Take a photo of a barcode or cover
larareadingwild 's review for:
Howling Dark
by Christopher Ruocchio
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m just going to copy/paste the notes I took while reading, but I am officially DNFing this series. Get me out of here.
--The pacing was torpid. Glacial. Tectonic
-The “romance” is so uncomfortable to read. The love interests barely served more than to be a foil for Hadrian.
-So repetitious. We spent seven chapters, SEVEN CHAPTERS, discussing the same question. Such inefficient storytelling throughout.
-was this transphobic?!?! Maybe not the author’s intention, but it certainly lead that way. That alone is enough for me to dislike this book, yet to my chagrin, the list continues.
-we didn’t learn anything about any characters aside from how they affect Hadrian. And I don’t buy the excuse that it’s first person POV, because other authors (Pierce Brown is a prime example), who create complex, autonomous characters using first person POV.
-The plot feels very haphazard, like we are just bouncing from one place to another under the guise of finding the Cielcins. Nothing felt authentic, just that we were stumbling around in the dark trying to assemble a LEGO set.
-I’ve heard others say there are too many references to antiquity and they are right. I love a good Easter egg! But when it’s overwrought it can start to take you out of the story. On top of that, when you constantly explain the Easter eggs, it’s not fun anymore. Either the reader gets it or doesn’t. Explaining it helps no one.
-If I never read the words homunculus or Gibson again, it will be too soon.
--The pacing was torpid. Glacial. Tectonic
-The “romance” is so uncomfortable to read. The love interests barely served more than to be a foil for Hadrian.
-So repetitious. We spent seven chapters, SEVEN CHAPTERS, discussing the same question. Such inefficient storytelling throughout.
-was this transphobic?!?! Maybe not the author’s intention, but it certainly lead that way. That alone is enough for me to dislike this book, yet to my chagrin, the list continues.
-we didn’t learn anything about any characters aside from how they affect Hadrian. And I don’t buy the excuse that it’s first person POV, because other authors (Pierce Brown is a prime example), who create complex, autonomous characters using first person POV.
-The plot feels very haphazard, like we are just bouncing from one place to another under the guise of finding the Cielcins. Nothing felt authentic, just that we were stumbling around in the dark trying to assemble a LEGO set.
-I’ve heard others say there are too many references to antiquity and they are right. I love a good Easter egg! But when it’s overwrought it can start to take you out of the story. On top of that, when you constantly explain the Easter eggs, it’s not fun anymore. Either the reader gets it or doesn’t. Explaining it helps no one.
-If I never read the words homunculus or Gibson again, it will be too soon.