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A review by krix
The Rule of Three by Sam Ripley
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
From the synopsis given, the plot had potential but went in a vastly different direction than what was hinted at. There should've been heavy warnings of sensitive topics beforehand; given that the author delved right into it.
There's 3 POVs and the first one is an absolute slog to get through. The character is nearly insufferable. The remaining 2 POVs are slightly better. About 30% in is when the first POV change happens and where the plot begins to hint at the urban legend. Otherwise up to that point it's almost a day-in-the-life-of and a chore to get through. The ending isn't all that satisfying since we aren't given much throughout to go on and that once you know it's a bit of a let down. There is a part near the end where the author has characters begin explaining things in a way that almost seems like the author knew their audience would be confused so they wrote out how to figure it out. Even then, it's still confusing and disappointing.
There were 4 narrators. The voices used by all were over the top and exaggerated in a way that took away from any possibility of maybe liking the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent