Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This book was honestly pretty…mid…I had higher hopes for it because the concept sounded SO good and interesting. In theory, it is a really good story. And there were definitely moments that had me on the edge of my seat, I won’t lie. But the reason it was mediocre overall was because of the quality of the writing. However, I do want to say that if I were still in middle school or something…I think I might have liked this more. I say this because I was super into Wattpad books at the time and YA fantasies that were kind of like Wattpad books…this one feels kind of similar to those. I also was not as critical of everything I read during those times….ahh, good old days.
To summarize my critiques about this, I felt that this story really had a lot of potential, but some details just really needed to be nailed down and shown as truly real through not just the world, but the characters as well. Some characters needed to be written a LOT more thoroughly as well, like Hyeon (MC), her mother (especially her mother’s past…we barely got any material to compare her present self to), and Eojin (love interest). Hyeon and Eojin’s relationship also could have used a lot more detail and gradual, subtle, ✨ emotional ✨ development in the beginning.
Below, I’ve rambled on about my first few points with some examples, and spoilers are marked with asterisks:
The main things that stood out to me involved flaws and contradictions in the world building and characters. I spotted a few instances where the narrator would explain a certain rule or custom of the time and place of the story, and later on, that same rule would be contradicted by some character’s actions (it’s happened with both side characters and the main character). Or a rule would be introduced, and we wouldn’t really get more information about how the MC, Hyeon, feels about it, or what her stance is on it, so later when she’s put in a situation directly involving that rule, we’re not exactly ready for how she reacts (whether it’s dramatically or not at all).
**SPOILERS START**
An example of this would be the rule against contact between men and women who aren’t related. It’s mentioned multiple times in the book, but Hyeon never talks about what she thinks? So I assumed she was a rule follower because she definitely…probably…didn’t want to get flogged by the police? But apparently I was wrong because there was no big deal made whenever her and the love interest touched. Almost zero reaction over the contact. I was so confused because when it came to all the other characters in this book, it seemed like the world building rules were a big deal and they were actually at risk of facing the consequences if they broke these rules…but not Hyeon and the love interest, I guess?
When it came to Hyeon, I was surprised at just how much emphasis was put on her background as a student and how hard she worked to get to her current position. It led me to believe that she had a ton of knowledge and at least some decent experience in her field as a nurse, but later in the book when she’s placed in situations OUTSIDE of her workplace where she needs to tend to someone, aaall that knowledge and experience seems to just…disappear. With no explanation. It would make some sense if she explicitly described not being able to recall what to do for a little bit out of shock- but, personally, as someone who isn’t in the medical field and relies on others who are if I get hurt, I would assume that they are trained and accustomed to having to think on their feet about this kind of stuff. It just kind of threw me off when she had this same reaction, expressing a lack of knowledge and experience, multiple times in the book, after a big chunk of our introduction to her character talked about how much she studied and everything she did to get to her rank.
**SPOILERS END**
:)
To summarize my critiques about this, I felt that this story really had a lot of potential, but some details just really needed to be nailed down and shown as truly real through not just the world, but the characters as well. Some characters needed to be written a LOT more thoroughly as well, like Hyeon (MC), her mother (especially her mother’s past…we barely got any material to compare her present self to), and Eojin (love interest). Hyeon and Eojin’s relationship also could have used a lot more detail and gradual, subtle, ✨ emotional ✨ development in the beginning.
Below, I’ve rambled on about my first few points with some examples, and spoilers are marked with asterisks:
The main things that stood out to me involved flaws and contradictions in the world building and characters. I spotted a few instances where the narrator would explain a certain rule or custom of the time and place of the story, and later on, that same rule would be contradicted by some character’s actions (it’s happened with both side characters and the main character). Or a rule would be introduced, and we wouldn’t really get more information about how the MC, Hyeon, feels about it, or what her stance is on it, so later when she’s put in a situation directly involving that rule, we’re not exactly ready for how she reacts (whether it’s dramatically or not at all).
**SPOILERS START**
An example of this would be the rule against contact between men and women who aren’t related. It’s mentioned multiple times in the book, but Hyeon never talks about what she thinks? So I assumed she was a rule follower because she definitely…probably…didn’t want to get flogged by the police? But apparently I was wrong because there was no big deal made whenever her and the love interest touched. Almost zero reaction over the contact. I was so confused because when it came to all the other characters in this book, it seemed like the world building rules were a big deal and they were actually at risk of facing the consequences if they broke these rules…but not Hyeon and the love interest, I guess?
When it came to Hyeon, I was surprised at just how much emphasis was put on her background as a student and how hard she worked to get to her current position. It led me to believe that she had a ton of knowledge and at least some decent experience in her field as a nurse, but later in the book when she’s placed in situations OUTSIDE of her workplace where she needs to tend to someone, aaall that knowledge and experience seems to just…disappear. With no explanation. It would make some sense if she explicitly described not being able to recall what to do for a little bit out of shock- but, personally, as someone who isn’t in the medical field and relies on others who are if I get hurt, I would assume that they are trained and accustomed to having to think on their feet about this kind of stuff. It just kind of threw me off when she had this same reaction, expressing a lack of knowledge and experience, multiple times in the book, after a big chunk of our introduction to her character talked about how much she studied and everything she did to get to her rank.
**SPOILERS END**
:)
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a true YA—>not listed there due to the author’s gender/racial background. I thinks it’s a good solid read just not as complex as I would like as an adult reader (so that is no fault of the book)
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It had all the pieces to be a great novel, and while I enjoyed it for what it was, it was less than the sum of its parts. I'd chalk it up to being a debut novel. I read The Forest of Stolen Girls, a later book by the same author, and her writing had improved significantly there. If you liked this book, I would recommend you check it out.
Lowkey romance, cozy mystery. Just wish it had lasted longer because it was such a fun adventure!
As the story progress, I liked the story more and more. I enjoyed the mystery, there was some interesting twists. I like that the romance wasn't a BIG factor. There was just enough to not take away spotlight of the importance of the case.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No