A review by artemishi
The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews

dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Breaking down by the CAWPILE system*, for clarity and organization.

Characters: 9, every character had a distinct voice and served a purpose in the overall story while feeling very real. Bonus points for not infantilizing Avery and for avoiding the trope of 'romantic love fixes everything'.
Atmosphere: 9, the setting is contemporary (British? Canadian? Australian?) beach town and it felt familiar enough to be immersive.
Writing Style: 8, will definitely be picking up C.G. Drews' other writing. Some of the stylistic choices lacked punch with redundancy, but that's a very minor complaint.
Plot: 9, a great blend of vulnerable characters and unflinching scars of trauma (including violence), with good pacing and twists that ensured I never quite knew how it would end.
Intrigue: 9, I read it in two days and had a hard time putting it down.
Logic: 8, a few instances of superhuman feats that I wasn't entirely convinced could happen, but was too invested in the story to let that pull me out of it.
Enjoyment: 9, it made me cry (which I usually love) and was consistently enjoyable. 
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