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sbookreader 's review for:
Ruins
by Amy Taylor
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I suppose the part about Medea being deus ex machina-ed out of her story was foreshadowing Lena’s forcible removal from the narrative. Unlike Emma, I didn’t find that a particularly satisfying way to give Lena the freedom she so desperately wanted.
I did appreciate the three-dimensionalality of Emma and Julian as characters, though. Unreliable narrators, both, and their respective views of themselves and each other were really well-written. Emma’s passivity felt very realistic, and her perspective on that, and the moments she broke out of that pattern, for better or worse, were done well. Her and Julian’s wildly divergent backgrounds were a great narrative device as well, showing how much ground they had to bridge to understand each other, and, further, that even making that effort to step outside your own perspectiveisn’t always enough to make a relationship work . I was quite caught up in Emma’s POV by the end.
Greece was a character in itself, woven beautifully into the plot. I liked the echo of mythology in Emma and Julian’s story, and in Lena’stragedy, brought about by Darius . Desi felt somewhat underdeveloped as a character; she was a bit shoehorned in as a handy lawyer contact and decisive, proactive foil to Emma’s passivity; I would read a sequel from her POV to get to know her better! The contrast between Julian and Desi’s sibling relationship and that of Lena and Darius was stark.
One more minor thing: the food descriptions were great. Really added to the atmosphere and authenticity of the setting.
I did appreciate the three-dimensionalality of Emma and Julian as characters, though. Unreliable narrators, both, and their respective views of themselves and each other were really well-written. Emma’s passivity felt very realistic, and her perspective on that, and the moments she broke out of that pattern, for better or worse, were done well. Her and Julian’s wildly divergent backgrounds were a great narrative device as well, showing how much ground they had to bridge to understand each other, and, further, that even making that effort to step outside your own perspective
Greece was a character in itself, woven beautifully into the plot. I liked the echo of mythology in Emma and Julian’s story, and in Lena’s
One more minor thing: the food descriptions were great. Really added to the atmosphere and authenticity of the setting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Pregnancy
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Grief, Alcohol, Classism