was distinctively Victorian. It even mentioned how women dealt with their periods and the lack of birth control in this time (!!) which is something too many books gloss over. I appreciated the incorporation of the era’s sexism, homophobia and racism, even if that sort of language and thinking was difficult to read at times its erasure would be inaccurate. I also just simply enjoyed seeing how the characters - all of different ethnicities and backgrounds - navigated the language barriers and the clash of their cultures and customs. The exploration of the science vs religion debate in this era was also cleverly incorporated; understanding how Eloise balanced her faith (which was not written in an overpowering or preachy way, thank goodness; it was just accurate to the times) with her interest in science was oddly fascinating, especially with Darwin’s recent scientific revelations/theories. Waller definitely has a knack for historical fiction.
The reason I struggled to enjoy this book as a whole was the plotline. It was so unmotivated! The pacing itself was quite slow, which I did not expect with this premise, and the dense beginning didn’t really help, but even the expedition itself - which should have been exciting - was quite dull. It lacked a sense of urgency that was much needed. I didn’t feel like that Waller managed to quite capture Eloise’s desperation or the pressure she had on her shoulders to succeed with their expedition. There needed to be something really driving the plotline along and there was nothing that did that. It was unnecessarily boring and I just could not shake that… stillness, that not quite vibe of the story. The ending was also a little rushed.
Eloise was a steadfast, headstrong protagonist who was admirably loyal and hardworking. She was a little naive at times but I felt that was completely appropriate given the historical setting and her gender if a little frustrating. I found Alex sweet but lacking personality and the other secondary characters were just too meh for me to even remember their names. I just… I don’t know. I didn’t really connect to any of the characters. They weren’t bad or unlikeable characters, just ultimately forgettable, and the romance was incredibly wishy washy. Maybe it was just Alex’s lack of personality but I didn’t think his and Eloise’s relationship was anything other than bland. They had no chemistry, whatsoever, and it was rushed and awkward.
I do need to say that I absolutely loved that there was a bibliography at the end of the book. Honestly, I wish that all books had to do this because I know when I write, I do a shit ton of research on everything from the cultural quirks of my characters to what year the toilet was invented in, from the plotline of Downton Abbey to the medical symptoms of radiation poisoning and the science of supernovas. I loved knowing how much the author read about the era: the Opium Wars, Chinese culture/language and even the Orchid Fever! It was good to know that they put the effort into making their story as believable and authentic as possible.
Overall?
The Forbidden Orchid was a well-written story and I had to admire Waller for her historical setting. It was so, so well done. However, I struggled with the plodding plotline and how dull the expedition turned out to be. I desperately wanted more urgency from the story or at least a faster pacing. Eloise was a decent protagonist but the cast, as a whole, was pretty meh and unmemorable. I was especially disappointed by the romance, which was a flop. I do want to read more of Waller’s stories because I think I her writing has so much potential. I just wanted more from this particular book.
I had a hard time believing that a suspense story set in the Victorian era would get such consistently bad reviews, even from my friends who adore historical fic… but now I understand. The Gilded Cage was dull. That’s about it. This whole book can be summed up in that short sentence. Everything from the writing to the characters to the plot was dull, dull, dull. Gray had a wonderful premise, an idea that I have seen well executed - with obvious divergence - multiple times. However, she breathed no new life into the tropes. It is hard enough being engaged by a dull narrator doing dull things but it is made so much worse when it is also relayed to us in a dull manner.
Not a single character in this book had a personality. The whole cast was flat. Katherine, our protagonist, was just... forgettable. She had nothing unique about her. She was meant to be intelligent but made dumb decisions. The was also a love triangle. Kind of. I don’t quite know what was meant to be happening with these characters. Katherine was said to have fallen in love not once but twice; both with underdeveloped minor characters that we barely got to know. I felt nothing towards any of the characters.
The plot was a bit of mess. I am not even going to talk about it because of spoilers but let's just say that there was a whole subplot with an asylum and it was horrendous.
