I have zero memories of the first story, Home for Christmas. I don't think it was too terrible, but it wasn't particularly memorable either.
However, tI have zero memories of the first story, Home for Christmas. I don't think it was too terrible, but it wasn't particularly memorable either.
However, the second story, Search for Love, is awful. Sorry, but I don't find assault - or "punishing" kisses as the hero terms them - or attempted rape romantic. I skipped pretty much the entire book and didn't feel remotely lost when I read the end. I just wish I hadn't, considering how the "hero" confesses his love.
Nope. Nope, nope and nope. Fortunately, this isn't my first attempt at reading Nora Roberts, so I know how much better her books became over time. These two are both early and it really, really shows....more
This sounded like it would be a cute and funny read. Sadly, it wasn’t. If you like lots of family drama, including a really annoying twin brothDNF@23%
This sounded like it would be a cute and funny read. Sadly, it wasn’t. If you like lots of family drama, including a really annoying twin brother and a mother who clearly hates her daughter, then maybe you’ll like this.
It’ll also help if you don’t mind your heroine acting pretty immature for her age and have a love of in-depth legalese discussions about the minutia of rules and regulations. So many rules and regulations. So many discussions.
Alas, none of those are on my Must Read lists, so I’ll pass on this one.
(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)...more
I can’t believe I’m about to type this, because I’ve loved Julia Quinn’s books for years, but… I found this one boring. I’m not the biggest fan of romI can’t believe I’m about to type this, because I’ve loved Julia Quinn’s books for years, but… I found this one boring. I’m not the biggest fan of romantic pirates at the best of times, but since Andrew isn’t even close to being a pirate (or a privateer really, since he’s more of a merchant-smuggler) I thought I’d risk it anyway. Which would have been fine, except that over half the book takes place in a single cabin on board a ship at sea – and nothing happens!
I had high hopes for something occurring outside the cabin, but even then, when there’s a glimmer of action, nothing happens there either. This is a book about Poppy and Andrew being in a room alone together (on the ship, in Portugal, even at the end) talking, bantering and arguing. There is nothing else. They talk at and to each other, some of which is witty, a lot of which is childish and the rest is either annoying or dull. Other characters make the briefest of appearances, but mostly it’s these two together congratulating each other on being so much cleverer than other people and falling in love. That’s it.
Well, except for Andrew keeping his secret for far too long (and paying no price for it) and the pair of them getting it on at a really inappropriate moment.
Sorry but I expected something more. More action, more sea-faring fun, more peril, more absolutely anything from Poppy (the intelligent and curious!) except begrudging acceptance of her captivity, and definitely more grovelling from Andrew. Alas, I was doomed to disappointment on all counts. I did learn a little bit about Lisbon, though, so every cloud and all…
(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)...more
This is an unusual little tale, retelling one of the less familiar fairy tales – King Thrushbeard – using a queerplatonic, sapphic relationship betweeThis is an unusual little tale, retelling one of the less familiar fairy tales – King Thrushbeard – using a queerplatonic, sapphic relationship between a sex-repulsed asexual lesbian princess and an aroace queen. Which is a lot of labels, because this story is as much about labels and getting them out there as it is about the fairy tale. So if you happen to fall into any of those groups and long to see yourself in a story, or you want to know more about them and just how they work with relationships, this book has a lot to offer you.
It is frequently very cute, with occasional flashes of anger, but the chosen format probably won’t appeal to everyone. It’s a verse novel, which I’ll admit made me wary at first, but it’s actually not too bad once you get used to it. It’s also told in an extended dialogue between Marian, the princess, and Edel, the queen, as they recap their lives and the events that lead to them making a life together. Although this does definitely up the cute factor, there were times when I wished for a different format because I wanted more. More detail, more emotion, more suspense as to how it all turns out. As it was, I could enjoy it, but I couldn’t ever quite lose myself inside it.
