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twylapeabody's review
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
*I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss through my job.
I’m of two minds about this book. On the one hand, I loved it. I really enjoyed Marlowe’s perspective, the mix of present and past timeline’s were well done, the mysteries were satisfying and the thought process the characters went through trying to solve them was believable. I also really liked Johnson’s descriptions, there were a lot of unusual metaphors and her humor really landed with me.
However, I think this pacing is going to turn a lot of readers away. The driving mystery in the present timeline doesn’t kick off until the 50% mark. From that point the pace just skyrockets, each chapter is faster than the last. This slower pacing at the beginning didn’t really bother me, I enjoyed seeing through Marlowe’s eyes as she was entering this new world and meeting the other characters. But, I think a lot of readers will get irritated and feel like the story is directionless, and put the book down before the mystery really starts.
If you like a bit of meandering and really sinking into a character and their world, I would give this a try, but if you hate a slow moving book, I would give this one a pass. While the pacing picks up, it’s a lot to ask of someone to make it to the halfway point before they decide whether or not this book is for them.
I do also want to provide CW for discussion of eugenics, child death, fire, anda child murderer.
However, I think this pacing is going to turn a lot of readers away. The driving mystery in the present timeline doesn’t kick off until the 50% mark. From that point the pace just skyrockets, each chapter is faster than the last. This slower pacing at the beginning didn’t really bother me, I enjoyed seeing through Marlowe’s eyes as she was entering this new world and meeting the other characters. But, I think a lot of readers will get irritated and feel like the story is directionless, and put the book down before the mystery really starts.
If you like a bit of meandering and really sinking into a character and their world, I would give this a try, but if you hate a slow moving book, I would give this one a pass. While the pacing picks up, it’s a lot to ask of someone to make it to the halfway point before they decide whether or not this book is for them.
I do also want to provide CW for discussion of eugenics, child death, fire, and
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
stardustandrockets's review
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Child death, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Grief
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