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3,75/5 stars
don't fall for my rating, this book is actually really good. i'm still unsure if i want to round it up to a 4, because the story was truly a breath of fresh air, but then again i think i want to give the sequels the chance to be even better. i don't usually write detailed reviews for books i enjoyed, but a few things were missing for it to be perfect. let's start with the good and what actually made me interested in the first place: the heroine. meda. god, she is amazing.
meda eats souls. human souls. and she enjoys her kills. but she's not totally heartless. with her being what she is, you'd expect her to be completely evil.... yet, the girl doesn't just decide to kill anyone in sight. she hunts bad people, the i'm a nurse in a mental hospital and i abuse my patients kind of scum. she lets herself be swayed by ghosts, who show her the memory of their deaths and then she hunts their killers. and while that might make her sound like a total goody two shoes, meda is snarky. meda is selfish. she wouldn't hesitate to throw someone under the bus if it means it'll save her skin. she constantly battles with herself over killing people for information and also guilt, guilt that seeps from long hidden secrets that she never brings up.
her narration?
surely the strongest point of the novel. she'll make you cackle with laughter while you're stressing over the plot and the main characters being on the verge of death. and this book has plenty of it. death. fast-paced as soon as you get into it, one moment the characters are screaming at each other, the next they have to fight demons to save their skin, while also professing their love to each other. it's a wild ride. in every sense of the word.
i loved jo. born into a family of templars, she had an accident a few years back that disabled her and now no one wants to take her seriously. they don't want her to get hurt or to fight, so jo is bitter. and angry. her purpose in life is no longer a full out possibility, unless she lets go of her own rage. and she does. i'm excited to see where her friendship with meda that started on distrust and slight manipulation will lead. it looks promising and i'm totally here to see them be at that point where they are ready to die for each other.
now, on the things that didn't leave me that impressed: the writing. it was okay. it wasn't bad!! but, simplistic at times, especially at the beginning, it was easy to get through even if i winced a couple of times. i noticed that it got better as the book went on and it actually was pretty fun to not reread some of the metaphors to understand the meaning behind them, for once!
also the tone, at other times, was kinda "fluffy" i guess? it wasn't overly dark, the descriptions of horrific elements were very elementary and i think i would've enjoyed it more if it could've jumped that step and went full on into the horror category.
also the fact that meda was that and that and that made me lowkey roll my eyes.
i did enjoy cracked, nonetheless. the fact that there was no romance was exciting!! its lack didn't bother me at all and i'm really eager to see what happens next. another thing is that the book could pass as a stand-alone! while we're left with plenty of possibilities, all the plot points wrap up nicely together by the end. it is such a rarity in lit that it is surely a plus in my book! and while that is good for anyone who might not like series, i will continue to devour the sequels and hopefully they'll be even better than this one.
don't fall for my rating, this book is actually really good. i'm still unsure if i want to round it up to a 4, because the story was truly a breath of fresh air, but then again i think i want to give the sequels the chance to be even better. i don't usually write detailed reviews for books i enjoyed, but a few things were missing for it to be perfect. let's start with the good and what actually made me interested in the first place: the heroine. meda. god, she is amazing.
"Samson, this foul piece of slime, understands me better than [my mother] ever did. But unlike him, at least I’m ashamed of my wickedness – when I’m not reveling in it. Like a dog wallowing in a mud pool, I love the glop and splash of ick. It’s not until after, when the stink dries stiff and itchy that I regret it. Other wicked things, like Samson, don’t feel the guilt. They don’t have a memory-mom tsking and shaking her head.
Instead, they have me.
I suspect they never really feel guilt, but I make sure they drown in regret. Red, sticky regret.
So Samson’s right, I am like him. But unfortunately for him, hypocrisy is the least of my many sins.”
meda eats souls. human souls. and she enjoys her kills. but she's not totally heartless. with her being what she is, you'd expect her to be completely evil.... yet, the girl doesn't just decide to kill anyone in sight. she hunts bad people, the i'm a nurse in a mental hospital and i abuse my patients kind of scum. she lets herself be swayed by ghosts, who show her the memory of their deaths and then she hunts their killers. and while that might make her sound like a total goody two shoes, meda is snarky. meda is selfish. she wouldn't hesitate to throw someone under the bus if it means it'll save her skin. she constantly battles with herself over killing people for information and also guilt, guilt that seeps from long hidden secrets that she never brings up.
her narration?
surely the strongest point of the novel. she'll make you cackle with laughter while you're stressing over the plot and the main characters being on the verge of death. and this book has plenty of it. death. fast-paced as soon as you get into it, one moment the characters are screaming at each other, the next they have to fight demons to save their skin, while also professing their love to each other. it's a wild ride. in every sense of the word.
i loved jo. born into a family of templars, she had an accident a few years back that disabled her and now no one wants to take her seriously. they don't want her to get hurt or to fight, so jo is bitter. and angry. her purpose in life is no longer a full out possibility, unless she lets go of her own rage. and she does. i'm excited to see where her friendship with meda that started on distrust and slight manipulation will lead. it looks promising and i'm totally here to see them be at that point where they are ready to die for each other.
now, on the things that didn't leave me that impressed: the writing. it was okay. it wasn't bad!! but, simplistic at times, especially at the beginning, it was easy to get through even if i winced a couple of times. i noticed that it got better as the book went on and it actually was pretty fun to not reread some of the metaphors to understand the meaning behind them, for once!
also the tone, at other times, was kinda "fluffy" i guess? it wasn't overly dark, the descriptions of horrific elements were very elementary and i think i would've enjoyed it more if it could've jumped that step and went full on into the horror category.
i did enjoy cracked, nonetheless. the fact that there was no romance was exciting!! its lack didn't bother me at all and i'm really eager to see what happens next. another thing is that the book could pass as a stand-alone! while we're left with plenty of possibilities, all the plot points wrap up nicely together by the end. it is such a rarity in lit that it is surely a plus in my book! and while that is good for anyone who might not like series, i will continue to devour the sequels and hopefully they'll be even better than this one.