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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
Me enganché con la historia y la leí súper rápido, pero sentí que le faltó algo. Espero que ese “algo” esté en el segundo libro.
La historia es original, tiene bastante romance, un poco de fantasía y de acción. Pero sentí que se quedó corta, no hubo ninguna situación romántica o peligrosa que me dejara con unas ganas terrible de leer el siguiente capitulo.
Tal vez los que no terminaron de convencerme fueron los protagonistas, no llegué a encariñarme con ninguno de los dos.
La narración me gustó, pero leí demasiadas veces “no obstante” para mi gusto
La historia es original, tiene bastante romance, un poco de fantasía y de acción. Pero sentí que se quedó corta, no hubo ninguna situación romántica o peligrosa que me dejara con unas ganas terrible de leer el siguiente capitulo.
Tal vez los que no terminaron de convencerme fueron los protagonistas, no llegué a encariñarme con ninguno de los dos.
La narración me gustó, pero leí demasiadas veces “no obstante” para mi gusto
Me enganché con la historia y la leí súper rápido, pero sentí que le faltó algo. Espero que ese “algo” esté en el segundo libro.
La historia es original, tiene bastante romance, un poco de fantasía y de acción. Pero sentí que se quedó corta, no hubo ninguna situación romántica o peligrosa que me dejara con unas ganas terrible de leer el siguiente capitulo.
Tal vez los que no terminaron de convencerme fueron los protagonistas, no llegué a encariñarme con ninguno de los dos.
La narración me gustó, pero leí demasiadas veces “no obstante” para mi gusto
La historia es original, tiene bastante romance, un poco de fantasía y de acción. Pero sentí que se quedó corta, no hubo ninguna situación romántica o peligrosa que me dejara con unas ganas terrible de leer el siguiente capitulo.
Tal vez los que no terminaron de convencerme fueron los protagonistas, no llegué a encariñarme con ninguno de los dos.
La narración me gustó, pero leí demasiadas veces “no obstante” para mi gusto
Me gustó mucho mucho. Necesito el segundo en español
Tenía muchísimas ganas de comenzar este libro porque desde que salió llamó mi atención y aunque había oído cositas no tan buenas quise comprobarlo por mi misma
“Qué ironía que en ese momento se hubiera sentido más viva que nunca. ¿Valía la pena arriesgarse al olvido eterno por volver a sentirse así?”
Nos encontramos con la protagonista, Dylan, de 16 años, que cree haber sobrevivido a un accidente ferroviario. Cuando despierta, aún en el tren, la única persona que ve es a Tristan, un chico taciturno, que la anima a seguir el camino junto a él. Sin percatarse, al principio, de que éste es su barquero, su guía para llegar al “otro lado”.
Siempre me ha gustado la mitología griega, por ello, cuando leí la premisa de esta historia sabía que quería leerlo. La idea está genial pero creo que a la autora le ha faltado dinamismo, poner situaciones que atrapen, profundizar en los personajes y en el mundo, en ese páramo al que debe enfrentarse la protagonista.
La historia, para mí, se divide en tres partes; la primera me atrapó, era interesante, es el comienzo, intuyes lo que va a pasar y quería saber más, pero pronto, se volvió algo monótona, con una estructura muy parecida y sin muchos giros. Por último, más cerca del final se desarrolla parte de la acción, el escenario no es el mismo y consigue cambiar las reglas del juego.
En cuanto a los personajes, no hay muchos, el peso recae casi en su totalidad en Dylan y Tristan y creo que eso también perjudica un poco ya que la autora no consigue profundizar en ellos y los sentimientos entre ambos se desarrollan demasiado pronto.
A pesar de todo, creo que el final te deja con ganas de saber qué pasará y, es por ello que le daré una oportunidad a su continuación cuando ésta se publique.
Mi puntuación: 3 de 5
Nos encontramos con la protagonista, Dylan, de 16 años, que cree haber sobrevivido a un accidente ferroviario. Cuando despierta, aún en el tren, la única persona que ve es a Tristan, un chico taciturno, que la anima a seguir el camino junto a él. Sin percatarse, al principio, de que éste es su barquero, su guía para llegar al “otro lado”.
