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chrisistrangerthanu's review
2.0
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The reason this book didn't receive a higher rating from me is probably because I just finished another novella that was absolutely incredible. I know it can be hard to fit everything in to such a short story, but I have seen it done really well, whereas this one seemed to flounder. To me, this book felt like an introduction and I never really felt the connection to any of the characters except for Hallie. There wasn't any time to get invested in the situation, and the world building was limited and felt perfunctory.
What this book had going for it was the latter half of the story, with the sea serpents and the mayhem surrounding it. Spending the first half in the classroom felt like a mistake as I was nearly as bored as poor Hallie herself was. I did like Hallie though, she was spunky, sarcastic, sexual, and curious. Having the story in first person present tense is always slightly irritating to me though, as I feel like I cannot connect properly with the other characters around the narrator. This is merely a personal preference though.
Overall, the plot had some definite promise, as did Hallie as a narrator. I really liked the small amount of Ruble that we saw too. I honestly think that the book just needed a more clear story arc, or to be a full length novel, as mistakes in the plot can not be hidden within a novella easily.
The reason this book didn't receive a higher rating from me is probably because I just finished another novella that was absolutely incredible. I know it can be hard to fit everything in to such a short story, but I have seen it done really well, whereas this one seemed to flounder. To me, this book felt like an introduction and I never really felt the connection to any of the characters except for Hallie. There wasn't any time to get invested in the situation, and the world building was limited and felt perfunctory.
What this book had going for it was the latter half of the story, with the sea serpents and the mayhem surrounding it. Spending the first half in the classroom felt like a mistake as I was nearly as bored as poor Hallie herself was. I did like Hallie though, she was spunky, sarcastic, sexual, and curious. Having the story in first person present tense is always slightly irritating to me though, as I feel like I cannot connect properly with the other characters around the narrator. This is merely a personal preference though.
Overall, the plot had some definite promise, as did Hallie as a narrator. I really liked the small amount of Ruble that we saw too. I honestly think that the book just needed a more clear story arc, or to be a full length novel, as mistakes in the plot can not be hidden within a novella easily.
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