rosaryoleander 's review for:

The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks

3.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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I really liked the writing, the storyline and plot, and the characters felt well fleshed out. My problem was part of the story of the Wastelands,

which becomes a fantasy narrative, but with no explanation of how the world worked. How did the plants grow on the train? If the trees weren't dangerous in some way, why was the sap like blood? What of the many monsters that dwelled in the Wastelands who took your memories and warped your reality, luring you into giant spiderwebs to eat you?

It felt like the author really wanted the reader to feel affinity with the Wastelands and the characters from it, but did none of the work to make it a likeable place.