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A review by thepetitepunk
Darling by K. Ancrum
3.0
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this was entertaining, but the quality was just okay. I gave K. Ancrum's book The Wicker King a similar rating when I read it a few months ago--I thought the writing was fantastic, but the plot was a bit confusing. For Darling though, it was the writing that disappointed me. Something about it felt a bit too simple and surface-level. The plot and atmosphere were intriguing, but I felt distanced from the characters. I'm having a hard time putting a finger on what exactly felt like it was missing from this book. It was as if this book was trying to tackle some really heavy and dark themes...expect is just didn't feel that heavy and dark. The dialogue isn't very realistic and I think a lot of choices that Wendy made weren't very realistic either; this is of course fiction--fantasy even--so I wasn't expecting this to be 100% true to life, but something about the characters felt a bit artificial.
Even though this wasn't my favorite, I would still recommend it. It's a quick, easy read and I loved the contemporary twist on this retelling. I especially loved that it took place close by to where I've lived all my life because it was fun seeing familiar places referenced. There are definitely some flaws with the writing, but nonetheless this is an interesting, enjoyable read.
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of july≫
╰┈➤ 1. the ones we're meant to find by joan he
╰┈➤ 2. rise to the sun by leah johnson
╰┈➤ 3. some girls do by jennifer dugan
╰┈➤ 4. a heart in a body in the world by deb caletti
╰┈➤ 5. you've reached sam by dustin thao
╰┈➤ 6. radio silence by alice oseman
╰┈➤ 7. swimming in the dark by tomasz jedrowski
╰┈➤ 8. bruised by tanya boteju
╰┈➤ 9. ida b…and her plans to maximize fun, avoid disaster, and (possibly) save the world by katherine hannigan
╰┈➤ 10. razorblade tears by s. a. cosby
╰┈➤ 11. because of mr. terupt by rob buyea
╰┈➤ 12. smiles to go by jerry spinelli
╰┈➤ 13. darling by k. ancrum
I thought this was entertaining, but the quality was just okay. I gave K. Ancrum's book The Wicker King a similar rating when I read it a few months ago--I thought the writing was fantastic, but the plot was a bit confusing. For Darling though, it was the writing that disappointed me. Something about it felt a bit too simple and surface-level. The plot and atmosphere were intriguing, but I felt distanced from the characters. I'm having a hard time putting a finger on what exactly felt like it was missing from this book. It was as if this book was trying to tackle some really heavy and dark themes...expect is just didn't feel that heavy and dark. The dialogue isn't very realistic and I think a lot of choices that Wendy made weren't very realistic either; this is of course fiction--fantasy even--so I wasn't expecting this to be 100% true to life, but something about the characters felt a bit artificial.
Even though this wasn't my favorite, I would still recommend it. It's a quick, easy read and I loved the contemporary twist on this retelling. I especially loved that it took place close by to where I've lived all my life because it was fun seeing familiar places referenced. There are definitely some flaws with the writing, but nonetheless this is an interesting, enjoyable read.
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of july≫
╰┈➤ 1. the ones we're meant to find by joan he
╰┈➤ 2. rise to the sun by leah johnson
╰┈➤ 3. some girls do by jennifer dugan
╰┈➤ 4. a heart in a body in the world by deb caletti
╰┈➤ 5. you've reached sam by dustin thao
╰┈➤ 6. radio silence by alice oseman
╰┈➤ 7. swimming in the dark by tomasz jedrowski
╰┈➤ 8. bruised by tanya boteju
╰┈➤ 9. ida b…and her plans to maximize fun, avoid disaster, and (possibly) save the world by katherine hannigan
╰┈➤ 10. razorblade tears by s. a. cosby
╰┈➤ 11. because of mr. terupt by rob buyea
╰┈➤ 12. smiles to go by jerry spinelli
╰┈➤ 13. darling by k. ancrum