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matchamelon 's review for:
The Deading
by Nicholas Belardes
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I recieved this book through a Goodreads giveaway and I appreciate getting this book to read and review! My review, with a spoilers, is below.
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I so so so wanted to love this book. As a fan of all types of horror, this eco-horror was calling me. The cover is enticing as well, it's gorgeous and definitely reflects some aspects of the book! Basically, the cover art and the synopsis of this book truly made me excited to read this.
However, my excitement quickly went away as I began reading. As I was reading the first third of the book I began noticing there were too many characters to keep up with. As an avid reader usually this isn't a problem for me but the writing in this book flowed more like a long form overly complicated poem for me to be able to keep up with who is who. The writing is descriptive and beautiful but I think it just came off as pretentious. There were also parts of the book where I wasn't sure exactly whose perspective I was following until a name was explicitly mentioned.
There were some parts that I found personally cringe worthy, such as the very beginning with either Blas or some unnamed character talking about how the teenagers of the town were deading before the real deading happened. It came off very try-hard. The worst part for me was when the Risers began truly forming and there were a bunch of teen goth girls controlling everything. Then towards the end where Blas and Chango's mom reveals that their biological father is a Brujo. That felt totally out of place/not explored enough.
It was difficult for me to get through. I wish the book was more like the last 50 pages or so. Towards the end of the book it shifted focus to escaping, what started the deading, and Chango's experience while in the hospital. I thought the writing here was very different compared to the rest of the book and flowed well. It was what I was searching for as Blas and Chango spent time together searching out this mysterious entity with Chango having some weird innate knowledge of their surroundings. If the book was more like this, with a greater focus on their relationship and the entity, I think I would've enjoyed it more.
I guess I was expecting something like the Annihilation series (though I also find the writing in this to be sometimes convoluted as well), something with more mystery that was explored. I think the book could've been three separate stories. The deading and the goth girls, Blas and Chango vs an otherworldly/of this world being, and an orinthology fiction book. I don't think the book knows what it was.
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I so so so wanted to love this book. As a fan of all types of horror, this eco-horror was calling me. The cover is enticing as well, it's gorgeous and definitely reflects some aspects of the book! Basically, the cover art and the synopsis of this book truly made me excited to read this.
However, my excitement quickly went away as I began reading. As I was reading the first third of the book I began noticing there were too many characters to keep up with. As an avid reader usually this isn't a problem for me but the writing in this book flowed more like a long form overly complicated poem for me to be able to keep up with who is who. The writing is descriptive and beautiful but I think it just came off as pretentious. There were also parts of the book where I wasn't sure exactly whose perspective I was following until a name was explicitly mentioned.
There were some parts that I found personally cringe worthy, such as the very beginning with either Blas or some unnamed character talking about how the teenagers of the town were deading before the real deading happened. It came off very try-hard. The worst part for me was when the Risers began truly forming and there were a bunch of teen goth girls controlling everything. Then towards the end where Blas and Chango's mom reveals that their biological father is a Brujo. That felt totally out of place/not explored enough.
It was difficult for me to get through. I wish the book was more like the last 50 pages or so. Towards the end of the book it shifted focus to escaping, what started the deading, and Chango's experience while in the hospital. I thought the writing here was very different compared to the rest of the book and flowed well. It was what I was searching for as Blas and Chango spent time together searching out this mysterious entity with Chango having some weird innate knowledge of their surroundings. If the book was more like this, with a greater focus on their relationship and the entity, I think I would've enjoyed it more.
I guess I was expecting something like the Annihilation series (though I also find the writing in this to be sometimes convoluted as well), something with more mystery that was explored. I think the book could've been three separate stories. The deading and the goth girls, Blas and Chango vs an otherworldly/of this world being, and an orinthology fiction book. I don't think the book knows what it was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore
Moderate: Animal death