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A review by dalmavatai
A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book... was a mixed bag. I loved the mystery: the books about Eloise, the charms on the necklace, the diaries, the setup was all so creative and gripping that I couldn't wait to find out what was going on. And I will say that I really liked the twists, I thought they were very satisfying and well done. For the mystery and the twists alone I do think this book was worth reading.
However, I just thought that the characters were quite bland and I didn't much care for them, and I didn't care about the nature/commune aspects either. This book kind of made me realize that I don't enjoy reading about a commune because it's just not something that I'm particularly interested in learning about. If it had gone darker I perhaps would have enjoyed it more because I do think I'm interested in reading about cults, but alas I was a bit bored for long stretches of reading this book. It was also too long in my opinion but my lack of enjoyment obviously contributes to me feeling that way.
An overall meh setting and bland characters with a very gripping mystery and a good payoff - a very mixed bag.
I will also say that without going into spoilers, I was not a fan of the disability (blind) representation at all, I thought it was a plot point that could've been handled with a lot more care which wouldn't have had the outcome that we ended up getting. It's a bit cheap so maybe look at reviews by blind people to see how they feel about it.
However, I just thought that the characters were quite bland and I didn't much care for them, and I didn't care about the nature/commune aspects either. This book kind of made me realize that I don't enjoy reading about a commune because it's just not something that I'm particularly interested in learning about. If it had gone darker I perhaps would have enjoyed it more because I do think I'm interested in reading about cults, but alas I was a bit bored for long stretches of reading this book. It was also too long in my opinion but my lack of enjoyment obviously contributes to me feeling that way.
An overall meh setting and bland characters with a very gripping mystery and a good payoff - a very mixed bag.
I will also say that without going into spoilers, I was not a fan of the disability (blind) representation at all, I thought it was a plot point that could've been handled with a lot more care which wouldn't have had the outcome that we ended up getting. It's a bit cheap so maybe look at reviews by blind people to see how they feel about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Infidelity and Violence
Minor: Child death, Drug abuse, Suicide, and Alcoholism