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skillwithaquill's review against another edition
dark
2.5
2.5. I so wish this book had lived up to the promise it showed in the first few chapters. A story about a group of deeply flawed firefighters coping with their own demons while grappling with a serial arsonist? And an angsty romance thrown in for good measure? I was so excited for this one to (forgive the pun) heat up.
And then it all left me cold.
Individually, the characters are all "damaged" - so to speak. They have physical, mental and emotional trauma that they're either not dealing with at all or using self-destructive methods to cope. That set-up can make for some truly juicy drama. And, in a few scenes, it definitely does. But the overall book drops the ball on conveying the emotional weight of events.
It's understandable that these characters are stunted and, quite frankly, assholes. That emotional distance is what keeps them sane in such a trying job. The problem is, the way the author chooses to build this emotional distance ends up holding the characters at arm's length from the audience. I never felt connected to Anne and Danny. This isn't about finding them relatable, but it *is* about finding them compelling as a couple. Which I just didn't.
Anne and Danny just don't have enough chemistry for me. Beyond their physical attraction to one another and their shared trauma, I never felt any heat between them. Even their sex scenes are lackluster. They all feel rushed and clinical rather than passionate.
The central mystery of the book intrigued me the most. It leads to a satisfying finale, but it wasn't enough to save the rest of the story from feeling dry.
Additionally, a subplot about "who's fucking who"/"who cheated on whom" was supremely irritating. I wanted to fast-forward through those entire sections.
Miscellaneous points:
- The audiobook was excellent and the voice actors were fantastic.
- Soot was probably my favorite character and I'd read an entire book about him.
- I might be interested in reading further stories if the follow up is about Emilio and Josefina. Their budding romance had much more chemistry and potential than Anne and Danny's and I fully believed that they love each other.
And then it all left me cold.
Individually, the characters are all "damaged" - so to speak. They have physical, mental and emotional trauma that they're either not dealing with at all or using self-destructive methods to cope. That set-up can make for some truly juicy drama. And, in a few scenes, it definitely does. But the overall book drops the ball on conveying the emotional weight of events.
It's understandable that these characters are stunted and, quite frankly, assholes. That emotional distance is what keeps them sane in such a trying job. The problem is, the way the author chooses to build this emotional distance ends up holding the characters at arm's length from the audience. I never felt connected to Anne and Danny. This isn't about finding them relatable, but it *is* about finding them compelling as a couple. Which I just didn't.
Anne and Danny just don't have enough chemistry for me. Beyond their physical attraction to one another and their shared trauma, I never felt any heat between them. Even their sex scenes are lackluster. They all feel rushed and clinical rather than passionate.
The central mystery of the book intrigued me the most. It leads to a satisfying finale, but it wasn't enough to save the rest of the story from feeling dry.
Additionally, a subplot about "who's fucking who"/"who cheated on whom" was supremely irritating. I wanted to fast-forward through those entire sections.
Miscellaneous points:
- The audiobook was excellent and the voice actors were fantastic.
- Soot was probably my favorite character and I'd read an entire book about him.
- I might be interested in reading further stories if the follow up is about Emilio and Josefina. Their budding romance had much more chemistry and potential than Anne and Danny's and I fully believed that they love each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content
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