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A review by zea_d_writing
Blood and Water by Briana Morgan
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really wanted to love this story. I’ve read some of Briana Morgan’s work in the past and, as a fan of plague/apocalypse media in general, I had really high hopes for this story after reading the blerb/summary.
And ultimately I did enjoy the premise of this novel. The story follows Jay, his sister, and two of their friends. Jay and his sister, Maia, have both contracted a lethal virus that has already killed over half the globe and the four of them set out to find a Doctor who may be able to help them find a cure.
I liked the overall plot of the story and because both the prose was very well done, I found it fairly easy to read and breezed through it in short order.
However, there were a handful of issues I had with this story that unfortunately brought my enjoyment (and therefore rating) down from what it might have been.
I felt like the first half of this book was excellently written and executed. The characters were well developed (albeit a tad infuriating in their decision making). The pacing felt spot on for this type of story and things seemed to develop naturally. The plotting felt solid and made sense.
But at a specific point in the story, things sort of fell a part a bit. Abruptly the pacing of the whole story felt rushed to the point that certain plot points and character decisions no longer made sense. Time jumps weren’t completely clear. And while I felt like there were a handful of worldbuilding and plot inconsistencies/contradictions that occurred, I feel like they wouldn’t have felt as jarring (or may have even been explained in the narrative due to the POV) if the pacing hadn’t felt as off as it did.
I also, personally, felt like the romance that took place in the 2nd half of the book felt very abrupt, out of place, and unsupported. Which also may have lent to the feeling of pacing issues.
In the end, I felt like this story had a lot of potential and, despite the issues, I still had a good time reading it.
And ultimately I did enjoy the premise of this novel. The story follows Jay, his sister, and two of their friends. Jay and his sister, Maia, have both contracted a lethal virus that has already killed over half the globe and the four of them set out to find a Doctor who may be able to help them find a cure.
I liked the overall plot of the story and because both the prose was very well done, I found it fairly easy to read and breezed through it in short order.
However, there were a handful of issues I had with this story that unfortunately brought my enjoyment (and therefore rating) down from what it might have been.
I felt like the first half of this book was excellently written and executed. The characters were well developed (albeit a tad infuriating in their decision making). The pacing felt spot on for this type of story and things seemed to develop naturally. The plotting felt solid and made sense.
But at a specific point in the story, things sort of fell a part a bit. Abruptly the pacing of the whole story felt rushed to the point that certain plot points and character decisions no longer made sense. Time jumps weren’t completely clear. And while I felt like there were a handful of worldbuilding and plot inconsistencies/contradictions that occurred, I feel like they wouldn’t have felt as jarring (or may have even been explained in the narrative due to the POV) if the pacing hadn’t felt as off as it did.
I also, personally, felt like the romance that took place in the 2nd half of the book felt very abrupt, out of place, and unsupported. Which also may have lent to the feeling of pacing issues.
In the end, I felt like this story had a lot of potential and, despite the issues, I still had a good time reading it.