Scan barcode
A review by dyphilleias
Fallen Thorns by Harvey Oliver Baxter
3.5
I would like to start by congratulating the author’s debut novel.
I couldn’t stop reading the book and that’s why I finished it in one day. That speaks volumes on how captivating the writing style of this author is.
The prose in itself has a poetic touch that mesmerized me. The setting of the sceneries were done properly, capable enough to make you travel to the places our narrator was in.
The only reason I couldn’t give more stars it’s the flow of the characters.
Our main character is “perfectly flawed”, as I would like to say. Is it the fact that he is neurodivergent? Heavens, no! Unreliable? No.
Our narrator, Arlo, is a 19 year old and his attitude has an effect in everyone in the story involved. It’s fine as we are all different in those ages but I would’ve thought Arlo was around the age of 16. But I guess due the themes and scenes the author further shows us, the age was risen.
I found the relationships of the main character a little bit forceful. Most of them care for him (in which he was reluctant at first) for almost reasons that aren’t supporting enough the weight of their attitudes towards him since most of the times it’s just said in a shortly way.
When we are presented to his best friend, Rani, we already have her apologizing to him for something minimal (to show how much she cares for him).
I found it a little bit forceful or rushed in presenting their friendship since we barely know why both of them became best friends (which we know more in the next chapters… Just… Briefly).
Now, when it comes to the other characters’ attitude towards him… It, low-key, follows the same formula.
So we are left with everyone (he is more involved in) loving and/or just being protective to the main character in which… It was kind of shoveling again and again that he is the main character (for a reason, I guess?) also letting us know that he is the chosen one in a subtle way through, mostly, dialogues (after reading the ending, maybe I understood more on why he was the chosen one…).
Yes, I understand that he just got transformed into a new way of living but I guess I needed a more harshly “bad” or “tough love” character (or more than just one) to balance out all the adoration, care, love and protectiveness that he was already receiving in great amounts. I think it would’ve helped the main character to build up more his personality over the time instead of just having one change and keep it for the rest of the book (if we don’t count the moments of… You know already if you read the book).
Yes, I know he changes views but personality wise, he didn’t that much, in my opinion.
I found myself being more interested in the villains and the leader than any of the rest (including our narrator), if I’m being sincere.
I saw a TikTok saying this was Dark Academia. It is but only aesthetically. It is not Dark Academia themed.
Another sensation this book made me have is the remembrance of Tokyo Ghoul in an aspect. So I spent reading this book imagining as an anime.
And the battle… I’m sorry. I could keep imagining as the battle that happens in the last Twilight movie, haha.
Overall, the queer representation was executed excellent. All natural (in my opinion) without forcing or reminding the reader that they’re queer every time (just not my style, since reminders can get quite repetitive and exhausting to read).
The diversity was also good and fresh.
(Never would I ever thought I would see someone from the Philippines being in a book. “Raaaah
I couldn’t stop reading the book and that’s why I finished it in one day. That speaks volumes on how captivating the writing style of this author is.
The prose in itself has a poetic touch that mesmerized me. The setting of the sceneries were done properly, capable enough to make you travel to the places our narrator was in.
The only reason I couldn’t give more stars it’s the flow of the characters.
Our main character is “perfectly flawed”, as I would like to say. Is it the fact that he is neurodivergent? Heavens, no! Unreliable? No.
Our narrator, Arlo, is a 19 year old and his attitude has an effect in everyone in the story involved. It’s fine as we are all different in those ages but I would’ve thought Arlo was around the age of 16. But I guess due the themes and scenes the author further shows us, the age was risen.
I found the relationships of the main character a little bit forceful. Most of them care for him (in which he was reluctant at first) for almost reasons that aren’t supporting enough the weight of their attitudes towards him since most of the times it’s just said in a shortly way.
When we are presented to his best friend, Rani, we already have her apologizing to him for something minimal (to show how much she cares for him).
I found it a little bit forceful or rushed in presenting their friendship since we barely know why both of them became best friends (which we know more in the next chapters… Just… Briefly).
Now, when it comes to the other characters’ attitude towards him… It, low-key, follows the same formula.
So we are left with everyone (he is more involved in) loving and/or just being protective to the main character in which… It was kind of shoveling again and again that he is the main character (for a reason, I guess?) also letting us know that he is the chosen one in a subtle way through, mostly, dialogues (after reading the ending, maybe I understood more on why he was the chosen one…).
Yes, I understand that he just got transformed into a new way of living but I guess I needed a more harshly “bad” or “tough love” character (or more than just one) to balance out all the adoration, care, love and protectiveness that he was already receiving in great amounts. I think it would’ve helped the main character to build up more his personality over the time instead of just having one change and keep it for the rest of the book (if we don’t count the moments of… You know already if you read the book).
Yes, I know he changes views but personality wise, he didn’t that much, in my opinion.
I found myself being more interested in the villains and the leader than any of the rest (including our narrator), if I’m being sincere.
I saw a TikTok saying this was Dark Academia. It is but only aesthetically. It is not Dark Academia themed.
Another sensation this book made me have is the remembrance of Tokyo Ghoul in an aspect. So I spent reading this book imagining as an anime.
And the battle… I’m sorry. I could keep imagining as the battle that happens in the last Twilight movie, haha.
Overall, the queer representation was executed excellent. All natural (in my opinion) without forcing or reminding the reader that they’re queer every time (just not my style, since reminders can get quite repetitive and exhausting to read).
The diversity was also good and fresh.
(Never would I ever thought I would see someone from the Philippines being in a book. “Raaaah