Scan barcode
ghostbirdz's review
2.0
TLDR: if annihilation was bad and also for kids
It bothers me how similar this was to Jeff Vandermeers Annihilation - only poorly executed. Let me explain.
Magical lighthouse appears but can’t be captured on camera, the lighthouse has a tower which is actually a basement with a door at the end of it, doppelgängers, weird forest creatures, female lead who went looking for explanation about missing boy can’t leave/is at the mercy of her environment/something that transcends everyone’s understanding/nature that has gone wrong. Only nothing interesting is actually said.
The romance was unbelievable, annoying and just…gross. The female lead Noemi is described as independent and strong willed and oh yeah, asexual, yet turns into an entirely different character every now and then because of…the plot? Because stepbro Jonas has a piece of her heart? She tries to have sex with him even though she won’t enjoy it right after Gaetan, a bully who she supposedly hates, has confessed his feelings for her in a way that a high school bully never has and never will. What the hell? Her asexuality isn’t explored beyond surface level and because of that I honestly don’t see how it adds to the story at all, except to reinforce the idea that women should have sex they don’t want so people won’t leave them.
The concept is interesting and could’ve been great, the cover art is amazing and I LOVE the title but the book itself was very disappointing.
It bothers me how similar this was to Jeff Vandermeers Annihilation - only poorly executed. Let me explain.
Magical lighthouse appears but can’t be captured on camera, the lighthouse has a tower which is actually a basement with a door at the end of it, doppelgängers, weird forest creatures, female lead who went looking for explanation about missing boy can’t leave/is at the mercy of her environment/something that transcends everyone’s understanding/nature that has gone wrong. Only nothing interesting is actually said.
The romance was unbelievable, annoying and just…gross. The female lead Noemi is described as independent and strong willed and oh yeah, asexual, yet turns into an entirely different character every now and then because of…the plot? Because stepbro Jonas has a piece of her heart? She tries to have sex with him even though she won’t enjoy it right after Gaetan, a bully who she supposedly hates, has confessed his feelings for her in a way that a high school bully never has and never will. What the hell? Her asexuality isn’t explored beyond surface level and because of that I honestly don’t see how it adds to the story at all, except to reinforce the idea that women should have sex they don’t want so people won’t leave them.
The concept is interesting and could’ve been great, the cover art is amazing and I LOVE the title but the book itself was very disappointing.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
2.0
DNF
I was excited to get into this mystery but it dragged and had an odd layout where I couldn’t keep track of what was in the past and what was happening after the fact.
REREAD 8/16/22
2.5/5
I was happy to get back into this book because, to be honest I have no idea why I stopped reading it in the first place. I enjoyed the story though it was a very slow pace.
I was excited to get into this mystery but it dragged and had an odd layout where I couldn’t keep track of what was in the past and what was happening after the fact.
REREAD 8/16/22
2.5/5
I was happy to get back into this book because, to be honest I have no idea why I stopped reading it in the first place. I enjoyed the story though it was a very slow pace.
sassysoda13's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
3.5
Slow start to get into the book but once it picked up I wanted to keep reading, enjoyed that it was told from different characters throughout and we got to see different perspectives.
weeptchi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
5.0
gayathiri_rajendran's review
2.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for a review copy of this book. The below opinions are my own.
This book was a miss for me. the cover is so pretty and it had the chance to be good but that gets lost in the plot and the pacing which felt really dragged out. I felt very bored with this one and I couldn't connect with the story and couldn't care less for the characters.
It felt disappointing.
This book was a miss for me. the cover is so pretty and it had the chance to be good but that gets lost in the plot and the pacing which felt really dragged out. I felt very bored with this one and I couldn't connect with the story and couldn't care less for the characters.
It felt disappointing.
dannysreads's review
1.0
3 stars for the idea of this book.
First off I love most of the characters but some of them felt very fodder. Gaetan was hands down my favorite and i hate hate hate that he was made a love interest. There was so much potential for this book but the overall execution felt very silly and the “twist” was really….not good in my opinion. Overall it was a leisurely read and I really wish i liked it more or it had more substance.
First off I love most of the characters but some of them felt very fodder. Gaetan was hands down my favorite and i hate hate hate that he was made a love interest. There was so much potential for this book but the overall execution felt very silly and the “twist” was really….not good in my opinion. Overall it was a leisurely read and I really wish i liked it more or it had more substance.
yalestay's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0