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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I loved the premise of this book. I think the execution was a little more... realistic? maybe? than I expected. I was anticipating an action/adventure type of story; instead I found myself getting a little bored. "Oh here's Jake feeling sorry for himself again," was a fairly common theme. I mean, yeah, he took an idea from a dead writer and someone called him on it (not a spoiler, it's literally the blurb on the back) so now he's worried, but I feel like there could have been SOMETHING else happening in his life.
That all being said, I did enjoy parts of it very much. I liked the way the Jake plot and the Evan plot were knit together. I feel like the fictional book-within-the-book would have been a great story. I liked how things played out at the very end. Unfortunately, I knew that Anne was involved almost as soon as they had coffee. I'm not sure what gave it away but it seemed awfully convenient that she happened to not have any living relatives anywhere near by, and a sketchy childhood. I spent most of the book telling myself there was no way it could be Anne, it was too predictable, and yet. Alas.
That all being said, I did enjoy parts of it very much. I liked the way the Jake plot and the Evan plot were knit together. I feel like the fictional book-within-the-book would have been a great story. I liked how things played out at the very end.
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maybe I’ve played too much Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, but this played out exactly like some of the cases in that game. Predictable in many parts, which takes the bite out of the thriller aspect, and I cannot say I ever cared about the characters one whit. But this is easily readable, even fun at times, if you can stomach the author’s over-usage of parentheses throughout the prose.
(To be honest, I only read this due to the similarities of Yellowface purported by some reviews here. The parallels are undeniable from the story theft, question of appropriation, and the impact of social media on authors. But The Plot at least follows through its theme with a brutal ending.)
(To be honest, I only read this due to the similarities of Yellowface purported by some reviews here. The parallels are undeniable from the story theft, question of appropriation, and the impact of social media on authors. But The Plot at least follows through its theme with a brutal ending.)
I was so excited to get this from the library after a long wait. Realizing this author wrote a book I really couldn’t stand - You Should Have Known - I thought I’d give it a go anyway. Though YSHK was ludicrous, it was readable. And alas, The Plot was not. Maybe the author was being paid by the word because there were so many unnecessary ones. Slogged to page 20, skimmed the rest and I’m done. Five sentences to say what could be stated in one sentence is okay with a truly great writer. But wildly irritating in the wrong hands. So relieved I resisted the hype and didn’t buy it.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thought it achieved what it set out to do— a more intellectual beach read thriller. A good fun read that did leave me genuinely surprised.
The thing about a book within a book (which sounded totally up my street and bonus points it has an academic setting!) is that both parts have to be hugely strong in terms of “plot”!
Sadly for me both are sorely lacking in this book - if you’re promised a “can’t lose, Oprah best selling twist of a novel” and then it doesn’t deliver that twist you’ve already set yourself up for a fall.
Secondly in the other “plot” if you can guess the “whodunnit” almost immediately this also spoils the book”.
I can see what the author was trying to do here and it’s a clever concept - had it worked.
Sadly for me both are sorely lacking in this book - if you’re promised a “can’t lose, Oprah best selling twist of a novel” and then it doesn’t deliver that twist you’ve already set yourself up for a fall.
Secondly in the other “plot” if you can guess the “whodunnit” almost immediately this also spoils the book”.
I can see what the author was trying to do here and it’s a clever concept - had it worked.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes