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A review by romanaromana
The Toll by Neal Shusterman
slow-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
1.5
1.5 stars.
(Here are some content warnings. Nothing in this review).
That was extremely long and mostly unenjoyable if I'm being completely honest.
One of my biggest issues with this book was the absence of its two protagonists. Yep that's right - The Toll has two main characters and manages to spend most of its time with anyone but them. Ultimately, without Citra and Rowan this book really struggled. Don't get me wrong, I like some of the other characters and thought their stories were somewhat interesting, but I don't particularly care about them. Citra and Rowan were the best part of the first two books (especially book two, where some of the other elements were lacking), so I missed them in this instalment.
I guess I understand why they were left out of things. Or, at least, I understand why they could be left out of things - because there is a lot going on plot-wise that is a lot 'bigger' than their two characters. But just because you can doesn't mean you should, Shusterman. Just saying.
Thing is, the plot couldn't save their absence because it was incredibly slow and dragged out and long, long, long. There is a reason I couldn't read this book quickly, and why the whole thing felt so sluggish. The fate of the world was at stake but the pace was moving like a snail who hadn't had his weetabix.
I'm going to leave it on that left-field metaphor.
It's late. I'm glad I got through this series, but it's a real shame that it ended like this.
(Here are some content warnings. Nothing in this review).
That was extremely long and mostly unenjoyable if I'm being completely honest.
One of my biggest issues with this book was the absence of its two protagonists. Yep that's right - The Toll has two main characters and manages to spend most of its time with anyone but them. Ultimately, without Citra and Rowan this book really struggled. Don't get me wrong, I like some of the other characters and thought their stories were somewhat interesting, but I don't particularly care about them. Citra and Rowan were the best part of the first two books (especially book two, where some of the other elements were lacking), so I missed them in this instalment.
I guess I understand why they were left out of things. Or, at least, I understand why they could be left out of things - because there is a lot going on plot-wise that is a lot 'bigger' than their two characters. But just because you can doesn't mean you should, Shusterman. Just saying.
Thing is, the plot couldn't save their absence because it was incredibly slow and dragged out and long, long, long. There is a reason I couldn't read this book quickly, and why the whole thing felt so sluggish. The fate of the world was at stake but the pace was moving like a snail who hadn't had his weetabix.
I'm going to leave it on that left-field metaphor.
It's late. I'm glad I got through this series, but it's a real shame that it ended like this.