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A review by ishouldreadthat
The Drowning Summer by C.L. Herman
3.0
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I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
I'm a big fan of Christine Lynn Herman's Devouring Gray doulogy and was really excited to pick up The Drowning Summer. This was a fine read, but I didn't end up loving it as much as I would have hoped.
I'm always here for witches, especially in contemporary fantasy, and throw in a murder mystery and ghosts? Yes please. I really loved the way that Herman created the medium magic that is so pervasive throughout this book - give me a magic system with rules and structure, and I will eat it up! The mystery of the murdered teens and the paranormal aspects of the book were well done as well.
However, I had some really mixed feelings about the writing. It felt incredibly clunky at times -Mina is always going on about ocean metaphors and Evelyn is comparing everything to the environment in her mind. I understand wanting your characters to feel three dimensional, but literally no one talks like this. This, in part, led to the characters feeling incredibly flat. They didn't really have any life to them, unlike the characters in The Devouring Gray, and they didn't seem very bright. I just wanted to grab them both by the shoulders and shake them at times, however in their defense, I am more than twice their age. They aren't really meant to relate to me!
The Drowning Summer had a lot of promise, but the most important aspects of the book (i.e. the writing) fell flat for me. I will, however, keep an eye on her future books.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
CW: biphobia
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
I'm a big fan of Christine Lynn Herman's Devouring Gray doulogy and was really excited to pick up The Drowning Summer. This was a fine read, but I didn't end up loving it as much as I would have hoped.
I'm always here for witches, especially in contemporary fantasy, and throw in a murder mystery and ghosts? Yes please. I really loved the way that Herman created the medium magic that is so pervasive throughout this book - give me a magic system with rules and structure, and I will eat it up! The mystery of the murdered teens and the paranormal aspects of the book were well done as well.
However, I had some really mixed feelings about the writing. It felt incredibly clunky at times -Mina is always going on about ocean metaphors and Evelyn is comparing everything to the environment in her mind. I understand wanting your characters to feel three dimensional, but literally no one talks like this. This, in part, led to the characters feeling incredibly flat. They didn't really have any life to them, unlike the characters in The Devouring Gray, and they didn't seem very bright. I just wanted to grab them both by the shoulders and shake them at times, however in their defense, I am more than twice their age. They aren't really meant to relate to me!
The Drowning Summer had a lot of promise, but the most important aspects of the book (i.e. the writing) fell flat for me. I will, however, keep an eye on her future books.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
CW: biphobia