Siempre me ha gustado la mitología griega, por ello, cuando leí la premisa de esta historia sabía que quería leerlo. La idea está genial pero creo que a la autora le ha faltado dinamismo, poner situaciones que atrapen, profundizar en los personajes y en el mundo, en ese páramo al que debe enfrentarse la protagonista.
La historia, para mí, se divide en tres partes; la primera me atrapó, era interesante, es el comienzo, intuyes lo que va a pasar y quería saber más, pero pronto, se volvió algo monótona, con una estructura muy parecida y sin muchos giros. Por último, más cerca del final se desarrolla parte de la acción, el escenario no es el mismo y consigue cambiar las reglas del juego.
En cuanto a los personajes, no hay muchos, el peso recae casi en su totalidad en Dylan y Tristan y creo que eso también perjudica un poco ya que la autora no consigue profundizar en ellos y los sentimientos entre ambos se desarrollan demasiado pronto.
A pesar de todo, creo que el final te deja con ganas de saber qué pasará y, es por ello que le daré una oportunidad a su continuación cuando ésta se publique.
Mi puntuación: 3 de 5
El barquero de almas de Claire McFall nos hablará de qué hay tras la muerte pues su protagonista, Dylan, acaba de tener un accidente de tres del que parece salir ilesa. Sin embargo, al salir de los escombros y recorrer el túnel de vuelta hacia un lugar seguro se encuentra con Tristán, un joven al que no conoce pero que, inspirándole confianza, la anima a ir hacia un lugar en el que estará a salvo.
Lo que tiene de interesante esta novela es que puede llegar a considerarse un retelling de Caronte, sin llegar a serlo porque no termina de entrar en la mitología propia. Pero sí que tiene todos los componentes necesarios para que evoque al mítico personaje del Estigia: Tristán es el que se dedica a llevar a las almas hacia el más allá, las protege durante el camino que hay entre el lugar donde han muerto y el sitio al que deben de ir.
Sin embargo, no tenemos un río como tal sino el Páramo: una especie de dimensión que está plagada de demonios que se quieren llevar las almas más puras. Y aquí es donde el papel de Tristán es importante y donde reside el quid del libro: o Dylan llega hasta el final, o Dylan la palma y aquí paz y después gloria.
En cuanto a los personajes, podemos conocer antes del gran acontecimiento cómo es la vida de Dylan y no deja de ser una chica con sus problemas —sus padres están separados y ella no sabe nada de su padre, en el colegio le hacen bullying y no es que encaje en su instituto. Pero nada más, después conocemos a la Dylan que ha muerto y parece no tener claro si quiere llegar al más allá, pero ha asumido que ha fallecido y que poco puede hacer.
Tristán, por su parte, es el personaje más interesante del libro puesto que tiene muchos años —repito: muchos años— y a lo largo de las páginas nos va relatando datos de ese mundo en el que solo hay almas y demonios, y de las personas que ha acompañado hasta el otro lado. Y de verdad que consigues empatizar con un personaje que no sabe nada de su pasado salvo haber despertado con su misión de llevar almas —y las historias que cuenta, menuda bendición de muchacho.
La trama al final es bastante lineal y pasamos mucho tiempo a solas con los dos personajes principales. Es un libro donde los sentimientos tienen peso, y los pensamientos. Sobre todo, los de Dylan, ya que al final no deja de ser la protagonista principal. También es interesante ver cómo va funcionando la relación entre ambos personajes conforme avanzan las páginas, cómo ella no deja de ser una chica a la que le da pereza tener que subir una montaña y cómo él necesita hacerla llegar hasta el final antes de que algo pueda pasar.
Sin embargo, el principal problema del libro es que la trama no da más de sí y que el viaje se hace demasiado largo y monótono, siguiendo una estructura que a la segunda ya te la sabes: salen de una casa en la que están protegidos durante la noche y tienen que llegar hasta la siguiente mientras sea de día. Sí que tiene algunos momentos de tensión y acción en los que se disfrutan y en los que yo realmente llegué a decir: vale, esto es lo que a mí me pide el cuerpo.
