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A review by jessdone
Splinter by Sarah Fine
2.0
My feelings on this book are similar but to the first in the series but more negative. Sara Fine is still a phenomenal writer. She ties many working pieces together into a single narrative and that's commendable (even if I think on some level she's throwing all of that at us so we don't look to deeply at all the unforgivable things happening).
Other good points: I did read the whole series. It was touch and go because there are problematic elements, but it's still a testament to the Sara Fine's skill.
Last good point: each book in the series is a complete ending. The LEAST complete story is in the third book (which is the close of the series) and while the third book is the most rage inducing of the three, it still stands as a complete tale.
Now the bad: In this book the fiancee who used to drug Mattie murders her grandfather for money and makes Mattie carry the thing that killed him even though he knows that if it killed the grandfather it will probably harm her too. I was floored when Mattie continues speaking with Ben after he'd murdered her grandfather (and she was aware that he was responsible). And there is never any punishment for him. He doesn't go to jail, he doesn't repent, he doesn't redeem himself, and he doesn't learn a lesson. Ben's the same drug using, grandfather murdering, money grubbing dude he was in the beginning at the close, He's sooooo self indulgent. It's true Mattie does finally decide at the very end of the book she doesn't want to marry the guy, but it seems like that should be a given and far more needs to happen here. Why doesn't anyone want justice for their beloved grandfather? He was a kind of minor character, but Mattie's portrayed as a character who deeply values family and supposedly has a lot of fond, loving experiences with gramps. I mean she doesn't even go on a journey to come around to forgiving Ben, it's just let go. Not to mention, no one honor's grandpa's dying wish, or even tries to.
Also, can we sidebar? Why are the stakes here so ridiculously high when the characters refuse to act like the stakes are high? Mattie is literally dying while Ben and Asa fuss over which one of them she has feelings for. Both of them would rather figure that out and piss each other off rather than take care of Mattie. I get this is a romance novel so two men fighting over the woman is part of the plot, but this is ridiculous. The object of their desire has thinned down to skin and bones and if often doubled over in pain, how do you claim to care for a person, watch that, and then decide you'd rather argue with your romantic rival? Ben never gets the stakes, always causing strive whenever he's around and Asa seems to only have moments of lucidity.
I can't really fault any of Mattie's decisions in this book because she's in chronic pain and that explains aways most of the bullshit aspects of the books. She's in extreme pain and stress and doesn't know who the trust, the people she thought she could rely on are all the wrong people, which isn't something she's capable of realizing right now (and the headsman kind of cocked up).
I think if the grandfather hadn't been murdered by Ben, almost all the issues in this book could have gone away. It's just way to far for a close family relative to be killed by a fiancee and for the lady and her family to still speak to him.
Other good points: I did read the whole series. It was touch and go because there are problematic elements, but it's still a testament to the Sara Fine's skill.
Last good point: each book in the series is a complete ending. The LEAST complete story is in the third book (which is the close of the series) and while the third book is the most rage inducing of the three, it still stands as a complete tale.
Now the bad: In this book the fiancee who used to drug Mattie murders her grandfather for money and makes Mattie carry the thing that killed him even though he knows that if it killed the grandfather it will probably harm her too. I was floored when Mattie continues speaking with Ben after he'd murdered her grandfather (and she was aware that he was responsible). And there is never any punishment for him. He doesn't go to jail, he doesn't repent, he doesn't redeem himself, and he doesn't learn a lesson. Ben's the same drug using, grandfather murdering, money grubbing dude he was in the beginning at the close, He's sooooo self indulgent. It's true Mattie does finally decide at the very end of the book she doesn't want to marry the guy, but it seems like that should be a given and far more needs to happen here. Why doesn't anyone want justice for their beloved grandfather? He was a kind of minor character, but Mattie's portrayed as a character who deeply values family and supposedly has a lot of fond, loving experiences with gramps. I mean she doesn't even go on a journey to come around to forgiving Ben, it's just let go. Not to mention, no one honor's grandpa's dying wish, or even tries to.
Also, can we sidebar? Why are the stakes here so ridiculously high when the characters refuse to act like the stakes are high? Mattie is literally dying while Ben and Asa fuss over which one of them she has feelings for. Both of them would rather figure that out and piss each other off rather than take care of Mattie. I get this is a romance novel so two men fighting over the woman is part of the plot, but this is ridiculous. The object of their desire has thinned down to skin and bones and if often doubled over in pain, how do you claim to care for a person, watch that, and then decide you'd rather argue with your romantic rival? Ben never gets the stakes, always causing strive whenever he's around and Asa seems to only have moments of lucidity.
I can't really fault any of Mattie's decisions in this book because she's in chronic pain and that explains aways most of the bullshit aspects of the books. She's in extreme pain and stress and doesn't know who the trust, the people she thought she could rely on are all the wrong people, which isn't something she's capable of realizing right now (and the headsman kind of cocked up).
I think if the grandfather hadn't been murdered by Ben, almost all the issues in this book could have gone away. It's just way to far for a close family relative to be killed by a fiancee and for the lady and her family to still speak to him.