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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Couldn’t really get into this unfortunately :( was really hopeful but just never really piqued my interest the way i thought it would
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
- I didn't mind the pacing and build up and found the book quick and readable
but
- the writing was infuriating sometimes. Every single person gets various tidbits of info about them, just strung into the sentence. Even if they don't matter and we never hear of them again
E.g.
"He gave Nella a modest bow, his sandy hair falling in his face, and ran over to greet them sunnily."
Sunnily? This is about some random bartender, but just imagine this kind of characterisation crowbarred in for everyone.
It leaves me thinking why?
Also with CJ - what is his role?
Anyway, for me, this messed with clarity, making me unsure who was a MC and who to focus on in a scene. It also messed with pacing and just seemed wordy.
-Instead of just writing a paragraph setting the scene, it all gets jumbled into the action which confuses and sometimes messes with pacing and clarity.
-this, but also just generally
"But now, as Bella made her way up the steep steps of Hazel's Huxtable-inspired brownstone, hoisting her long, flowing skirt above her ankles so she didn't trip, fall, and bust her face on the way up, she remembered why people wanted to become "those people" in the first place."
Why are there two mentions of way up? Why does it have to be trip AND fall etc etc.
It may seem not that deep, but to me there were soooo many sentenced like this, where I just got pulled out of the book by tautologies or unnecessary words.
- one pov (Shani) was quite difficult to understand and I would say together with the other time jumps and problems in clarity it added up to being a bit confusing
- I also started out not understanding the time jumps at all, but as I continued it made sense. However, the 2018 storyline contained smaller time jumps, as in just jumping from Nella's present to her morning/past etc, and I found those a bit confusing and even unnecessary too.
- I actually didn't mind the ending (even if it's quite saddening)
but
- the writing was infuriating sometimes. Every single person gets various tidbits of info about them, just strung into the sentence. Even if they don't matter and we never hear of them again
E.g.
"He gave Nella a modest bow, his sandy hair falling in his face, and ran over to greet them sunnily."
Sunnily? This is about some random bartender, but just imagine this kind of characterisation crowbarred in for everyone.
It leaves me thinking why?
Also with CJ - what is his role?
Anyway, for me, this messed with clarity, making me unsure who was a MC and who to focus on in a scene. It also messed with pacing and just seemed wordy.
-Instead of just writing a paragraph setting the scene, it all gets jumbled into the action which confuses and sometimes messes with pacing and clarity.
-this, but also just generally
"But now, as Bella made her way up the steep steps of Hazel's Huxtable-inspired brownstone, hoisting her long, flowing skirt above her ankles so she didn't trip, fall, and bust her face on the way up, she remembered why people wanted to become "those people" in the first place."
Why are there two mentions of way up? Why does it have to be trip AND fall etc etc.
It may seem not that deep, but to me there were soooo many sentenced like this, where I just got pulled out of the book by tautologies or unnecessary words.
- one pov (Shani) was quite difficult to understand and I would say together with the other time jumps and problems in clarity it added up to being a bit confusing
- I also started out not understanding the time jumps at all, but as I continued it made sense. However, the 2018 storyline contained smaller time jumps, as in just jumping from Nella's present to her morning/past etc, and I found those a bit confusing and even unnecessary too.
- I actually didn't mind the ending (even if it's quite saddening)
Nonsense
This book Made no sense. It’s not a thriller it’s not a story about anything do not waste your time.
This book Made no sense. It’s not a thriller it’s not a story about anything do not waste your time.
Hard to articulate why, but I didn't like it. That's all.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
3.5 stars
I recommend reading this book instead of listening to the audio. The book changes dates and points of view. That would be easier to follow in a book.
I recommend reading this book instead of listening to the audio. The book changes dates and points of view. That would be easier to follow in a book.
I was so excited to read this book, what with it being compared to the thriller masterpiece that is Jordan Peele’s, ‘Get Out’. The premise of this book was intriguing. I kept reading because I could sense something big was going to happen ‘soon’ (also, I was promised an “unexpected twist”). Unfortunately, ‘soon’ never came and it felt like the plot only kicked in at the last moment (and I mean that literally, as in the last chapter and epilogue)…then it was over. The sci-fi plot-line was absurd; I simply could not take it seriously. The non-linear plot was confusing and there were various events or plot points that seemed to serve no significant purpose. There were a few insightful comments about the Black experience, communicated through Nella’s internal dialogue or exploration of her romantic relationship, but I think they were a bit too disconnected from the overarching plot. I actually wrote a whole review going into specific plot details that I found odd or unsatisfying but my review was so ‘all over the place’, and confusing, and lacked a clear message, which, unfortunately, is reflective of my experience with this book.