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A review by theamyleblanc
Casket Case by Lauren Evans
Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.
Like so many reviewers before me, I wanted to like this book. The cover is cute, the title is quirky, and the premise is unique and interesting.
Unfortunately that's all there is to it. It's a pretty package hiding a dry, boring story.
In no particular order:
The pacing is way off. I read over 1/3 of the book and I still don't know what the conflict of the story is. Is it just that Garrett works for Death and needs to tell Nora? That's some low stakes for a story about death. And if the main conflict is something else, it needs to happen WAY SOONER.
If you're going to hang your entire plot on the relationship between your main characters, it better be a bulletproof relationship. That's not Garrett and Nora. It's a weird insta-love between the two most awkward, emotionless people. I have no idea what they see in each other or why they love the other person.
I liked the dual PoV: a chronological Nora with asynchronous Garrett moments. It works and it's interesting. But I quit shortly after the lazy bit of writing when Nora's in the coffee shop. The chapter opens with the PoV of a townsperson observing Nora then *blink* it's back to Nora's PoV.
This could've been a lovely exploration of grief, death, and the people left behind. It could've explored themes of compassion, community, and life's next great adventure. But it didn't do any of that so I had to stop.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Dell, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately that's all there is to it. It's a pretty package hiding a dry, boring story.
In no particular order:
The pacing is way off. I read over 1/3 of the book and I still don't know what the conflict of the story is. Is it just that Garrett works for Death and needs to tell Nora? That's some low stakes for a story about death. And if the main conflict is something else, it needs to happen WAY SOONER.
If you're going to hang your entire plot on the relationship between your main characters, it better be a bulletproof relationship. That's not Garrett and Nora. It's a weird insta-love between the two most awkward, emotionless people. I have no idea what they see in each other or why they love the other person.
I liked the dual PoV: a chronological Nora with asynchronous Garrett moments. It works and it's interesting. But I quit shortly after the lazy bit of writing when Nora's in the coffee shop. The chapter opens with the PoV of a townsperson observing Nora then *blink* it's back to Nora's PoV.
This could've been a lovely exploration of grief, death, and the people left behind. It could've explored themes of compassion, community, and life's next great adventure. But it didn't do any of that so I had to stop.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Dell, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.