Overall? This book’s ultimate fault was that it was duller than dishwater. It had promise but the characters had no personality and the plot was tired. If you are looking for a good historical fiction set in the era - especially something with a suspenseful twist - I’d recommend [b:The Dark Unwinding|11733187|The Dark Unwinding (The Dark Unwinding, #1)|Sharon Cameron|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1340389392s/11733187.jpg|16682039] or [b:These Shallow Graves|24187925|These Shallow Graves|Jennifer Donnelly|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1430165052s/24187925.jpg|43775750] in a heartbeat.
Not a single character in this book had a personality. The whole cast was flat. Katherine, our protagonist, was just... forgettable. She had nothing unique about her. She was meant to be intelligent but made dumb decisions. The was also a love triangle. Kind of. I don’t quite know what was meant to be happening with these characters. Katherine was said to have fallen in love not once but twice; both with underdeveloped minor characters that we barely got to know. I felt nothing towards any of the characters.
The plot was a bit of mess. I am not even going to talk about it because of spoilers but let's just say that there was a whole subplot with an asylum and it was horrendous.
Overall? This book’s ultimate fault was that it was duller than dishwater. It had promise but the characters had no personality and the plot was tired. If you are looking for a good historical fiction set in the era - especially something with a suspenseful twist - I’d recommend [b:The Dark Unwinding|11733187|The Dark Unwinding (The Dark Unwinding, #1)|Sharon Cameron|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1340389392s/11733187.jpg|16682039] or [b:These Shallow Graves|24187925|These Shallow Graves|Jennifer Donnelly|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1430165052s/24187925.jpg|43775750] in a heartbeat.
2018 TBR Challenge: Book #4 ★★
I wish I had more to say about Bones of Faerie but its mediocracy does not lend well to descriptive reviews.
The world was creative. I’ll give Simner that. I loved the combination of the fantastical fae elements with the post-war apocalyptic landscape. Or I did in theory, at least. The world building was a tad too underdeveloped for me to completely fall in love with it. Matthew’s history and shifter abilities were never explained, and for the most part, Faerie and its magical lore were left shrouded in mystery. I understand that was probably intentional on the author’s behalf because our protagonist was ignorant of it herself, but it didn’t help quell my growing curiosity. There were several moments that I had no idea what was going on and had to roll with it. I much prefer my fantastical stories to have some sort of consistent magical system. Worlds with limitless magic - or magic without rules/sources/something - always fall into that ‘anything could happen therefore nothing has consequences’ pitfall that makes me lose investment in the story.
The characters themselves were okay. Liza was not, by any means, an unpleasant protagonist; just bland and largely forgettable. I appreciated that her relationship with Matthew remained platonic but I still needed more from them as individuals to appreciate their friendship. Allie definitely stole the spotlight.
Overall? Bones of Faerie felt like an odd mix of [b:Skylark|10352973|Skylark (Skylark, #1)|Meagan Spooner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344304230s/10352973.jpg|15255881] and [b:Wings|5056084|Wings (Wings, #1)|Aprilynne Pike|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327983077s/5056084.jpg|5122699] but lacked the world-building of either to make it successful. I struggled to stay invested in the story when the magical system felt so messy and the characters were so bland. I will not be continuing with the series.
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I wish I had more to say about Bones of Faerie but its mediocracy does not lend well to descriptive reviews.
The world was creative. I’ll give Simner that. I loved the combination of the fantastical fae elements with the post-war apocalyptic landscape. Or I did in theory, at least. The world building was a tad too underdeveloped for me to completely fall in love with it. Matthew’s history and shifter abilities were never explained, and for the most part, Faerie and its magical lore were left shrouded in mystery. I understand that was probably intentional on the author’s behalf because our protagonist was ignorant of it herself, but it didn’t help quell my growing curiosity. There were several moments that I had no idea what was going on and had to roll with it. I much prefer my fantastical stories to have some sort of consistent magical system. Worlds with limitless magic - or magic without rules/sources/something - always fall into that ‘anything could happen therefore nothing has consequences’ pitfall that makes me lose investment in the story.
The characters themselves were okay. Liza was not, by any means, an unpleasant protagonist; just bland and largely forgettable. I appreciated that her relationship with Matthew remained platonic but I still needed more from them as individuals to appreciate their friendship. Allie definitely stole the spotlight.
Overall? Bones of Faerie felt like an odd mix of [b:Skylark|10352973|Skylark (Skylark, #1)|Meagan Spooner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344304230s/10352973.jpg|15255881] and [b:Wings|5056084|Wings (Wings, #1)|Aprilynne Pike|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327983077s/5056084.jpg|5122699] but lacked the world-building of either to make it successful. I struggled to stay invested in the story when the magical system felt so messy and the characters were so bland. I will not be continuing with the series.
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2018 TBR Challenge: Book #10 ★★½
Trigger warnings for violence/death, unconsented pregnancy, miscarriage, needles/illness, child abuse, suicide, self-harm, sexual assault/rape, drug usage/addiction and child prostitution/paedophilia.
On occasion, I’ll stumble across a series that, despite all its objective flaws, works for me. There is something about this world, this series, that pulls me in. While I understand that a lot of other readers were disappointed with this sequel, I could not put it down. It was not a fun read, per say, as it tackles a lot of topics like child prostitution and institutionalised discrimination but it is so damn engaging.
Pros:
• I like all of the characters. Violet the perfect protagonist for this series. Ash is sweet. I like Raven and Lucien’s complexity and Garnet. His slightly sassy but mostly disgruntled/grumpy presence is the perfect relief between scenes.
• The romance is decent. It is not filled with chemistry or angst but its just sweet. I loved that there was barely any drama, and none of it was excessive or unnecessary. Both Violet and Ash support each other through what has to be the most bloody difficult time in their lives. It isn’t perfect but it is realistic.
• No love triangle! There easily could have been but there wasn’t.
• This doesn’t skate over the ‘dark’ topics. This is a brutal world and Ewing makes that clear. It is difficult to read about at times, especially as we found out a lot more about Ash and his upbringing in this sequel, but I really appreciate its inclusion.
• I like the idea of the magic system a lot.
• The fast pace kept me glued to my seat and Ewing’s effortlessly easy writing style made it easy for me to breeze through this in a single sitting.
• It talked about the different layers of prejudice and how they can be internalised. Kind of like Ron’s character in HP. I thought this was an important discussion to include and Ewing handled it well.
• Female friendships.
Cons:
• The politics need a little more fleshing out. I know that Violet does not know a lot about it herself so it would be hard to make it feel organic in the story but I need more information about the Electress and the Duchess.
• The POC characters still have their skin colour described with food analogies. It is as awful as it sounds.
• I liked the idea of the magic system but it needs to be fleshed out a lot more in the sequel.
• While I think Ewing has created a really unique society, her actual world is lacking. I cannot picture any of it. There needs to be some more descriptive language about the landscape, the weather, the animals, all of that, please and thank you.
• This was very much a filler, in between book. It geared up the story for an epic finale so I really hope it follows through with its potential.
Overall? IDEK. This is not a series that I would recommend willy-nilly but there is something about it that compels me. I am invested in these characters and this world. I have the third book on hold from the library and I’ll be devouring it as soon as I can get my hands on it.
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Trigger warnings for violence/death, unconsented pregnancy, miscarriage, needles/illness, child abuse, suicide, self-harm, sexual assault/rape, drug usage/addiction and child prostitution/paedophilia.
On occasion, I’ll stumble across a series that, despite all its objective flaws, works for me. There is something about this world, this series, that pulls me in. While I understand that a lot of other readers were disappointed with this sequel, I could not put it down. It was not a fun read, per say, as it tackles a lot of topics like child prostitution and institutionalised discrimination but it is so damn engaging.
Pros:
• I like all of the characters. Violet the perfect protagonist for this series. Ash is sweet. I like Raven and Lucien’s complexity and Garnet. His slightly sassy but mostly disgruntled/grumpy presence is the perfect relief between scenes.
• The romance is decent. It is not filled with chemistry or angst but its just sweet. I loved that there was barely any drama, and none of it was excessive or unnecessary. Both Violet and Ash support each other through what has to be the most bloody difficult time in their lives. It isn’t perfect but it is realistic.
• No love triangle! There easily could have been but there wasn’t.
• This doesn’t skate over the ‘dark’ topics. This is a brutal world and Ewing makes that clear. It is difficult to read about at times, especially as we found out a lot more about Ash and his upbringing in this sequel, but I really appreciate its inclusion.
• I like the idea of the magic system a lot.
• The fast pace kept me glued to my seat and Ewing’s effortlessly easy writing style made it easy for me to breeze through this in a single sitting.
• It talked about the different layers of prejudice and how they can be internalised. Kind of like Ron’s character in HP. I thought this was an important discussion to include and Ewing handled it well.
• Female friendships.
Cons:
• The politics need a little more fleshing out. I know that Violet does not know a lot about it herself so it would be hard to make it feel organic in the story but I need more information about the Electress and the Duchess.
• The POC characters still have their skin colour described with food analogies. It is as awful as it sounds.
• I liked the idea of the magic system but it needs to be fleshed out a lot more in the sequel.
• While I think Ewing has created a really unique society, her actual world is lacking. I cannot picture any of it. There needs to be some more descriptive language about the landscape, the weather, the animals, all of that, please and thank you.
• This was very much a filler, in between book. It geared up the story for an epic finale so I really hope it follows through with its potential.
Overall? IDEK. This is not a series that I would recommend willy-nilly but there is something about it that compels me. I am invested in these characters and this world. I have the third book on hold from the library and I’ll be devouring it as soon as I can get my hands on it.
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can I pls just read one thriller that doesn't use mental illness as a plot device
Review copy provided by Allen & Unwin Australia for an honest review.
For me there are two types of ways you can "like" a book:
1. There are the books that you love because they are written so well you just have to applaud them. [b:Blaze of Glory|1831563|Blaze of Glory (The Laws of Magic, #1)|Michael Pryor|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1203657418s/1831563.jpg|1831435]. [b:Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone|72193|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)|J.K. Rowling|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327190600s/72193.jpg|4640799]. They have a great bunch of characters, there is great world-building, excellent setting, the right mix of drama and emotion and an entertaining and grabbing storyline. Everything works perfectly.
2. Then there are books like [b:Shiver|6068551|Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409283154s/6068551.jpg|6244926], [b:Unreap My Heart|17668656|Unreap My Heart (The Reaper Series #2)|Kate Evangelista|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1378027875s/17668656.jpg|24664867], [b:The Host|1656001|The Host (The Host, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1318009171s/1656001.jpg|3328799] - books that aren't perfectly written, books that you know are probably flawed to the more critical readers, but the characters manage to steal your heart, the romance has you melting you to a puddle, the action literally has you on the edge of you seat, anxiously flipping the pages to see what is going to happen next, the witty remarks leave you laughing, out loud... you get utterly and completely involved in them. You fall in love.
And to me, those are the sort of books that will always be the winners of the two. Those are the sort of books that you want to find, the reason we all keep trudging through the crappy book slumps, the reason we fall asleep at 2 am with a book clutched to our chests, the reason, even after hours of crying, we crawl back to our bookshelves begging for more.
There are lot of things that I could say about [b:This Shattered World|13138734|This Shattered World (Starbound, #2)|Amie Kaufman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1399982893s/13138734.jpg|18315710] but I am only going to say this: I fell in love.
The characters stole my heart. Check
The romance had me melting and swooning. Check.
The action had me on the edge of my seat. Check.
I got utterly and completely involved. Check.
For me there are two types of ways you can "like" a book:
1. There are the books that you love because they are written so well you just have to applaud them. [b:Blaze of Glory|1831563|Blaze of Glory (The Laws of Magic, #1)|Michael Pryor|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1203657418s/1831563.jpg|1831435]. [b:Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone|72193|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)|J.K. Rowling|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327190600s/72193.jpg|4640799]. They have a great bunch of characters, there is great world-building, excellent setting, the right mix of drama and emotion and an entertaining and grabbing storyline. Everything works perfectly.
