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A review by sallysimply
A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I wanted to looooove this book and I'm bummed that I didn't!
The Themis Files is one of my all-time favorite series and I love history, so I was eagerly anticipating this book. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. I took some time after finishing the book to sort out how much of my disappointment was because this failed to meet my expectations and how much was because this just didn't work for me.
I like that this centers a mother-daughter relationship, even when Mia was a total pain. Pretty much everything about the tracker vs. the Kibsu worked for me - I love a messy, muddy breakdown of who is really the hero and who is the villain and is there even such a thing. I especially liked when and how we were introduced to the tracker's POV!
My main issue is that I didn't connect to any of the characters. I didn't much care about anything that happened to them in terms of their personal lives and how they lived their lives and where they were and what they were doing. I cared about how events were set up and how history unfolded within this world, but not about any of the people in it. That's a bit of a bummer.
I will still continue the series, and I'm actually really intrigued to see where this is going to go. I also wonder if a re-read might help so that I can more deeply appreciate all the history weaved into the story.
The Themis Files is one of my all-time favorite series and I love history, so I was eagerly anticipating this book. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. I took some time after finishing the book to sort out how much of my disappointment was because this failed to meet my expectations and how much was because this just didn't work for me.
I like that this centers a mother-daughter relationship, even when Mia was a total pain. Pretty much everything about the tracker vs. the Kibsu worked for me - I love a messy, muddy breakdown of who is really the hero and who is the villain and is there even such a thing. I especially liked when and how we were introduced to the tracker's POV!
My main issue is that I didn't connect to any of the characters. I didn't much care about anything that happened to them in terms of their personal lives and how they lived their lives and where they were and what they were doing. I cared about how events were set up and how history unfolded within this world, but not about any of the people in it. That's a bit of a bummer.
I will still continue the series, and I'm actually really intrigued to see where this is going to go. I also wonder if a re-read might help so that I can more deeply appreciate all the history weaved into the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Homophobia, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Rape