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laughlinesandliterature 's review for:
The Chemist
by Stephenie Meyer
I really really enjoyed this novel by Stephenie Meyer. It took me a few months to work up to reading it, because I was really dreading anything that might have slightly resembled the Twilight series. While I enjoyed it at the time it came out, all of the hype and movies have killed my love for that series. That being said I did really enjoy this book, although not at the same level as The Host. I think with sometime Meyer can really settle into this style of writing and it wouldn’t be a long shot to see her being a fantastic mystery writer.
I enjoyed the character of Alex immensely although there were times I felt myself annoyed at her lack of experience with the opposite sex. She is an adult woman, you’d think she would have at least some kind of dating experience. It was one of the few things that didn’t seem plausible to me in this book. She was an attractive, intelligent woman. I can see failed relationships being an issue, but no relationships? That’s pushing it a bit too far. I also felt like Daniel’s immediate attraction and willingness to forgive her for everything a little creepy. This is the kind of guy I’d be worried about being a stalker/serial killer in a different series. The way he needed constant taking care of too also kind of rankled. I mean I love that Alex was a strong woman, but in a relationship you should be partners. In this case Alex took care of Daniel more than he did her, at least on a physical and financial level. I guess an argument could be made that Daniel took care of Alex emotionally.
The mystery itself though was well-planned and well-written, it was also executed beautifully. I really loved this intricate, entwined story, and the side characters were just as intriguing as the two main characters. This is where I think Meyers writing shone, her plot development was fantastic and she created mostly believable characters throughout. Kevin was also a nice break from the perfect male, although there were times I felt like his character took it a little to far. I think it would have been more irritating if he had been nothing but coldly polite instead of shooting insults right up until he decides Alex is worth having around. Overall, I think this was a really good breakthrough novel into the genre. Despite the few things that bothered me it was good enough that I will probably re-read it at some point. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars simply because of the few things I mentioned.
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2017/03/the-chemist-by-stephenie-meyer.html#comment-28965*
I enjoyed the character of Alex immensely although there were times I felt myself annoyed at her lack of experience with the opposite sex. She is an adult woman, you’d think she would have at least some kind of dating experience. It was one of the few things that didn’t seem plausible to me in this book. She was an attractive, intelligent woman. I can see failed relationships being an issue, but no relationships? That’s pushing it a bit too far. I also felt like Daniel’s immediate attraction and willingness to forgive her for everything a little creepy. This is the kind of guy I’d be worried about being a stalker/serial killer in a different series. The way he needed constant taking care of too also kind of rankled. I mean I love that Alex was a strong woman, but in a relationship you should be partners. In this case Alex took care of Daniel more than he did her, at least on a physical and financial level. I guess an argument could be made that Daniel took care of Alex emotionally.
The mystery itself though was well-planned and well-written, it was also executed beautifully. I really loved this intricate, entwined story, and the side characters were just as intriguing as the two main characters. This is where I think Meyers writing shone, her plot development was fantastic and she created mostly believable characters throughout. Kevin was also a nice break from the perfect male, although there were times I felt like his character took it a little to far. I think it would have been more irritating if he had been nothing but coldly polite instead of shooting insults right up until he decides Alex is worth having around. Overall, I think this was a really good breakthrough novel into the genre. Despite the few things that bothered me it was good enough that I will probably re-read it at some point. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars simply because of the few things I mentioned.
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2017/03/the-chemist-by-stephenie-meyer.html#comment-28965*