2. Then there are books like [b:Shiver|6068551|Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409283154s/6068551.jpg|6244926], [b:Unreap My Heart|17668656|Unreap My Heart (The Reaper Series #2)|Kate Evangelista|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1378027875s/17668656.jpg|24664867], [b:The Host|1656001|The Host (The Host, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1318009171s/1656001.jpg|3328799] - books that aren't perfectly written, books that you know are probably flawed to the more critical readers, but the characters manage to steal your heart, the romance has you melting you to a puddle, the action literally has you on the edge of you seat, anxiously flipping the pages to see what is going to happen next, the witty remarks leave you laughing, out loud... you get utterly and completely involved in them. You fall in love.
And to me, those are the sort of books that will always be the winners of the two. Those are the sort of books that you want to find, the reason we all keep trudging through the crappy book slumps, the reason we fall asleep at 2 am with a book clutched to our chests, the reason, even after hours of crying, we crawl back to our bookshelves begging for more.
There are lot of things that I could say about [b:This Shattered World|13138734|This Shattered World (Starbound, #2)|Amie Kaufman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1399982893s/13138734.jpg|18315710] but I am only going to say this: I fell in love.
The characters stole my heart. Check
The romance had me melting and swooning. Check.
The action had me on the edge of my seat. Check.
I got utterly and completely involved. Check.
I think my main emotion right now is confusion... and slight disappointment? I didn't mind the characters all that much - apart from Kady, I could stand her - but the romance and lack of world-building pissed me off. Ezra's sense of humour was perfect and - for some reason - I got really, really attached to Jimmy's character. But I think, overall, I'm mostly underwhelmed? RTC.
I didn’t enjoy this book. I wanted to, I needed to, but I actually disliked this book rather immensely. I thought the writing was bland, and the plotline rather plodding. After meeting with the author, and hearing his thoughts and motivations about writing this book - why he choose certain writing styles for the different characters, what he wanted to achieve with their character arcs, all of that - did help me to understand the story more. But when I was reading this book, I was bored. I didn’t care about the characters. I didn’t fully understand the storyline. It honestly felt like nothing happened. I know that this was a character-driven book, but, apart from the grieving and flashbacks, what did actually happen? Not nearly enough, in my opinion. The characters themselves were dull. I didn’t mind Ryan that much (and honestly, if the book had solely been written from his POV, I probably would have enjoy the book a lot more). Harvey was so bloody bland, and Miles just pissed me off. I didn’t get anything from their parts, at all. It also scared me that I felt nothing about Isaac’s death. I should have been saddened/angered/something, but I wasn’t. At all. The writing style was okay. The lack of descriptions, and emphasis on dialogue and inner monologue didn’t really work for me. I need to envision the book more, but I honestly couldn’t describe any of the characters or setting to you. I would have liked the style to be either super emotional (this book is about grief and death after all) or mix it up with humour.
Overall? This book felt pointless. I literally got nothing out of reading it. The story was dull. I didn’t think enough happened, and I didn’t connect to any of the characters. The writing style was okay. I preferred Kostakis’ [b:The First Third|17185857|The First Third|Will Kostakis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365147767s/17185857.jpg|23635170].
Overall? This book felt pointless. I literally got nothing out of reading it. The story was dull. I didn’t think enough happened, and I didn’t connect to any of the characters. The writing style was okay. I preferred Kostakis’ [b:The First Third|17185857|The First Third|Will Kostakis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365147767s/17185857.jpg|23635170].
Like [b:Gena/Finn|19254725|Gena/Finn|Hannah Moskowitz|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1463450838s/19254725.jpg|27301031], I have such conflicting feelings about the two halves of this story! I honestly do not know how to review this book because, overall, I think that it was a generally well-written and downright engaging read. But man, that second half! It certainly dragged the story down overall. I just didn’t enjoy the direction the story took and the ending was disappointing.
The First Half:
Like I said, the first half of The Special Ones was brilliant. It was so easy to slip into the story despite how bizarre the situation initially seemed. The cult-ish setting completely upped the stakes and the tension was practically palpable. If you know me, you know I have a weird obsession for cults and true crime so that’s probably why I loved this first half so much. I have always found criminal behaviour and psychology fascinating and because of that I loved how character-driven the first half of the story was. We really got to dive into the head of Esther and it was fascinating to see the balance of her strong-willed, tough attitude and moments of weakness. I wish we got to know a little more about the other Special Ones but I can understand that would have taken the focus of the story in a different direction to what the author intended.
