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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
So much hype, and it's... fine.
Kya is a great character, though she requires a healthy suspension of disbelief at age 6. Tate is a good character, as is his dad. They seem a little "born in the wrong era," but it's probably what made them likeable.
I like that we didn't find out what happened to some of her family members, that seemed like a realistic outcome. Is this a spoiler? The book has been out for a long time now, so maybe not a spoiler.
I'll mark this bit, though. I'm sure glad someone took out Chase, though I wish it hadn't been Kya. I was honestly hoping his wife grew a pair, or even Tate. I'm glad it wasn't Jumpin', that would have been pretty poor. I wasn't surprised that it turned out to be Kya, either.
Kya is a great character, though she requires a healthy suspension of disbelief at age 6. Tate is a good character, as is his dad. They seem a little "born in the wrong era," but it's probably what made them likeable.
I like that we didn't find out what happened to some of her family members, that seemed like a realistic outcome. Is this a spoiler? The book has been out for a long time now, so maybe not a spoiler.
I'll mark this bit, though.
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
1. Writing:
-Though at times the writing is almost excessively poetic, I think that the marsh is well-explored to illuminate the intimate relationship Kya has with it.
-I found the writing during the courtroom chapters immersive.
2. Themes:
-Prejudice: I like the message that you shouldn’t judge someone by their cover, but that doesn’t mean that you can undergo trauma and emerge unscathed.
Kya experiences socioeconomic prejudice that often allies her with the black characters, who also experience discrimination for being different. But the racism and classicism of the times doesn’t seem contained to fiction. The book implies that you have to speak without your (generalized) southern dialect in order to be smarter or better. “Good” characters are able to lose their dialect and “bad” characters retain theirs.
-Coming of age: overall okay. I didn’t like the sexual scenes but that’s a combination of personal taste and the awkward, naive way they’re written.
-People imitate wildlife: sometime heavy-handed but I understand why Kya adapted that mindset. A childhood spent learning about people from animals adds nuance to her adult actions.
3. Plot:
-The mashup between literary fiction and murder mystery doesn’t really work until the second half of the book, when the two timelines coincide. Until then, the detective scenes are short, few and far between, and essentially forgettable.
-I expected
-Though at times the writing is almost excessively poetic, I think that the marsh is well-explored to illuminate the intimate relationship Kya has with it.
-I found the writing during the courtroom chapters immersive.
2. Themes:
-Prejudice: I like the message that you shouldn’t judge someone by their cover, but that doesn’t mean that you can undergo trauma and emerge unscathed.
Kya experiences socioeconomic prejudice that often allies her with the black characters, who also experience discrimination for being different. But the racism and classicism of the times doesn’t seem contained to fiction. The book implies that you have to speak without your (generalized) southern dialect in order to be smarter or better. “Good” characters are able to lose their dialect and “bad” characters retain theirs.
-Coming of age: overall okay. I didn’t like the sexual scenes but that’s a combination of personal taste and the awkward, naive way they’re written.
-People imitate wildlife: sometime heavy-handed but I understand why Kya adapted that mindset. A childhood spent learning about people from animals adds nuance to her adult actions.
3. Plot:
-The mashup between literary fiction and murder mystery doesn’t really work until the second half of the book, when the two timelines coincide. Until then, the detective scenes are short, few and far between, and essentially forgettable.
-I expected
Spoiler
the plot twist, because the book tries pretty hard to make it seem as unlikely as possible but does actually demonstrate that Kya has the capacity to become violent when angered (when Tate returns to the island, her first impulse is to fling rocks at him, not words). But that’s about it. We never see her do anything particularly premeditated, we know she learns things quickly, but that doesn’t automatically translate to cleanly planning out a crime and convincing the town that she’s innocent.
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a wild ride for sure. I took a break from reading it because I didn't want it to end. This needs to become a motion picture. From beginning to end I was gripping every page and reacting out loud. Putting this book down was a fight. Chase Andrew's got what he deserved and Kya is a character most can relate too. Kya is a reminder that our survival instincts are innate and they are activated when we are most threatened. One thing I loved about the book the most is the family orientation. The marsh raised the marsh girl and they had her from beginning til the end. You guys are going to want to read this.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes