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A review by beartrapped
Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
2.75
Notable for: nice environments/sets, strong color work, some fun layouts
It's been said by others, but this feels so heavily derivative of Harry Potter that it's genuinely distracting, and honestly, for what? It doesn't go out of it's way to work on any of the flaws from HP (other than a more diverse cast, I guess, but they're all the thin, bland, conventionally pretty version of diverse, so?), it doesn't feel like an improvement, it just feels like an unfortunate knock-off.
But setting that aside, while the book looks pretty good, it's just not that well-written. I found the characters flat and the plot convoluted and strange, but predictable and lacking in complexity.
I cannot stop thinking about the endgame twist wherein we learn thatthe headmaster, when she was younger, reacted to a close friend deciding to leave the school by turning her into a monster so that she would remain trapped on the grounds forever (in addition to cursing her other friend into silence over this). That's a pretty major overreaction to not back up with, essentially, any motivation? That's the behavior of someone that I wouldn't expect to be able to run a school? It's wild to me.
That, alongside the weird framing of "yes, this teacher used a student's body in a seemingly life-threatening way against her will, but it's fine, her heart was in the right place and she was suffering! But also she will be going to jail" was like. lol. what am i readinggg. The framing of this lategame stuff also seems to remove any tension from the earlier stuff? Like, was Noreen ever actually in danger? She was wandering around in the wood, but then gets pulled into this exorcism at the end, and then she's totally fine? Was the not-herbology teacher looking for her? Did she just give up? Again, the writing, especially in the last third was just... sloppy.
The only other thing I've read from Sweeney Boo was Eat, and Love Yourself, and the style shift from that to this feels insane btw.
It's been said by others, but this feels so heavily derivative of Harry Potter that it's genuinely distracting, and honestly, for what? It doesn't go out of it's way to work on any of the flaws from HP (other than a more diverse cast, I guess, but they're all the thin, bland, conventionally pretty version of diverse, so?), it doesn't feel like an improvement, it just feels like an unfortunate knock-off.
But setting that aside, while the book looks pretty good, it's just not that well-written. I found the characters flat and the plot convoluted and strange, but predictable and lacking in complexity.
I cannot stop thinking about the endgame twist wherein we learn that
That, alongside the weird framing of "yes, this teacher used a student's body in a seemingly life-threatening way against her will, but it's fine, her heart was in the right place and she was suffering! But also she will be going to jail" was like. lol. what am i readinggg. The framing of this lategame stuff also seems to remove any tension from the earlier stuff? Like, was Noreen ever actually in danger? She was wandering around in the wood, but then gets pulled into this exorcism at the end, and then she's totally fine? Was the not-herbology teacher looking for her? Did she just give up? Again, the writing, especially in the last third was just... sloppy.
The only other thing I've read from Sweeney Boo was Eat, and Love Yourself, and the style shift from that to this feels insane btw.