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2.76 AVERAGE
2.76 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked the idea of the story more than the story itself. If you are uncomfortable reading about violence towards those in the LGBTQ+ community, skip this. It doesn’t get super super graphic but it does describe what happens in more than just a generalized summary.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Against my better judgement, despite not enjoying a collection of short stories from this same author, I decided to give this book a shot as it's this month's pick for a book club I've started going to.
The best thing I can say for this book is that it's short at least? With that out of the way, let's get fully negative.
Even with a novel worth of pages, the characters are paper thin and exist only to be tortured it seems. One of the two main characters is defined only by his grief and suffering, as well as his facial scarring and limp. Physical deformity is a theme throughout and the author seems to be just as disgusted by it as the characters. The other main character is a gay Muslim cop, his gayness being his only defining characteristic and is subject to an extended and viscerally unpleasant hate crime that seems to be totally unconnected from whatever muddled point the book is trying to make.
So there's also an evil god (maybe literally God) that an ancient dude awoke with an incantation in a Welsh cave 30 years ago in the prologue because... his husband left him maybe? Because his parents didn't love him? He offers both of those explanations but neither is delved into at all. And he can explode people's heads, control them physically & mentally as well as do telepathy because... he has magic?
All of these issues of coherence aside, the writing is just not good. Because I'm petty (and was getting annoyed) I started counting how many times the phrase "as if" was used. I started two thirds of the way through and it was used THIRTY TIMES in the last 75 pages. His prose is awkward, ham fisted and repetitive.
I'm shocked at the positive blurbs on this and would warn people off this book entirely. This would absolutely have been a DNF were I not looking forward to seeing if I'm alone in my dislike of this when I pull up to the book club this weekend.
The best thing I can say for this book is that it's short at least? With that out of the way, let's get fully negative.
Even with a novel worth of pages, the characters are paper thin and exist only to be tortured it seems. One of the two main characters is defined only by his grief and suffering, as well as his facial scarring and limp. Physical deformity is a theme throughout and the author seems to be just as disgusted by it as the characters. The other main character is a gay Muslim cop, his gayness being his only defining characteristic and is subject to an extended and viscerally unpleasant hate crime that seems to be totally unconnected from whatever muddled point the book is trying to make.
So there's also an evil god (maybe literally God) that an ancient dude awoke with an incantation in a Welsh cave 30 years ago in the prologue because... his husband left him maybe? Because his parents didn't love him? He offers both of those explanations but neither is delved into at all. And he can explode people's heads, control them physically & mentally as well as do telepathy because... he has magic?
All of these issues of coherence aside, the writing is just not good. Because I'm petty (and was getting annoyed) I started counting how many times the phrase "as if" was used. I started two thirds of the way through and it was used THIRTY TIMES in the last 75 pages. His prose is awkward, ham fisted and repetitive.
I'm shocked at the positive blurbs on this and would warn people off this book entirely. This would absolutely have been a DNF were I not looking forward to seeing if I'm alone in my dislike of this when I pull up to the book club this weekend.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Honestly one of my favorite from LaRocca, this is definitely one I'll be keeping on the bookshelf. Would recommend to anyone who likes their other work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes