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TL;DR: Just don't read this book. It's stupid. And problematic. And did I say stupid?
This book is laughably bad. I expecting something cheesy, romantic, fast-paced, and comforting in the way that books beginning in a European train station in overcast weather tend to be.
First, it began with small pet peeves:
This is cobalt blue, for anyone who doesn't know:
The number of times the MC brings up his ice blue eyes that are also cobalt is mind-boggling.
Let's move on.
This book is poorly edited. In fact, it's probably the worst editing in a multi-million copy bestseller I've ever seen. It begins entirely in the girl's point of view (3rd person limited), going into only her thoughts and actions and certainly not into the mysterious guy's thoughts. Suddenly, on page 66, this changes without warning:
It literally goes from Dylan's (the girl) point of view ("What else was he hiding from her?") to Tristan's (the guy's) all of a sudden and with no precedent. This happens several more times in the book and is jarring every time.
Then, there's the trope of Dylan being unlike any girl/person Tristan had ever met in his thousands of years of living. Usually, this trope is accompanied by a character with some kind of defining characteristic: being unusually skilled at something, being incredibly hot, being brave, etc. So while it's not usually realistic, it still makes sense. In the case of this book, Dylan has no notable qualities. Tristan says she's unlike anyone he has ever encountered, but she literally does nothing of note. She's neither extroverted nor introverted, she doesn't share any interesting conversations with him aside from listening to him talking about his past - she simply has no personality.
According to Tristan, she's different because she's calm about being dead:
A few pages later, Tristan tells Dylan about one of the souls he had ferried in the past:
Exhibit A of another soul calmly accepting their death.
Now, let's get to the problematic stuff.
1. With no relevance to the plot or overarching story, the wraiths want Dylan more because she has a pure soul. When she insists that she's not that pure, Tristan says it's because she's a virgin and virgins have pure souls and are less bitter than non-virgins. Yeah. Seriously.
Maybe it this had some kind of bigger relevance or connection to something plot-wise it'd be okay. But this is the only time in the entire book it's mentioned and it's honestly gross. Does this make little kids even more "delectable" then if the logic is young and virginal regardless of personality or actions??
2. Apparently everyone speaks English in the afterlife, regardless of the person's first language, as seen when Dylan approaches someone she know isn't an English speaker.
3. Tristan is basically a VERY old person whose form changes based on the person looking at him, and tells Dylan he embodied her dream guy to get her attention and trust but that it's not his true form. I think she's 15. And the scene where she's changing and he looks at her in the reflection and admires her naked back WAS SO WRONG. Please never, ever describe how desirable a nude 15-year old minor looks to someone spying on her without her consent. She literally HAD HIM TURN AROUND so he looked in the window reflection. There's no saving that.
4. SPOILER - though there isn't much plot so it's not really revealing much:
Yep. Dylan KNOWS that the ferryman has to hold hands with the soul in order to protect it on the journey since she had to do the exact same thing, and that letting go means the wraiths will literally attack and eat you alive. She seems Tristan ferrying a woman, gets jealous, and tries to distract him, resulting in their hands letting go and the wraiths consuming the woman's eternal soul.
I'm not even going to go into the insta-love and the way-too-early love confessions. I'm all for insta-lust and insta-connections and even insta-love (especially when it's my favorite soul mates/fated lover trope) but in this case, they literally had NO connection. They fall in love in a couple of days without even having meaningful conversations. They just travel together, and then Dylan wants to give up her immortal soul to see him again once she makes it to the other side. She ranks very, very high on my list of stupidest characters ever to exist.
*2021 Popsugar Reading Challenge*
Prompt #22: A book set mostly or entirely outdoors
*2021 A-Z Cover Challenge: B: Boat*
This book is laughably bad. I expecting something cheesy, romantic, fast-paced, and comforting in the way that books beginning in a European train station in overcast weather tend to be.
First, it began with small pet peeves:
He turned towards her and she got her first look into his eyes. They were icy blue and cold. Cobalt. (35)
This is cobalt blue, for anyone who doesn't know:
The number of times the MC brings up his ice blue eyes that are also cobalt is mind-boggling.
Let's move on.
This book is poorly edited. In fact, it's probably the worst editing in a multi-million copy bestseller I've ever seen. It begins entirely in the girl's point of view (3rd person limited), going into only her thoughts and actions and certainly not into the mysterious guy's thoughts. Suddenly, on page 66, this changes without warning:
What else was he hiding from her? Tristan sighed. He had known that this point had been coming, he'd postponed it as long as possible. [...] He had no choice but to be honest with her. He wasn't sure where to start..." (66)
It literally goes from Dylan's (the girl) point of view ("What else was he hiding from her?") to Tristan's (the guy's) all of a sudden and with no precedent. This happens several more times in the book and is jarring every time.
