lara_mac's Reviews (105)

The Waters

Bonnie Jo Campbell

DID NOT FINISH: 55%

I tried for so long, but I simply could not get into this book. It was so repetitive and an absolute slog. I shouldn’t be halfway through a book without any investment in the characters. Finally just giving up.

An uplifting, enjoyable read about opening your eyes to the seemingly mundane, but beautiful and important, things that make up our lives. It is heavily magical realism-based, it’s not supposed to be “believable”
emotional informative inspiring reflective

Beautifully written, scientifically insightful, and an inspiring rumination on humans’ relationship to nature and what makes wild things wild. This book really touched me.

I thoroughly enjoyed it but Violet and Xaden drive me crazy. Grow up! Quoting a Reddit post I saw: “They feel like one of those super narcissistic couples that congratulate each other on being geniuses all the time when at least one of them is, in fact, an idiot.” I couldn’t put it down but was also so confused by keeping characters straight and all of the plot lines that weren’t fully explained. 

Perfectly entertaining! Just a fun little sci fi romp. I wish there had been a bit further exploration of the world of the creepers, but maybe that’s in the next book?
adventurous funny reflective

An absolute fever dream of a book and I loved every minute of it. I’ve never read anything like this one before, and I want to read it over and over again.
adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Highly enjoyable! Engrossing, I couldn’t put it down and read it in a weekend. There are plenty of things that annoy me about Violet and Xaden and other character interactions, but not enough to keep me from thoroughly enjoying this book.
dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Super fast, unique read. Totally frustrating characters, but in an intentional and well-done way. 

Definitely repetitive, and I didn’t really feel any attachment to the characters, but still a beautiful and very human read.

Toxic masculinity! Grossly over protective family members! Way too many uses of the pet name “sugar”! If you’re into all of those things, you might like this one more than I did. It wasn’t my least favorite romance ever. It just didn’t hit for me.