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A review by squids_can_read
The Far Side of the Desert by Joanne Leedom-Ackerman
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.
I think that this book would be better as a limited run TV show. Which feels strange to say as someone who typically thinks that the book is better than the movie/tv show. However, I think that this book was very surface level and that it would have done better as a TV show. Basically, this book is about a group of siblings(two women and a man) who have to stop a terrorist plot.
The characters in this book were very surface-level. They had motivations but I never really understood them. The characters state that they were doing something for someone but never really showed care for the other characters. There really isn’t a huge change in the characters because we don’t get much of them before they start to change. Their changes also felt very surface level. Also some of the characters talk about religion but in a weird way that feels like the characters don’t actually care about religion and are just using it for some reason.
The overall plot of the book was fine. It was pretty typical of a political thriller. The plot did only start after about 100 pages which was very strange because the exposition was just unnecessary for the plot of the book. A lot of the plot points just came out of nowhere and didn’t make sense in the book.
The setting was actually the shining star. This author excelled at describing the environment around the characters and it was really beautiful. However, the setting really can’t carry this type of book where the characters and the plot are the focus.
Honestly, I would only recommend this book if you really love political thrillers and I mean really love political thrillers. Otherwise, I think this one is a pass.
I think that this book would be better as a limited run TV show. Which feels strange to say as someone who typically thinks that the book is better than the movie/tv show. However, I think that this book was very surface level and that it would have done better as a TV show. Basically, this book is about a group of siblings(two women and a man) who have to stop a terrorist plot.
The characters in this book were very surface-level. They had motivations but I never really understood them. The characters state that they were doing something for someone but never really showed care for the other characters. There really isn’t a huge change in the characters because we don’t get much of them before they start to change. Their changes also felt very surface level. Also some of the characters talk about religion but in a weird way that feels like the characters don’t actually care about religion and are just using it for some reason.
The overall plot of the book was fine. It was pretty typical of a political thriller. The plot did only start after about 100 pages which was very strange because the exposition was just unnecessary for the plot of the book. A lot of the plot points just came out of nowhere and didn’t make sense in the book.
The setting was actually the shining star. This author excelled at describing the environment around the characters and it was really beautiful. However, the setting really can’t carry this type of book where the characters and the plot are the focus.
Honestly, I would only recommend this book if you really love political thrillers and I mean really love political thrillers. Otherwise, I think this one is a pass.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and War
Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking