Scan barcode
A review by anna_hepworth
Grave Expectations by Alice Bell
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This had potential, and it didn't live up to it. It didn't seem to know if it was a rom com, a grim murder mystery, or something else entirely. The supernatural element was mostly fine, but the rest of it was a mess.
The further through the story, the less I cared. I didn't like the protagonist, I didn't like the way things were half arsed, and mostly the writing wasn't good enough to keep me going. What got me to the end of the book was spite -- was the author really shoving the clue as far under my nose as I thought they were? And yes, they really really were. I was right, the mystery details were really unsubtly foreshadowed, and I wished I'd never bothered.
According to the reading app, this took me two hours and twenty minutes, and while those were almost all on the train, I could have spent that time reading something that gave me pleasure, rather than constant frustration.
If you like farce as the dominant plot driver, you might like this. But you also might find it disappointingly contrived. Even for farce.
The further through the story, the less I cared. I didn't like the protagonist, I didn't like the way things were half arsed, and mostly the writing wasn't good enough to keep me going. What got me to the end of the book was spite -- was the author really shoving the clue as far under my nose as I thought they were? And yes, they really really were. I was right, the mystery details were really unsubtly foreshadowed, and I wished I'd never bothered.
According to the reading app, this took me two hours and twenty minutes, and while those were almost all on the train, I could have spent that time reading something that gave me pleasure, rather than constant frustration.
If you like farce as the dominant plot driver, you might like this. But you also might find it disappointingly contrived. Even for farce.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Vomit
Moderate: Violence
I'm missing a stack of content warnings, because it was just icky in so many ways. There really didn't need to be multiple morning afters where vomit was involved.