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A review by phantastic
The List by Patricia Forde
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.
I thought it was frustratingly confusing.
There were too many details that didn’t advance the plot. In-depth descriptions were included when it wasn’t necessary, and it felt like the writing was dragged down by it. For example, the entirety of the four-paragraph-long prologue was focused on a scavenger’s struggle to pick up a canister from the ocean. The writing went into detail about how the sun glistened against the metal canister and how it drifted in and out on the waves, yet didn’t explain who the scavenger was or why he was picking up the canister in the first place.
The story did not explain the basics of the world before handing you new information to digest. While it was a nice change of pace for the main character to not explain information that they already know, it makes it confusing for the reader, as they’d have to take time to process the information that they received. As more and more information gets introduced, it gets increasingly frustrating to keep up with the story when you’re boggled down by unexplained worldbuilding.
There were too many details that didn’t advance the plot. In-depth descriptions were included when it wasn’t necessary, and it felt like the writing was dragged down by it. For example, the entirety of the four-paragraph-long prologue was focused on a scavenger’s struggle to pick up a canister from the ocean. The writing went into detail about how the sun glistened against the metal canister and how it drifted in and out on the waves, yet didn’t explain who the scavenger was or why he was picking up the canister in the first place.
The story did not explain the basics of the world before handing you new information to digest. While it was a nice change of pace for the main character to not explain information that they already know, it makes it confusing for the reader, as they’d have to take time to process the information that they received. As more and more information gets introduced, it gets increasingly frustrating to keep up with the story when you’re boggled down by unexplained worldbuilding.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Violence