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A review by squids_can_read
Kill Two Birds by Thomas Bjørn
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
Leah has always known that she's a little different. After all, she was adopted by a Canadian Consulate who travels all over the world. But Leah finds out how different she really is after she witnesses a shooting in Rio. Now every plan that her father has had to keep her safe goes by the wayside. Leah goes on the run, running from seemingly everyone, as she finds out who she really is.
The characters in the book were where I had the main problem. Leah's character was fine. Her motivations made sense and the things she did make sense for a seventeen-year-old. However, I did think that it was kind of unbelievable that she didn't think anything was strange about her father but whatever. Beyond Leah, though, none of the other character's motivations made any sense. It seemed like the author was trying to justify it but since we don't get the background politics, nothing makes sense. The things that all the characters say or do are tinged with complex politics that we are not privy to. It just gets really annoying.
The overall plot of the book was hard to understand as well. We have Rio being unstabilized along with the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Honestly, it felt like the author was just info-dumping about these two topics because he's interested in them. The way the characters talk about these topics and interact with these topics doesn't make much, if any, sense with the context that we were given.
I can see where the author was trying to go with the book but it felt under-researched and more like a first draft than anything that would be published. Additionally, the ending of the book felt extremely rough. I wonder if the author was under a deadline or pressured to make this book into a series. Yes, this is the first book in a series. The ending makes no sense and the writing style almost completely changes. It also leaves off on a cliffhanger. However, I think that this is a series that I will not be continuing.
Leah has always known that she's a little different. After all, she was adopted by a Canadian Consulate who travels all over the world. But Leah finds out how different she really is after she witnesses a shooting in Rio. Now every plan that her father has had to keep her safe goes by the wayside. Leah goes on the run, running from seemingly everyone, as she finds out who she really is.
The characters in the book were where I had the main problem. Leah's character was fine. Her motivations made sense and the things she did make sense for a seventeen-year-old. However, I did think that it was kind of unbelievable that she didn't think anything was strange about her father but whatever. Beyond Leah, though, none of the other character's motivations made any sense. It seemed like the author was trying to justify it but since we don't get the background politics, nothing makes sense. The things that all the characters say or do are tinged with complex politics that we are not privy to. It just gets really annoying.
The overall plot of the book was hard to understand as well. We have Rio being unstabilized along with the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Honestly, it felt like the author was just info-dumping about these two topics because he's interested in them. The way the characters talk about these topics and interact with these topics doesn't make much, if any, sense with the context that we were given.
I can see where the author was trying to go with the book but it felt under-researched and more like a first draft than anything that would be published. Additionally, the ending of the book felt extremely rough. I wonder if the author was under a deadline or pressured to make this book into a series. Yes, this is the first book in a series. The ending makes no sense and the writing style almost completely changes. It also leaves off on a cliffhanger. However, I think that this is a series that I will not be continuing.