Which is a huge shame, because there’s a lot of good here. Not just the use of labels, which are presented with excellent arguments for and against using them, but the way the story unfolds, especially in the first three sections. The fourth I felt was slightly lacking in detail, and the whole subplot about Edel being cast as a witch didn’t really seem to go anywhere. But the twist on King Thrushbeard was very nicely done, and it was great to see how it all turned out afterwards.
Most of the time, I’ll admit, I didn’t like Marian very much. She was incredibly immature at times and a little too cutesy for me, except when talking about the Duke, then I just wanted to hug her. I liked Edel a lot more, but at the same time was baffled by her ability to simply walk away from the kingdom for so long. I know she was only Snow’s regent, but she still had major responsibilities. If I was Snow I wouldn’t be talking to her either after it all came out.
So it’s not perfect, and probably won’t work for everyone, but if fairy tale retellings are your thing, and you like the sound of a queerplatonic relationship between an asexual lesbian, fashion-loving princess and a practical, aroace queen, then give it a try. You may just learn something.
**spoiler alert** I enjoyed the first book in this series (Bad Moon Arising). It was cute but left a lot of unanswered questions at the end, so I jump**spoiler alert** I enjoyed the first book in this series (Bad Moon Arising). It was cute but left a lot of unanswered questions at the end, so I jumped at the chance to read the follow up.
I wish I hadn’t now, because Clay is the absolute worst. He wasn’t great in the first book, but I let it go because of the stressful circumstances. Yet after everything, he’s somehow come out of it even more of an asshole than before (and no, it doesn’t make it better if he knows he’s being an asshole!). He’s moody, irritating and incredibly childish, and the way he treats Damian is awful. I cannot for the life of me see what Damian sees in him, except for the whole messed up alpha wolf thing.
Not that Billy Ray is any better. At first I was really happy to see a bigender character blending so seamlessly into this world, but then I realised it was all mixed up with the whole fated-mates stuff (with a hint towards a possible m-preg in the future, which NOPE!) and it became too contrived for me. A lot of this is because I hate fated-mate stories. It’s why I don’t read much paranormal romance these days, even though I love shifter stories. I picked up the first book because it clearly didn’t have anything to do with fate or destiny, so to have it jump up here and slap me in the face was at first annoying and then pretty disappointing. I know it’s in the blurb, so it wasn’t a surprise, but I thought the relationship would progress into a triad, but it doesn’t, it just messes everything up because this is more of a serial than a series – which is another thing I hate, especially when it happens without warning.
And can everyone stop manipulating Damian for two minutes please, and quit laying on the guilt-trips so damn thick? No, he isn’t perfect here, thanks to a nice bit of uncharacteristic behaviour, but with the way everyone is treating him, I just wanted him to say fuck it, pack up his cats and trailer and drive off into the sunset, leaving the rest of them to sort themselves out. It’s a clusterfuck of a mess and I really hated the way the fated-mate stuff seemed to work. It’s not something I like at the best of times, so this snarled up emotional mess was never going to be for me.
Worst of all there is no progress. Damian and Clay finished the last book in a tentative relationship, heading somewhere new because of a big ol’ mess they left behind. They end this book in a tentative relationship, about to head somewhere new because of a big ol’ mess they left behind. Yes, they have the added complication of Billy Ray now, but everything else is basically the same. Clay is still resentful of something Damian did, Damian is still apologising for existing and too many questions remain unanswered (like what happened in the Outcast pack to make it okay for them to go back).
I’m disappointed. This series has turned into a serial, nothing is really happening relationship-wise and we’re in a fated-mate situation with a possible m-preg looming in the future. I’m done. Turns out these wolves are not for me and I’m sad because I’d hoped for so much more.
(ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley)...more
Holly Black has always excelled at writing about the denizens of Faerie. There’s nothing cute or misunderstood about her fey, they are the creatures oHolly Black has always excelled at writing about the denizens of Faerie. There’s nothing cute or misunderstood about her fey, they are the creatures of folklore, the vicious, violent, amoral and downright nasty beasties that hunt humans for sport and murder each other for fun. And this book is no exception. These fey aren’t nice, they are never going to be nice, and surviving amongst them is an achievement.
So I knew what I was heading into when I picked up this book. I knew Cardan would be awful and that Jude would experience terrible things – and he is and she does – but I was relying on some sort of connection to the characters to carry me through the dark bits.
I didn’t get it. I didn’t like any of them. In fact I hated most of them, except perhaps Vivi, while Jude completely underwhelmed me. I understood her wish to be safe, but to be honest, I struggled with the ways she went about it and her complete lack of foresight or planning. I felt no connection to her. The only time I came close was when her twin let her down, again and again and again. But usually that left me wanting to shake her, because she kept making excuses for her otherwise weak and disloyal behaviour.
The plot also takes a long time to get going. I struggled through the first half, to be honest, and came close to not finishing. But I lost count of the times I read Tithe and Valiant as a teen, so I wanted to believe Holly Black could pull it back. And she did, sort of, mostly. The first half is perhaps a little too full of angst for the sake of angst, but the second half definitely raises the stakes. I might not ever like Jude, but it was interesting to see her plunge into the depths of Faerie politics and wade through the mess of it all. The events building towards the end are high stakes and gripping and I loved how precariously everything is balanced at the end.
Which leaves me in something of a quandary, because although the plot is great by the end, it takes a long time to get there and the characters weren’t quite enough to hold my interest. If I didn’t already like this author and wasn’t intending to review this book, I would have given up quite early and missed out on all the good stuff. So it’s not perfect, and I’m still not sure whether I want to read the next one, but if you like amoral faeries, don’t mind characters you can’t particularly like, and have the patience to wade through angst, incredibly unpleasant bullying and hot-headed behaviour, then you might like this more than I did.
(Review copy provided by the publisher via Amazon Vine.)...more
The absolute joy of the first book in this series (Cutie and the Beast) for me was David. He was such a great character – fun, quirky and en2.5 stars.
The absolute joy of the first book in this series (Cutie and the Beast) for me was David. He was such a great character – fun, quirky and endearing – that it was impossible not to love the book. I liked Alun too, and the plot was interesting, but it was really David that won me over. Alas, although this book does feature David in small doses, sadly, neither Bryce nor Mal come anywhere close to having his personality.
Bryce is okay. He’s an eco-warrior of the strongest kind, he’s caring about nature and firm in his opinions, but I never really warmed to him. Possibly because he doesn’t know who he really is, so spends much of the book off-balance. He thinks he’s meek and mild mannered, but when his inner druid is unleashed, he is anything but. He’s strong and commanding and… I don’t know, it didn’t quite work for me.
Mal is a major jerk. Yes, he’s railing at fate at the beginning, but he’s spent most of his life skating by on charm and so isn’t willing to work for anything, even now, when a little bit of effort might win him some of his life back. He’d rather lie and mostly cheat his way home. There were times I wanted to feel sympathetic towards him, but it was a struggle. Yeah, he has middle child syndrome and has lost a lot of his life, but he’s also an ass.
There was also a big old dollop of D/s thrown in to serve as a sexy romance, and to be honest I found it uncomfortable. Mostly because it went against everything we’d ever known about Mal, colouring everything with a hefty dose of dubious consent and general unpleasantness. Bryce’s own reaction when he found out what was going on helped a lot, but if there’d been maybe even the smallest hint of a weariness of always being in control from Mal before this point, I might have been able to accept it better. As such, since his issues only come up after the druid stuff appears, it just felt forced and never quite right.
