You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
madsandcallie 's review for:
Hot Wax
by M.L. Rio
DID NOT FINISH: 30%
I loved If We Were Villians and was subsequently disappointed by Graveyard Shift. Despite my best efforts, I could not bring myself to even finish my ARC of Hot Wax. (Huge thanks to Simon & Schuster!).
I sense that I’m likely to be in the minority with this opinion, but I truly could not stand the overdone language. It looks the writing principle “show, don’t tell” in the face and laughs.
If that doesn’t bother you and you’re looking for a sweaty, grungy, multi-character contemporary fiction (because the vibe is on point, I’ll give it that), then you might like it.
What do I mean by verbose, unnecessary, overdone language? Two examples, to help you decide for yourself if it’s a dealbreaker:
“…Skittles. An old favorite with a sharp mnemonic aftertaste. She liked to crush them between her thumb and index finger, making flat crackled starbursts when the candy shell split.” - just eat the damn skittles, what is the point of this whole charade?
“Because there was Gil's handwriting in sticky black ballpoint. Suzanne, it said, the letters printed so carefully, like he was trying them out for the first time.” - I understand the emotional sentiment she’s trying to convey, but it’s a throwaway description; clearly he’s written letters before, probably even her name, and it reads as an asinine, unrealistic thought.
I sense that I’m likely to be in the minority with this opinion, but I truly could not stand the overdone language. It looks the writing principle “show, don’t tell” in the face and laughs.
If that doesn’t bother you and you’re looking for a sweaty, grungy, multi-character contemporary fiction (because the vibe is on point, I’ll give it that), then you might like it.
What do I mean by verbose, unnecessary, overdone language? Two examples, to help you decide for yourself if it’s a dealbreaker:
“…Skittles. An old favorite with a sharp mnemonic aftertaste. She liked to crush them between her thumb and index finger, making flat crackled starbursts when the candy shell split.” - just eat the damn skittles, what is the point of this whole charade?
“Because there was Gil's handwriting in sticky black ballpoint. Suzanne, it said, the letters printed so carefully, like he was trying them out for the first time.” - I understand the emotional sentiment she’s trying to convey, but it’s a throwaway description; clearly he’s written letters before, probably even her name, and it reads as an asinine, unrealistic thought.