Scan barcode
A review by franccescareads
The Pawn and The Puppet by Brandi Elise Szeker
2.0
You guys have NO IDEA how hard it was for me to review this book. I still don't know if I should give it 2 stars or 3 stars.
It wasn't an easy read. The writing style is quite difficult to understand and the world-building from the start is so strange. I could never figure out if they had electricity or not, why they used candles, or the buggy (is it a small car, a golf cart, or a small van?). I never understood in what time it is, medieval times or more 1900s?
Then we have the settings with the society, their mindsets, and characters. Why, God why, the fatphobia? I mean I get it, shock value, but the way it was described... just no. Then we have everyone being just so sexist, AND OK WITH IT. No one thinks different? Does no one do anything? I don't know, again, weird.
The characters have potential... THEY REALLY DO HAVE POTENTIAL BUT THEY JUST DIDN'T GET WHAT THEY NEEDED TO REALLY SHINE. I'm talking about the asylum patients, ok. If they would have had more spotlight or BETTER WRITING, they could've been AMAZING. The backstories were dark and twisted (again, better writing, no transphobia or anything) and it could've been a total hit.
Now, Skylenna (our main FMC)... pick me girl at its finest butttt I'm not entirely mad at her being like that. I just got bored of her, her personality fell flat and I only got excited reading about her about two times (won't say cause spoiler).
Patient 13, the one we were all excited to meet thanks to Booktok and Brandi really made him be ALL THAT we could ever want to read. He was interesting... but I can't say I love him? I mean yeah, the DID part is refreshing and different, he's in an Asylum and supposedly the most dangerous one. But, like everything else, the writing just makes the characters (even the main ones), fall flat.
THE PLOT. Where was it? Cause we just went from one to another and the story always changed. Especially in that ending. I just... expected more.
I'll be reading the next book cause I really do see this book having potential IF written properly, staying to one plot and better character appreciation. So yeah, 2.5 stars.
It wasn't an easy read. The writing style is quite difficult to understand and the world-building from the start is so strange. I could never figure out if they had electricity or not, why they used candles, or the buggy (is it a small car, a golf cart, or a small van?). I never understood in what time it is, medieval times or more 1900s?
Then we have the settings with the society, their mindsets, and characters. Why, God why, the fatphobia? I mean I get it, shock value, but the way it was described... just no. Then we have everyone being just so sexist, AND OK WITH IT. No one thinks different? Does no one do anything? I don't know, again, weird.
The characters have potential... THEY REALLY DO HAVE POTENTIAL BUT THEY JUST DIDN'T GET WHAT THEY NEEDED TO REALLY SHINE. I'm talking about the asylum patients, ok. If they would have had more spotlight or BETTER WRITING, they could've been AMAZING. The backstories were dark and twisted (again, better writing, no transphobia or anything) and it could've been a total hit.
Now, Skylenna (our main FMC)... pick me girl at its finest butttt I'm not entirely mad at her being like that. I just got bored of her, her personality fell flat and I only got excited reading about her about two times (won't say cause spoiler).
Patient 13, the one we were all excited to meet thanks to Booktok and Brandi really made him be ALL THAT we could ever want to read. He was interesting... but I can't say I love him? I mean yeah, the DID part is refreshing and different, he's in an Asylum and supposedly the most dangerous one. But, like everything else, the writing just makes the characters (even the main ones), fall flat.
THE PLOT. Where was it? Cause we just went from one to another and the story always changed. Especially in that ending. I just... expected more.
I'll be reading the next book cause I really do see this book having potential IF written properly, staying to one plot and better character appreciation. So yeah, 2.5 stars.