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A review by happenstance
Vera and the Vegas V by Sarah Blue, Ashley Bennett
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
The best thing I can say about this book is that it tried. It really really tried. I think this is a debut effort? In which case, I think the potential is definitely there but not quite achieved in this book.
I was pretty thrilled to see nb representation, but the pronoun speech felt off and awkward somehow (also, in general you don't need to include "preferred" when sharing pronouns - your pronouns are your pronouns, end of story). And Vera's whole 'woe is me' schtick after fucking up - I guess that's common enough, but how about we normalize *not* doing that? That would be cool.
The characterizations of Vera and the gang feel unbalanced and rushed, while the writing style felt stilted and unnatural. There was so much telling and explaining and exposition shoehorned in at the oddest points, it took me right out of the story and I started skipping just to get to the end - only to be cliffhangered. Not that I guess it matters, because I'm pretty sure I know where this is all heading (although I'm prepared to be pleasantly surprised).
I was pretty thrilled to see nb representation, but the pronoun speech felt off and awkward somehow (also, in general you don't need to include "preferred" when sharing pronouns - your pronouns are your pronouns, end of story). And Vera's whole 'woe is me' schtick after fucking up - I guess that's common enough, but how about we normalize *not* doing that? That would be cool.
The characterizations of Vera and the gang feel unbalanced and rushed, while the writing style felt stilted and unnatural. There was so much telling and explaining and exposition shoehorned in at the oddest points, it took me right out of the story and I started skipping just to get to the end - only to be cliffhangered. Not that I guess it matters, because I'm pretty sure I know where this is all heading (although I'm prepared to be pleasantly surprised).