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A review by loreofthebooks
We Were Restless Things by Cole Nagamatsu
2.0
What could be better than a strange mystery? Not much! I was really looking forward to this book as it seemed like a book I would really enjoy. A paranormal mystery, a death and mysterious messages? Sign me up! I couldn’t wait. Unfortunately, this book really did not work for me. It just didn’t read the way I would have liked, and I struggled all the way through it.
Mind you, I like books that are slow paced. Some of my favorite books are slow paced, but this book was slow paced and it had issues in it that I couldn’t bring myself to like above what I did. The first issue with the slow pace is there should at least be some sense of plot. There was none. This book meandered all over the place and didn’t seem to have much consistency. If it lacks plot it should delve into characters. Yet, it doesn’t do that either. In fact it was light on all those things as well. The slowness made the work even harder to get into.
I struggled with the writing style a bit. I wasn’t loving it, and I felt that some of the dialogue was stilted and not to my tastes. I didn’t enjoy those parts. I didn’t enjoy how the characters were crafted for the most part either. I felt most of them were flat and wanting more depth from them. I liked that different sexualities were explored, and truly appreciated the representation, but it wasn’t enough.
I did enjoy the creepy vibe that the book was giving off though. That was one of the few things that it had going for it. It felt creepy, but sadly, fell short. It didn’t keep me entertained and it didn’t keep me interested. Not to mention it flipped through so much time that it felt awkward to the extreme. I did not enjoy that at all. Time skips are fine if done well, and these just didn’t work for me.
Overall, the book didn’t work. I wish it had, but apparently this one just wasn’t for me.
Mind you, I like books that are slow paced. Some of my favorite books are slow paced, but this book was slow paced and it had issues in it that I couldn’t bring myself to like above what I did. The first issue with the slow pace is there should at least be some sense of plot. There was none. This book meandered all over the place and didn’t seem to have much consistency. If it lacks plot it should delve into characters. Yet, it doesn’t do that either. In fact it was light on all those things as well. The slowness made the work even harder to get into.
I struggled with the writing style a bit. I wasn’t loving it, and I felt that some of the dialogue was stilted and not to my tastes. I didn’t enjoy those parts. I didn’t enjoy how the characters were crafted for the most part either. I felt most of them were flat and wanting more depth from them. I liked that different sexualities were explored, and truly appreciated the representation, but it wasn’t enough.
I did enjoy the creepy vibe that the book was giving off though. That was one of the few things that it had going for it. It felt creepy, but sadly, fell short. It didn’t keep me entertained and it didn’t keep me interested. Not to mention it flipped through so much time that it felt awkward to the extreme. I did not enjoy that at all. Time skips are fine if done well, and these just didn’t work for me.
Overall, the book didn’t work. I wish it had, but apparently this one just wasn’t for me.