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A review by pewter
A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A ghostly, queer adventure with an unreliable narrator? I wish I could recommend. Unfortunately, this book suffers from the "but that's not how real people act" problem.
Pretty Little Liars meets literary pretentiousness in this, admittedly, technically-well-composed story of bad decisions and attempts of spookiness. Can sharp writing and snappy dialogue save this plot? Well, it's not horrible. But the first 80% of the story felt like a different writer than the last 20%, and I found that last, tense 20% could have probably been the most intriguing if the attention was given to it. So, it's just too bad we spent so much of the book with bad choices, unrealistic motives, and a lot of spooky set-up that doesn't go anywhere.
Pretty Little Liars meets literary pretentiousness in this, admittedly, technically-well-composed story of bad decisions and attempts of spookiness. Can sharp writing and snappy dialogue save this plot? Well, it's not horrible. But the first 80% of the story felt like a different writer than the last 20%, and I found that last, tense 20% could have probably been the most intriguing if the attention was given to it. So, it's just too bad we spent so much of the book with bad choices, unrealistic motives, and a lot of spooky set-up that doesn't go anywhere.