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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
2.25
Finished reading: February 6th 2024
"Sometimes I wonder if what does the most harm isn’t the incident itself but all the talking about it – all the reactions afterwards."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Orenda Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
WARNING: it's another unpopular opinion review!!
Right... I'm still not sure what happened to be honest. I loved the first two Forbidden Iceland books, so I fully expected to love my time with this prequel as well. Technically I still have to read book three, but since I didn't have a copy yet and You Can't See Me is set before the first two books, I thought reading it first wouldn't be a problem. Sadly, book four didn't hit the mark for me AT ALL, and this had nothing to do with reading the series out of order and everything with the fact that You Can't See Me is nothing like the first two books of the series.
If you are excited to meet up with main character Elma again and/or wonder how she was like before the first two books: no can do, because this prequel is set before her time. It makes you wonder if it's really a prequel if the most prominent character doesn't show up... My main issue lies with the fact that instead of the detective thriller I was expecting after the first two books, You Can't See Me read more like an exposure of a truly messed up, rich and famous Icelandic family. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not what I was expecting nor what I was in the mood for.
One of the things I struggled with most was the fact that there are a kazillion different characters and POVs, basically making my brain hurt as I tried to keep them all apart and remember how they were connected... I'm sure the 38-40°C heatwave wasn't helping either. Add the fact that they are all extremely flawed, unlikeable and seemingly filled to the brim with secrets and unpleasant habits, and I honestly couldn't care less about what happened to any of them. And what's with all the excessive alcohol and drinking? Seriously, it seemed like the guests were basically downing one drink after the other during the whole weekend... I can get one or maybe two being an alcoholic, but this just seemed way too over the top to be credible.
I wasn't a fan of the plot structure either. The story switches between the police POV in the present and a short time in the past with a multiple POV structure. The police chapters are way too short though, and as a result the whole police procedural part of the plot seemed to be buried under a pile of family drama, secrets and horrible characters. The multiple POV structure was considerably confusing, with too many POV switches within the same chapter that made it both hard to keep track and get a proper feel for each character.
I do have to say that I loved the remote hotel setting, and it made for the perfect backdrop for this story. The descriptions are atmospheric and the bleak and unforgiving surroundings give the story that ominous vibe. This was probably the only thing that worked for me this time around though; with the police investigation hardly present and all the focus on the cast of characters, I struggled to find the motivation to keep reading. In fact, I confess that I started skimreading long before the halfway mark... The fact that we know that there is a body, but you don't even find out who it is until the very end only adds to the disappointment. Combine this with despicable behavior after despicable behavior, and I stopped caring about who died LONG before it was finally revealed.
I'm never a fan of more slowburn and character-driven family drama stories, and that is basically what you get with You Can't See Me. It's nothing like the first two books, and in this case not in a good way. I seem to be in the minority though, so this story will probably work better for you if you think the issues I mentioned won't bother you. Just make sure not to expect a proper police procedural!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Self harm, Infertility, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Body shaming, Child death, Infidelity, Classism, Rape, Addiction, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Death, Drug use, and Pregnancy
sirisolh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Moderate: Car accident, Gaslighting, Addiction, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Child death
Minor: Drug use, Pregnancy, Bullying, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Vomit, Death of parent, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
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