Which is a shame, because the rest of the plot was actually pretty good. In fact, I found “Steve” far more interesting and his quest more compelling than Mal and Bryce. It was great to find out a little more about Faerie, the queen and the Unseelie court. I also liked seeing more of David and his forceful Aunt Cassie too. However, Gareth managed to be even more of a dick than Mal, which is saying something, and has left me kind of hesitant about the last book in this series. I’m not sure I want to read about Gareth getting a HEA, because I’m not sure he deserves it. Then again, it’ll be interesting to be proved wrong.
So in all, this was a little disappointing, not nearly as cute, fun or enjoyable as the first and with a romance I’m still a little unhappy about. I do like the wider world, though I wish we’d learnt a bit more about Bryce’s druid training, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for more from this author in the future.
(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)...more
It seems impossible for this series to give me a decent, grown up heroine. The big theme of these books does seem to be that everyone has issues, but It seems impossible for this series to give me a decent, grown up heroine. The big theme of these books does seem to be that everyone has issues, but as with the first story (Need You Now) the romance spends most of its time focusing on the hero’s brooding pain, while the heroine ignores her own issues and then runs away and ignores everyone when they attempt to tackle hers. Which I find particularly irritating.
In other words: grow up, Hayley!
Yeah, yeah, I know she has problems with her family and she’s never really fit in and her mother used to pretend she wasn’t her daughter and she’s only just discovered she has two half brothers… but any sympathy I might have had for her was obliterated by her inability to actually face any of these problems, not just head on, but in any meaningful way unless forced into it. She moves to Gracely to find out about her past, lying to her (loving and caring, btw) family the whole time she’s there, she throws her parentage in her new brothers’ faces, then runs away and hides. Her brothers offer her a job, so she goes to work with Sam, who she continues to hide behind until he pretty much forces her to actually talk with her brothers.
Which is so annoying, because I liked her relationship with Sam. They’re pretty cute together and she definitely helps him to open up about his problems and face up to the guilt in his past. But the moment the attention focuses back on her, whelp! Gotta hide again! I know this is how some people deal with problems, but she also whines about how no one understands her and she’s never fit in and is always the outsider, boo hoo, poor me, I’m so alone with my loving family and these brothers that really want to get to know me, oh, and this hot mountain man who wants to talk to me about feelings and stuff, but look how alone I am! Did I mention I'M SO ALONE!
Nope. Grow up and deal.
Thankfully Sam was a lot better. Sure, he’s grumpy and broody and a rugged mountain man, but at least he has the capacity to change and grow, and can eventually see enough outside his misery-bubble to help others. I also liked seeing more of Lily and Brandon as their relationship progressed. It gave a nice sense of closure to the annoying open-endedness of the last book.
We also met Tori. Who I didn’t like one little bit, because once again we have a female character dealing immaturely with her problems. I’m a little curious about how things between her and Will will turn out, but my feelings towards the heroines in this series are so poor that I’m not sure I’ll ever read it.
So in all I found this book more annoying than enjoyable. Sam is great, it was nice to see more of the old characters, but Hayley disappointed me and, again, I was left with a sense of incompleteness when it came to the romance. It will probably be addressed in the final book, but I’m not sure I care enough to want to know.
(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)...more
This book frustrated me beyond belief. Because on the one hand there’s Dylan, who is a pretty decent guy. He loves his family, he’s good with kids, heThis book frustrated me beyond belief. Because on the one hand there’s Dylan, who is a pretty decent guy. He loves his family, he’s good with kids, he purposefully gets the weather wrong so people can win money betting on his incompetence. He’s great, really, and a massive part of Marietta.
Then there’s Casey. Dream-chasing, photo journalist Casey, who loves her job and travelling the world and obviously does good work for charitable causes. In fact she’s a complete paragon who everyone loves because she’s so amazing and caring and giving… Except she’s not. Yeah, her job’s great and all, but when it comes to Dylan and her family she is unbelievably selfish. The way she treats Dylan is appalling and all those people who say she’s good for him need to get their eyes, hearts and minds checked. She uses him because he’s safe, he’s always going to be there and he loves her. She walks all over him and gets angry at anyone who points out the truth because they just don’t understand how it really is.
Well, the way I understand it is she gets everything she wants because only her wants and needs matter. Dylan doesn’t. She claims to love him, but there isn’t a single point in this book where she genuinely cares about what Dylan wants. It’s all about her. Even when he has a chance at something else, she’s far from supportive, because it doesn’t fit in with what she wants. She’s awful and I spent the whole book wanting to get Dylan as far away from her as possible.
She treats her family in a similar blasé fashion, yet they all still love her. WHY?! The only one who questions her is her sister-in-law, but Casey just ignores her anyway.
Then there’s the conflict at the end, when somehow Dylan’s the one in the wrong. Are you kidding me? That man deserves a life far beyond the reach of anyone who thinks Casey is good for him. As for the big gesture thing at the end, nope, that proves nothing. Casey should be apologising for the rest of her life for the way she treated Dylan – either that or letting him go. There’s nothing wrong with chasing dreams, but trampling all over other people’s hearts to get there so you can still provide yourself with a home to return to is not cool.
In all, I wasn’t convinced by this romance and couldn’t believe that any change would truly last. Dylan deserves better. Sorry, but this was one HEA I really couldn’t get behind.
(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)...more
After finding the first book in this series (Love Runs Deep) an enjoyable if unexpected read, I was curious to see how this one turned out. Plus it haAfter finding the first book in this series (Love Runs Deep) an enjoyable if unexpected read, I was curious to see how this one turned out. Plus it has a dog – I’m sold. Firstly, if you haven’t read the first book, don’t worry, this stands alone absolutely fine. There’s a very brief blink and you’ll miss it reference to Jax’s role in the first book, but that’s it. Secondly, if you’re reading for the dog, Bella starts off as an important character but is quickly sidelined until she vanishes altogether. Third and finally, this book turned out once again to be quite a bit different than I expected, but sadly not in a good way.
But let’s start with the good: Jax. Loved him. His bond with Bella is a lovely thing, and he’s really sweet and respectful when it comes to Risa. Sure, a bit more communication from him might have been good at times, but he handles thing much more maturely than she ever does.
Which leads me to my biggest issue with this book: Risa. I just couldn’t like her. She has all the hallmarks that should have made her an instant hit with me – her love of animals, mainly – but her behaviour irritated me constantly. She’s unprofessional when it comes to Jax and what she expects him to do with Bella. She’s annoying in the way she flirts and draws him in, only to push him away again when she remembers his job. Then she seeks him out, because she can’t help it even if she won’t accept a date. Then when they do get closer, she doesn’t ask the important questions, and instead runs away and hides when the obvious and inevitable happens. Yes, Jax and she should have had a conversation about why she won’t date Navy men, and they both share responsibility for that, but her childish behaviour is completely her own fault.
On top of all of this, I never really felt any chemistry between them. This might have been because I didn’t like Risa, but the pair of them together was never convincing to me. Sure, they have a love of animals in common, but… I don’t know. Maybe it was because they never addressed Risa’s legitimate reasons for not dating Navy men, but the pacing felt a little too rushed for me.
Then there’s the weird suspense plot, which was sadly a bit predictable, and ended in a damp squib. I would have loved to have known what exactly it was that clued Jax in right at the end, but maybe I wasn’t reading closely enough to catch it.
So in all, sadly, this one just didn’t work for me. However, judging by the majority of the reviews I’m in the minority here. I guess it all depends on how annoying you find Risa and whether Jax’s loveliness can overcome it. Alas, not even Jax and Bella combined could win this one for me.
(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)...more
So far I’ve been really loving this series, set around the friendships and romances of an American Football team, so I was intrigued at the prospect oSo far I’ve been really loving this series, set around the friendships and romances of an American Football team, so I was intrigued at the prospect of a British Baroness joining the cast. But, alas, as a Brit, I found her hit-and-miss Britishness really distracting.
I won’t go into all the in and outs of why, though I often wondered why when all of them talk with Scottish accents (apart from her friend whose slang seemed to know no boundaries as it rampaged around the country) the manor wasn’t actually IN Scotland. Yes, the far north of England has a lot of Scottish characteristics, but they have their own unique character, accents and dialects too, not that you’d know it in this book. Also cranes and chipmunks in Cumbria? Um…
It was also inconsistent. Piper might talk about the boot of her car one moment, then be discussing bachelorette parties (for non-Brits, we call them hen parties). It got to the point where I noticed every time she used a Britishism, and every time she didn’t, with car talk being particularly distracting. I also grew annoyed by her overly formal speech at times.
In fact, I wasn’t all that impressed with Piper. Her wishy-washy attempts not to give into her attraction to Wyatt were pathetic. I don’t know why she even bothered. He is pretty pushy, but her defence was non-existent. Coupled with everything mentioned above, she annoyed me a lot and around the halfway mark I came very close to giving up.
But I like this series, so I gave it another go, and once they do give into their attraction it does get better. There’s a lot more to Wyatt than the careless playboy he pretends to be. I came to like him as the book progressed, though I never loved him. I felt like Piper improved too when she had real problems to focus on. They make a cute team and that ending was plain adorable – if a little over the top when he knows how much she hates being the centre of attention.
So overall this was okay and probably works a lot better for those who aren’t British, or who aren’t bothered by things being a bit skewed in that quarter. It was great seeing old characters again, but if you’re new to this series you can start here without too much difficulty. It has sports, it has romance and even has a hint of British aristocracy to keep things ticking along. My own issues with this book aside, this series remains a thoroughly enjoyable read.
(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)...more
I think I need to take a break from historical romances, because this one did absolutely nothing for me. Mostly because of the characters. Cassandra kI think I need to take a break from historical romances, because this one did absolutely nothing for me. Mostly because of the characters. Cassandra kicks things off by acting in a very unlikely way, running around in the dark with two men and not expecting that to ruin her reputation, then meeting in secret with a rake. She’s supposed to be smart, but there were times when I wondered if she had a brain at all.
Then there’s Ned, our earl-in-disguise, looking for his lost sister. His motives may be good, but he has serious anger issues. He has arrogant and condescending moments and can be rather judgemental too, but he is an earl, so while I didn’t like those character traits they weren’t entirely unexpected. His temper, however, was a bit too nasty for me to ever like him much.
Then there are the other men. One, the object of Cassie’s affections, seems to have a refreshing view of female sexuality – until it comes to Cassie, then he’s an idiot. As for the captain… nope. I didn’t like him, at all. Both he and his lady love are welcome to each other, pretending to be noble when really they’re both being selfish.
The plot has plenty of farcical moments that I think were supposed to be funny, turning the mystery into a bit of a romp at times, but the behaviour of all involved and the modern reactions sadly didn’t work for me.
I did, however, love the sense of place and time and all the little touches that brought the English countryside in late spring/early summer to life. The birds and the wildflowers and everything that made it feel like home. That was lovely.
Sadly, that wasn’t enough to win me over. This one wasn’t for me, and I’m starting to think a break from the whole genre might be needed.
(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)...more
I cannot in all honesty claim to have fully read this. I found it a struggle from the start, where the pace is very slow, so skimmed a fair bit of it.I cannot in all honesty claim to have fully read this. I found it a struggle from the start, where the pace is very slow, so skimmed a fair bit of it. At the halfway point, I was ready to give up, so I peeked at the end and was intrigued enough to skim the rest to find out how exactly it got there.
The problem is, while this book tries very hard to be clever and different, it just doesn’t make any sense. And the characters are awful, but I’ll deal with them later. The world is Earth, but a long time in the future, after wars and a comet has pretty much destroyed everything. Except for this island with its long cliff and the magic trees. Nine grow on top of the cliff, supporting a machine-focused city. Nine grow beneath, supporting a nature loving lot. Both of them have plenty of sunlight and water and are surviving just fine. Although evidence for the tech-heavy city was pretty scarce. The trees are covered in metal, but other than that they seem to live much the same as the ones below. Where the sun shines, despite being beneath a whole other city. There’s also a threat of war, because people can’t get on and their way is the only way.
As for the whole Chosen One thing between Joomia and Aula. That will never make sense to me, because how? How did that happen? I needed to know a lot more about the magic in this place before I could believe anything as weird as that.
I might have been able to forgive all of the above if I could have liked the characters, but I couldn’t. Aula is awful. She’s bratty and selfish and incredibly immature. I thought Joomia was better, but she’s a bit of a doormat, hiding her powers because she’s scared and lacking in personality. There are a handful of other characters, but they were all pretty sketchy and lacking in depth.
That for me was what was missing with everything in this book – depth, detail, colour and life. It gave it a good try. The characters are diverse, and the ideas are good and interesting, but they don’t make sense, and there was nothing here that made me want to know more about this world or these people. Which is why I skimmed through most of it and came out feeling like I read as much as I needed or wanted. Sadly, this one and this world are not for me.
(Review copy provided by the publisher via Amazon Vine.)...more
This really isn’t my usual type of read. The writing style is distant and very much tells you what’s going on as we watch Will go through life. It’s qThis really isn’t my usual type of read. The writing style is distant and very much tells you what’s going on as we watch Will go through life. It’s quite filmic in tone. Personally, I prefer to get inside characters’ heads, feeling and experiencing the story with them, rather than watching. Despite that, I found this a strangely compelling read that dragged me into the deepening mystery of Will’s life. I’m not a big fan of mysteries as the main plot of my reading, I don’t mind questions popping up as we go, but I like answers – and this book doesn’t really bother with them.
However, if you love a dystopian mystery where it is very hard to tell what’s really going on and how you should be feeling about anything, then give this a go. Especially if you like making up your own mind about what’s happening and why things are the way they are. Personally, I find that kind of stressful when I prefer to read to relax, but if you like to be challenged by books, this could well be for you.
I don’t mind being challenged by a book, but I’m quite lazy as a reader and prefer an ending to be written by the author, not made up by me. Especially when there are just too many questions left unanswered in this, like: (view spoiler)[what did Will’s dad know? What was the travelling really about? What happened to Max? To Mia? Why did Will come home? When did he come home? Did he even go anywhere in the first place? What were KML doing? What was the dead guy all about? And the ending… WTF? (hide spoiler)] Everything about the end of this book left me rubbing my head and wondering if I was just too plain tired for this or if it really was so sparse on details I was supposed to be left swearing at it.
I like details. I like complicated worlds and characters and am not adverse to riddles, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, but I need a key to unlock it all!
It’s not badly written, by the way, it’s just completely not what I would normally choose to read. I was also led to believe it was a New Adult book and it really isn’t. For most of the book we’re dealing with Will in his mid-thirties as his mental state and life starts to unravel. We do see flashes of him at eighteen, but the main focus is adult-Will and his quest for answers – and the mystery of whether he’s just having a breakdown, there is genuinely something amiss at his work or both and more. I have a few theories on these things, but the lack of concrete answers left me a little frustrated.
So if you like tales told to you that are full of mysteries and unsolved questions, that aren’t afraid to leave readers completely baffled as to what’s happening, has a dystopic, futuristic setting, a main character whose mind may be betraying him and will definitely require a lot of focus to pick up some of the more obscure clues, then give this a go. It might not have been quite my cup of tea, but it was still a compelling read.
ETA: I was given an advanced review copy of this book. According to the author some parts of the book have since been changed to make things a little clearer in terms of the end. So hopefully you won't be left quite as confused as I was. If that was all that was putting you off, wonder no longer and grab yourself a copy.
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