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jaydeed 's review for:
La traversée des damnés
by Frances White
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Damn I loved it. The book really picks up after the first 20%.
Strengths
The inclusivity is like nothing I've seen in terms of ability, sexuality, race, and identity. I may be wrong, but I don't think there's 1 cis straight white character in the 12.Or maybe they were iced too soon for readers know .
This closed room murder mystery allies themes of self confidence and kindness with class struggles, which were really well intertwined.
I often have trouble distinguishing characters, but I never had any problems with the 12 (!!!) in the book, which is a first for me.
The narration leans towards a young adult (16 y/o) public, but once you've accepted that (and overcome the atrocious first 20%), the emotional immersion is easy. I laughed, kicked my feet, and loved the way Dee feels. He's soft-hearted, cares for children, stands against injustice and is overall a kind main character, which I really liked.
Weaknesses
The rhythm is a bit wobbly. Though each of the 12 days of the trip is separated in 3 chapters (morning, afternoon, night), sometimes it felt like like it dragged on towards the middle.
The characters felt like they were waiting for the narrative to ice them. Yes, they reacted, but beside Dee, I don't think any characters took proactive measures to stop/solve the murders. Some even kept to their routine and solitude . This is however somewhat explained through the characterization, but it did feel unbelievable at times.
The characterization makes the 12 very distinct from each other, but sometimes the author could have nuanced her writing a bit. For example, the Spider is manipulative, but they were so to such an extent that it made me laugh once or twice.
--
If you read this in French, it feels like the translator died in front of the manuscript and somehow opened an app to translate this as she lay on her keyboard. But I can't consider this a weakness, as the original author has nothing to do with this. The French version gets 3/5.
Strengths
The inclusivity is like nothing I've seen in terms of ability, sexuality, race, and identity. I may be wrong, but I don't think there's 1 cis straight white character in the 12.
This closed room murder mystery allies themes of self confidence and kindness with class struggles, which were really well intertwined.
I often have trouble distinguishing characters, but I never had any problems with the 12 (!!!) in the book, which is a first for me.
The narration leans towards a young adult (16 y/o) public, but once you've accepted that (and overcome the atrocious first 20%), the emotional immersion is easy. I laughed, kicked my feet, and loved the way Dee feels. He's soft-hearted, cares for children, stands against injustice and is overall a kind main character, which I really liked.
Weaknesses
The rhythm is a bit wobbly. Though each of the 12 days of the trip is separated in 3 chapters (morning, afternoon, night), sometimes it felt like like it dragged on towards the middle.
The characters felt like they were waiting for the narrative to ice them. Yes, they reacted, but beside Dee, I don't think any
The characterization makes the 12 very distinct from each other, but sometimes the author could have nuanced her writing a bit. For example, the Spider is manipulative, but they were so to such an extent that it made me laugh once or twice.
--
If you read this in French, it feels like the translator died in front of the manuscript and somehow opened an app to translate this as she lay on her keyboard. But I can't consider this a weakness, as the original author has nothing to do with this. The French version gets 3/5.