Sign in with Facebook
Sara's Reviews > The Crack at the Heart of Everything
The Crack at the Heart of Everything
by
by
3.5 ☆
i was able to read the e-arc for this book in exchange for an honest review so here it is.
ngl, at first i was drawn into the book because of the amazing cover work, and after reading the blurb i was sold.
for the first half of the story, i just found it pleasant. not memorable in any way, but definitely enjoyable if a little slow.
the 75% mark was a turning point for me: the sudden added tension definitely made it intriguing and the cozy atmosphere suddenly got darker, solving most of the issues i had had with the book previously.
particularly:
1. TIMING: this has been by far the biggest issue for me. though starting in medias res is a narrative technique as old as time, you have to make sure that the reader does not feel like they have been randomly thrown in the middle of the action. i don’t think that was entirely successful here. the characters keep referring to past events and consolidated relationships as if you are supposed to already care about them and know what’s at stake without giving you a reason to care and be concerned until much later. this also kind of influenced how i perceived the relationship between orpheus and fenrir, because they clearly have history of sorts but you just were not there for it, thus making it hard to be invested from the get-go. you still don’t know them as characters and you definitely don’t know their bond. it felt like it was supposed to be an enemies-to-lovers kind of thing but the enemies part had been left out?
2. LORE: she was just not a compelling character? not even as a villain? not only is she unlikeable (which, by itself, would not be an issue at all), but she is also kinda rude to orpheus from the jump and he does not notice? and ofc i don’t mean the start of the book, i mean the chronological start of the story narrated in the interludes, which are supposed to give you some background and make you understand why he saw her as his best friend? and even when you get the whole context, you understand where everyone’s stance on her comes from EXCEPT for orpheus’ cause she was insufferable towards him as well ???? also, before the ending she only appears in the first handful of chapters (where i’m not even sure she speaks) and in the sporadic interludes so not often enough to make her threatening nor intriguing.
3. CONFUSING WORLDBUILDING: they have seatbelts, airplanes, and guns but fight armored, are unsure whether houses have hot water, and travel long distances by horse? and they use fahrenheit, which places the story distinctly in the US and, to be fair, massachusetts is specifically mentioned: that’s even more confusing given that any other location (apart from japan for some reason) has made-up fantastical-sounding names (like specific us states are a thing but other places are just called “the rim” yada yada, i feel like you should have one or the other). The magic system is also not clearly explained? Even more so considering the timing issues and the fact that everybody knows how everything works so there is no in-story reason for exposition. Usually it would be explained in some other way, but in this case it was just foregone completely, making it really confusing for the reader.
4. PROSE: this was only an issue at first tbh, i think the writing style improved as the book went on. some sentences were a little clunky and awkward but it did not hinder the reading experience much in the end. i think that it was a moderately successful attempt at creating an epic fantasy atmosphere, which possibly clashed with the worldbuling at times.
ofc having to go three quarters of the book ignoring structural issues is a bit of a gamble, but i think it paid off in the end. i really liked fenrir’s character, and orpheus was fine as well. not my favorite but i was still able to empathize with him most of the time. their dynamic was also pretty nice and cozy, though i must say even major events caused me very little emotional turmoil.
overall i think this book is worth reading, possibly as a palate cleanser? for a debut novel, it is definitely nice and leaves room for improvement.
i was able to read the e-arc for this book in exchange for an honest review so here it is.
ngl, at first i was drawn into the book because of the amazing cover work, and after reading the blurb i was sold.
for the first half of the story, i just found it pleasant. not memorable in any way, but definitely enjoyable if a little slow.
the 75% mark was a turning point for me: the sudden added tension definitely made it intriguing and the cozy atmosphere suddenly got darker, solving most of the issues i had had with the book previously.
particularly:
1. TIMING: this has been by far the biggest issue for me. though starting in medias res is a narrative technique as old as time, you have to make sure that the reader does not feel like they have been randomly thrown in the middle of the action. i don’t think that was entirely successful here. the characters keep referring to past events and consolidated relationships as if you are supposed to already care about them and know what’s at stake without giving you a reason to care and be concerned until much later. this also kind of influenced how i perceived the relationship between orpheus and fenrir, because they clearly have history of sorts but you just were not there for it, thus making it hard to be invested from the get-go. you still don’t know them as characters and you definitely don’t know their bond. it felt like it was supposed to be an enemies-to-lovers kind of thing but the enemies part had been left out?
2. LORE: she was just not a compelling character? not even as a villain? not only is she unlikeable (which, by itself, would not be an issue at all), but she is also kinda rude to orpheus from the jump and he does not notice? and ofc i don’t mean the start of the book, i mean the chronological start of the story narrated in the interludes, which are supposed to give you some background and make you understand why he saw her as his best friend? and even when you get the whole context, you understand where everyone’s stance on her comes from EXCEPT for orpheus’ cause she was insufferable towards him as well ???? also, before the ending she only appears in the first handful of chapters (where i’m not even sure she speaks) and in the sporadic interludes so not often enough to make her threatening nor intriguing.
3. CONFUSING WORLDBUILDING: they have seatbelts, airplanes, and guns but fight armored, are unsure whether houses have hot water, and travel long distances by horse? and they use fahrenheit, which places the story distinctly in the US and, to be fair, massachusetts is specifically mentioned: that’s even more confusing given that any other location (apart from japan for some reason) has made-up fantastical-sounding names (like specific us states are a thing but other places are just called “the rim” yada yada, i feel like you should have one or the other). The magic system is also not clearly explained? Even more so considering the timing issues and the fact that everybody knows how everything works so there is no in-story reason for exposition. Usually it would be explained in some other way, but in this case it was just foregone completely, making it really confusing for the reader.
4. PROSE: this was only an issue at first tbh, i think the writing style improved as the book went on. some sentences were a little clunky and awkward but it did not hinder the reading experience much in the end. i think that it was a moderately successful attempt at creating an epic fantasy atmosphere, which possibly clashed with the worldbuling at times.
ofc having to go three quarters of the book ignoring structural issues is a bit of a gamble, but i think it paid off in the end. i really liked fenrir’s character, and orpheus was fine as well. not my favorite but i was still able to empathize with him most of the time. their dynamic was also pretty nice and cozy, though i must say even major events caused me very little emotional turmoil.
overall i think this book is worth reading, possibly as a palate cleanser? for a debut novel, it is definitely nice and leaves room for improvement.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
The Crack at the Heart of Everything.
Sign In »
