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A review by greystory
Doom by Regine Abel
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The final book in the Xian Warrior series by Regine Abel was released so now's the best time to read the series, right?
This was an OK series starter. I was promised there's a good overarching plot but I'll be honest that it doesn't sound like there was much of a start of a one here. Like if I didn't know this was a series, I would have 100% thought this was the end and that was it, no further questions or mysteries to be solved. I actually went back to look at the blurbs in the next books to see what they could even be about.
I enjoyed the first part of the book where we're following Victoria recount the first days and weeks of the alien invasion by the Kryptids and then the sudden arrival of the Xian Warriors. The on the ground battles and realities of the alien invasion, complete with post-apocalyptic like supply runs and makeshift clinics and the like, was an engaging read. Once we see the Xian Warriors start to take on the Kryptids and lend hope to the humans that not all is lost, that was also enjoyable.
Where it started to lose me was the big time skips. I can't really talk about it without divulging stuff so basically everything is being stuffed under a spoiler tag.
There's a little bit from Victoria's POV and even less from Doom's POV for a 3 month stretch after that initial action-packed day they spend together. Yeah, three months. During that time, the reader is made aware through other Xian Warriors' POV that they are actually losing the war. Victoria and Doom finally link up and then.. there's more time skipping? It became unclear how much time was passing so there'd be mentions of it being 6 months since Victoria saw her family or a year later or something like that and I'd be like ??? okay, what is happening? just day to day boring routine?? Why are we skipping so much time here? Except all of a sudden during these time skips, they've suddenly turned the tide and are now winning the war. HOW? When did that happen? We see none of that struggle or victory.
The endish of the book covers something like 3 years or more and then the epilogue skips ahead another few years. (I can't remember now if there was possibly more time prior to the epilogue tbh) The epilogue is fine on a time skip, that's what an epilogue is kinda there for. But why did we miss so much going on in the actual plot? It was less like reading a story and more like reading a summary, except it wasn't even a summary of a plot, because we got literally zero details on anything of the plot besides the major heading - i.e. some warriors leave earth, victoria makes a career change, kryptids defeated. I would have loved to actually READ those happening instead of just being told they happened. The only thing we got any kind of detail on was Victoria's pregnancy and that was honestly really cool about the psychic touching but that could have been included among other plot points.
I don't know, man. Maybe Regine Abel was just antsy to get to the rest of the plot stuff she wanted to cover in the rest of the series and was a little over eager on getting there. I'm hoping the rest of the series doesn't hold this pattern and we get to actually read about what's happening, not a summary of past events.
This was an OK series starter. I was promised there's a good overarching plot but I'll be honest that it doesn't sound like there was much of a start of a one here. Like if I didn't know this was a series, I would have 100% thought this was the end and that was it, no further questions or mysteries to be solved. I actually went back to look at the blurbs in the next books to see what they could even be about.
I enjoyed the first part of the book where we're following Victoria recount the first days and weeks of the alien invasion by the Kryptids and then the sudden arrival of the Xian Warriors. The on the ground battles and realities of the alien invasion, complete with post-apocalyptic like supply runs and makeshift clinics and the like, was an engaging read. Once we see the Xian Warriors start to take on the Kryptids and lend hope to the humans that not all is lost, that was also enjoyable.
Where it started to lose me was the big time skips. I can't really talk about it without divulging stuff so basically everything is being stuffed under a spoiler tag.
The endish of the book covers something like 3 years or more and then the epilogue skips ahead another few years. (I can't remember now if there was possibly more time prior to the epilogue tbh) The epilogue is fine on a time skip, that's what an epilogue is kinda there for. But why did we miss so much going on in the actual plot? It was less like reading a story and more like reading a summary, except it wasn't even a summary of a plot, because we got literally zero details on anything of the plot besides the major heading - i.e. some warriors leave earth, victoria makes a career change, kryptids defeated. I would have loved to actually READ those happening instead of just being told they happened. The only thing we got any kind of detail on was Victoria's pregnancy and that was honestly really cool about the psychic touching but that could have been included among other plot points.
I don't know, man. Maybe Regine Abel was just antsy to get to the rest of the plot stuff she wanted to cover in the rest of the series and was a little over eager on getting there. I'm hoping the rest of the series doesn't hold this pattern and we get to actually read about what's happening, not a summary of past events.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Medical content