Then, there's the trope of Dylan being unlike any girl/person Tristan had ever met in his thousands of years of living. Usually, this trope is accompanied by a character with some kind of defining characteristic: being unusually skilled at something, being incredibly hot, being brave, etc. So while it's not usually realistic, it still makes sense. In the case of this book, Dylan has no notable qualities. Tristan says she's unlike anyone he has ever encountered, but she literally does nothing of note. She's neither extroverted nor introverted, she doesn't share any interesting conversations with him aside from listening to him talking about his past - she simply has no personality.
According to Tristan, she's different because she's calm about being dead:
Dylan was not like any other soul he'd encountered. She had accepted the truth calmly, with no outbursts. (77)
A few pages later, Tristan tells Dylan about one of the souls he had ferried in the past:
"He turned and said, 'I'm dead, aren't I?'
I just nodded, not trusting myself to speak. [...] Thankfully the man accepted the answer and I turned and began walking away into the dark night. With one last look at the woman, Gregor followed."
[...]
"That man, Gregor, he knew he was dead. Right away he knew." She looked incredulous. (90)
Exhibit A of another soul calmly accepting their death.
This soul, this woman was so timid, so docile and compliant that she hadn't once questioned Tristan's word. It had become almost annoying, as if she were blank paper, completely vacant. But at least it had been convenient. (224)Ah, so I guess it really isn't rare to find souls that don't question their death?
Now, let's get to the problematic stuff.
1. With no relevance to the plot or overarching story, the wraiths want Dylan more because she has a pure soul. When she insists that she's not that pure, Tristan says it's because she's a virgin and virgins have pure souls and are less bitter than non-virgins. Yeah. Seriously.
"Any time a young, virgin soul comes into the wasteland, the wraiths are more aggressive, more dangerous." He looked at her, making sure he had her full attention. "They want you - you specifically. To them, your soul would be a feast. More desirable, more delectable, than the bitter taste of a soul who'd lied too long."
Dylan just gaped at him [...] She was stuck on that one word. Virgin. How the hell did he know that about her? Was it written on her forehead? [...] Had that been what he was thinking, when he was hanging onto her hand: that she was pure and innocent? A virgin? (100)
Maybe it this had some kind of bigger relevance or connection to something plot-wise it'd be okay. But this is the only time in the entire book it's mentioned and it's honestly gross. Does this make little kids even more "delectable" then if the logic is young and virginal regardless of personality or actions??
2. Apparently everyone speaks English in the afterlife, regardless of the person's first language, as seen when Dylan approaches someone she know isn't an English speaker.
"Can you understand me?" she asked.
He smiled at her, revealing teeth that were not quite straight.
"You haven't been here very long, have you?" His English seemed perfect, with just a hint of an accent. (195)
3. Tristan is basically a VERY old person whose form changes based on the person looking at him, and tells Dylan he embodied her dream guy to get her attention and trust but that it's not his true form. I think she's 15. And the scene where she's changing and he looks at her in the reflection and admires her naked back WAS SO WRONG. Please never, ever describe how desirable a nude 15-year old minor looks to someone spying on her without her consent. She literally HAD HIM TURN AROUND so he looked in the window reflection. There's no saving that.
4. SPOILER - though there isn't much plot so it's not really revealing much:
She thought of the soul he'd just been ferrying, the woman she's accidentally killed with nothing more than her own stupidity; thought about the way they'd been holding hands (251)
Yep. Dylan KNOWS that the ferryman has to hold hands with the soul in order to protect it on the journey since she had to do the exact same thing, and that letting go means the wraiths will literally attack and eat you alive. She seems Tristan ferrying a woman, gets jealous, and tries to distract him, resulting in their hands letting go and the wraiths consuming the woman's eternal soul.
I'm not even going to go into the insta-love and the way-too-early love confessions. I'm all for insta-lust and insta-connections and even insta-love (especially when it's my favorite soul mates/fated lover trope) but in this case, they literally had NO connection. They fall in love in a couple of days without even having meaningful conversations. They just travel together, and then Dylan wants to give up her immortal soul to see him again once she makes it to the other side. She ranks very, very high on my list of stupidest characters ever to exist.
*2021 Popsugar Reading Challenge*
Prompt #22: A book set mostly or entirely outdoors
*2021 A-Z Cover Challenge: B: Boat*