Reviews

The Veins of the Ocean by Patricia Engel

uvahoogirl's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

farverdekiefer's review

4.0

This book was a wonderful summer read. If you love Junot Diaz and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, you will love this book. A great story of survival and penance and paying the debts of the sins of your family. Set in the Florida Keys with a touch of mysticism and Spanglish. I really enjoyed this.

giter161's review

5.0

I don’t normally give books a full five stars, but when I do it’s because they are so beautifully personal and human that I become each person in the book so completely I carry them with me forever more. This is one of those books.

ameserole's review

4.0

Wow!

This book was amazing to read! I'm so happy I took a chance on this. Okay, real talk: I really only picked this book because of the cover and the title. Okay, the synopsis really intrigued me too.. but still I was super hesitant about diving into it. I don't know, I'm super weird about books because when I read a bunch of great or intriguing books I somehow find a dud in the mix. Then my groove is ruined.

However, this book was not the case. I loved everything about it! The Veins of the Ocean is about family. Well, not only about that.. it's also about murder and suicide. Trust me, this book will take you on a whirlwind kind of adventure.

Reina is a loveable character. She is the definitely of a human being. She lives, hurts, and is still strong in the end. She is haunted by her guilt throughout day and night because of her past. Then there's Nesto, who comes into her life with his own struggles.

Overall, I absolutely loved these two. I loved the entire story. This book brought me heartache, so much heartache. Especially with the beginning but then it got so much better and I didn't think that it could. I loved Engel's writing and I can't wait to dive into another one of her books.

This book will make you cry but then it will make you happy. You are taken on a beautiful journey and it will be emotional. Read it. Enjoy it. Love it.

meghan111's review

4.0

Reina is a young woman in Miami whose brother is in prison on death row for the murder of a child. After her brother's death, she is adrift, and this book gradually becomes the story of her finding herself in the Florida Keys. developing a relationship with a man from Cuba and working at a for-profit dolphin park.

car155a's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

leahreadsalot's review

3.0

Slow-moving. It seemed repetitive and I was bored halfway through. I read Infinite Country this year and found it to be much stronger .

lv_reads's review

4.0

Different paths in life, but same internal struggles draw Reina and Nesto together. Their tale isn’t a love story and I wouldn’t call this a romance novel. Rather, more of a tale of two survivors learning to carve their own way in life.
I found myself immersed in the story with them and hoping for their redemption from themselves.

foreverfree's review

4.0

I recently subscribed to the Book of the Month and this was my first book. I don't think I ever would have selected this book on my own and it was a fantastic read! #June2016BookOfTheMonthClub

meridianriver's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0