El otro problema que le he visto es la relación entre los protagonistas ya que desde que se conocen ya hay una química que ni ellos entienden —ni yo— pero que ha de tener una explicación después de ese final, así que espero que el segundo me dé una explicación de peso porque sí os tengo que decir que el final me ha gustado: muchísimo.
En definitiva, El barquero de almas no es un mal libro a pesar de que le sobren algunas páginas del Páramo y le falten otras de momentos que realmente habrían sido muy interesantes de cara al lector. El final no te lo esperas y consigue despertarte el gusanillo del segundo, la verdad.
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Lo que tiene de interesante esta novela es que puede llegar a considerarse un retelling de Caronte, sin llegar a serlo porque no termina de entrar en la mitología propia. Pero sí que tiene todos los componentes necesarios para que evoque al mítico personaje del Estigia: Tristán es el que se dedica a llevar a las almas hacia el más allá, las protege durante el camino que hay entre el lugar donde han muerto y el sitio al que deben de ir.
Sin embargo, no tenemos un río como tal sino el Páramo: una especie de dimensión que está plagada de demonios que se quieren llevar las almas más puras. Y aquí es donde el papel de Tristán es importante y donde reside el quid del libro: o Dylan llega hasta el final, o Dylan la palma y aquí paz y después gloria.
En cuanto a los personajes, podemos conocer antes del gran acontecimiento cómo es la vida de Dylan y no deja de ser una chica con sus problemas —sus padres están separados y ella no sabe nada de su padre, en el colegio le hacen bullying y no es que encaje en su instituto. Pero nada más, después conocemos a la Dylan que ha muerto y parece no tener claro si quiere llegar al más allá, pero ha asumido que ha fallecido y que poco puede hacer.
Tristán, por su parte, es el personaje más interesante del libro puesto que tiene muchos años —repito: muchos años— y a lo largo de las páginas nos va relatando datos de ese mundo en el que solo hay almas y demonios, y de las personas que ha acompañado hasta el otro lado. Y de verdad que consigues empatizar con un personaje que no sabe nada de su pasado salvo haber despertado con su misión de llevar almas —y las historias que cuenta, menuda bendición de muchacho.
La trama al final es bastante lineal y pasamos mucho tiempo a solas con los dos personajes principales. Es un libro donde los sentimientos tienen peso, y los pensamientos. Sobre todo, los de Dylan, ya que al final no deja de ser la protagonista principal. También es interesante ver cómo va funcionando la relación entre ambos personajes conforme avanzan las páginas, cómo ella no deja de ser una chica a la que le da pereza tener que subir una montaña y cómo él necesita hacerla llegar hasta el final antes de que algo pueda pasar.
Sin embargo, el principal problema del libro es que la trama no da más de sí y que el viaje se hace demasiado largo y monótono, siguiendo una estructura que a la segunda ya te la sabes: salen de una casa en la que están protegidos durante la noche y tienen que llegar hasta la siguiente mientras sea de día. Sí que tiene algunos momentos de tensión y acción en los que se disfrutan y en los que yo realmente llegué a decir: vale, esto es lo que a mí me pide el cuerpo.
El otro problema que le he visto es la relación entre los protagonistas ya que desde que se conocen ya hay una química que ni ellos entienden —ni yo— pero que ha de tener una explicación después de ese final, así que espero que el segundo me dé una explicación de peso porque sí os tengo que decir que el final me ha gustado: muchísimo.
En definitiva, El barquero de almas no es un mal libro a pesar de que le sobren algunas páginas del Páramo y le falten otras de momentos que realmente habrían sido muy interesantes de cara al lector. El final no te lo esperas y consigue despertarte el gusanillo del segundo, la verdad.
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4½ Out of 5
"I wasn't on the train… I was..." Tristan's voice trembled and died. How to say it? "I was waiting for you… You weren't the only one to walk away from the crash, Dylan." His voice had dropped to a whisper, as if he could lessen the blow by turning down the volume. "You were the only one not to."
Dylan is on the train, on her way to meet the father she's never known. She's terrified this man will not want to know her or have a new family or be a criminal or something.
She will never find out though.
