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haleyhamfan's review
2.0
I wanted to like this book way more than I did. Truthfully, the concept is really cool, and the world Marr created could have been so much more lush. I wanted to see more development and explanation in the world.
Chloe is the most uninteresting lead Marr could have chosen. Marr's narrative is third-person limited and constantly shifting between the four leads, but I believe it would've been stronger if it had just followed one narrative. The split-narrative felt unnecessary and strained.
I also would've loved to read more about Ajani and why he was there and how the Wasteland was even created. There were just a lot of things that I think Marr could have paid attention to instead of the things she did. She dropped you in with little explanation and made no efforts to answer any questions that arose.
Could have been a much much stronger book.
Chloe is the most uninteresting lead Marr could have chosen. Marr's narrative is third-person limited and constantly shifting between the four leads, but I believe it would've been stronger if it had just followed one narrative. The split-narrative felt unnecessary and strained.
I also would've loved to read more about Ajani and why he was there and how the Wasteland was even created. There were just a lot of things that I think Marr could have paid attention to instead of the things she did. She dropped you in with little explanation and made no efforts to answer any questions that arose.
Could have been a much much stronger book.
scythefranz's review
2.0
The Arrivals are people who are brought to the Wasteland-- a world full of creepy monsters, cynanthropes (werewolves) and bloedzuigers (blood suckers). Amazingly, these Arrivals came from different years/era and brought to that place because of one reason. They killed.
It is an okay read for me, to be honest. There are parts that tension should be more aggressive or should I say need more emphasis because I only felt a slight tension when I'm reading those parts. But, I can say that it is still a good read because of the originality of the concept. Twists, yet not surprisingly appealing, are unexpected.
What I really love with this book is the cover. So, basically, the 1 star is for the cover.
It is an okay read for me, to be honest. There are parts that tension should be more aggressive or should I say need more emphasis because I only felt a slight tension when I'm reading those parts. But, I can say that it is still a good read because of the originality of the concept. Twists, yet not surprisingly appealing, are unexpected.
What I really love with this book is the cover. So, basically, the 1 star is for the cover.
triggerkat's review
4.0
This was a pretty good read. Out of all the characters, Kitty and Edgar are my favorite.
Chloe, although she at times was pretty annoying, did eventually grow on me.
I was super happy Jack didn't do what I've realized a lot of people in novels do these days: Throw away everything (or go blindly, guns blazing, into situations) for someone they've just met. It was refreshing to have Jack listen to Kitty.
Melody is abso-frigging-lutely hilarious. If I just woke up from being dead, I'd have said the exact thing she did.
Lastly, the thing that prevents this book from being five stars is the way these characters got rid of their hardships. Garuda was pretty cool, and I admire him for sticking to tradition no matter what and putting kin above all else, but he just seemed to easy, I guess. Every time the characters found themselves in a hardship, he was there to go "HA! Here is the potion you need!" Or to whisper to Kitty "Here's exactly what you need to know to solve all your problems."
Despite that, this was very thrilling and captivating. I love the world Marr was able to create. In my opinion, there aren't enough Western books out there (or it could be I'm just not looking in the right places) that are this compelling. I especially love how the characters, although they conform to the eras new Arrivals bring, keep a strong hold on their pasts and who they are.
Chloe, although she at times was pretty annoying, did eventually grow on me.
I was super happy Jack didn't do what I've realized a lot of people in novels do these days: Throw away everything (or go blindly, guns blazing, into situations) for someone they've just met. It was refreshing to have Jack listen to Kitty.
Melody is abso-frigging-lutely hilarious. If I just woke up from being dead, I'd have said the exact thing she did.
Spoiler
"Fucking Hector" for those who are curiousLastly, the thing that prevents this book from being five stars is the way these characters got rid of their hardships. Garuda was pretty cool, and I admire him for sticking to tradition no matter what and putting kin above all else, but he just seemed to easy, I guess. Every time the characters found themselves in a hardship, he was there to go "HA! Here is the potion you need!" Or to whisper to Kitty "Here's exactly what you need to know to solve all your problems."
Despite that, this was very thrilling and captivating. I love the world Marr was able to create. In my opinion, there aren't enough Western books out there (or it could be I'm just not looking in the right places) that are this compelling. I especially love how the characters, although they conform to the eras new Arrivals bring, keep a strong hold on their pasts and who they are.
grunzy's review
3.0
There were so many concepts I would've loved to dig deeper into: demon-possessed monks, bloedzuigers, temporary death, the world itself, and time travel...but the plot just didn't do any of it justice. I kept hoping we'd get more depth in the world but no. The storyline stuck to a simplistic hero villain western style focus with cardboard characters. Did I finish it with too much anticipation? Yes. Was I let down (and shouldn't have been shocked by that disappointment)? Yes.
kkaste's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
deduvick's review
3.0
I liked this book - I really did! However, I did feel that the antagonist was a little flat; I can't even really call him a villain. He kept being described as pure evil, but, eh, he needed a little more to do. It got a little tough for me when I was over halfway through the book and couldn't really say what was going on or what would happen. There would be an inevitable clash with the "bad guy," but the book was meandering to that point. Anyway, the main characters - Katherine, Jackson, Edgar, and Chloe - made me care about them and the whole setup was just such an interesting idea. I wonder if there will be some more stories about the Wasteland.
lyrrael's review against another edition
4.0
Chloe walks into a bar and blows five years of sobriety, but when she wakes in the morning she finds herself in an unfamiliar world in a group of people from all different times and places, and none of them really understands how they got there, or if there’s a way home. The Arrivals is basically a weird west novel with a little bit of romance, a lot of gunfighting, and some monsters.
I bought this in hardcover last year because I enjoyed Graveminder so much, but it’s resided on my to-read shelf ever since. So it was with some trepidation when I started this and noticed how low the ratings are on Goodreads (3.16 out of 1,519 ratings).
I can kind of see why this didn’t really resonate with some people -- it’s kind of a genre-bender; in some ways, you’re expecting a wild west showdown; in others, you’re expecting a romance; what you get is a character-driven adventure dealing with corruption and mortality, trust and fear. I enjoyed it -- and I’m glad I gave it a chance despite the reviews.
I bought this in hardcover last year because I enjoyed Graveminder so much, but it’s resided on my to-read shelf ever since. So it was with some trepidation when I started this and noticed how low the ratings are on Goodreads (3.16 out of 1,519 ratings).
I can kind of see why this didn’t really resonate with some people -- it’s kind of a genre-bender; in some ways, you’re expecting a wild west showdown; in others, you’re expecting a romance; what you get is a character-driven adventure dealing with corruption and mortality, trust and fear. I enjoyed it -- and I’m glad I gave it a chance despite the reviews.