I heard an interview with the author on the radio which included an excerpt from the book, from the part about why galleries and museums favor white wI heard an interview with the author on the radio which included an excerpt from the book, from the part about why galleries and museums favor white walls, and it struck me as being quite anthropological. Needless to say, I was immediately intrigued. But, when I finally started the book, I realized the majority of it was very much not what I'd imagined based on the little taste I'd gotten, and I was not interested in what this actually is. Disappointing, but I guess it goes to show you should do a little more research before diving into a book......more
This is hands down one of the best thrillers I've ever read. I went in basically blind, and I do recommend doing that (unless you need trigger warningThis is hands down one of the best thrillers I've ever read. I went in basically blind, and I do recommend doing that (unless you need trigger warnings, in which case, please do look those up for this, it's not a light read). I've rarely read thrillers that so expertly capture the moment-to-moment reality of a harrowing situation so believably. You don't have to have extreme violence, or wild set-piece shenanigans to get a reader's heart racing. Quite mundane things will do the trick if the reader is transported to the situation and mindset of the character. This book is a masterclass in that sort of writing. The main character I found at times extremely frustrating, but the book is written in such a way that I found myself checking the instinct to be frustrated or annoyed with the MC, because part of the "point" of the book is to make us question our assumptions about people, about believability, etc. Well done, highly recommend. ...more
This was my first Veronica Roth book and, it left basically no impression, so I suppose that means I might try her again if something piques my intereThis was my first Veronica Roth book and, it left basically no impression, so I suppose that means I might try her again if something piques my interest... This started out very strong (and that's after drooling over the cover). It's immediately atmospheric and mysterious, it begins in medias res, and I was hoping it would sort of continue on that way, leaving you to piece things together for yourself as it vibed along. But, alas, no. We quickly eschew that sort of storytelling and instead favor a very explanation-heavy, info-dump prone, exposition-filled narrative that I lost interest in almost immediately. The story itself is...fine? The thing that could have elevated it to something truly special would have been writing that allowed things to be, for lack of a better word, impressionistic? We aren't setting up the rules for a magic system that will need to be understood for 10 long books. When you're writing something this short, you can (and should) leave things mysterious and focus on the characters, on the atmosphere, on the tone. You have very little time to make an impression and spending a large chunk of it doing a mini wiki for your magic is not the way to go, in my opinion. All in all, this felt like squandered potential, which is unfortunate. But, a lot of people liked it and I'm often yucking the majority's yum, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. ...more
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