Why? Well, because her train crashes in the middle of a tunnel.
She emerges, alone and confused, from the wreckage onto an alien landscape - a deserted hillside in Scotland.
Alone but for one boy - a boy who is sitting, waiting for her.
At first she's overjoyed to see another survivor. But as it turns out, she didn't survive at all: Tristan is her Ferryman, her guide across the wastelands of the afterlife, and to the After.
And her protector, her guardian against the wraiths - demons who want to steal her soul and make her one of them...
As they journey deeper into the wasteland, can Tristan keep Dylan safe?
Can he figure out why she - of all the souls he has guided - is so different, why she makes him feel the way he feels?
And what will Dylan choose:
Life. Death. Or Love?
From the moment I laid eyes on Ferryman, I was desperate to read it. First, look how shiny and pretty this cover is! Second, c'mon, how awesome is this premise? How can you say no to a journey filled with wraiths, ghosts, demons and a hot guide? You just can't. Ergo: much excitement for me. And Ferryman so didn't let me down! It was amazing -gorgeous, epic, addictive. I just totally raced through the book, utterly hooked. Which, obviously, is a very good thing!
The characters... Well, admittedly, there were really only two characters - main ones anyways. And I loved those characters. They were real. They were human. (Well, y’know, metaphorically speaking for Tristan.) These two made me laugh - I really, really liked Dylan; she was a great character - strong, caring, brave, determined. I really admired how composed and calm she was when confronted with everything. Her compassion and heart was obvious.
As for Tristan... Well, sue me, but I have a bit of a soft spot for the tortured bad boy types. Tristan was complex, tortured, smart, funny and protective. So strong and protective... I find guys with a protective streak irresistible. Tristan was no different. I liked him. Like, a lot.
I also loved hearing Tristan's stories of all his souls - two in particular tugged my heart strings... I liked learning about them - it added a whole new level to the story.
And I loved the relationship between Tristan and Dylan. How they started off all distant and moody and distrustful. And I loved watching them grow together. It was so sweet and real and touching. It made me smile.
Ohmigod, the writing was just so beautiful. Lyrical, gorgeous and so descriptive. I could see everything in my head. I loved how we got to read from both Dylan and Tristan's perspectives - it was so cool and I do so love split POVs. I especially loved Tristan's perspective - it was funny at times. However, the way it could hop between the two in a single paragraph at times could be a wee bit confusing.
And double ohmigod - this world: oh! I loved it. It was freaking amazing. The best path to death kinda thing ever. I just loved learning all about it - about souls, wraiths, Ferrymen. I loved the wasteland - how it was created and controlled. It was awesome! And the After - oh how amazing McFall's mind is! I absolutely adored every single freaking thing about her world building.
The plot was awesome too. It wasn't action from the word go. Instead, we got to meet Dylan, get to know her, her hopes and fears. Just get to know her before she died - which obviously made it all the more horrible and tragic for us. And then we met Tristan and see the world, felt the suspense, and it got so, so much more actiony!
A beautiful story set in a stunning and horrible place. A story of love, loss, death, life and everything in between, Ferryman is a book that will have you hooked from the very first page, hooked to every word and storming through the book, 100% addicted. You know how it is; some books are just so good they have magic. Now, I know I say that a lot, but Ferryman really was enchanting, with such a unique take on death and the afterlife. It had amazing characters, a stunning world, beautiful writing and an utterly hooking plot. And it's such a beautiful story, but one that will tug the heartstrings too. I dare you to read this and not be moved by that ending.
I mean, talk about a hell of a debut novel! If this is Claire's first book, just gimme gimme gimme her next one ASAP! I mean, I honestly can't think of a single thing I didn't like about Ferryman - and believe me, I'm trying! It was just too beautiful and mind-blowing and incredible.
So if you haven't gotten by now, I loved Ferryman to pieces and I simply can't wait for more by Claire. A stunning, stunning debut that left me absolutely breathless. Stunning.
So we're back to whoa! and OMG this debut was amazing and kickass! It you're into fantasy, atmospheric, awesome world books, I can't recommend this enough. Hell, even if that thing isn't for you, I still recommend it.