The Second Half:
However, the second half was a different story. The introduction of the “him” chapters really did not sit well with me. They were so confusing! Because there were no distinctive chapter headings, we didn’t actually know whose POV it was until we read a few chapters (both of the POVs were in first person POV/present tense so there was literally no difference). I also found his voice irritating. I did not think he was particularly well-developed and he just needed to be to tie the story together. You cannot have a good mystery - especially one like this - if the ‘bad guy’ isn’t interesting! I also just was not a big fan of the character arc of Harry. I didn’t connect with him in the slightest and I thought his relationship with Esther got more and more forced as the story went along. The ending was okay. I liked that it wasn’t a perfect HEA because that would have been so unrealistic. I did find it a tad unsatisfying, though. I’m not sure how it should have been changed, but I don’t know… something didn’t sit right with me about it.
Two things, I did really love were:
• How the writing style balanced the dialogue and descriptions perfectly; and,
• I loved, loved, loved how it talked about the media’s role in cases like this. I took a legal studies class last year and after studying Lindy Chamberlain's case, in particular, I can really appreciate the entire “trial by media” concept and how justice can be affected by the role of the media. It’s actually quite fascinating and I thought that was a fantastic little extra thing to throw into the story.
Overall, I think this book had a lot of elements that I love in a story but it kind of missed the mark. Our protagonist was well-written but I didn’t get attached to the secondary characters liked I would have hoped too. The first half was everything I love in a good Criminal Minds episode - just from the victims’ perspectives rather than the BAU’s - but the second half was frustrating and the ending didn’t help it out. I’m not sure if I’d recommend this on or not but I’ll definitely be trying more of this author’s book in the future to give her a second chance.
The First Half:
Like I said, the first half of The Special Ones was brilliant. It was so easy to slip into the story despite how bizarre the situation initially seemed. The cult-ish setting completely upped the stakes and the tension was practically palpable. If you know me, you know I have a weird obsession for cults and true crime so that’s probably why I loved this first half so much. I have always found criminal behaviour and psychology fascinating and because of that I loved how character-driven the first half of the story was. We really got to dive into the head of Esther and it was fascinating to see the balance of her strong-willed, tough attitude and moments of weakness. I wish we got to know a little more about the other Special Ones but I can understand that would have taken the focus of the story in a different direction to what the author intended.
The Second Half:
However, the second half was a different story. The introduction of the “him” chapters really did not sit well with me. They were so confusing! Because there were no distinctive chapter headings, we didn’t actually know whose POV it was until we read a few chapters (both of the POVs were in first person POV/present tense so there was literally no difference). I also found his voice irritating. I did not think he was particularly well-developed and he just needed to be to tie the story together. You cannot have a good mystery - especially one like this - if the ‘bad guy’ isn’t interesting! I also just was not a big fan of the character arc of Harry. I didn’t connect with him in the slightest and I thought his relationship with Esther got more and more forced as the story went along. The ending was okay. I liked that it wasn’t a perfect HEA because that would have been so unrealistic. I did find it a tad unsatisfying, though. I’m not sure how it should have been changed, but I don’t know… something didn’t sit right with me about it.
Two things, I did really love were:
• How the writing style balanced the dialogue and descriptions perfectly; and,
• I loved, loved, loved how it talked about the media’s role in cases like this. I took a legal studies class last year and after studying Lindy Chamberlain's case, in particular, I can really appreciate the entire “trial by media” concept and how justice can be affected by the role of the media. It’s actually quite fascinating and I thought that was a fantastic little extra thing to throw into the story.
Overall, I think this book had a lot of elements that I love in a story but it kind of missed the mark. Our protagonist was well-written but I didn’t get attached to the secondary characters liked I would have hoped too. The first half was everything I love in a good Criminal Minds episode - just from the victims’ perspectives rather than the BAU’s - but the second half was frustrating and the ending didn’t help it out. I’m not sure if I’d recommend this on or not but I’ll definitely be trying more of this author’s book in the future to give her a second chance.