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so_she_read's reviews
2 reviews
Midnight Rooms by Donyae Coles
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I'll be the first to admit; perhaps my expectations for this book when I first picked it up were unrealistic—and that is no fault of the author! I tend to have stupidly-high expectations for the books I read by default, my brain is simply wired that way.
But, upon finally taking the time to sit down, immerse myself, and tailor those expectations to be a bit more reasonable I found Midnight Rooms to be more grounded and less fantastical than I had been expecting. It takes itself seriously and I can appreciate its honesty. The prose is not too simple nor too complex; the word choice is rather basic but the way the author has structured her sentences beautifully in order to convey most precisely the thoughts and feelings of her characters more than makes up for it! (And, personally, I'd rather read something that I can chew easier and swallow without much difficulty than a novel with simple sentences chock full of dramatic wording.)
There are a couple of typos in the beginning of the story, but upon conducting further research, I learned that these are consistent with the decrease in quality of professional editing. A consequence of the publishing industry cutting corners. Luckily, they are not too jarring unless you get absolutely absorbed into what's happening; then they might disrupt your flow like rocks in a river of rich wine, but your boat should be fine to continue on.
Now, as much as I'd love to go into great deal about the plot and what I thought of it, I figure it best to just avoid spoilers as much as possible.
The plot is tricky to pin down and, at times, outright deceptive in the most maddening way possible. The author demonstrates a remarkable amount of skill when it comes to things like foreshadowing: leaving little clues for us to find, as it were. I find it to be especially impressive considering this is her debut novel. The plot is strong from start to finish, even if it sags a little in the middle, but I feel as though the last quarter felt a bit rushed and did not pay off as satisfactorily as I would've liked. Other than that, the plot is gripping and may or may not make you feel as though you, too, are going mad.
The characters that drive the whole thing forward have their own nuances and quirks and it is up to you to decide which ones are endearing, but I found myself bewitched by them all, especially by the complex relationships that lay between them. In fact, I went through the works. I gasped, laughed, cried, and 'd'awww'ed, you name it. I felt isolated from the rest of the world. Overall, I deducted that fifth star ONLY for the typos, repetitive phrasing in the first half, and the haphazard way some important plot threads were wrapped up and that is all.
This is definitely a book I will consider owning in the future.
But, upon finally taking the time to sit down, immerse myself, and tailor those expectations to be a bit more reasonable I found Midnight Rooms to be more grounded and less fantastical than I had been expecting. It takes itself seriously and I can appreciate its honesty. The prose is not too simple nor too complex; the word choice is rather basic but the way the author has structured her sentences beautifully in order to convey most precisely the thoughts and feelings of her characters more than makes up for it! (And, personally, I'd rather read something that I can chew easier and swallow without much difficulty than a novel with simple sentences chock full of dramatic wording.)
There are a couple of typos in the beginning of the story, but upon conducting further research, I learned that these are consistent with the decrease in quality of professional editing. A consequence of the publishing industry cutting corners. Luckily, they are not too jarring unless you get absolutely absorbed into what's happening; then they might disrupt your flow like rocks in a river of rich wine, but your boat should be fine to continue on.
Now, as much as I'd love to go into great deal about the plot and what I thought of it, I figure it best to just avoid spoilers as much as possible.
The plot is tricky to pin down and, at times, outright deceptive in the most maddening way possible. The author demonstrates a remarkable amount of skill when it comes to things like foreshadowing: leaving little clues for us to find, as it were. I find it to be especially impressive considering this is her debut novel. The plot is strong from start to finish, even if it sags a little in the middle, but I feel as though the last quarter felt a bit rushed and did not pay off as satisfactorily as I would've liked. Other than that, the plot is gripping and may or may not make you feel as though you, too, are going mad.
The characters that drive the whole thing forward have their own nuances and quirks and it is up to you to decide which ones are endearing, but I found myself bewitched by them all, especially by the complex relationships that lay between them. In fact, I went through the works. I gasped, laughed, cried, and 'd'awww'ed, you name it. I felt isolated from the rest of the world. Overall, I deducted that fifth star ONLY for the typos, repetitive phrasing in the first half, and the haphazard way some important plot threads were wrapped up and that is all.
This is definitely a book I will consider owning in the future.
Charade by Sandra Brown
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
The characters and the world Sandra Brown established were wonderful! But, after a certain amount of pages, I noticed the writing became sparse and depended largely on dialogue. This is especially jarring compared to the prologue and the first four chapters, which I felt was much better thought out and written in comparison.
While I understand that she may have deliberately left things up to the reader's imagination to make it more immersive, it felt as though she relied too much on the reader using their imagination to fill in the blanks which might leave them feeling out-of-place or even bored instead; at least, that's the way I felt. Frustrated, I decided I could no longer continue.
While I understand that she may have deliberately left things up to the reader's imagination to make it more immersive, it felt as though she relied too much on the reader using their imagination to fill in the blanks which might leave them feeling out-of-place or even bored instead; at least, that's the way I felt. Frustrated, I decided I could no longer continue.