And yeah. That good.
"I wasn't on the train… I was..." Tristan's voice trembled and died. How to say it? "I was waiting for you… You weren't the only one to walk away from the crash, Dylan." His voice had dropped to a whisper, as if he could lessen the blow by turning down the volume. "You were the only one not to."
Dylan is on the train, on her way to meet the father she's never known. She's terrified this man will not want to know her or have a new family or be a criminal or something.
She will never find out though.
Why? Well, because her train crashes in the middle of a tunnel.
She emerges, alone and confused, from the wreckage onto an alien landscape - a deserted hillside in Scotland.
Alone but for one boy - a boy who is sitting, waiting for her.
At first she's overjoyed to see another survivor. But as it turns out, she didn't survive at all: Tristan is her Ferryman, her guide across the wastelands of the afterlife, and to the After.
And her protector, her guardian against the wraiths - demons who want to steal her soul and make her one of them...
As they journey deeper into the wasteland, can Tristan keep Dylan safe?
Can he figure out why she - of all the souls he has guided - is so different, why she makes him feel the way he feels?
And what will Dylan choose:
Life. Death. Or Love?
From the moment I laid eyes on Ferryman, I was desperate to read it. First, look how shiny and pretty this cover is! Second, c'mon, how awesome is this premise? How can you say no to a journey filled with wraiths, ghosts, demons and a hot guide? You just can't. Ergo: much excitement for me. And Ferryman so didn't let me down! It was amazing -gorgeous, epic, addictive. I just totally raced through the book, utterly hooked. Which, obviously, is a very good thing!
The characters... Well, admittedly, there were really only two characters - main ones anyways. And I loved those characters. They were real. They were human. (Well, y’know, metaphorically speaking for Tristan.) These two made me laugh - I really, really liked Dylan; she was a great character - strong, caring, brave, determined. I really admired how composed and calm she was when confronted with everything. Her compassion and heart was obvious.
As for Tristan... Well, sue me, but I have a bit of a soft spot for the tortured bad boy types. Tristan was complex, tortured, smart, funny and protective. So strong and protective... I find guys with a protective streak irresistible. Tristan was no different. I liked him. Like, a lot.
I also loved hearing Tristan's stories of all his souls - two in particular tugged my heart strings... I liked learning about them - it added a whole new level to the story.
And I loved the relationship between Tristan and Dylan. How they started off all distant and moody and distrustful. And I loved watching them grow together. It was so sweet and real and touching. It made me smile.
Ohmigod, the writing was just so beautiful. Lyrical, gorgeous and so descriptive. I could see everything in my head. I loved how we got to read from both Dylan and Tristan's perspectives - it was so cool and I do so love split POVs. I especially loved Tristan's perspective - it was funny at times. However, the way it could hop between the two in a single paragraph at times could be a wee bit confusing.
And double ohmigod - this world: oh! I loved it. It was freaking amazing. The best path to death kinda thing ever. I just loved learning all about it - about souls, wraiths, Ferrymen. I loved the wasteland - how it was created and controlled. It was awesome! And the After - oh how amazing McFall's mind is! I absolutely adored every single freaking thing about her world building.
The plot was awesome too. It wasn't action from the word go. Instead, we got to meet Dylan, get to know her, her hopes and fears. Just get to know her before she died - which obviously made it all the more horrible and tragic for us. And then we met Tristan and see the world, felt the suspense, and it got so, so much more actiony!
A beautiful story set in a stunning and horrible place. A story of love, loss, death, life and everything in between, Ferryman is a book that will have you hooked from the very first page, hooked to every word and storming through the book, 100% addicted. You know how it is; some books are just so good they have magic. Now, I know I say that a lot, but Ferryman really was enchanting, with such a unique take on death and the afterlife. It had amazing characters, a stunning world, beautiful writing and an utterly hooking plot. And it's such a beautiful story, but one that will tug the heartstrings too. I dare you to read this and not be moved by that ending.
I mean, talk about a hell of a debut novel! If this is Claire's first book, just gimme gimme gimme her next one ASAP! I mean, I honestly can't think of a single thing I didn't like about Ferryman - and believe me, I'm trying! It was just too beautiful and mind-blowing and incredible.
So if you haven't gotten by now, I loved Ferryman to pieces and I simply can't wait for more by Claire. A stunning, stunning debut that left me absolutely breathless. Stunning.
So we're back to whoa! and OMG this debut was amazing and kickass! It you're into fantasy, atmospheric, awesome world books, I can't recommend this enough. Hell, even if that thing isn't for you, I still recommend it.
And yeah. That good.
TL;DR: Just don't read this book. It's stupid. And problematic. And did I say stupid?
This book is laughably bad. I expecting something cheesy, romantic, fast-paced, and comforting in the way that books beginning in a European train station in overcast weather tend to be.
First, it began with small pet peeves:
This is cobalt blue, for anyone who doesn't know:
The number of times the MC brings up his ice blue eyes that are also cobalt is mind-boggling.
Let's move on.
This book is poorly edited. In fact, it's probably the worst editing in a multi-million copy bestseller I've ever seen. It begins entirely in the girl's point of view (3rd person limited), going into only her thoughts and actions and certainly not into the mysterious guy's thoughts. Suddenly, on page 66, this changes without warning:
It literally goes from Dylan's (the girl) point of view ("What else was he hiding from her?") to Tristan's (the guy's) all of a sudden and with no precedent. This happens several more times in the book and is jarring every time.
Then, there's the trope of Dylan being unlike any girl/person Tristan had ever met in his thousands of years of living. Usually, this trope is accompanied by a character with some kind of defining characteristic: being unusually skilled at something, being incredibly hot, being brave, etc. So while it's not usually realistic, it still makes sense. In the case of this book, Dylan has no notable qualities. Tristan says she's unlike anyone he has ever encountered, but she literally does nothing of note. She's neither extroverted nor introverted, she doesn't share any interesting conversations with him aside from listening to him talking about his past - she simply has no personality.
According to Tristan, she's different because she's calm about being dead:
A few pages later, Tristan tells Dylan about one of the souls he had ferried in the past:
Exhibit A of another soul calmly accepting their death.
Now, let's get to the problematic stuff.
1. With no relevance to the plot or overarching story, the wraiths want Dylan more because she has a pure soul. When she insists that she's not that pure, Tristan says it's because she's a virgin and virgins have pure souls and are less bitter than non-virgins. Yeah. Seriously.
Maybe it this had some kind of bigger relevance or connection to something plot-wise it'd be okay. But this is the only time in the entire book it's mentioned and it's honestly gross. Does this make little kids even more "delectable" then if the logic is young and virginal regardless of personality or actions??
2. Apparently everyone speaks English in the afterlife, regardless of the person's first language, as seen when Dylan approaches someone she know isn't an English speaker.
3. Tristan is basically a VERY old person whose form changes based on the person looking at him, and tells Dylan he embodied her dream guy to get her attention and trust but that it's not his true form. I think she's 15. And the scene where she's changing and he looks at her in the reflection and admires her naked back WAS SO WRONG. Please never, ever describe how desirable a nude 15-year old minor looks to someone spying on her without her consent. She literally HAD HIM TURN AROUND so he looked in the window reflection. There's no saving that.
4. SPOILER - though there isn't much plot so it's not really revealing much:
Yep. Dylan KNOWS that the ferryman has to hold hands with the soul in order to protect it on the journey since she had to do the exact same thing, and that letting go means the wraiths will literally attack and eat you alive. She seems Tristan ferrying a woman, gets jealous, and tries to distract him, resulting in their hands letting go and the wraiths consuming the woman's eternal soul.
I'm not even going to go into the insta-love and the way-too-early love confessions. I'm all for insta-lust and insta-connections and even insta-love (especially when it's my favorite soul mates/fated lover trope) but in this case, they literally had NO connection. They fall in love in a couple of days without even having meaningful conversations. They just travel together, and then Dylan wants to give up her immortal soul to see him again once she makes it to the other side. She ranks very, very high on my list of stupidest characters ever to exist.
