Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
tense
Loveable characters:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
I was drawn to this book because of the amnesia trope that reminded me of Momento. I thought memory loss would add an interesting layer to a mystery. It started off fine, but I found Liz a really, really difficult character to get invested in. Even before she developed chronic amnesia, she's still just...boring? She works at a magazine and loves her emotionally detached boyfriend. Couldn't really say anything about her life, personality, and goals beyond that.
Once she developed amnesia, the progress of the story really dragged. It's hard to get answers when the main character spends half the pages panicking over not remembering anything. More importantly, I found her actions incomprehensible. Rather than writing down useful information like her address or the names of people she can trust, Liz writes unhinged messages on her hands that do nothing but confuse herself and make her look like a crazy person.
"Stay awake"
"Don't trust anyone"
I mean...really?
This book's biggest issue is that it's emotionally one-note. Liv is in the exact same emotional state at the beginning, middle, and end. She is always scared. She is always confused. This is understandable, but it's not entertaining. Even just a single scene of humor or anything other than Liz being scared would have injected some MUCH needed variety into the story.
Once she developed amnesia, the progress of the story really dragged. It's hard to get answers when the main character spends half the pages panicking over not remembering anything. More importantly, I found her actions incomprehensible. Rather than writing down useful information like her address or the names of people she can trust, Liz writes unhinged messages on her hands that do nothing but confuse herself and make her look like a crazy person.
"Stay awake"
"Don't trust anyone"
I mean...really?
This book's biggest issue is that it's emotionally one-note. Liv is in the exact same emotional state at the beginning, middle, and end. She is always scared. She is always confused. This is understandable, but it's not entertaining. Even just a single scene of humor or anything other than Liz being scared would have injected some MUCH needed variety into the story.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes