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A review by apalershadeofwhite
The Long Shadow on the Stage by Nichole Heydenburg
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book is riddled with clichés. I'm usually not one who hates that, but when they're done badly, I become feral lmao. The whole overdramatic damsel in distress, slightly jealous best friend, oblivious MC thing? No thanks! Clara as a whole just felt so one-dimensional and I rolled my eyes every time she came onto the page. The book had so many scenes that were uselessly dramatic for effect but just made me uninterested in the narrative. The interactions didn't seem believable, but overtly constructed. It felt like this was written by an inexperienced writer dipping their toes into the genre because was a severe lack of originality and flavour. It was just a bit bland, to be honest.
It definitely felt like there was some serious word padding going on. The random inclusions of the killer's POV felt disruptive and misplaced. I found myself questioning why they were there because the only time it made sense within the narrative was when the narrator mentioned that the cat immediately greeted them, which hinted towards their identity. Also, there was sometimes two chapters that were the exact same scene just from a different point of view. I know it was probably meant to show the difference in perspectives and how two people can interpret the same thing differently, but some of the dialogue was completely different! It didn't make sense, at all.
It did get a bit interesting around the early-20s chapters when there was tension between Clara and Edgar, but it just seemed to drop off again afterwards. Also, the penultimate chapter felt so rushed and some of it was a bit useless, to be honest. Why are we getting one-sentence summaries about each characters that was ever briefly mentioned and how they fared after the case was closed? It again just felt like padding to hit a word count. Then, the epilogue felt quite lazy and unfinished. He just decided to fall asleep while driving and THAT'S how it ends? Ugh.
It definitely felt like there was some serious word padding going on. The random inclusions of the killer's POV felt disruptive and misplaced. I found myself questioning why they were there because the only time it made sense within the narrative was when the narrator mentioned that the cat immediately greeted them, which hinted towards their identity. Also, there was sometimes two chapters that were the exact same scene just from a different point of view. I know it was probably meant to show the difference in perspectives and how two people can interpret the same thing differently, but some of the dialogue was completely different! It didn't make sense, at all.
It did get a bit interesting around the early-20s chapters when there was tension between Clara and Edgar, but it just seemed to drop off again afterwards. Also, the penultimate chapter felt so rushed and some of it was a bit useless, to be honest. Why are we getting one-sentence summaries about each characters that was ever briefly mentioned and how they fared after the case was closed? It again just felt like padding to hit a word count. Then, the epilogue felt quite lazy and unfinished. He just decided to fall asleep while driving and THAT'S how it ends? Ugh.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, and Gore