*2021 Popsugar Reading Challenge*
Prompt #22: A book set mostly or entirely outdoors
*2021 A-Z Cover Challenge: B: Boat*
This book is laughably bad. I expecting something cheesy, romantic, fast-paced, and comforting in the way that books beginning in a European train station in overcast weather tend to be.
First, it began with small pet peeves:
He turned towards her and she got her first look into his eyes. They were icy blue and cold. Cobalt. (35)
This is cobalt blue, for anyone who doesn't know:
The number of times the MC brings up his ice blue eyes that are also cobalt is mind-boggling.
Let's move on.
This book is poorly edited. In fact, it's probably the worst editing in a multi-million copy bestseller I've ever seen. It begins entirely in the girl's point of view (3rd person limited), going into only her thoughts and actions and certainly not into the mysterious guy's thoughts. Suddenly, on page 66, this changes without warning:
What else was he hiding from her? Tristan sighed. He had known that this point had been coming, he'd postponed it as long as possible. [...] He had no choice but to be honest with her. He wasn't sure where to start..." (66)
It literally goes from Dylan's (the girl) point of view ("What else was he hiding from her?") to Tristan's (the guy's) all of a sudden and with no precedent. This happens several more times in the book and is jarring every time.
Then, there's the trope of Dylan being unlike any girl/person Tristan had ever met in his thousands of years of living. Usually, this trope is accompanied by a character with some kind of defining characteristic: being unusually skilled at something, being incredibly hot, being brave, etc. So while it's not usually realistic, it still makes sense. In the case of this book, Dylan has no notable qualities. Tristan says she's unlike anyone he has ever encountered, but she literally does nothing of note. She's neither extroverted nor introverted, she doesn't share any interesting conversations with him aside from listening to him talking about his past - she simply has no personality.
According to Tristan, she's different because she's calm about being dead:
Dylan was not like any other soul he'd encountered. She had accepted the truth calmly, with no outbursts. (77)
A few pages later, Tristan tells Dylan about one of the souls he had ferried in the past:
"He turned and said, 'I'm dead, aren't I?'
I just nodded, not trusting myself to speak. [...] Thankfully the man accepted the answer and I turned and began walking away into the dark night. With one last look at the woman, Gregor followed."
[...]
"That man, Gregor, he knew he was dead. Right away he knew." She looked incredulous. (90)
Exhibit A of another soul calmly accepting their death.
This soul, this woman was so timid, so docile and compliant that she hadn't once questioned Tristan's word. It had become almost annoying, as if she were blank paper, completely vacant. But at least it had been convenient. (224)Ah, so I guess it really isn't rare to find souls that don't question their death?
Now, let's get to the problematic stuff.
1. With no relevance to the plot or overarching story, the wraiths want Dylan more because she has a pure soul. When she insists that she's not that pure, Tristan says it's because she's a virgin and virgins have pure souls and are less bitter than non-virgins. Yeah. Seriously.
"Any time a young, virgin soul comes into the wasteland, the wraiths are more aggressive, more dangerous." He looked at her, making sure he had her full attention. "They want you - you specifically. To them, your soul would be a feast. More desirable, more delectable, than the bitter taste of a soul who'd lied too long."
Dylan just gaped at him [...] She was stuck on that one word. Virgin. How the hell did he know that about her? Was it written on her forehead? [...] Had that been what he was thinking, when he was hanging onto her hand: that she was pure and innocent? A virgin? (100)
Maybe it this had some kind of bigger relevance or connection to something plot-wise it'd be okay. But this is the only time in the entire book it's mentioned and it's honestly gross. Does this make little kids even more "delectable" then if the logic is young and virginal regardless of personality or actions??
2. Apparently everyone speaks English in the afterlife, regardless of the person's first language, as seen when Dylan approaches someone she know isn't an English speaker.
"Can you understand me?" she asked.
He smiled at her, revealing teeth that were not quite straight.
"You haven't been here very long, have you?" His English seemed perfect, with just a hint of an accent. (195)
3. Tristan is basically a VERY old person whose form changes based on the person looking at him, and tells Dylan he embodied her dream guy to get her attention and trust but that it's not his true form. I think she's 15. And the scene where she's changing and he looks at her in the reflection and admires her naked back WAS SO WRONG. Please never, ever describe how desirable a nude 15-year old minor looks to someone spying on her without her consent. She literally HAD HIM TURN AROUND so he looked in the window reflection. There's no saving that.
