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A review by kellysreads
Owlet by Emma Michaels
1.0
Secrets, lies, betrayal – Owlet sounds like a fascinating and suspenseful read. Unfortunately most of the secrets stay as secrets and the lies/betrayals don’t cut deep since the characters remain undeveloped. By the end, I was just thankful Owlet was a short read.
The biggest problem I had with Owlet was the constant bombardment of questions my mind was left hemorrhaging over. How did she lose her memory? What happened that she doesn’t remember her mother or being a young child? How does no one know she has lost her memory? How did her mother die? Why are Vermillion or Ravens “deathborn” and what does that mean? If they don’t trust Caleb, why would they let him be alone with Iris while someone determined what kind of bird she was? Why was Falcon named Falcon (something she asks him, and he promises to tell later)? Why was a boy entrusted with killing someone so dangerous? If everyone knew Caleb was raising this boy to be an assassin, why did no one step up and confront him? Even though he was only a boy, why would Elena and Roger risk their daughter’s life by letting him live with them? Why did the Council increase from five to twelve? And what the heck happened on the plane?! So many questions that I never felt were truly resolved! Needless to say, Owlet kept me in the dark about a lot of the history surrounding Iris and the Eyrie/Stryx (and I’m still not entirely sure what the difference between a Stryx and an Eyrie is).
I think I could have mostly ignored the questions piling up if it hadn’t been for Michaels’ constant foreshadowing that some great secret would be revealed, only for the reveal to be interrupted. Instead of creating suspense, it became exasperating. Every time an answer was within reach, something else happened that took precedence and the explanation was taken away forever. It was the lack of answers in Owlet that made it difficult for me to follow the direction of the plot. In order to make sure Iris was safe, Roger sends her to the island she grew up on. But once Roger gets to the island, it’s imperative for Iris’ safety that they head to Ramero’s. But once they get to Ramero’s, it’s imperative that they get to Nathaniel’s. Nothing was explained, and by the end I couldn’t help but wonder why they hadn’t just travelled to Nathaniel’s from the beginning?
Owlet’s confusing plot definitely wasn’t helped by Michaels’ strange writing style. She rarely used conjunctions which made the language formal and impersonal.
A really short read, Owlet also didn’t give me any time to become connected to any of the characters. Iris came across as a daydreamer, as someone who wasn’t grounded in reality as she was constantly talking to “the voice” inside her head and wishing for her “Never-Never”. This also made her seem quite childish, and so I was constantly picturing her quite a bit younger than she’s supposed to be. Falcon was used as a prop, ready to literally pick up Iris when she had another asthma attack or fainted from something shocking. Diana was Iris’ nanny/adopted aunt? I had a really hard time following who was who, as it was all dumped in a rushed and back-pedalling manner when Diana let a secret slip. I’m still slightly confused over who Jarem/Ramero are, never mind any of the people who worked for Nathaniel.
To be honest, Owlet was a mess. The plot didn’t make any sense, the characters were undeveloped and flat and the writing was awkward. At this point, I’m not even curious enough to read the sequel to see if any of my questions are answered.
The biggest problem I had with Owlet was the constant bombardment of questions my mind was left hemorrhaging over. How did she lose her memory? What happened that she doesn’t remember her mother or being a young child? How does no one know she has lost her memory? How did her mother die? Why are Vermillion or Ravens “deathborn” and what does that mean? If they don’t trust Caleb, why would they let him be alone with Iris while someone determined what kind of bird she was? Why was Falcon named Falcon (something she asks him, and he promises to tell later)? Why was a boy entrusted with killing someone so dangerous? If everyone knew Caleb was raising this boy to be an assassin, why did no one step up and confront him? Even though he was only a boy, why would Elena and Roger risk their daughter’s life by letting him live with them? Why did the Council increase from five to twelve? And what the heck happened on the plane?! So many questions that I never felt were truly resolved! Needless to say, Owlet kept me in the dark about a lot of the history surrounding Iris and the Eyrie/Stryx (and I’m still not entirely sure what the difference between a Stryx and an Eyrie is).
I think I could have mostly ignored the questions piling up if it hadn’t been for Michaels’ constant foreshadowing that some great secret would be revealed, only for the reveal to be interrupted. Instead of creating suspense, it became exasperating. Every time an answer was within reach, something else happened that took precedence and the explanation was taken away forever. It was the lack of answers in Owlet that made it difficult for me to follow the direction of the plot. In order to make sure Iris was safe, Roger sends her to the island she grew up on. But once Roger gets to the island, it’s imperative for Iris’ safety that they head to Ramero’s. But once they get to Ramero’s, it’s imperative that they get to Nathaniel’s. Nothing was explained, and by the end I couldn’t help but wonder why they hadn’t just travelled to Nathaniel’s from the beginning?
Owlet’s confusing plot definitely wasn’t helped by Michaels’ strange writing style. She rarely used conjunctions which made the language formal and impersonal.
I am still not sure. Once I am, however, I promise I will tell you.I think the lack of conjunctions also made for a very choppy read, as everything read bluntly and to the point.
She is ready, but we haven’t gotten to clean up. I am sorry. She might look a bit ragged and she is injured pretty badly,” Diana said as she entered the room.It just didn’t flow well together, and I found myself constantly rereading sentences because they were so awkward.
A really short read, Owlet also didn’t give me any time to become connected to any of the characters. Iris came across as a daydreamer, as someone who wasn’t grounded in reality as she was constantly talking to “the voice” inside her head and wishing for her “Never-Never”. This also made her seem quite childish, and so I was constantly picturing her quite a bit younger than she’s supposed to be. Falcon was used as a prop, ready to literally pick up Iris when she had another asthma attack or fainted from something shocking. Diana was Iris’ nanny/adopted aunt? I had a really hard time following who was who, as it was all dumped in a rushed and back-pedalling manner when Diana let a secret slip. I’m still slightly confused over who Jarem/Ramero are, never mind any of the people who worked for Nathaniel.
To be honest, Owlet was a mess. The plot didn’t make any sense, the characters were undeveloped and flat and the writing was awkward. At this point, I’m not even curious enough to read the sequel to see if any of my questions are answered.