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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5 rounded up to a 4, as I did enjoy this book. Two teenaged friends are out in the early hours of the morning when one of them falls into the canal and the other falls into silence. Foul play is assumed, and we are told that racial tensions are particularly heightened due to some recent protests. This is not, however, discussed at all in detail, so it's more just something that's mentioned and then we're reminded of now and again.
I was also glad that Noah wasn't portrayed as some angel who was perfectly brilliant and loving and friendly and kind, but instead was just as selfish as any other teenager might have been, even with his illness.
I didn't appreciate what felt like the sharp personality turn of Emma Zhang from the first book. It seemed like she was brought back solely to be a temporary villain until we met the real "bad guy".
I was also glad that Noah wasn't portrayed as some angel who was perfectly brilliant and loving and friendly and kind, but instead was just as selfish as any other teenager might have been, even with his illness.
I didn't appreciate what felt like the sharp personality turn of Emma Zhang from the first book. It seemed like she was brought back solely to be a temporary villain until we met the real "bad guy".
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Terminal illness
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape, Suicide
Dnf so boring after 60 pages really could not keep me reading.
This was a good psychological thriller, without a lot of the gore and disturbing characters that many thrillers (i.e. Karin Slaughter) entail. It was also a really interesting approach to addressing immigration and racism on one side and terminal illness on another. All around it was a complex book that was easy to read!
I liked the story. But not a lot of things that I couldn't guess. But I ended up liking that the author allowed us to hear one of the characters right up until he died. It was interesting how she wrote his voice.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced