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starstrays's reviews
12 reviews
The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, and Violence
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
there's just nothing interesting about the characters. the worldbuilding is bland and lacks the magic i was expecting out of a fantas genre. it wasn't worth continuing despite being promised by my friend it would get better. dnf
Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
I very rarely DNF books so early but this one was just difficult to read. It is blocks upon blocks of tall paragraphs and the narrative feels so aimless. It feels like I'm reading about the MC and learning nothing about her. Just... not my vibe.
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
FINAL RATING: 3.5 STARS
NOT SPOILER FREE
I think it's been said repeatedly but God I really just have to say how stunning this book's cover is. It jarred me once I got to the portion of the book where her brothers were turned into cranes because I went to reexamine the cover after, and the cranes made such human expressions! Kudos to the artist for that.
I needed a good fantasy book to read. And while Six Crimson Cranes didn't quite fulfill the itch of other fantasy books of the same genre I've read (e.g. The Jasmine Throne), I was definitely glad for this to have preoccupied my time. I probably won't jump into it immediately, but I do plan on reading the sequel.
A lot of the good points I liked in the book mingle a little with the points I think are flawed, so I'll start with the good and slowly get to the parts that I think were so-so:
I love Shiori. She was a breath of fresh air from all the badass, girlboss fem protagonists I've normally encountered in books like these. I could <i>feel</i> her struggle with all the misfortune and adversities she went through, and I adored that she persevered through all of it. The book stays true to her sheltered princess background, and I admire her all the more for tackling all her problems in resourceful, determined, oftentimes sloppy ways. There's no moment of her being Kiata's bloodsake that saves her and makes her like a 'chosen one' trope. She's just human, and I love that for her!
I also really liked the build up of Takkan and Shiori's relationship. The whole 'you don't know it but you're my betrothed' on Shiori's end, and yet Takkan grows to organically love 'Lina' and unquestionably still does when it is revealed she's Shiori - even figuring out that she <i>is</i> Shiori! I know a number of books that would have gone the direction of Takkan feeling """""betrayed""""" that Shiori had hidden his identity, and I braced for it, but it never happens. Above communicating to each other without words, they have such an understanding for each other and it makes my heart ache for how healthy this slow burn relationship was. It looks like I won't be seeing Takkan again for the sequel (Lim please prove me wrong!), but I hope these two stay despite the distance.
I love books based on culture from the east, as an Asian myself! Though I'm from a different region in Asia whereas SCC is East Asian, so I can't say much about the specific mythologies Lim took inspiration from. Nonetheless I still am able to take comfort in a world built on an Eastern countries. The thing that upsets me with it though is how small the world feels, and that's mostly because Shiori was usually bound to the places she strays to. Her time in Tianyi village as a cook, and her time in Iro as a servant as well, normally meant that she isn't able to explore much. There isn't much of an opportunity to describe how large the world is meant to be.
This is where I go into the book's flaws: SCC feels <i>too</i> character-driven. I cared so little for the Lord Yuji, Wolf, and the oncoming war conflict because the focus was on Shiori's priority to free her brothers from the curse. The war tensions don't feel real and grave because it is barely discussed. The only thing I found myself caring about was Shiori and her brother's curse, and the built up to the confrontation with Raikama. It's an insignificant sub-plot that the story could have done without, and feels like it was placed there in an attempt to make the world feel bigger.
There isn't much I can say about the brothers for the same reason, especially because the weeks where she's able to bond with her brothers after years of being busy with royal obligation are entirely skipped for the sake of the plot. I love them through Shiori's devotion to save her brothers, but as characters, I don't really... care for the brothers? And I feel like that's a huge flaw for a book that predominantly advertises the six crimson cranes as the title. There also isn't much I can say about Kiki too really.
My final peeve with the book is how answers are spoonfed to you in the last possible minute. So much of the book was slow-paced, and all questions are only answered because a character is able to conveniently have all of it. Guiya literally explains why this and that happen, things I wish Shiori could have organically solved or guessed on for the course of a slow-paced story. Raikama in her death has to do the same. The ending leaves me wanting to read the sequel definitely, but I did not like how the book handled the last loose ends of the plot.
A lot of this was the result of bounding Shiori to a servant role and her focus to weave the starstroke. So I guess inevitably this boils down to wishing that Shiori had been given more opportunities to explore the world around her, taking us readers with her, as she discovers the secrets of in Iro. The Raikama mysteries, I could forgive because Shiori is able to deduce that there is something wrong with her curse, and that definitely had to be answered by Raikama. But Guiya literally has to spend an entire chapter to admitting crimes she committed, something that I believe Shiori could have sleuthed on a little more considering the significant amount of time she spends in Guiya's room.
My overall opinion of this is that I still consider it a good book, and I will be checking out the sequel soon. With Shiori no longer cursed by a bowl and pretending to be mute, I'm hoping the underwater kingdom that Shiori will be venturing into is a world she, along with us readers, are able to better immerse ourselves in. I'm looking forward to seeing how 'dangerous' her magic can become!
NOT SPOILER FREE
I think it's been said repeatedly but God I really just have to say how stunning this book's cover is. It jarred me once I got to the portion of the book where her brothers were turned into cranes because I went to reexamine the cover after, and the cranes made such human expressions! Kudos to the artist for that.
I needed a good fantasy book to read. And while Six Crimson Cranes didn't quite fulfill the itch of other fantasy books of the same genre I've read (e.g. The Jasmine Throne), I was definitely glad for this to have preoccupied my time. I probably won't jump into it immediately, but I do plan on reading the sequel.
A lot of the good points I liked in the book mingle a little with the points I think are flawed, so I'll start with the good and slowly get to the parts that I think were so-so:
I love Shiori. She was a breath of fresh air from all the badass, girlboss fem protagonists I've normally encountered in books like these. I could <i>feel</i> her struggle with all the misfortune and adversities she went through, and I adored that she persevered through all of it. The book stays true to her sheltered princess background, and I admire her all the more for tackling all her problems in resourceful, determined, oftentimes sloppy ways. There's no moment of her being Kiata's bloodsake that saves her and makes her like a 'chosen one' trope. She's just human, and I love that for her!
I also really liked the build up of Takkan and Shiori's relationship. The whole 'you don't know it but you're my betrothed' on Shiori's end, and yet Takkan grows to organically love 'Lina' and unquestionably still does when it is revealed she's Shiori - even figuring out that she <i>is</i> Shiori! I know a number of books that would have gone the direction of Takkan feeling """""betrayed""""" that Shiori had hidden his identity, and I braced for it, but it never happens. Above communicating to each other without words, they have such an understanding for each other and it makes my heart ache for how healthy this slow burn relationship was. It looks like I won't be seeing Takkan again for the sequel (Lim please prove me wrong!), but I hope these two stay despite the distance.
I love books based on culture from the east, as an Asian myself! Though I'm from a different region in Asia whereas SCC is East Asian, so I can't say much about the specific mythologies Lim took inspiration from. Nonetheless I still am able to take comfort in a world built on an Eastern countries. The thing that upsets me with it though is how small the world feels, and that's mostly because Shiori was usually bound to the places she strays to. Her time in Tianyi village as a cook, and her time in Iro as a servant as well, normally meant that she isn't able to explore much. There isn't much of an opportunity to describe how large the world is meant to be.
This is where I go into the book's flaws: SCC feels <i>too</i> character-driven. I cared so little for the Lord Yuji, Wolf, and the oncoming war conflict because the focus was on Shiori's priority to free her brothers from the curse. The war tensions don't feel real and grave because it is barely discussed. The only thing I found myself caring about was Shiori and her brother's curse, and the built up to the confrontation with Raikama. It's an insignificant sub-plot that the story could have done without, and feels like it was placed there in an attempt to make the world feel bigger.
There isn't much I can say about the brothers for the same reason, especially because the weeks where she's able to bond with her brothers after years of being busy with royal obligation are entirely skipped for the sake of the plot. I love them through Shiori's devotion to save her brothers, but as characters, I don't really... care for the brothers? And I feel like that's a huge flaw for a book that predominantly advertises the six crimson cranes as the title. There also isn't much I can say about Kiki too really.
My final peeve with the book is how answers are spoonfed to you in the last possible minute. So much of the book was slow-paced, and all questions are only answered because a character is able to conveniently have all of it. Guiya literally explains why this and that happen, things I wish Shiori could have organically solved or guessed on for the course of a slow-paced story. Raikama in her death has to do the same. The ending leaves me wanting to read the sequel definitely, but I did not like how the book handled the last loose ends of the plot.
A lot of this was the result of bounding Shiori to a servant role and her focus to weave the starstroke. So I guess inevitably this boils down to wishing that Shiori had been given more opportunities to explore the world around her, taking us readers with her, as she discovers the secrets of in Iro. The Raikama mysteries, I could forgive because Shiori is able to deduce that there is something wrong with her curse, and that definitely had to be answered by Raikama. But Guiya literally has to spend an entire chapter to admitting crimes she committed, something that I believe Shiori could have sleuthed on a little more considering the significant amount of time she spends in Guiya's room.
My overall opinion of this is that I still consider it a good book, and I will be checking out the sequel soon. With Shiori no longer cursed by a bowl and pretending to be mute, I'm hoping the underwater kingdom that Shiori will be venturing into is a world she, along with us readers, are able to better immerse ourselves in. I'm looking forward to seeing how 'dangerous' her magic can become!
Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I'd like to start this off by first saying: If you're reading this for the LGBT tag, it's... not inherently wrong? But the book personally could've lived without being tagged as LGBT. The closest to a legitimate LGBT pair there is in the book is left up in the air, and a threesome happens with two women and a man, but that's really only it? So uh, it's a Thing, but not at all central to the book.
Anyways.
SPOILERS AHEAD
This book was frustrating to get through and I was simply eager to get through it. Yes, it's one that provokes a lot of curiosity and Olivie Blake's writing remains excellent. But there were just so many reasons nearly compelliny my need to finish it to just drop it entirely.
For one, her writing style feels so introspective, fitting her other boom Alone With You in the Ether, whereas in a book that features six characters competing and monologue is primarily happening, the book's world feels too small despite all her efforts to worldbuild.
For another, because of the topics jt discussed, TAS also felt like a remix kf AWYE except it threw in more characters into the mix. It's all talk about space and time and dimension without AWYE's bees.
The book is also annoyingly slow, yet once again the writing makes it feel like there are portions it's forced to speed up. There are sudden dialogue topic changes that feel unnatural. The timeskips get so repetitive. These are things that worked for AWYE which is, once again, a book heavy on introspection. Whereas TAS is a book that tries to be full of research, discussion and theory, but the way it attempts to execute all of these feel so passive and unmoving to the plot.
Once again an incompatibility with Olivie's writing and the book's nature, for all the interest each character has built up, I will immediately stop caring about them in the next chapter. I don't get to see them bond and fight in real time often enough despite living in the same quarters for months because of these structural flaws. I know who these characters are on an individual level, but who are they together as The Atlas Six? I am forced to only care for one character at a time.
The book is decent, and surprisingly I would not say I hated it. But it felt like I exerted too much effort trying to finish it because of how the book is structured. This is where my curiosity for TAS ends, and hence it is unlikely for me to read the sequel.
Anyways.
SPOILERS AHEAD
This book was frustrating to get through and I was simply eager to get through it. Yes, it's one that provokes a lot of curiosity and Olivie Blake's writing remains excellent. But there were just so many reasons nearly compelliny my need to finish it to just drop it entirely.
For one, her writing style feels so introspective, fitting her other boom Alone With You in the Ether, whereas in a book that features six characters competing and monologue is primarily happening, the book's world feels too small despite all her efforts to worldbuild.
For another, because of the topics jt discussed, TAS also felt like a remix kf AWYE except it threw in more characters into the mix. It's all talk about space and time and dimension without AWYE's bees.
The book is also annoyingly slow, yet once again the writing makes it feel like there are portions it's forced to speed up. There are sudden dialogue topic changes that feel unnatural. The timeskips get so repetitive. These are things that worked for AWYE which is, once again, a book heavy on introspection. Whereas TAS is a book that tries to be full of research, discussion and theory, but the way it attempts to execute all of these feel so passive and unmoving to the plot.
Once again an incompatibility with Olivie's writing and the book's nature, for all the interest each character has built up, I will immediately stop caring about them in the next chapter. I don't get to see them bond and fight in real time often enough despite living in the same quarters for months because of these structural flaws. I know who these characters are on an individual level, but who are they together as The Atlas Six? I am forced to only care for one character at a time.
The book is decent, and surprisingly I would not say I hated it. But it felt like I exerted too much effort trying to finish it because of how the book is structured. This is where my curiosity for TAS ends, and hence it is unlikely for me to read the sequel.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
FINAL RATING: 3.5 stars
<a href=" https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4696062537?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1">Goodreads</a>
I was excited to pick up this book when the friend who recommended this to me said this book was inspired by Slavic culture, and as a fan of fantasy, I absolutely had to pick it up. Though the book had a strong start to middle, halfway through it kind of... lost my interest in several plot points towards the end.
To start with the pros of this book, I'd like to preface before all else: Wanda best girl. My favorite. Her role in the story was a more passive one compared to Irina and Miryem. Wanda was more of a helpful bystander as the story unfurled in front of her rather than someone who played an active role in the plot, and I appreciated her presence for it. And, as someone who loves sibling relationships, I really love that she grows close with Sergey and Stepon. Wanda's story felt like a breather in between the political turmoil and awful husbands plots with Miryem and Irina.
Not to say that I didn't like the latter two main characters. Miryem and Irina parallel each other. Their personalities, their journey, their motivations. They've both trained themselves to be cold, but their hearts are full of love for their loved ones. Simultaneously, they both manage to see the bigger picture. And they're both stuck with spouses they did not want to marry. Yet, they remain distinct characters.
It was interesting to see Miryem's journey of her heart thawing and opening itself to a kingdom that isn't her own. Irina, meanwhile, surprised me. She comes off soft-spoken and shy, and the general impression I received from her at the beginning was a mousy character after being isolated for so long. But, seeing how she maintains this cold demeanor to her, remaining cool and steady in front of all adversities, and also see glimpses of her craving that warmth as well, she is unafraid and aware of the world around her. My favorite after Wanda definitely has to be Irina. I don't really have much to say about Miryem, though. I feel that her character was sorely limitedconsidering she's basically imprisoned by the Staryk king for like 45% of the story.
I also felt the fantasy and magic in how Novik writes. Her prose is simple and easy to read, but not too much that it's isn't engaging. While not quite there, it reminds me of C.S. Lewis' writing in Narnia.
Despite all the good things I can say about it, I unfortunately didn't find this book perfect.
Much of my nitpick with the book is the author's use of so many perspectives. I had to go back and reread the start of Irina's perspective when she got introduced, since she doesn't get introduced early, and isn't even relevant for a good chunk of the beginning. Miryem, Irina, and Wanda's voices voices do remain distinct, but I definitely disliked the perspective changes not happening by chapter.
There are <b>six</b> point of views in this story, which I wouldn't have really minded at first. But the perspective changes happen within the chapters, rather than the chapters transitioning to another perspective. The story would have been much shorter without the three other additional perspectives.
I also didn't like that Novik chose to use these outsider's perspectives 0n certain crucial moments in the story, likewhen the Staryk was getting captured, but it was told in Stepon's POV . It took the emotion out of this segment, and I would have loved to read this confrontation in the POV of any of the three main characters. These outsider perspectives weren't totally for naught, because I did like the POV of Magreta when Chernobog was confronting Irina, and the reveal of how Irina essentially protected Lithvas with such a simple bargain she's made with Chernobog . That one is an excellent example, because even I felt Magreta's surprise since it was told in her POV.
I would have lowered my rating to 3 stars were it not for the ending because I am a sucker for thatfound family trope, and I wish I could have seen the merged families of Wanda and Miryem interact more before the story ended. It warmed my heart to read Miryem call Wanda and her brothers as her siblings.
Another plot downside,I don't know how I feel about the Staryk king and Miryem being truly married in the end, out of love this time. Maybe with more interactions that wasn't the Staryk being awful, I would have been into it? Miryem seeing the Staryk people as her kingdom - as the Staryk queen - was a plot point I really liked, because I saw her story as one of her heart thawing. But between her and the Staryk king, there isn't much notable interactions between them (other than ones out of necessity and survival) that makes me want to be happy for their marriage. If they had shown more of the Staryk king being kind to Miryem, I'd be less conflicted with Miryem's story concluding like this.
To sum it up: this was a good story, albeit I wouldn't call it a favorite. I can see myself recommending it to those who like fantasy and adventure. And the most important point: Wanda best girl!
<a href=" https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4696062537?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1">Goodreads</a>
I was excited to pick up this book when the friend who recommended this to me said this book was inspired by Slavic culture, and as a fan of fantasy, I absolutely had to pick it up. Though the book had a strong start to middle, halfway through it kind of... lost my interest in several plot points towards the end.
To start with the pros of this book, I'd like to preface before all else: Wanda best girl. My favorite. Her role in the story was a more passive one compared to Irina and Miryem. Wanda was more of a helpful bystander as the story unfurled in front of her rather than someone who played an active role in the plot, and I appreciated her presence for it. And, as someone who loves sibling relationships, I really love that she grows close with Sergey and Stepon. Wanda's story felt like a breather in between the political turmoil and awful husbands plots with Miryem and Irina.
Not to say that I didn't like the latter two main characters. Miryem and Irina parallel each other. Their personalities, their journey, their motivations. They've both trained themselves to be cold, but their hearts are full of love for their loved ones. Simultaneously, they both manage to see the bigger picture. And they're both stuck with spouses they did not want to marry. Yet, they remain distinct characters.
It was interesting to see Miryem's journey of her heart thawing and opening itself to a kingdom that isn't her own. Irina, meanwhile, surprised me. She comes off soft-spoken and shy, and the general impression I received from her at the beginning was a mousy character after being isolated for so long. But, seeing how she maintains this cold demeanor to her, remaining cool and steady in front of all adversities, and also see glimpses of her craving that warmth as well, she is unafraid and aware of the world around her. My favorite after Wanda definitely has to be Irina. I don't really have much to say about Miryem, though. I feel that her character was sorely limited
I also felt the fantasy and magic in how Novik writes. Her prose is simple and easy to read, but not too much that it's isn't engaging. While not quite there, it reminds me of C.S. Lewis' writing in Narnia.
Despite all the good things I can say about it, I unfortunately didn't find this book perfect.
Much of my nitpick with the book is the author's use of so many perspectives. I had to go back and reread the start of Irina's perspective when she got introduced, since she doesn't get introduced early, and isn't even relevant for a good chunk of the beginning. Miryem, Irina, and Wanda's voices voices do remain distinct, but I definitely disliked the perspective changes not happening by chapter.
There are <b>six</b> point of views in this story, which I wouldn't have really minded at first. But the perspective changes happen within the chapters, rather than the chapters transitioning to another perspective. The story would have been much shorter without the three other additional perspectives.
I also didn't like that Novik chose to use these outsider's perspectives 0n certain crucial moments in the story, like
I would have lowered my rating to 3 stars were it not for the ending because I am a sucker for that
Another plot downside,
To sum it up: this was a good story, albeit I wouldn't call it a favorite. I can see myself recommending it to those who like fantasy and adventure. And the most important point: Wanda best girl!
Verity by Colleen Hoover
"He moves to the sink and runs the water again, and begins washing his hands. I continue to stare at him, unable to mute my curiosity. What did he mean when he said he's seen worse than the accident we just witnessed? He said he used to be in real estate, but even the worst day on the job as a realtor wouldn't fill someone with the kind of gloom that's filling this man."
"What happened to you?" I ask.
He looks at me in the mirror. "What do you mean?"
Writing like that, which could have been more straightforward or better executed. There's also a portion at the last chapter of the book that feels too 'tell' and too little 'show.' It felt like I was being babied to understand what CoHo was trying to convey with her plot twist. Give your reader a little more credit to infer on their own, maybe?
Verity isn't a bad book, I guess. I will admit, for her first time writing thriller, I admire CoHo for trying to veer out of her usual romance books and trying her hand at Verity. Contrary to what most of the reviews will say, it isn't something that will keep you up at night if you're familiar with thrillers. I can see why CoHo fans hyped up Verity and would be eager to devour a book when they're normally used to reading her romances. But I can imagine thriller fans may find themselves disappointed reading Verity.
Still, despite my conflicting feelings towards the book, I'll give it a 2.5 and give props for CoHo's efforts to write this book. I'm not part of her usual demographic, and I begun Verity since it was book of the month in a group I'm a part of. But CoHo's writing and plot have definitely reminded me why I don't read CoHo books often.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This book could have been better.
CoHo has this way of structuring her books. Majority of the book's plot is dedicated to tension and build up of some inevitable situation that will occur towards the end of the book. And then she'll spare a chapter or two on a HUGE plot twist that twists the reader's perception of that build up and tension going on for 95% of the book. I saw this in November 9, I saw this in Confess. Predictability isn't necessarily a good thing, but CoHo has constantly used this formula and it has gotten boring. So when the big plot twist came, I was like, "Alright, there it is." I finished the book like that.
SPOILERS AHEAD
First of all, Lowen's put through an unnecessary amount of trauma that isn't even integral to the plot. I can let the car accident in the first chapter of the book pass as CoHo trying to set the mood for the story. But Lowen's sleepwalking? I felt like her breaking down in front of Jeremy felt like a checklist to get them to sleep in the same room for fluff. Right after Lowen came from his "comatose" wife's room. I mean, if you find that cute, sure? I was already extremely uncomfortable knowing Lowen and Jeremy were fucking while Verity - Jeremy's comatose WIFE whom he's dedicated to taking care of - "slept" in the room above them.
The big plot twist could have been less predictable? CoHo could have centered that plot twist around Jeremy rather than Verity. It would have been the perfect setup: Jeremy, unassuming, sweet, loving parent, versus Verity, whom we already suspect was a psychopath who hated her children. I would have been more shocked if there was emphasis or hints throughout the book to Jeremy being drastically protective father for his last child, to the point of possibly setting up Verity's death without being guided by Lowen? It would have been fascinating if he was the real mastermind or so.
Part of me also wishes that Verity and Lowen could have gotten to bond, rather than the entire book dedicated to Verity pretending to be comatose. It would have been a nice parallel to Jeremy with Verity, that she's a good mother who will do anything for her last surviving child. There were so many opportunities for Verity to plead her case to Lowen and help her escape. Instead, I would have to read through Verity and Jeremy's sex life. If I wasn't reading their sex life, it would be Lowen and Jeremy's pining turned sex. For a book called a thriller, 'disappointing' would be putting it lightly.
CoHo has this way of structuring her books. Majority of the book's plot is dedicated to tension and build up of some inevitable situation that will occur towards the end of the book. And then she'll spare a chapter or two on a HUGE plot twist that twists the reader's perception of that build up and tension going on for 95% of the book. I saw this in November 9, I saw this in Confess. Predictability isn't necessarily a good thing, but CoHo has constantly used this formula and it has gotten boring. So when the big plot twist came, I was like, "Alright, there it is." I finished the book like that.
SPOILERS AHEAD
There were occasions where writing of this book was a little stunted and dragging, especially at the first portions of the book where nothing much happens yet. Like so:
"He moves to the sink and runs the water again, and begins washing his hands. I continue to stare at him, unable to mute my curiosity. What did he mean when he said he's seen worse than the accident we just witnessed? He said he used to be in real estate, but even the worst day on the job as a realtor wouldn't fill someone with the kind of gloom that's filling this man."
"What happened to you?" I ask.
He looks at me in the mirror. "What do you mean?"
Writing like that, which could have been more straightforward or better executed. There's also a portion at the last chapter of the book that feels too 'tell' and too little 'show.' It felt like I was being babied to understand what CoHo was trying to convey with her plot twist. Give your reader a little more credit to infer on their own, maybe?
Verity isn't a bad book, I guess. I will admit, for her first time writing thriller, I admire CoHo for trying to veer out of her usual romance books and trying her hand at Verity. Contrary to what most of the reviews will say, it isn't something that will keep you up at night if you're familiar with thrillers. I can see why CoHo fans hyped up Verity and would be eager to devour a book when they're normally used to reading her romances. But I can imagine thriller fans may find themselves disappointed reading Verity.
Still, despite my conflicting feelings towards the book, I'll give it a 2.5 and give props for CoHo's efforts to write this book. I'm not part of her usual demographic, and I begun Verity since it was book of the month in a group I'm a part of. But CoHo's writing and plot have definitely reminded me why I don't read CoHo books often.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, and Child death
Moderate: Murder