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A review by montigneyrules
The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
#readingchallenge2023 (my book set in the 80s (1880s haha))
A strong start, I was intrigued by so much potential within the premise-the character’s & their abilities, the elements of the tournament, and the performances per challenge-but the overall world & its expanding complexity lost me. Granted I did enjoy the historical fiction time period element- the distracted writing lost me. (especially when realizing the novel was a series- making me cringe, as I realized so much would be drag on)-
Just when I felt hooked, I was then immediately confused & the hook fell loose. I never really connected to any aspect within the story because the chaos- when characters had a strength- they then faded- when the pacing was slow- then suddenly too much happened at once-
The story attempted to be character drive, but the multi-layered plot prevented a strong character development-some characters I struggled to understand their purpose, their twists, and the interactions & relationships between were presented but never really connected.
I didn’t mind the novel’s gore-or darkness-it was merely the execution that felt apart-maybe shorten edit- then leave it as a series- but I can’t imagine reading 3 500+pages of underdeveloped characters & plots. I’m going to try to wiki the next two plotlines, learn ending without reading, & move on.
A strong start, I was intrigued by so much potential within the premise-the character’s & their abilities, the elements of the tournament, and the performances per challenge-but the overall world & its expanding complexity lost me. Granted I did enjoy the historical fiction time period element- the distracted writing lost me. (especially when realizing the novel was a series- making me cringe, as I realized so much would be drag on)-
Just when I felt hooked, I was then immediately confused & the hook fell loose. I never really connected to any aspect within the story because the chaos- when characters had a strength- they then faded- when the pacing was slow- then suddenly too much happened at once-
The story attempted to be character drive, but the multi-layered plot prevented a strong character development-some characters I struggled to understand their purpose, their twists, and the interactions & relationships between were presented but never really connected.
I didn’t mind the novel’s gore-or darkness-it was merely the execution that felt apart-maybe shorten edit- then leave it as a series- but I can’t imagine reading 3 500+pages of underdeveloped characters & plots. I’m going to try to wiki the next two plotlines, learn ending without reading, & move on.