A review by katieo156
Infamous by Lex Croucher

dark lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

This is one of those books where you prefer every side character to the protagonist and wished you saw more of them- even the dog. Eddie is not just a girl flouting society's expectations, she's horribly rude and cruel to those around her as she does it- she's 22! I didn't like her at the start, and that opinion did not change very much as she continued to treat Rose and Albert horribly- Rose is entirely too forgiving for someone who continues to ignore her wishes and walks all over her whenever possible. A smart, kind, responsible character deserves better.
Eddie was irritatingly ignorant about Nash until the final events of the book. She's well read, evidently intelligent, and yet she forgot every bad feeling or hint she got until she was told outright. It goes beyond naivete to stupidity at that stage. Nash is obviously charismatic and manipulative, and forced her into bad situations at the end of her stay at the lake, but she ignored every sign and warning from those who loved her until he spelled out his deceit (TWICE!). ALSO- WHAT HAPPENED TO HENRY??? Was he Nash's son? This was SUCH an odd thing to throw into the end of the book and then not explain.

I would have loved to hear more about Dayo, who she spent enough time with to learn more about (as well as Albert, which wasn't really possible as she didn't warm to him until the end).  I did love Edie's family and the chaos of their house- I think a spinoff about one of her siblings could be a blast. Maybe Trix and her rabbit can take on the world?
I enjoyed the language and descriptions of the setting and people as much as I did in Reputation, and I hope there'll be another book in this world with a more consistent main character. 
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