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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
This book is for those who want to experience a Criminal Minds episode through the surviving victim's eyes. It messed with my head all right.
My complaint is that it took a while till the plot actually began and that I didn't really care about the story after he got out. But it was an experience. A traumatic one.
My complaint is that it took a while till the plot actually began and that I didn't really care about the story after he got out. But it was an experience. A traumatic one.
3.5 stars. I enjoyed the premise of this one, but it was too long and could easily have been edited down. I also felt like the last 100-150 pages dragged on quite a bit and didn't feel necessary (and maybe took away from the rest of the book?).
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The author, Robin Roe, reached out to me on Instagram to ask if I would read her latest novel Dark Room Etiquette and I said yes. The premise of the story is completely up my alley and even though it's a beefy 500+ pages, as a YA novel that is a quick read for me. It took me about six hours to read cover to cover and I have a major bone to pick with it, the authors note should have come at the beginning of the story and here is why.
Sayers is a largely unlikeable character, but for the purpose of the story development he has to be. Spoiled rich kid who wants for nothing is kidnapped by a delusional serial killer who believes he's found his long, lost son, Daniel. Through intense abuse, isolation and brainwashing, Sayers begins to believe he is Daniel and develops an attachment for his capture, Caleb. Upon his rescue Sayers finds himself back at school with his old friends as he tries to process the trauma.
Up until Sayers was rescued I felt the book was good. It read long and a bit overhanded but good. By overhanded I mean the psychology class that just happened to be covering Stockholm Syndrome, the students talking about implanted memories and first person witness unreliability and the security guard who rushes Sayers because he got lost on the job. Even without reading the synopsis it was pretty clear to see where the story was going.
After Sayers rescue is where I became frustrated as a reader. Sayers family has resources and yet therapy was a choice and he was never deprogrammed? Penny, a girl with less resources, was sent to an in-patient facility and Sayers was left with nothing? This made no sense. No one would have just allowed Sayers to go back to school without some form of support or accommodations. I was so distracted by this frustration that I could not wait for the book to be over.
Now to Sayers captor Caleb. Despite having freezers full of dead boys, he chose to kill himself instead of Sayers. Why? This stuck out to me as strange.
The character of Garrett, the budding sociopath that sexually assaults a male classmate, where does he go? So much time in the first half of the novel was spent talking about him, what he does and how he terrifies Evan but is then almost completely out of the ending. I understand Garrett, along with most of Sayers friends abandon him, but as a reader it left me unsatisfied.
And Evan, sweet Evan, I know he was a vessel to show Sayers' better side but their friendship never felt genuine or real.
Once I read the authors note I was more frustrated then what I finished the final chapter. It was pretty clear that the author wanted to show what trauma does and how it affects many aspects of someone's life, but the execution was poorly written. Once I read the authors note I then had to think about the book under a new lens. Which is why, despite finishing the book days ago, it's taken me this long to give feedback. Had the note come at the beginning and I understood what the author was trying to achieve, I probably wouldn't have spent the last half of the quarter of the book frustrated. As a rule, I do not DNF books when I'm asked by an author to read it. Had I not been, this is a book I would have put down and then would have never learned about the authors nephew and her inspiration for this novel.
Overall, the novel had a promising theme but the execution was not all there for me. I also think it could have been culled down significantly and achieved the same story.
As always, thank you to NetGalley, author Robin Roe and Harper Teen for allowing me access to an eARC in exchange for feedback.
Sayers is a largely unlikeable character, but for the purpose of the story development he has to be. Spoiled rich kid who wants for nothing is kidnapped by a delusional serial killer who believes he's found his long, lost son, Daniel. Through intense abuse, isolation and brainwashing, Sayers begins to believe he is Daniel and develops an attachment for his capture, Caleb. Upon his rescue Sayers finds himself back at school with his old friends as he tries to process the trauma.
Up until Sayers was rescued I felt the book was good. It read long and a bit overhanded but good. By overhanded I mean the psychology class that just happened to be covering Stockholm Syndrome, the students talking about implanted memories and first person witness unreliability and the security guard who rushes Sayers because he got lost on the job. Even without reading the synopsis it was pretty clear to see where the story was going.
After Sayers rescue is where I became frustrated as a reader. Sayers family has resources and yet therapy was a choice and he was never deprogrammed? Penny, a girl with less resources, was sent to an in-patient facility and Sayers was left with nothing? This made no sense. No one would have just allowed Sayers to go back to school without some form of support or accommodations. I was so distracted by this frustration that I could not wait for the book to be over.
Now to Sayers captor Caleb. Despite having freezers full of dead boys, he chose to kill himself instead of Sayers. Why? This stuck out to me as strange.
The character of Garrett, the budding sociopath that sexually assaults a male classmate, where does he go? So much time in the first half of the novel was spent talking about him, what he does and how he terrifies Evan but is then almost completely out of the ending. I understand Garrett, along with most of Sayers friends abandon him, but as a reader it left me unsatisfied.
And Evan, sweet Evan, I know he was a vessel to show Sayers' better side but their friendship never felt genuine or real.
Once I read the authors note I was more frustrated then what I finished the final chapter. It was pretty clear that the author wanted to show what trauma does and how it affects many aspects of someone's life, but the execution was poorly written. Once I read the authors note I then had to think about the book under a new lens. Which is why, despite finishing the book days ago, it's taken me this long to give feedback. Had the note come at the beginning and I understood what the author was trying to achieve, I probably wouldn't have spent the last half of the quarter of the book frustrated. As a rule, I do not DNF books when I'm asked by an author to read it. Had I not been, this is a book I would have put down and then would have never learned about the authors nephew and her inspiration for this novel.
Overall, the novel had a promising theme but the execution was not all there for me. I also think it could have been culled down significantly and achieved the same story.
As always, thank you to NetGalley, author Robin Roe and Harper Teen for allowing me access to an eARC in exchange for feedback.
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
Okay, so, I am NOT being light when I say this book broke me. It’s a stark view on the human psyche and what it will do to survive. Even if that means losing yourself in the process.
I am having major difficulties saying anything else about this book. Just know that it is now one of my favorite books and it will haunt me forever. I seriously believe I’ll think about Sayers Wayte and Caleb Fucking Emory every day for the foreseeable future. I mean it. The impact is HUGE.
I don’t know what else to say. I love this book. I swear, it changed my brain chemistry.
I am having major difficulties saying anything else about this book. Just know that it is now one of my favorite books and it will haunt me forever. I seriously believe I’ll think about Sayers Wayte and Caleb Fucking Emory every day for the foreseeable future. I mean it. The impact is HUGE.
I don’t know what else to say. I love this book. I swear, it changed my brain chemistry.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexual assault, Vomit
Minor: Homophobia