4. SPOILER - though there isn't much plot so it's not really revealing much:
She thought of the soul he'd just been ferrying, the woman she's accidentally killed with nothing more than her own stupidity; thought about the way they'd been holding hands (251)
Yep. Dylan KNOWS that the ferryman has to hold hands with the soul in order to protect it on the journey since she had to do the exact same thing, and that letting go means the wraiths will literally attack and eat you alive. She seems Tristan ferrying a woman, gets jealous, and tries to distract him, resulting in their hands letting go and the wraiths consuming the woman's eternal soul.
I'm not even going to go into the insta-love and the way-too-early love confessions. I'm all for insta-lust and insta-connections and even insta-love (especially when it's my favorite soul mates/fated lover trope) but in this case, they literally had NO connection. They fall in love in a couple of days without even having meaningful conversations. They just travel together, and then Dylan wants to give up her immortal soul to see him again once she makes it to the other side. She ranks very, very high on my list of stupidest characters ever to exist.
*2021 Popsugar Reading Challenge*
Prompt #22: A book set mostly or entirely outdoors
*2021 A-Z Cover Challenge: B: Boat*
El barquero de almas no fue especialmente el libro que esperaba, lo que deben de saber es que las historias de amor de horas, o un par de días simplemente creo que no me van a pasar, y este es el segundo libro en el que pasa eso, y ahora que lo estoy analizando definitivamente ese es mi problema.
Además de la parte romántica, creo que la historia simplemente seguía un hilo que carecía de emoción, creo que de cierta manera no conecté tanto con los protagonistas, todo lo sentí tan plano, tan falta de emociones y demás.
¿Qué harías si tu vieras la oportunidad de volver a ver a las personas que una vez perdiste? ¿Irías en su encuentro o te quedarías con alguien a quien acabas de conocer?
Además de la parte romántica, creo que la historia simplemente seguía un hilo que carecía de emoción, creo que de cierta manera no conecté tanto con los protagonistas, todo lo sentí tan plano, tan falta de emociones y demás.
¿Qué harías si tu vieras la oportunidad de volver a ver a las personas que una vez perdiste? ¿Irías en su encuentro o te quedarías con alguien a quien acabas de conocer?
I couldn't keep going... I got 70% of the way through by sheer stubbornness and the fact that I was listening to the audiobook.
Dylan is pathetic and immediately becomes obsessed with a cardboard cut-out who tells her he only looks the way he does to make himself attractive to her and manipulate her into trusting him (Jesus Christ).
Tristan (pronounced Tris-chin in the audiobook, actor was fantastic the name is just dumb) is the cardboard cut-out who's thousands of years old. He once thinks about how fucked up that is as Dylan is a child but quickly stops caring.
The fact that Dylan is a virgin comes up and is a plot point (gross). The romance is so repulsive that I made a face every time they touched and was so grossed out I turned off the audiobook before they kissed and dnf'd.
There's no story... just two boring people walking through a wasteland day after day. The book may have been serviceable if they interjected what was happening with Dylan's parents and friends after they discover her death. As it stands, it's just a pile of boring with a romance that's gross.
Dylan is pathetic and immediately becomes obsessed with a cardboard cut-out who tells her he only looks the way he does to make himself attractive to her and manipulate her into trusting him (Jesus Christ).
Tristan (pronounced Tris-chin in the audiobook, actor was fantastic the name is just dumb) is the cardboard cut-out who's thousands of years old. He once thinks about how fucked up that is as Dylan is a child but quickly stops caring.
The fact that Dylan is a virgin comes up and is a plot point (gross). The romance is so repulsive that I made a face every time they touched and was so grossed out I turned off the audiobook before they kissed and dnf'd.
There's no story... just two boring people walking through a wasteland day after day. The book may have been serviceable if they interjected what was happening with Dylan's parents and friends after they discover her death. As it stands, it's just a pile of boring with a romance that's gross.