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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I really wanted to love this but reading this was a chore for me. The world and architecture was very interesting but almost nothing happened with if? I found the sisters to be very annoying. I didn't understand the almost cult like plot points that didn't lead to anything?
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF. I’ve been a third of the way through this book for a few weeks and I just never want to pick it up. It’s so dreary (which is the point I know), but also boring. I loved Our Wives Under the Sea so this was a big disappointment.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The largest failure with this book is the cult. Other than the bookends, it was so scarcely referenced that it almost felt like it was added in at the very end of the writing process simply because we needed an excuse to end things.
I had a hard time following what happened in the present versus what was flashbacks to childhood. I also wanted to see more of the actual apocalypse beyond an incident on the ferry (which could just as easily happened on a commuter train) and the ending. Like, why was it so important that this take place during the slow inexorable flooding of the world?
Unlike in Our Wives Under the Sea, where the poetic meanderings into body horror kept me fascinated and repulsed, Private Rites relies heavily on each sister’s internal monologues (and intrusive thoughts) to both carry the story and remind the reader that yes actually this is technically literary horror and not just a family drama set against the backdrop of the apocalypse. There were some funny one-liners as Isla or Irene or occasionally Agnes thought something absolutely bananas, but they were also one or two very poignant lines (again, I think Our Wives did this much better).
The writing itself is beautiful and enjoyable. Love that it’s inextricably queer. Just don’t think there was enough plot or structure to hold me
{Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
I had a hard time following what happened in the present versus what was flashbacks to childhood. I also wanted to see more of the actual apocalypse beyond an incident on the ferry (which could just as easily happened on a commuter train) and the ending. Like, why was it so important that this take place during the slow inexorable flooding of the world?
Unlike in Our Wives Under the Sea, where the poetic meanderings into body horror kept me fascinated and repulsed, Private Rites relies heavily on each sister’s internal monologues (and intrusive thoughts) to both carry the story and remind the reader that yes actually this is technically literary horror and not just a family drama set against the backdrop of the apocalypse. There were some funny one-liners as Isla or Irene or occasionally Agnes thought something absolutely bananas, but they were also one or two very poignant lines (again, I think Our Wives did this much better).
The writing itself is beautiful and enjoyable. Love that it’s inextricably queer. Just don’t think there was enough plot or structure to hold me
{Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes