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A review by bluexy
Chasing Graves by Ben Galley
2.0
I'll admit that I struggled with Chasing Graves. Oddly, it had little to do with my most common criticisms: I felt like each of the characters were unique and interesting, I found the quality of writing to be excellent, and the dialogue never disappointed. Nevertheless, I rarely found the story and plot especially compelling and finished the book unsatisfied.
The most pronounced issue for me was the lack of forward progress in Chasing Graves' story. For example, my favorite character in the book is Nilith. But despite Nilith's storyline being built around steadily moving towards the city of Araxes, from beginning to end it rarely felt as if she moved towards her goal in a non-temporal sense. Where she ended up at the end of Chasing Graves may as well have been where she began -- in the shit, too far from where she's going. I felt similarly with regards to Castro. He ended the book as he began it, dead and once again robbed of his hope. I'm left uncertain as to whether any of the chapters I read were particularly meaningful with regards to the story's direction, beyond some handful of details that shed light on characters' intend and identity.
I genuinely want to know where Castro and Nilith's roads will lead them. There's obviously a story to be told here. But 400 pages in and I'm really not sure what that story is or whether it was worth having cared to discover it. I look forward to the followup to Chasing Graves, largely because Galley has made me invested in these characters, but I worry it's just a symptom of being left wanting.
The most pronounced issue for me was the lack of forward progress in Chasing Graves' story. For example, my favorite character in the book is Nilith. But despite Nilith's storyline being built around steadily moving towards the city of Araxes, from beginning to end it rarely felt as if she moved towards her goal in a non-temporal sense. Where she ended up at the end of Chasing Graves may as well have been where she began -- in the shit, too far from where she's going. I felt similarly with regards to Castro. He ended the book as he began it, dead and once again robbed of his hope. I'm left uncertain as to whether any of the chapters I read were particularly meaningful with regards to the story's direction, beyond some handful of details that shed light on characters' intend and identity.
I genuinely want to know where Castro and Nilith's roads will lead them. There's obviously a story to be told here. But 400 pages in and I'm really not sure what that story is or whether it was worth having cared to discover it. I look forward to the followup to Chasing Graves, largely because Galley has made me invested in these characters, but I worry it's just a symptom of being left wanting.