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A review by lybrarie
The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really wanted to love this book. I read Purcell's The Whispering Muse last year and absolutely adored it, and I was really hoping for a similar experience with this book. Unfortunately that just wasn't the case for me. I think this book had real potential, but something about it just didn't grab me in the same way The Whiserping Muse did.
I think what I really wanted this book to be was a lot creepier than it turned out to be. The atmosphere just never really felt quite right to me, I was never completely drawn into the world Purcell was describing to me. I think it could have been a lot more interesting if it was entirely told from Pearl's perspective, but I understand for story reasons why that was not possible.Pearl deserved so much better.
I also think Pearl was probably the only character in this book I actually liked. Agnes was definitely an interesting character, I just did not like her at all. I would have loved to have spent more time getting to know Myrtle, obviously seeing her through Pearl's perspective the majority of the time cast her in one particular light, but I would have loved to have explored more about her and what lead her to the decisions she made.
Overall, unfortunately this book just did not do it for me. I still have a lot of interest in reading more of Purcell's work, but this book just wasn't the one.
I think what I really wanted this book to be was a lot creepier than it turned out to be. The atmosphere just never really felt quite right to me, I was never completely drawn into the world Purcell was describing to me. I think it could have been a lot more interesting if it was entirely told from Pearl's perspective, but I understand for story reasons why that was not possible.
I also think Pearl was probably the only character in this book I actually liked. Agnes was definitely an interesting character, I just did not like her at all. I would have loved to have spent more time getting to know Myrtle, obviously seeing her through Pearl's perspective the majority of the time cast her in one particular light, but I would have loved to have explored more about her and what lead her to the decisions she made.
Overall, unfortunately this book just did not do it for me. I still have a lot of interest in reading more of Purcell's work, but this book just wasn't the one.