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A review by nutter
Crosshairs by Catherine Hernandez
2.0
I was really hoping to enjoy this one. I was surprised by how poetic the first chapter was. As the (audio)book went one, I was more and more disappointed. Plus, I live in Toronto. Who doesn't like a book about where they live?
The focus on intersectionality was something novel to read. The writing seemed poetic and flowy, though I'm starting to think that was just because it was the author reading the book, rather than the text itself.
My favourite aspect of the book was the exploration of oppression through individual experiences. The scenes with the church service and Kay's mother were great. If this book was a fiction story focusing on stories like that, I could give them a four-star. Take out all the dystopian bs and the badly written politics. Stick to the personal stories.
The rest was just not good. Half of the characters spoke like robotic pamphlets telling me about the goals of their organization. It felt worse than when a company tries to write something to appeal to a diverse audience but has no idea how humans actually speak. The characters felt flat and forgettable. Placing an international event on Canada Day seemed like a really lame and no-the-nose choice. The protests were written as if there were only 10 people present, performing badly written spoken word. The training montages were hilariously bad and unbelievable. The use of Toronto was also a bit weird. It was nice as someone that lived there, but I feel for non-Torontonians it would be a bit confusing. Most books shy away from being super specific about their locations, but Hernandez seemed to want everyone to know the main streets of DT Toronto and some very specific locations.
Any time Hernandez tried to write any politics, all believability jumped out the window. The reasons behind The Renovation were really stretching it. It was just "white people are racist and homophobic". Also, how did they move that amount of people and take over a government without SOMEONE filming? It made no sense. It felt like those horror movies where suddenly everyone loses cellphone service. The ending was also so anti-climactic. They confront the PM and the "I'm going to say my name" bs was just not for me. It was all fluff without substance.
Also, stop writing twins as if they are the same person. As a twin, it's getting really old.
I tried to get a refund and then remembered I had received a free copy from Audible. Still wish I could return.
If you want a really good review, a. a. d. wolfe wrote a perfect two-star review in December of 2020.
Not written for me. I ended up speeding through the last 10 chapters just to get to the end.
The focus on intersectionality was something novel to read. The writing seemed poetic and flowy, though I'm starting to think that was just because it was the author reading the book, rather than the text itself.
My favourite aspect of the book was the exploration of oppression through individual experiences. The scenes with the church service and Kay's mother were great. If this book was a fiction story focusing on stories like that, I could give them a four-star. Take out all the dystopian bs and the badly written politics. Stick to the personal stories.
The rest was just not good. Half of the characters spoke like robotic pamphlets telling me about the goals of their organization. It felt worse than when a company tries to write something to appeal to a diverse audience but has no idea how humans actually speak. The characters felt flat and forgettable. Placing an international event on Canada Day seemed like a really lame and no-the-nose choice. The protests were written as if there were only 10 people present, performing badly written spoken word. The training montages were hilariously bad and unbelievable. The use of Toronto was also a bit weird. It was nice as someone that lived there, but I feel for non-Torontonians it would be a bit confusing. Most books shy away from being super specific about their locations, but Hernandez seemed to want everyone to know the main streets of DT Toronto and some very specific locations.
Any time Hernandez tried to write any politics, all believability jumped out the window. The reasons behind The Renovation were really stretching it. It was just "white people are racist and homophobic". Also, how did they move that amount of people and take over a government without SOMEONE filming? It made no sense. It felt like those horror movies where suddenly everyone loses cellphone service. The ending was also so anti-climactic. They confront the PM and the "I'm going to say my name" bs was just not for me. It was all fluff without substance.
Also, stop writing twins as if they are the same person. As a twin, it's getting really old.
I tried to get a refund and then remembered I had received a free copy from Audible. Still wish I could return.
If you want a really good review, a. a. d. wolfe wrote a perfect two-star review in December of 2020.
Not written for me. I ended up speeding through the last 10 chapters just to get to the end.