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vulcanade 's review for:
For Whom The Belle Tolls
by Jaysea Lynn
DID NOT FINISH: 47%
Do you ever love an idea but wish someone else had it? This feels like it started out as Corpse Husband AU self-insert fanfiction and was just built off of from there but the good part is the AU/derailing from fanfiction.
Sadly, the ideas are fantastic and the writing style is great. But the characters are not believable at all and I was too often confronted with unrealistic dialogue and character actions and it would take me out of the moment. I wanted to like this book so badly; if I DNF it’s often well before this point (halfway).
Great idea, good talent, even great details, the execution just gives cringe.
Example:
They play an off brand Among Us and the two main characters meet through there, only voice chat (yes, video games and voice chat in the shared afterlife).
The characters all are emotionally intelligent to an absurd level and all issues of upset are resolved with “I can read your emotions on your face whether you say them or not, and I will do the perfect action to make you feel better.”
Demons and dead souls all have cell phones and can text each other and it’s frequently used, as are group chats. Am I the only one who thinks that’s weird? Like what vibe are we going for here? Excessive cell phone use in general takes you out of any book, let alone a fantasy.
It’s like cozy fantasy meets self-insert fanfiction for video game streamers meets… a toe dipped into an attempt at depth that it seems like the author could have actually been good at, had they spent less time on… shark week? There is too much here. Too many ideas in one book.
Sadly, the ideas are fantastic and the writing style is great. But the characters are not believable at all and I was too often confronted with unrealistic dialogue and character actions and it would take me out of the moment. I wanted to like this book so badly; if I DNF it’s often well before this point (halfway).
Great idea, good talent, even great details, the execution just gives cringe.
Example:
The characters all are emotionally intelligent to an absurd level and all issues of upset are resolved with “I can read your emotions on your face whether you say them or not, and I will do the perfect action to make you feel better.”
It’s like cozy fantasy meets self-insert fanfiction for video game streamers meets… a toe dipped into an attempt at depth that it seems like the author could have actually been good at, had they spent less time on… shark week? There is too much here. Too many ideas in one book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Sexual assault